The Way to a Mother's Heart

If you've never been to what I like to think of (and perhaps channeling Crazy Steven in Braveheart) as "my island," you might not know that it's a bit of a haven for professional athletes. St. Simons is the birthplace of a man considered to be one of the greatest football players of all-time, Jim Brown. It is also the current home of several PGA Tour pros, including Davis Love III, Jonathan Byrd, Zach Johnson and Matt Kuchar. Thanks to the golfers our home now hosts the McGladrey Classic PGA Tour event. Yet, while these guys may be stars in the world of golf, on the island they are pretty regular guys, involved in the community and living quiet lives among us. Another local who has made a name for himself in professional sports appears in a picture with my son in the current Coastal Illustrated .

When native son Adam Wainwright is not on the mound for the St. Louis Cardinals, he lives on St. Simons Island with his family. The Glynn Academy graduate is a 2009 Golden Glove winner and the 2010 runner-up for the Cy Young Award. In 2006, he pitched the winning game of the World Series, he won the Players Choice Award for outstanding pitcher in 2009, and pitched in the 2010 All Star Game. And for all that, he's one of the most humble, genuine, and unassuming guys you'll ever meet.

I've seen Adam out and about with the family on the island or grabbing a bite at Sweet Mama's. He blends in so well that I probably wouldn't recognize him at all if it weren't for the fact that he's so tall. I've never had the occasion to meet Adam personally. I know from the sports writers at the paper that he's very accessible and they enjoy talking with him because he's always cracking jokes. One of the things that impresses me the most about Wainwright is that I have never heard anyone say a bad word about him...and this is where he grew up and so many people know him. Adam holds an annual golf tournament that benefits local programs and he also recently visited the kids at Declan's elementary school because a few of them had won lunch with him as part of a raffle drawing.

Declan came home the day that the raffle winners were announced complaining that he didn't win. I chuckled at this because my son has never shown the slightest interest in baseball. He doesn't play the sport nor does he have any desire to watch it on TV. And though I watched the game and followed various teams and players when I was younger, I no longer have any particular team loyalty. The only time I'd watch a game is at a ballpark or if someone I'm with has it on TV. My family is made up of Cubs and Phillies fans, so I pay attention to their scores and standings, and I do the same with the Braves in deference to the locals. I have no problem cheering on the Cards because Adam is a fellow islander, but, really, I just can't bear to sit through a game on TV.

Knowing this, I challenged Declan by asking him if he even knew on which baseball team Adam played. His response, "The Falcons." Embarrassing. When I asked him what position Adam played, he did redeem himself by answering correctly that Wainwright was a pitcher...to which I responded, "Lucky guess." No, the boy did not have my sympathy.

However, when I found out that Adam would be at Ziggy's to help host a concert by up-and-coming country singer Craig Campbell, I decided to take Declan over so he could have a chance to meet this baseball player he had so desperately wanted to have lunch with and get his autograph. He was thrilled and wanted to make sure he had something special for Adam to sign -- not just a piece of paper. Since the child doesn't play the sport, we had no baseball on hand (and try finding one after 6pm on the island in the winter!) but I was able to avert a complete meltdown by locating a baseball glove given to him by a friend that he had forgotten he owned. And so, armed with glove and a Sharpie, we stood in line at Ziggy's while Adam chatted with friends and fans and graciously signed whatever people handed him.

Declan got the autograph he wanted and talked the MLB star a bit. When the line died down, Adam pulled him aside again to tell him that there were a couple other guys there that he might also want to ask to sign his glove. He pointed out fellow Cards pitcher Ryan Franklin and former Braves pitcher Blaine Boyer. Declan was positively ecstatic to have this "secret tip" from Adam!

But what won this mom's heart was hearing an exchange Adam had with Declan about whether he played baseball. When Declan told him that he didn't play baseball but did play football, Adam asked whether he was any good. Declan replied with a grin and a shrug, "Yeah. I'm pretty good at tackling. I can tackle a guy bigger than me and take him down to the ground." Wainwright pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Declan with his pen, and said, "Well then maybe I'd better get your autograph." The smile on my son's face was brilliant. With that one small act, Adam Wainwright became Declan's hero and might just have made baseball fans out of us too! After all, the way to a mother's heart is through her child's smile.