"None of you can ever be proud enough of being the child of SUCH a Father who has not his equal in this world-so great, so good, so faultless. Try, all of you, to follow in his footsteps and don't be discouraged, for to be really in everything like him none of you, I am sure, will ever be. Try, therefore, to be like him in some points, and you will have acquired a great deal." -- Victoria, Queen of England
DON'T FORGET - Be sure to remember that Sunday is Fathers Day.
How many of you spent countless hours in the backyard/front yard/street playing catch with your father? How many times did you say, "Hey Dad, will you hit me some grounders?" Well, if you had a dad like mine, the answer was always "Yes!"
There are so many great examples of Father/Son combinations in baseball. Think Bobby Bonds was proud of his son Barry? Do you think that Ken Griffey Sr. is anxious to see his son Ken Griffey Jr. crack his 500th homer. I bet that Cal Ripken Sr. was just as proud of his big league son Billy as he was of future Hall of Famer, Cal, Jr.
Well, today's guest columnist is just as proud a father as any of them, and for good reason! Dr. Buck Ford spent countless hours following, coaching and supporting his son and current Twins outfielder Lew Ford through years of youth baseball, soccer, football, track and more. Mr. Ford was kind enough to take some time to write a special Father's Day message for this website. Also, he sent me a number of great pictures of Lew from his youth through recent years and fatherhood of his own. Check them out here.
So, without any further ado, here are some thoughts by Dr. Buck Ford:
FATHERS DAY MESSAGE
By
Buck Ford
My name is Buck Ford. I am Lew Ford’s dad. Seth offered me an opportunity to write a Fathers Day commentary regarding Lew. I decided to take Seth up on the offer.
God blessed me with two fine sons. I love both of them. Lew is the oldest by a year and a half. I am happy for Lew that he is living his dream. He knows what it is to dedicate himself to a goal, and to pursue it with a passion. It is a great feeling, and he is living that feeling right now.
Lew has his supporters. There are people who have followed Lew and his career ever since he began playing T-ball in the youth baseball leagues of Port Neches, Texas. Port Neches is located in Southeast Texas. It is a residential community located between Beaumont and Port Arthur. Oil refineries and a complex of prisons drive the economy down there.
Football
has always been king in those parts.
Lew’s grandfather, Lewis Ford, was a head football coach at Port Neches back in the 1950s. His 1955 football team won the state championship. I, as well as Lew and his brother, played football for the local high school team, the Port Neches-Groves Indians. Their colors were purple and white.
I write all this because this is a part of our character. There is a loyalty and a tradition that is shared among all graduates of Port Neches-Groves. It is a transcendent, intrinsic quality. It is said that PN-G graduates bleed purple. I have purple blood, and so does Lew.
Despite the overbearing presence of football, baseball is widely popular down there. Lew began playing with a ball as soon as he could begin handling one. He loved balls. In his toddler years, he always had some sort of ball in his hands, and would love to throw it or kick it. Lew loved balls.
The first sport Lew got involved in was soccer. I believe he was about 4 or 5 years old. He was good at it. He was already ahead of the other kids who played, because he had been kicking balls around all his life. But he was quick footed, and focused, and had a strong kick. He continued playing club and school soccer through 10th grade. He was good at it. He even made a select team that toured England one summer.
At about 5 or 6, Lew began playing T-ball. Lew wasn’t a big kid. We used to call him “Little Lew.” But Lew had a focus, and an agility, and an intuition about balls. In T-ball, Lew would play the pitcher position. He would bend over in that “ready” position, his arms relaxed and swaying. His cap and glove would be a little too big for him. His eyes would focus intently on the ball resting on that “T”.
There was a chalk-drawn circular arc about 10 feet in front of the plate.
Balls hit off the “T” had to pass this arc in order to be in play. When a
kid hit the ball off the “T”, Lew would immediately pounce on the ball like
a cat, pick it up, and out-run the batter to first base. This was the way it
was the entire T-ball season.
Lew’s son, Jake, played T-ball this past spring. I was telling Lew’s wife, Cori, about how Lew played T-ball. Cori told me that my description sounded exactly like the way Jake plays.
Lew went through Rookie League (7-8 year olds), Texas League (9 year old), Little League (10-12 year olds), Pony League (13-14 year olds), and Colt League (15-16 year olds). He also played Babe Ruth League when he was 18. The All Star team he was on went to the Babe Ruth World Series in Trail, British Columbia.
With Lew’s birthday being on August 12, his peer group in the baseball leagues was a grade behind him in school. He always looked more mature and poised and talented than his peer group in these leagues. He wouldn’t look bigger than the others, but much more skilled.
In those community baseball leagues, he played pitcher and shortstop. In high school, he played outfield and pitcher.
Lew’s always had a live arm. As a pitcher, he was exceptional. His best pitch was his fastball, but he could also throw a curve. He looked good pitching. In fact, when he walked on at Texas A&M in the fall of 1995, the Aggies didn’t know whether to put him in the outfield or develop him as a pitcher. They played him at both positions. In the spring of 1996, Lew went to Seminole Junior College in Oklahoma. At Seminole, Lew played centerfield, and was a relief pitcher.
Lew’s always had speed. He ran track in local community summer track meets. He always won his races. He was intense at the starting line, got the first jump out of the blocks, could accelerate very quickly, and finish strong.
Lew’s always had a live bat. Even though he wasn’t very big, and even though he was called “Little Lew,” his bat was live. As a 10-year old, he went to a 10-year old All Star tournament. He hit three home runs during the tournament. There weren’t many 10-year olds his size hitting nice looking home runs over the fence.
As Lew progressed through the leagues, and into high school, his bat became noticeable. He hit with power to all fields. He also had speed to run out infield hits. Balls were energized when they left his bat.
I always wondered where Lew’s power came from. He never looked to be that much more muscular or bigger than his peers. I videotaped a home run he hit at a high school tournament in Nederland. The ball was blasted over dead center field.
I looked at the sequence in slow motion, frame by frame. It looked as though, when the bat met the ball, that Lew had channeled every bit of energy and force in his body into the contact point on the head of that bat. I could see his legs, hips, torso, shoulders, arms, and hands all focused and channeled to deliver his energy, and it was delivered right at the point that the bat met the ball. I thought to myself that this was all natural and intuitive. Lew had the ability to put everything he had into delivery on the baseball.
I’m proud of Lew. I’ve followed him throughout his career, and I’m still following him. I watch all the games on Direct TV.
Lew has worked hard for where he has gotten. He has persevered. Lew has always had baseball talent, and has always performed exceptionally well in baseball. However, it seems at times it has not been recognized.
In 1998, Lew was a first team All American at Dallas Baptist. He set their single school batting record, batting .507. This was over the course of over 50 games! At the time, I thought that was incredible. I still do. It doesn’t matter if you’re playing T-ball league, or Little League, or whatever league. You bat over .500, that’s good.
Scouts talked to Lew, but he wasn’t drafted.
We were disappointed, and somewhat disenchanted, but Lew came back the following year and had another good season at Dallas Baptist. He ended up drafted by the Red Sox in ‘99. We were excited.
When Lew hit pro ball, he got an agent. Lew told me that the agent told him, “They have guys in pro ball that drive in runs, and they have guys that score runs. You have to position yourself to be either one of those two guys.” Lew told me they have a lot of guys in pro ball that position themselves to drive in runs. Lew told me he was going to position himself to score runs.
In 2000, his first full year of Single A ball was in Augusta, GA. He had a good year. He stole 52 of 56 bases, and established their single season batting record by batting .315. He had 74 RBI from the leadoff spot. Baseball America identified him as the best defensive outfielder in Class A. The Sporting News identified him as the Best 5-Tool Prospect in the Red Sox organization. He led minor league baseball in runs scored with 122 (he also led minor league baseball in runs scored in 2002). We were excited for him.
A day or two after the close of the minor league season, Lew was traded to the Twins. I think his coach in Augusta had spent some time in the Twins’ system. We didn’t know anything about the Twins, but Lew looked at it as an opportunity.
After getting in the Twins organization, we saw the situation in regards to its talent. The outfield situation was competitive. Twins fans know the situation; it was—and still is—a very competitive situation.
I am proud of the way Lew responded. He didn’t back down, but worked hard and did his best. The competition forced him to better himself and improve. He did that. I’m proud of him. I also respect and am proud of all the other outfielders in the organization. They are all good people. Lew speaks highly of all of them.
I want to give my reaction to the stories that are written about Lew. I don’t doubt that any of these stories can be true. Lew does have a mathematical mind. He was an honor student; he made straight A’s through school. He may have some peculiar ways about him that come honest. My wife Wanda Carole recognizes that there’s something about being a Ford that is unique. They have their ways. Not in any way is it a slight on their character—the Fords have good character and integrity, but Fords have other traits that can be funny at times.
Lew has an immediate family that loves and supports him. His wife Cori is
great. She has followed and supported Lew through all these years, and been
right there with him as they lived in various cities in the US, Mexico, and
Venezuela while pursuing his minor league career. She was right there with
him, along with his two sons, Jake and Jordan. She’s a great mother to the
boys, and a great support to Lew. Wanda Carole and I agree that Lew would
not be where he is today without the support of Cori. We love her.
Lew’s mother and I divorced each other in 1980. Lew’s family and extended family from both sides love and support him and are excited about his success. His cousins, step-families, extended family and extended step-families—they all keep up with him daily and are excited about his success. Lew has a lot of love and support from his family. Sometimes I hope we don’t all wear him out by our calling and emailing checking up on him so often. He does his best to accommodate us and make us happy.
Seth, I’m glad you gave me an opportunity to share some of my thoughts about Lew. I always tell Lew I love him when I see him or talk to him. I wish him the best.
PS - For information about Port Neches-Groves High School, feel free to check out:
www.pngfootball.com: this is a website that I created back in 1999. I haven’t updated it for a while, but it can give you an indication of what coming from PN-G is like.
www.pngindians.com: a very good website about the Indians.
Thanks again, Mr. Ford. I know I found this to be an incredibly fun and interesting read. I am sure that those who read it will as well.
If anyone has any questions or comments about what you read, or if you would like to pass along any thoughts on Lew to his father, I would be happy to forward them along to Buck Ford. So, any comments, please e-mail me.
"I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection." -- Sigmund Freud