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Spring has almost sprung and before it will get warmer it may get colder. It’s happened before. January and February have passed and baseball, track and tennis are here. These are the days of spring sports played in the warm weather. I have seen men off to the side standing by a barrel of fire and rubbing their hands for warmth to see their boys play baseball. All for the love of the game.

These men would stay after practice to drag the field and help do anything the head coach wanted. These men were the heart and soul of the team. They traveled to away baseball games and even bought dinner for the teams or helped to provide it. They cooked every Wednesday and invited the coaches’ wives.

The meal was bbq pig, tenderloin or sometimes it would be barbecued chicken with all the sides.

They invited all the parents of the team out every Wednesday night and wore their hats everywhere they went. They would wear them with pride.

I always ordered hats with the team logo. They were proud of the hats and I would order dozens because everyone wanted one. I would give them to trash collectors and firefighters and many others. Every year they asked me, where’s my hat Coach?

Sometimes we’d have a pep rally and the band would play and cheerleaders cheered and they would lead the team . Depending on the competition that week!

That went all year from football through baseball seasons. These men were the heart and soul of the athletic program at Williamston High School.

They were the best times with the best friends and the best place, Washington, NC. The Original Washington!