Robbie Rieger says it best - the final call for the Monarchs at the end of every game is the simple yet powerful "Brother's Keeper - on three".
And though you'll find it on the field and on our website, it's more than just a motto. This short phrase embodies in so many ways what Coach Nelson desires our program to be.
As a Monarch, do you watch over your teammates? Not just to make sure they're picking up signs at home plate or keeping task in the dugout, but that they know you've got their back. That if they don't make a game or a practice, someone will be calling them to find out if everything is OK. And if they miss a play out there between the white lines, one of their buddies will give it their all to fill in the gap.
I've seen it happen in the dugout a number of times this year; a guy misses a bunt or can't get their pitch over for a strike. When they come back to the dugout, discouraged and red-faced, one of the other guys will sit down beside them and offer a word of encouragement or a tip on how to get the bunt down right the next time. Does it happen all the time? No, but I've seen it enough to know that this idea at the heart of our team is starting to take hold.
While Coach Nelson was growing up in Nebraska, this famous theme from Boys Town USA became one of his personal rules to live by. He says, "Boys Town had a big impact on me as a child, and is truly fitting for our baseball team. We don’t share a common school, or a common religion, but rather a common purpose, and that is to “Be our Brother's Keeper…”
As the Monarchs prepare to make their third generation change, the importance of older players helping younger players, the Midland Tobys and Brennans helping the Monarch Colesons and Ethans, becomes even more important. For until you become your Brother's Keeper, you cannot truly become...a Monarch.
Just a stick, and a ball, and the neighborhood's call
These are the best days I've ever known,
Baseball, on the block... - John McCutcheon
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