JOE BLAKE, SR.

All parents dream of their children having what they couldn't have themselves. That is how it is for Joe Blake, Sr. and his L.A. Dodger 3rd baseman son, Casey. Joe is the pitching coach for one of his other sons, Ben, the head coach of Simpson College's baseball team located in Indianola, Iowa, about 15 minutes outside of Des Moines. Blake and his wife Chris have two other sons and two daughters who were all successful athletes in high school and college, in and around the Indianola area. Joe also owns a thriving State Farm Insurance business. Later in this column, you will find out how Joe's baseball career could have become exactly what his son Casey's career has become.

Joe, who was born and raised in Indianola, was a high school standout in football and baseball. He wanted to play both sports in college and when the University of Iowa and Iowa State University finally told him that he could play both sports, it was too late. He had already chosen his hometown college, Simpson. Blake would do more than just play football and baseball for Simpson. Even though Joe was the football team's starting quarterback and the Iowa Conference most valuable player in his senior baseball season as a pitcher. He wanted to practice with the basketball team, so he could stay in shape during the layoff between football and baseball seasons. Apparently Joe practiced well enough because the coach started to play him in games. Then there was the year that the Iowa Conference baseball tournament was postponed for a week. The track coach needed someone to run 400 meters, to complete the four runners needed to run in the 1600 meter relay, for an Army Reservist who couldn't make it back for the Iowa Conference track meet at Simpson. So the coach asked Joe if he would run. Blake said, "Sure, I thought how difficult could that be?" All that he and his three other relay teammates did, was win the conference title in the 1600 meter relay. Joe told me, "I rested on the grass infield of the track for awhile after the race, it was a little more difficult than I thought it would be, but we won."

After his college playing days ended in 1971, the New York Yankees selected Blake in the amateur baseball draft. Within a couple of years, Joe was ready to make the jump from the final rung of the minor league ladder, AAA, to the Major Leagues. "I was having a problem with by pitching arm being sore and stiff, so I thought that I'd pitch through that problem. Instead, I hurt my arm beyond surgical repair," Blake stated. So, it was back to Indianola to raise the family that he and Chris had started and open his insurance office. He also wanted to stay involved with baseball, that's why he has been Simpson's pitching coach for the last 25 years. Joe related to me, "Last year my son Casey handed me a letter that he received from the scout who had signed me with the Yankees. The letter was from about thirty five years ago and it stated that the night that I made my last minor league start, (the same night that Blake permanently hurt his arm and ended his playing career), the Yankees were going to call me up to the Majors. But, because of my injury, they never sent me the letter. That sure caused me to think how differently life could have been for me and my family. My situation makes me appreciate even more, the Major League success that my son Casey has."

QUICK HITTERS

1. My favorite music:

The blues and music by Van Morrison

2. My favorite television show:

Mash and Family Guy

3. My favorite movie:

"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"

4. My idol(s) while I was growing up:

Joe Namath, Mickey Mantle and John Havlicek (football, baseball and basketball Hall of Famers, respectively)

5. My favorite sports memory:

The day my son Casey told me that he had made it to the Majors

6. My favorite life memory:

Playing ball and being at the ballpark with my family

7. The one person in life that I'd like to meet:

Football player and military hero Pat Tillman

8. My advice to kids:

It's important to have goals and to try to reach them, but also remember that doing your best is great, too

9. My advice to parents:

Everyone likes to be encouraged, especially kids, tell them that you appreciate their efforts

Continued success to Joe Blake, Sr.