A Hero Among Us

A Hero Among Us

Gary A. House

Ever since I played my first organized baseball game when I was eight years old, I have always had a strong love for the game.

One of the first things I wanted to do upon completing college was to coach little league baseball.

In 1991 I found myself sitting in the Erwin Parks and Recreation office in the middle of my first little league draft.  I drew the first pick out of the hat.  I drafted a hard throwing, very athletic Jason Ennis with my first pick.

This pick irritated one of the other coaches in the room.  You see, his uncle Ashley Godwin was sitting across from me glaring at me.  I had a player that Ashley desperately wanted.  Ashley was a wise ole veteran baseball player and coach.  After all the players were selected, Ashley started proposing a series of trades that would land him his nephew Jason. 

Enduring Ashley’s persistence, I finally conceded and traded Jason and a couple of other players for a fireplug name Kevin Davis along with a few other players.

I am certain Ashley thought he came out on top in that trade.  With a team full of 11 year olds, I faced Ashley’s team of 12 year olds three times that year.  In the first game, the fireplug Kevin scored the winning run on risky dash to home plate.  Ashley won the other two games.  His team finished first and mine finished second.

Ashley earned the right to coach the All-Star team and asked me to help him.  We later coached the Eastern Harnett Senior League All-Stars to third place in the State Tournament together.

I continued coaching after Ashley’s boys and nephew were too old to play.  Ashley, a carpenter by trade, focused more on his work.

A couple of years ago Ashley had a medical condition that required part of his leg to be amputated.  He was later fitted for a prosthetic lower leg.

I had kept up with Ashley for all these years.  I needed help with my travel baseball team the Harnett County Venom.  Even though I love teaching kids how to pitch, I knew that I needed help because I could not physically work with the hitters, fielders, base runners, and pitchers.

So I called my former coaching partner Ashley from a couple of decades ago.  Due to his leg issue, Ashley was now on disability.    I asked Ashley if he would come help our pitchers once a week.  Much to my joy, Ashley said yes.  He  has worked with our pitchers.  He has taught them many facets of the art of pitching.    The kids respond very well to the passion in which he teaches them.

It did not take long for me to coax Ashley from our practice facility to once again coaching in our games across Southeastern North Carolina.  Ashley hardly ever misses a practice session or a game. 

Ashley is a strong presence in the dugout.  He brings that old time chatter to the game much like Leo “The Lip” Durocher did for the Dodgers.  He can be seen staring down an umpire.  He lets the umps know when the balls and strikes are not fair to the Venom.  He does it in manner where the kids think he is funny.  But believe me, he is serious.  He is passionate.  He always encourages the players.  The players may not realize the gem they have in Ashley.  He has brought the 1960’s style of baseball to our club.  He has brought back that old time chatter that most modern day players do not understand.

Ashley does not have a kid on the team but he is always there.  His prosthetic leg is always covered by long pants.  Many people have no idea that he has disability.  To him, it is not a disability at all.

Like me, baseball runs in Ashley Godwin’s veins.

I am very thankful that this man cares enough about the kids in our community to spend countless hours sharing his wisdom of baseball and life.

No man stands taller than when he bends down to help a child.  Ashley Godwin is truly a hero among us and to the Harnett County Venom.