Chris Scheuer was the best baseball player I ever coached.  One time, Chris came up to me before the game and said, “Coach, I want to bat left-handed tonight.”  I didn’t take long to think about it.  If Chris believed he could do it, then he could.  So I told him, “Sure.  As long as we win the game, I don’t care if you bat standing on your head.”  So we win the game with Chris getting two hits, one of them a home run that landed on the road beyond the outfield fence.

During another game, a batter hit a ball over our left fielder’s head.  Chris, who was playing shortstop, went out to make the relay throw.  Because the ball had rolled so far, the left fielder had to run a long way to retrieve it.  By then, Chris was standing in the left fielder’s normal spot in the outfield when he got the ball and made the relay.  He fired a bullet that made it all the way home on the fly.  Our catcher barely had to move his glove to tag out the runner sliding home.  There was a moment of hesitation before the crowd erupted.  It was like they were awestruck.  I know I’ve never seen a better throw.

Chris went on the star in several sports at Athens High School.  I heard that he also played some minor league baseball.