Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Our View: Scouting then and now ... Jeffrey Gillespie: The United States and Iran make a deal ... Guest Opinion: Synthetic turf is the wrong answer ... Our View: Scouting then and now ... Jeffrey Gillespie: The United States and Iran make a deal ... Guest Opinion: Synthetic turf is the wrong answer ... ASHLAND BASEBALL Ashland community pitches in for coach's dream trip Gift leaves Chuck Thacker, who has taught pitching for nearly 30 years, in shock Comment By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Apr. 19, 2015 at 8:35 PM Updated Apr 20, 2015 at 1:00 PM By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Apr. 19, 2015 at 8:35 PM Updated Apr 20, 2015 at 1:00 PM » Social News Working his magic behind the scenes, Ashland pitching coach Chuck Thacker has become nearly as good at avoiding the spotlight as he has at teaching the fundamentals of throwing a baseball. That is, until Saturday, when Thacker, who has coached Ashland pitchers from Little League age on up for nearly 30 years, was called out of his familiar spot by the snack bar — directly behind home plate, of course — at North Mountain Park and onto the field for a special pre-game presentation. Confused but game, Thacker put down his radar gun, another North Mountain fixture, and made his way onto the field, where Karen Resnick was waiting with a microphone, a speech and something else that Thacker could not have expected. Had Thacker suspected something was up he may have noticed that there were a few more recognizable faces in the crowd than usual for a Saturday afternoon, parents and players from years gone by. Moments later, Resnick invited Thacker’s wife Jackie to join them in front of home plate. Then Resnick made everybody cry. “So Chuck, because you have helped make so many dreams come true, the Ashland baseball community wants to return the favor,” she announced over the loudspeakers. Resnick’s husband, Howard, a graphic designer, produced a card that in early February was sent out to about 200 past and present community members, inviting them to donate to the cause. “After I delivered the first 30,” Resnick went on, “I thought to myself, ‘Oh crap. What have I done? Am I crazy to think this is actually going to work?’ Well, not only did it work, the response was overwhelming and we exceeded our goal. So now, on behalf of the Ashland baseball community and all these people who are in awe in deep appreciation of you, I am honored to present you with an all-expense-paid trip for two to New York City and the Baseball Hall of Fame.” Chuck Thacker looked up to the sky, Jackie Thacker put her hands behind her head and looked down before covering her mouth with both hands, and the crowd continued to applaud as both hugged and kissed Resnick. Afterward, Chuck Thacker said he was in complete shock. “When they called me up I thought, ‘What’s going on?’” he said. “I had no idea. None. Zero. Maybe a first pitch and that was about it. A trip to New York? Are you kidding me? That’s unbelievable.” The gift was a long time coming, said Resnick. About five years ago, Resnick and Thacker were working out at the Ashland Family YMCA when Thacker said something that caught Resnick by surprise. Thacker, the silent partner behind Ashland’s long line of all-star pitchers, revealed that he had never been to the Baseball Hall of Fame but was hoping to pay a visit. Eventually. Resnick, whose youngest son, Kyle Milgram, stands as yet another example of Thacker’s coaching ability, did not approve and promptly added “get Chuck to Cooperstown” to her to-do list. She had hoped that in time an opportunity to reward Thacker for his countless hours of tutelage to local hurlers would present itself, but when the months turned to years and still no progress had been made, Resnick was starting to feel discouraged. She had almost given up hope before asking Milgram to consider making it his senior project, but the Grizzlies’ pitcher/infielder knew it was something his mom had been thinking about for a long time and his response reinvigorated Resnick. “This is your thing, Mom,” Milgram said. “You should be the one to do it.” Resnick knew Milgram was right and decided to act. She started by tracking down some of the top dogs of Ashland baseball — former head coach Don Senestraro, former AHS principal Jeff Schlecht, Dave Sebrell and Darrell Hegdahl, two more longtime pitching coaches who have worked side-by-side with Thacker, and others. The response was unanimous: Do it. Resnick began with an ambitious goal of $5,000 — what she calculated it would cost for the Thackers to fly round trip to New York, catch two Broadway shows and two Major League Baseball games, see the Statue of Liberty, visit another tourist destination such as the Natural History Museum and, of course, check out the Baseball Hall of Fame. So Resnick started sending out flyers on Feb. 2, not really knowing what to expect. She was stunned at the response. By March 13, the goal had been reached. And donations weren’t all that was sent. There were cards and letters, too. Resnick also arranged for baseballs to be signed by some of Thacker’s former students. One stamped with the official Major League Baseball seal was passed through the mail and came back with signatures by Sam Gaviglio, now playing for the Seattle Mariners’ AAA affiliate, and Ian Kendall, who’s in the Tampa Bay Rays organization. Another was signed by a host of former AHS pitchers, another by current Little League pitchers. There were seven balls total, all covered in signatures. “I think he’s an excellent person, great values, and I worked with him all the way from as far back as I can remember through high school,” said Gaviglio, who led Ashland to its only state championship in 2008. “He was always someone I could talk to after pitching a game, and even now, in the offseason he provides a place for me to throw.” Gaviglio, like most of Thacker’s students, began taking private lessons and attending Thacker’s pitching clinics when he was about 10 years old. Thacker is also a fixture at Ashland Little League all-star practices, where he shows what he calls “the next generation” the proper fundamentals during bullpen sessions, free of charge. “He has brought most of those kids up since Little League,” said Senestraro, who guided the Grizzlies to the state semifinals four years in a row, including two championship game appearances. “They trusted him and believed in him and in my time I coached those (pitchers) very little. They knew the system so well, and most of the time when I went to the mound it was to give them confidence and to get them out of a bad frame of mind. “Mechanically, you look at them and they’re pretty much all the same — all his pitchers are. They have great control, they hit their spots, they usually have at least two pitches and most of the time three.” Current Ashland High coach Mike Kenask agreed. “Any time somebody wants to start pitching or shows an interest, he lends a helping hand and gives them an opportunity to get better at it,” Kenask said. “Pretty much anybody who pitches at the middle school or high school level in Ashland has had instruction by Chuck, whether it’s through his clinic or one-on-one work.” Still, Thacker was blown away when he was asked to come forward Saturday. Then, his mind started racing. Was Resnick going to announce that a donation had been made to help fund a new pitching cage, a project that’s been on Thacker’s heart for years? Were they going to honor somebody else and they wanted Thacker to be a part of the surprise? He had no idea, which made his reaction that much better. “The appreciation is beyond words,” he said. “You just do it because of the connections you make with the guys over the years. And I saw a lot of faces out here from guys that I’ve worked with in the past. Oh, it means the world to me because that’s really why you do it, just for those personal connections I have with the kids and their parents.” Joe Zavala can be reached at 541-776-4469 or [email protected]. By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Apr. 19, 2015 at 8:35 PM Updated Apr 20, 2015 at 1:00 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501