by The subject of this weeks, “Happy Place” brings me to a special place in my heart and involves my eldest daughter Maggie. Over the course of the last 4 seasons of High School Girls basketball she has accompanied me to over 45 games in that stretch. It has been a wonderful ride as I love having her with me. She has grown to love the game, and I suspect these opportunities to spend so much time with her may not always been as bountiful as they are now, the older she gets.
At 10 years old, this past season was perfect for us because she was able to start helping with stats, and fully understand what she was doing. She knows the players; she knows the plays and she even knows the refs at this point too. As long as the coaches and AD’s continue to be cool with me bringing her, I will continue to do so.
But, here’s the thing, the idea, as great as it is, wasn’t my own. Allow me to explain.
On November 11, 2016, I was covering the St. Ignatius vs Solon second round High School Football Playoff game being held at Mentor High School. It was my first full year on the beat, and St. Ignatius has always been one of my favorite teams to cover. That night, I saw Ed and Kate Daugherty and my entire life changed.
I had “kind of” known Ed as I interviewed him a few years back for my book, “Cleveland Finest”, for my chapter on St. Ignatius football as Ed was their play by play guy at the time of the interview. He still calls football games for WHK along with Cleveland State and several other area’s of broadcasting sports, on that night, he was just, “some guy I knew”. At this time, he was calling for WCCR as part of their “Catholic School Game of the Week.” Because as we all know, in sports media, no one, only has one job.
In local Cleveland sports media, most people become family and are typically good to each other, as we come to respect the grind. With that, regular handshakes are a thing before games start, well, at least with Kee On Sports they are.
I approached Ed and re-introduced myself to him. He remembered our prior meeting for the book and quickly introduced me to his 15-year-old daughter Kate. She has been assisting him call games since she was 12 years old and is still present at his side at the age of 23 as we speak. Kate has gone on since that night to hold positions with several premier universities such as Malone and Akron, not to mention, a spot with the Pittsburgh Maulers of the USFL. Kate is one of the brightest and best young minds in the sports media world currently, and a star on the rise.
So, back to Maggie, on this night when I met Kate and saw her helping her father, Maggie was only a little over 3 years old. While at the time, I spent a ton of time with “my bean”, I never expected her to become a part of my sports writing career. Truth be told, it was never on my radar until that night.
As I drove home, thrilled that St. Ignatius won and I would be covering their instant classic the following week in the Regional Championship game against St. Ed’s, I couldn’t get the image of Ed and his daughter out of my mind. It gave me hope, and for the first time planted the seed that I could have that same type of relationship with my own daughters.
It is one of many “Happy Places” for me, when Maggie comes to games with me. We already have our little traditions and it just makes the entire night feel, “less lonely”. Writing is one of the most solitar acts that exists. You’re left on that island alone, and having Maggie with me, makes it so much better!
Kate graduated from Malone last year, and I was honored to be mentioned in her thesis, Maggie too! Her paper was about the St. Ignatius vs St. Ed’s rivalry and she mentioned my book, using a few quotes from it as well. When she flashed Maggie and I’s picture on the screen during her presentation, it was a lump in the throat moment for sure. I had Maggie at my side watching, and those are the moments in life people cannot buy.
Thank you Kate, Ed and Maggie for helping me find a Happy Place I never knew I needed, or was even possible. As for Kate and Ed, they have become friends, and Kate, was a key cog in the Kee On Sports machine this past High School Football season as one of my top editors. Again, you never have just one job in sports media. Always trust the power of God and remember it is in his hands, when you do, good things happen!
