My Best Father’s Day Ever (Photo Gallery)

I'm not one to get too sentimental or share my inner most deepest thoughts, but I can't begin to tell you how much I truly enjoyed this past Father's Day weekend. So much so, that I would say it was my best Father's Day EVER!

For years I have always wanted to take my son Chase to the College World Series in Omaha, NE. I have always loved watching the NCAA regional games, super regional games, and the College World Series itself.

I will stay up late just to witness these games, even if it means I will be dragging tail at work the next day.

Both Chase & I love the game of baseball, and we especially love watching the college game. There is just something special about watching a young man trying to prove he belongs in 'the show'. A desire to play the game professionally long before the taste of money quenches their appetite. That's one of the truest forms of 'love for the game' you will ever see.

I won't bore you with the lessons I've tried to teach Chase, and the handful of other kids I've coached over the years, about how this game prepares you for life. Simply put, baseball is a game that teaches you how to deal with failure. Even the best Major League Baseball batters each year fail more times than they succeed. On average, a batter only gets a hit three out of ever ten at bats. 70-percent of the time you fail. How you deal with that failure can make you into a better person within the game, and in life in general.

Anyway...

For years, it was never an option to make the trek to Omaha. Chase was always playing, and I was coaching, his travel baseball team while the CWS was held.

After 9 years of those scheduling issues, the stars aligned. We were able to finally attend our first EVER College World Series game this past Father's Day. I bought our tickets for the first game on Day 2 of the CWS long before we even knew who would be playing in that game.

As luck would have it, one of the few of teams we absolutely love to watch and cheer on to victory was scheduled for that game. We were able to watch TCU, win the game thanks to a 3-run homerun in the 9th inning.

I will admit that the Luken Baker 9th inning homerun helped ice my 'Best Father's Day Ever' declaration. It will be something I will cherish for years to come, but if I were to be honest with you, even if TCU would have lost, I still would have tagged this past Father's Day as my best ever.

The conversations we had while traveling talking about baseball (strategy, playing, maybe him coaching in the future, and his overall love for the game), his plans for the future, and hearing his perspective on life made me smile (maybe I did alright as a parent).

His reaction when it was time for him to leave the Doren Manse to return to his normal life melted my heart. It made me feel like I had just hit a homerun in the 9th inning as well. That doesn't happen too often thanks to my clinical perspective I have of the world around me.

I apologize in advance to my son if I embarrass him by saying this, but this was my 'Best Father's Day' EVER. I'm proud of you, and I love you very much.

ROAD TRIPPING WITH BUCKY DOREN TO MATCHSTICK MARVELS