Featured Photo of James Triantos and TJ Nolen by Rich Biesterfeld
One of the best parts of Spring Training for fans is the opportunity to meet many of the players up close and personal. The pace is a lot slower than during the regular season and the players have more time to connect with fans and chat after they have completed their work. Sometimes, you get to see a really special moment like I witnessed on the back fields on Tuesday.
Eleven year old TJ Nolen was visiting Arizona for Spring Training with his parents. He plays Little League in Virginia for the McLean American team, which counts current Cubs minor leaguer James Triantos as an alum. TJ and his family had been at the field on Monday looking for James but didn’t get to see him.
I noticed TJ’s sign, as did a couple members of the coaching staff. Hitting Coordinator Steve Pollakov came over and said he would try to direct James over to meet TJ. After speaking with the family, I decided to also keep an eye out since I knew I could recognize James walking out from the clubhouse. As players began to filter out for batting practice, James and Jordan Nwogu walked out together and Coach Pollakov made a point to direct James over to the Nolan family.
As James approached, it looked like TJ was getting a little star-struck and tongue-tied. James asked TJ about what position he played and TJ shared that his current coach was someone who had once coached James. They chatted a little longer and James asked if TJ had anything he wanted him to sign. James then pulled out a sliding mitt from his bag and handed it to TJ who was now grinning from ear to ear! They took a photo together before James had to head off to batting practice, but you could see he left a great lasting memory that TJ won’t soon forget, and I suspect James will remember that encounter as well.
There are lots of articles written each year about how baseball is losing popularity and fans, but it’s the little moments like this one that I got to observe that make it such a special sport, especially at the minor league level. When you get the chance, check out a minor league game and if possible, arrive early or stay a little after and talk to a player. What you will mostly find is a lot of great young men who are chasing their dream and you might just end up with a special memory of your own.
