JJ Rodriguez of Birmingham turns to coach, teammates for support after father's death

"It's early in the morning, and Birmingham baseball coach Matt Mowry is at the supermarket looking through the flowers section before classes begin. He's engaged in an unseen, often undervalued duty as a coach - providing comfort to players and their families. One of his players, 16-year-old sophomore outfielder JJ Rodriguez, lost his father, Anthony, 53, on a Saturday morning last month when he died in his sleep at home. Mowry is looking for a bouquet of flowers to present to JJ's mother, Nancy, before his first game back."

"There are no easy answers how to help a family dealing with grief. Mowry went through his own tragedy in 2022 when his wife, Amy, died of cancer. He prays for her before each game, looking up to the sky while grasping his wife's necklace, then kissing a ring that has her fingerprint tattooed on it. The message Mowry told JJ: "Times are going to be tough There's moments you're going to break down. It's OK. You don't have to hide it.""

"The reason No. 1-seeded Birmingham doesn't open the City Section Open Division baseball playoffs until Thursday is because Anthony's funeral is Wednesday, and players and coaches will be there to provide support. JJ missed a couple days of school and one game after his father's death. He wanted to be alone and was skeptical about coming back any time soon."

""He would message me and tell me coming here and being around my teammates would make me more comfortable and get my mind off things," JJ said of Mowry. "I wanted to be alone a little bit because my mind was not in the right place. But the day I came back, I learned these guys are my family." JJ has become an important part of his team, starting in left field while batting No. 9 in the order."

A Birmingham baseball coach searches for flowers before classes to comfort a player’s mother after the player’s father dies in his sleep. The coach offers guidance drawn from his own loss, telling the player that tough moments and breakdowns are normal and should not be hidden. The team delays playoff opening so players and coaches can attend the father’s funeral and provide support. After missing school and a game, the player initially wants to be alone but returns to find teammates provide comfort and a sense of family. The player then contributes to the team’s success, starting in left field and helping pursue league and city titles.

Read at Los Angeles Times