June 22, 2012

Father's Day in Omaha: A baseball player's dream

Thanks to the Optimist Club for hosting @Flashesbaseball all ... on Twitpic
Photo via @flashesbaseball on Twitter
Updated 6/23/2012

Here is a story that brings my alma mater together with my interest in Optimist Clubs.

The Kent State University Golden Flashes made its first appearance at the College World Series. In honor of their achievement, the Optimist Club of Papillion, a suburb of Omaha, Nebraska, treated the team to a steak dinner and barbecue on Father's Day.

The team got to meet local children and their families and relax in a family-style setting to ready themselves for the next game. The coaches were honored with gifts and the team held an autograph session for the children.

According to event organizer and Optimist Club member Fred Uhe, the Optimist Club has been hosting a reception each year for one College World Series team and their families since 2004.

Kent State coach Scott Stricklin remarked, "Father's Day in Omaha, it doesn't get any better than that. It's every player's dream; it's every dad's dream; it's every coach's dream to spend Father's Day in Omaha. But that's where we are and we are thrilled to be here." Watch some of Coach Stricklin's address to the Optimist Club on YouTube.



Kent State opened with a loss to Arkansas and came back to defeat the No. 1 seed Florida. They fell in the final game to South Carolina.

See photos of the Pappillion Optimist Club and the Kent State Flashes on Flickr.
See more about the Optimist Club reception at Omaha.com.

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