Dealing with a change-up
King George senior dedicates season to ailing mother
Date published: 5/21/2006
Story by Adam Himmelsbach Photos by Rebecca Sell THE FREE LANCE-STAR
THE BASEBALL PLAYERS stand on the grass as an early evening sun presses through thick clouds. It's senior night at King George High School. The boys hug their fathers and pin corsages on their mothers' shirts.
Donald Howell stands alone and fiddles with the purple flower that is wrapped with gold ribbon.
His parents aren't here.
The Foxes' star pitcher holds the corsage to his chest. He's thinking about his mother.
Goodness, he wants his mother to know how much he's thinking about her. That's why he had the entire team scrawl her initials on the backs of their caps. That's why there's a drawing of a yellow rose--his mother's favorite flower--beneath the brim of his hat.
But Sue Howell is resting on a small bed at the family's home a half-mile away. She's been battling brain cancer since October and hasn't walked since February.
Roger, her husband of 26 years, is by her side as always. When the couple's older son, Chris, returns home, Roger hurries to the baseball game.
The names of the last few seniors are called. The people on the metal bleachers applaud. The ceremony ends.
A few moments later, Roger jogs toward the field. He realizes he missed the moment, and he drops his camcorder to his side.
He wanted Sue to see the video of Donald, resplendent in his baseball uniform and holding that special flower.
Before he pitches the final game of the regular season, Donald takes the purple flower and places it safely on a shelf in the dugout. Then he takes a deep breath and jogs to the mound.
"Trying to concentrate on things is a lot harder now, because my mind is always worrying about my mom," Donald says. "It's tough, but I guess you have to keep going."
A chance meeting
In the mid-1970s, Roger Howell was a 6-foot-1, 225-pound high school student with a 91-mph fastball. Baseball was in his blood.
His grandfather Peter returned to America after fighting in World War I and signed with the Chicago White Sox. But he never reached the major leagues. Instead, he drilled oil wells and raised seven children in West Texas. His dream was unfulfilled.
Date published: 5/21/2006
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