Belated Wedding Speech

Bear's brother Scott that couldn't make it to the wedding sent this speech to us to be read at the reception but it didn't work out:

"As you all know I am a man of few words....(wait for
it).............................................................
................................ok I know that got a few laughs..... If not,
...there must have been a wry comment or two.... Anywhoo,

I wanted to express my deep, deep, deep, deep, deep, deep, deep, deep, deep,
deep, deep, regret for not making it to this certainly lovely wedding. I am
beyond honored that I was asked to be your best man barrett, it really meant
a lot to me. As far as Brothers, Best Friends, and great men go, there are
none better. That's why I'm so sad that I can't be there in person to show
off my fabulous tux which is certainly better than anyone elses in the
wedding party.....

I am not a man beyond arrogance, selfishness, ignorance and forgetfulness.
Part of the reason why I admire you so much Bear, because you don't exhibit
those things, well perhaps a little forgetfulness but that's neither here
nor there. You are a better man than I and that's why I love being around
you. You've somehow turned your older brother who used to change your
diapers into a middle aged groupie.

Part of the reason we share such a close bond is because of our love of the
celestial game of baseball. It really is a microcosm of just about any life
lesson you can learn, or even life itself. The struggle of competition, the
actual aesthetics of the game, all combine together to make a ballplayer
feel like everything is right in the universe when we're on the field, even
when we lose the game. We play for victory every time we step out on the
field but understand that we will individually fail more often than we
succeed. Yet victory can be achieved in many other activities, other sports
or games, but baseball... ahhh baseball is different. It's much more about
actually playing the game, enjoying the friendships made by the bonding of
your teammates in between the lines and in the dugout. And I certainly never
enjoyed playing the game more than when I was privileged enough to actually
have you as a teammate for parts of two seasons and last year for the entire
summer.
It's not just because you have a rocket arm, a sharp eye and a quick bat
that you will be successful in the game of baseball, but because you possess
Christlike abilities that make you the person who can perform at the highest
level.

A great baseball player must possess several redeeming qualities that
usually make that player a better person as well as a better player:

1. Toughness of the mind~ the ability to press forward through the
refining fire of failure and never give up
2. Confidence~ he knows he's done it before, so he can do it again on the
very next pitch.
3. Loyalty~ he's there for his family, so he's there for his teammates in
a pinch and more importantly, he's rooting for the others on his team to do
well, even if he doesn't get the credit for it.
4. Courage~ it's much more than not being afraid. It's having the
proactivity to seek out the big moment and do the right thing, whether to
win the game or help those in need.
5. Love~ He must love the game and others so that it becomes a part of
who he is.

Barrett I know you possess all of these and certainly these are things
praiseworthy and of good report and Christ is proud of those attributes in
you. Because of the person you are, I know that Alexa is at least as
wonderful a person if not more than you. Because that's the kind of babe you
would attract. (wink) Alexa by all accounts I've heard that you are a
magical person and I'm anxious to get to know you and we'll need to meet up
sometime before the summer is over.

I'm so proud of you. I'm a very nostalgic person and like to live in the
past so it makes me miss the days we used to play stickball with broomsticks
and homemade tin foil balls in the yard as kids. I'll never forget your
first homer when I took you down to Gattini Field in Hayward and you knocked
it over the 200 foot fence when you were 11 years old. I'm also grateful for
all the pitches you made to me when I wanted extra batting practice, I
apologize for abusing you and saying "Just one more...ok just one more....ok
really just one more this time..... Ok last one for sure for sure this
time..... And that time I bribed you with a cheap fastfood burger in
exchange for you going into the muddy creek to retrieve that ball I hit at
Stenzel Field.

As Baseball has brought us closer together I know it will keep us close
forever, and when we're old and gray and can only remember what it felt like
to run, dive, throw, catch and hear that special click when we've caught one
just right and you know it's going to go a long way, the day will come when
one of us will die, and begin playing in that other world. If it's my turn
to go first, I'll make sure I appear in a vision to let you know before it's
your turn to join me that you're catching the next day and we need a guy.
It'll be the same game, I promise......minus the chewing tobacco.

God bless you Barrett and Alexa,

No matter how you look at it, we'll be playing together again soon."