Granted a dream
No matter where you are, you can always still chase a dream.
Bellmont High School teacher Ben Fawbush once dreamt of becoming a Major League baseball player.
Though he ultimately pursued a different path, he never lost his love for baseball. A love that will take him on a unique journey later this year; a journey that he believes will allow him to recall some of his fondest baseball memories while deepening his love and passion for the game.
Fawbush was selected for the Lily Endowment Teacher Creativity Fellowship Grant worth $12,000.
Fawbush will spend the grant money traveling to visit teams in the Minor League system of the Cincinnati Reds.
He will make stops at each level of the club’s farm system while interviewing the players who hope to one day realize their big league dreams. Fawbush will then turn his experiences into blog and vlog posts.
Also included in the updates Fawbush will be sharing are details from stadium tours that he will take each level.
Fawbush- a former Bellmont baseball coach- was first informed of the grant by a colleague in the teaching profession.
What excites Fawbush the most is the adventure that will accompany the journey ahead.
“Just going to the games and seeing different venues and places I’ve never been,” said Fawbush. “Just seeing the young guys and their progression- being a teacher seeing how they progress gets to me.”
Fawbush is looking forward to the opportunity to travel and do what he loves: watching baseball.*
Even though it will be Fawbush going on the journey, the grant requires that there is a connection for his students.
A New York Mets fan, Fawbush hopes that his students can see the passion he has for the trip. As a math teacher, he wants his students to take away an enhanced perspective on the financial and statistical parts of baseball.
Fawbush said, “I think the stadium tours, cost of stadiums, how it’s constructed, I can bring that into my math class easy. Ticket prices, selling out, capacities, that kind of stuff. I can always bring in stats, that’s an obvious one. I hope they just see how excited I was, and if I can bring that passion into the class with math, maybe, it’ll rub off on them and get them going a little bit, too.”
Fawbush’s trip through the Reds’ system will culminate with watching the MLB club play four games. Prior to that, he will spend at least four games with each of their developmental clubs.
He will start by spending time with the Arizona Complex League Reds. The Complex League is a level where big league teams can send players who are new to the professional scene before they begin their ascent up the pro baseball ladder.
His second stop will be in the Sunshine State. Fawbush will head to Daytona Beach, Florida to follow the Daytona Tortugas at the Low-A level.
He will make the jump to High-A to watch the Dayton Dragons- a long-time rival of the Fort Wayne Tincaps. After that, Fawbush will head south to join the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts.
Fawbush’s final MiLB stop will be in Kentucky with the Louisville Bats. As Fawbush stated in his proposal, Minor Steps to Reach a Major Goal, one of the most enticing elements about visiting Louisville is the special connection the area has with the game of baseball since Louisville Slugger- the company known for producing a large quantity of bats used by professional baseball playersis located next to the stadium.
He will get the opportunity to see how the bats used by some of the biggest names in baseball are made when he tours the company’s factory.
His time following the teams will begin in the late summer and finish in the fall.
Fawbush received permission from each of the team’s he will be spending time with and getting an inside look at the organization from.
When first applying for the grant, Fawbush said that his mentality was to go for it.
Thanks to that mindset, he is now going on the experience of a lifetime.
An excerpt from his proposal sums up the dream adventure perfectly.
“I want to prove that my hard work, my dreams, my dedication, and my desire to walk the ranks of professional baseball will pay off,” Fawbush wrote.
“I will finally be headed down the “Road to the Major Leagues!””