MIDLAND, MI - Saturday was Bullock Creek School Spirit Night at the Ft. Wayne Tin Caps - Great Lakes Loons game that took place at Dow Diamond. The Loons are hosting a contest between several area schools to see who has the best school spirit. The Bullock Creek Spirit Night happened to fall on a day where the Lancer family lost one of its' most well respected & important members.
Tom Gilstad, who worked for Bullock Creek schools for 31 years, and was Superintendent from 1997 through his retirement in 2001, passed away Saturday afternoon at the age of 63. Mr. Gilstad was very well respected by everyone in the Bullock Creek community. He always had a smile and a positive attitude, even as he battled cancer. Admittedly, I did not know him well, but got to know him a little better during the 2009 Loons season as I began to hang out with his sons, Kyle, Chris & Chad.
He was absolutely wonderful to me every time I saw him. He always had a hearty hello for me, a big hand shake, pat on the back and something funny to say. When former Los Angeles Dodgers manager, Tommy Lasorda, visited Dow Diamaond last year, my cousin Stephanie and I, stood and listened as Mr. Gilstad told us a story about hanging out with Lasorda one night. He was so excited about it and was amazed at how nice Lasorda was and how great his stories were. You could tell, it was a great moment for him. That's the person I will always remember. Someone who loved life, loved his family, was always positive and could make friends with anybody. A truly special person.
Starting out, the game was secondary in all of the minds of the Lancer community. The Loons jumped out to a 2-0 lead early, thanks to two solo homeruns by first baseman Jerry Sands. Towards the end of the fourth inning, with the game tied at two, the Gilstad family slowly made their way through the concourse of Dow Diamond. They were greeted by the Lancer family with open arms and support as they made their way to their seats in section 102, where they have had half season tickets for the last couple of years. The reason they were there was, as Kyle said later, it just "felt right being there" and for a video tribute that Bullock Creek had prepared to honor Mr. Gilstad.
As the family settled into their seats in the top of the 6th inning, Ft. Wayne began to comeback in the game. After allowing back to back walks to open up the 6th, Loons starter Brett Wallach, was taken out of the game and replaced by Justin Miller. Miller proceeded to hit the first batter he faced, walked the next one, and threw a wild pitch. The inning seemed to drag on, as the Tin Caps knocked Miller out and scored 3 runs in the inning to take a 4-3 lead. The anticipation of the inning ending was growing as the family was anxious to see the video tribute. Finally the inning ended when new Loons pitcher, J.B. Paxson, struck out Jonathan Alia. Sitting next to the Gilstad family, you could see the anticipation on their faces as Loons public address announcer, Jerry O'Donnell, directed the fans to the scoreboard for a "Special Tribute". After about a minute, O'Donnell announced there were technical difficulties and the video would be played later in the game. This caused a chuckle amongst the family. I was thinking Mr. Gilstad was playing a little joke on everyone and that was the "technical difficulty".
The game moved on through the end of the 6th inning and into the 7th inning stretch, with still no video. We sang Take Me Out to the Ballgame, as Bullock Creek's principal, Charlie Schwedler led the crowd in the singing. The game stayed at 4-3 through the end of the 7th. Just as the 7th inning ended, we heard O'Donnell again direct everyone's attention to the video board for a special tribute. The video was played and it was incredible. It was a powerful, one minute video, that chronicled Gilstad's love for The Creek and his love for all the kids who came through there, both past and present. It was a very emotional moment for everyone, especially the family.
After the video played, the top of the 8th began. Almost on cue, the first hitter for the Tin Caps, Nathan Freiman, hits a high pop up to second base. I'm not sure if I was the only one who thought this, but that pop up to the heavens, right after that video, was almost an acknowledgement to Mr. Gilstad. That may sound like a reach, but I truly believe that. It was a powerful moment that happened immediately after the playing of that video. I just happen to think that it happened for a reason.
The game moved ahead to the bottom of the 9th inning now, with the score still 4-3. We are all hoping for a Loons win in memory of Mr. Gilstad. The Tin Caps insert their closer, Nick Schumacher, to try and preserve the one run lead. Loons fans didn't have to wait long, as right fielder, Blake Smith, drove a ball over the right field wall for a game tying, solo homerun. We all broke into the Funky Feather as Smith rounds the bases and touches home to tie the game. The inning continues as the next hitter, J.T. Wise grounds out. Then Rafael Ynoa singles and then moves to third on a ground out by Johan Garcia. This puts the Loons' potential winning run on 3rd base with 2 outs. The next hitter, Christian Lara walks. Austin Yount, who is struggling early on this season hitting only .083, gets intentionally walked to load the bases. This puts a force at any base with Brian Cavazos-Galvez coming to the plate. Cavazos-Galvez hits a ground ball to shortstop Jonathan Galvez, who with Lara crossing right in front of him, bobbles the ball. Galvez reaches out for the ball, trying to recover and get the force out at second, but the ball, almost as if someone was reaching down to move it ever so slightly, rolls just out of the reach of his finger tips. Ynoa crosses the plate and the Loons comeback to win the game 5-4. It was almost as if Mr. Gilstad had a hand in that last play, moving the ball ever so slightly forward out of the reach of the shortstop, to allow the winning run to score.
With the Loons winning, it ended a long and emotional day for the Gilstad family. I think them being there was, in a way, semi-therapeutic. It was a place they knew their father, husband, brother, and friend would want them to be...celebrating a Loons win, with not just any community, but the Lancer community. A community that he held dear to his heart, and a place that will always remember and hold Tom Gilstad dear to their hearts as well.
Great article!
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