"Big Daddy" & My Baseball Family

Daniel Roy Fowlkes quit school as a teenager and started playing professional baseball over 100 years ago. My sister, 3 brothers and I all knew him as "Big Daddy". He was a wonderful man! Everyone loved his kind and gentle spirit. He grew up in Dyersburg, Tennessee and served his country in the first World War.

Little did my grandfather know, but his passion for the game of baseball has been carried down for three generations. My dad was so proud of him. Big Daddy stood 6' 6" tall and was an outstanding pitcher for the Memphis Chicks. Baseball was his life.

Not many people can say that their grandfather once pitched to Ty Cobb in an exhibition game against the Detroit Tigers. He also signed a Major League contract with the Boston Red Sox and was on the roster when they played New York in the first game ever played in Yankee Stadium!

My dad always instilled in me the important qualities of the game of baseball that he learned from his father. It's a child's game. But the game can teach us a lot about life. Being prepared for anything, learning how to deal with failure, and enjoying the success of others as well as your own.

I grew up playing every sport imaginable, but we will always be known as a "Baseball Family". Thanks to my grandfather, who was loved on and off the field. Thanks to my mom and dad, who taught me how to respect this great game.