fathers

It’s early in the morning, and Birmingham baseball coach Matt Mowry is at the supermarket looking through the flowers section before classes begin. He’s engaged in an unseen, often undervalued duty as a coach — providing comfort to players and their families.

One of his players, 16-year-old sophomore outfielder JJ Rodriguez, lost his father, Anthony, 53, on a Saturday morning last month when he died in his sleep at home. Mowry is looking for a bouquet of flowers to present to JJ’s mother, Nancy, before his first game back.

There are no easy answers how to help a family dealing with grief. Mowry went through his own tragedy in 2022 when his wife, Amy, died of cancer. He prays for her before each game, looking up to the sky while grasping his wife’s necklace, then kissing a ring that has her fingerprint tattooed on it.

The message Mowry told JJ: “Times are going to be tough There’s moments you’re going to break down. It’s OK. You don’t have to hide it.”

The reason No. 1-seeded Birmingham doesn’t open the City Section Open Division baseball playoffs until Thursday is because Anthony’s funeral is Wednesday, and players and coaches will be there to provide support.

Anthony Rodriguez, the father of Birmingham baseball player JJ Rodriguez, died last month.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles)

JJ missed a couple days of school and one game after his father’s death. He wanted to be alone and was skeptical about coming back any time soon.

“He would message me and tell me coming here and being around my teammates would make me more comfortable and get my mind off things,” JJ said of Mowry. “I wanted to be alone a little bit because my mind was not in the right place. But the day I came back, I learned these guys are my family.”

JJ has become an important part of his team, starting in left field while batting No. 9 in the order. The Patriots won their first West Valley League title in 20 years and are trying to win their sixth City title under Mowry.

JJ and his mother have appreciated the emotional support, allowing them to try to heal from their sorrow.

His mother told him, “Be strong for everyone else. Your dad will always be proud of you.”

There’s a candle in the room where his father was found.

“I sometimes go there and be alone at night and talk to myself,” he said.

Before games, JJ says a prayer and thinks of his father.

“Every game,” he said. “It’s for you, Dad.”

On May 23, the City final will take place at Dodger Stadium.

Imagine the thrill for players of the two teams who reach the final. They’ll get to walk the infield, put some grass in their pockets, look up into the stands, hang out in the dugout of the two-time defending world champions.

For JJ, his father won’t be able to watch him. Or maybe he will. Every day is a step forward to healing. It’s hard, but he’s got a coach watching over him.

“I talked to him about what my son went through in the same situation,” Mowry said. “I had him get back out with the guys and be there whether he practiced or played.”

JJ is back and thankful to his baseball family.

The Race Across the World star was left in tears during an emotional moment

Race Across The World’s Kush was reduced to tears after opening up about the death of his dad.

The 19-year-old contestant and his best friend Jo, 19, from Liverpool are the youngest competitors taking on the challenge of racing against one another across more than 12,000km from Sicily to Mongolia.

In pursuit of the £20,000 prize, the pair embarked on another leg of their journey during tonight’s (April 30) episode, which marks the halfway point of the race.

Together with their fellow competitors, they tackled the longest leg of the race, travelling through the world’s largest landlocked country, Kazakhstan, and onwards into Uzbekistan.

Midway through their journey, they seized the opportunity to visit a local gym and try their hand at judo, as Kush is a keen Muay Thai practitioner back home, reports the Liverpool Echo.

However, the experience stirred up memories of his late father, who tragically took his own life during lockdown.

Speaking directly to camera, he began: “Coming to this gym, it means a lot to me. It’s more than just throwing and hitting fighting. There’s a lot of meaning behind it.”

In a deeply personal moment, he revealed: “I think back to memories with my dad. I found it sick to do what your dad does. Being in the gym, I wonder what he’s thinking. He would be standing on the side with a particular sort of smirk on his face, watching me do judo throws.”

Clearly emotional, Kush recalled: “I remember the day he passed. It was locked down and it was a real big shock. He had really poor mental health and he took his own life. You never forget that shock factor.

“I still think about him all the time. Being on this journey has brought back little moments and I wish I could sort of show who I am now because when you’re 14, I didn’t know who I was and I was still a child.

“I made a lot of mistakes when I was younger and I feel like, if I could sort of show him what I’ve learn’t…” The 19 year old was unable to finish his sentence as he dissolved into tears.

Viewers watching from home were left deeply moved by the heartbreaking moment, taking to social media to share their reactions. One fan wrote: “Poor Kush. He’s a lovely lad, they both are. #RaceAcrossTheWorld.”

Another said: “Kush opening up on the loss of his father at just 1 year old-oh man #RaceAcrossTheWorld.” A third wrote: “kush is breaking my heart omg #raceacrosstheworld.”

Yet another commented: “Damn! Kush lost 2 dads at such a young age. I’m sure they’re proud of him #RaceAcrossTheWorld.” While another added: “Such a heartbreaking leg for Kush and Joe – what humble lads they are #RaceAcrossTheWorld.”

Race Across the World is available to stream on BBC iPlayer

The Repair Shop expert Steve Fletcher faced a challenging restoration on the BBC show.

Steve Fletcher, an expert on The Repair Shop since its launch in 2017, was left astounded by the item he was called upon to restore.

During the latest episode of the BBC programme (April 29), viewers watched Steve alongside Sonnaz Nooranvary examine the item that had been brought in.

Casting her eye over it on the table, Sonnaz remarked: “I’m no builder, but needless to say, this looks like it’s seen much better days.” Concurring, Steve responded: “Yeah, I’ve done up old buildings, and I don’t think any of them were as bad as this.”

Stepping into the barn was Dawn Shrives from West Sussex, who jokingly told the experts they were looking at “ruins” before revealing it was an extraordinary model watermill constructed by her late father in 1996.

She explained: “He put it all together to go in front of our family home to replicate the red brickwork of the house. Every little brick he made by hand, individually, he wanted it to be a working watermill. Obviously, the years of it sitting on the ground, outside, the weather had gotten to it.”

Dawn went on to describe how her father had planned to install an underground chamber to make the watermill turn. Tragically, he passed away in 2014, and her mother subsequently moved to a smaller property, reports the Manchester Evening News.

She noted that with her mother now living in a bungalow, there is nothing left to remind her of her beloved late husband, underlining just how precious the watermill model truly is. Dawn continued: “He’s touched, every single piece of this. He’s crafted this, and she looks out her front window and sees this deteriorating; it’s just so sad to see.”

She went on: “So to have it brought back to life for the family, for mum, would just be amazing. Just to see it put back together and whole again, I think, is almost- we can’t even think of that.” As Steve outlined his intentions to repair the model, it was evident he faced a considerable challenge.

Ultimately, after crafting bricks to substitute those Dawn’s father had originally made, Steve succeeded in restoring the dilapidated model and incorporated water to make the wheel rotate as her father had envisioned decades earlier.

When the moment arrived to reveal the completed restoration, Dawn brought her mother, Pam, along to view the model. The two women were immediately moved to tears upon seeing it unveiled, astounded by Steve’s achievement.

Pam promptly thanked Steve as Dawn exclaimed: “Look at that! Isn’t that lovely?” Pam remarked: “Gosh, that’s amazing. You’ve done all of these (roof tiles). Gosh, thank you.”

Upon noticing the water feature surrounding the house, Steve activated it for the first time, demonstrating the functioning watermill. She observed: “It’s just beyond anything that we could’ve thought would ever happen to it, thank you.”

Addressing the camera directly, Dawn said: “The watermill just sums up a legacy that will now stay in the family, be preserved, and dad would be so pleased to know that it’s working and it’s loved and it’s still loved.” Pam agreed, adding: “It’s just the best thing we could have done, isn’t it?”

The Repair Shop is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.