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There are no photos available of Rod Paton
the player because, as he quipped himself, they hardly had any decent
cameras in those days and in any case they wouldn't be allowed at
baseball games!
Rod spent his first eight years as a
fine player with the Port Melbourne Club before joining Waverley in 1972
where he went on to represent the club in 154 senior games. By all
reports he was a terrific and versatile player with a fierce competitive
spirit. He could certainly hit, but it was his pitching that seemed to
give him most satisfaction... especially that curveball that looked like
it literally dropped of the edge of a table... son David never quite
seemed to remember it being that good!?
Naturally, Rod's son David found his way
to the club, following dad's heels around Napier Park from the age of
three until he was old enough to play the game himself. Shortly after,
Rod immersed himself in just about every aspect of Junior baseball at
Waverley as a Committeeman and an Age Group Coordinator at just about
every level. Quite simply, there was nothing he wouldn't do to benefit
the club and he gave it his all for more thousands of hours than you can
imagine.
In modern times most of us will best
remember Rod as the wonderful Juniors coach who not only underpinned the
skills of many, many players over many years, but who also coached with
a rare determination to keep Waverley firmly at the top of the junior
baseball tree. To say that he was "passionate or driven" would
be to understate Rod's parochial defence of the "Waverley
brand" and, while this may have annoyed opposition coaches at
times, there could be no doubt that everything he did was done in the
best interests of HIS players and the Waverley Baseball Club.
You would not need to look far to see
where son David got his "competitive edge" from, but Rod
always claimed that he was the wiser and calming influence when they
teamed up to coach in his later years with the Under 12 Wildcats. While
David Warren is an undoubted doyen of junior coaching at the U14 level,
he surely appreciated the solid grounding that Rod and David Paton, to
be affectionately known as 'Dad and Dave', (along with U12 Panthers'
coach Greg Daws) provided with their excellent U12 programs for several
years... and other coaches too over the years.
Son David Paton has carved his own
tremendous career at Waverley and he has also given plenty to the club
with a similar passion and loyalty as that demonstrated by his father.
It would not surprise us if he appeared with his own WHO's WHO page in
future years.
Your writer's own son had the benefit of
playing with Greg Daws' U12 Panthers in 2000 and then with Rod &
Dave Paton's U12 Wildcats in 2001. While he has certainly learned plenty
from all of his coaches at Waverley, this was where he first really
learned the fundamentals of how to play baseball. The teams he played
with had no particular advantage in talent over other teams they played,
but they were successful due to the superior coaching of people like Rod
Paton. It was not always about hitting and pitching, but also defensive
positioning, knowing the next play and how to run the bases...
fundamentals that would hold young players in solid stead for their
future.
As far as success and coaching ability
is concerned the record of Rod Paton speaks for itself, but it is also
Rod Paton the man that somehow pales most of his achievements by
comparison. Rod is the type of person who takes a personal interest in
his players and their families. In the case of my family, it is nearing
six years since my son played under Rod, yet he still makes contact to
see how he is going and he still comes to watch him (and his other boys)
play in both winter and summer! Rod cannot bring himself to have an
unkind word about anyone and he is one of the most likeable gentlemen
you could ever meet... as long as you don't try to attack the Waverley
Baseball Club!
While he has established "another
life" with a second home at Phillip Island, this does not stop Rod
from taking every opportunity he can to get to Waverley to watch the
juniors or seniors... he is a devoted follower of our web site and he is
never missing from an AGM. We hope that this continues for a very long
time... there are not many Rod Patons around!
The Rod Paton coaching record:
1979/80
Assisted Dick Mason, U13 Wildcats, State Champions
1980/81
U12 Waverley League Coach, U12 Inaugural Season
1981/82
U12 Waverley League Coach
1982/83
U12 Waverley League Coach, Runners Up
1983
U13 Assistant coach, Ringwood League, VPBL (Winter)
1989/90
U12 Waverley League Coach, Premiers
1990/91
U12 Waverley League Coach, Premiers
1991/92
U12
Waverley
Panthers, Division 2, South
1992/93
U12
Waverley
Panthers, Coca Cola, = 4th, 5th on %
1993/94
U12
Waverley
Panthers, Division 1, 4th
1994/95
U12 Waverley Panthers, Division 1, Runners up
1995/96
U12
Waverley
Panthers, Coca Cola, 6th
1996/97
U12
Waverley
Panthers, Division 1 = 2nd, 3rd on %
1997
U14 Assistant coach, Ringwood League, VPBL (Winter), State Champions
1997/98
U12
Waverley
Panthers, Coca Cola, 6th
1998
U12 Ringwood Representative League, VPBL (Winter),
1998/99
U12 Assistant,
Waverley
Wildcats, Runners Up State Championship
1999
U12 Ringwood Representative League, VPBL (Winter),
1999/2000
U12
Waverley
Wildcats, Runners Up State Championship
2000
U13
Waverley
Panthers, Ringwood League, Premiers, VPBL (Winter),
2000/2001
U12
Waverley
Wildcats, State Champions
2001/2002
U12
Waverley
Wildcats, State Champions
As a final tribute from
WBCWEB we will transpose the text from Chris Peacock's successful
nomination of Rod Paton for Life Membership.
I, Chris Peacock, a
Registered and Financial member of Waverley Baseball Club, would like to
Nominate Rod Paton as a Life Member.
Rod joined Waverley
Baseball Club in 1971 and has played over 150 Senior games at the Club.
Rod has been a coach at Junior level since 1979 and has most recently
coached the U/12 Panthers and now the U/12 Wildcats.
Rod has always dedicated
himself to the game and the Club and has been on numerous Junior
Committees over the years. Rod has been Junior Coordinator at every age
level. He continues year after year to make himself available to look
after a Junior Representative side.
His son has long since
graduated to our senior ranks, indicating no reason to stay with our
Junior Program. Rod continues to put his hand up willingly for Junior
Representative Postings.
Why, I guess it is
giving something back to the sport he loves.
He has served a long
apprenticeship with the Panthers, and has probably been disappointed at
missing out on the senior jobs to other coaches, many of whom are no
longer coaching in this organization. Being given the job with
"second string players" and little hope of reaching the finals
for many seasons has not deterred him, Rod continues to front up. It
must have been hard, but Rod continued on for this Club.
In the 1999/2000 season,
Rod was elevated to the Number 1 side, the Wildcats, a fact which I
personally think was long overdue. Rod has also been selected to look
after Representative sides in the Ringwood District Winter League, which
he has agreed to in the name of Waverley Baseball Club, even though he
has no involvement in Waverley's winter competition.
One of the unsung heroes
of this club ...... week after week, year after year for no personal
gain.
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