In celebration of my independence (it is a good thing); I rode a new trail on the circuit, Hickory Glen Park in Commerce Township this past Wednesday. The park is off of Glengary Road just north of Wolverine Lake. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I had only read about the trail on the Internet but I must say it is a hidden jewel and will more than likely be ridden again on the circuit. The trail heads north from Glengary Road and takes you to the edge of Oakley Park Road before returning back. There are no major ball breaking hills and the switchbacks aren’t too out of control as the Milford Trail does. You have to keep your eyes open during the ride because the 
trail does have some crossings but is well marked. Well maintained overall.While enjoying a cold beverage after the ride, I encountered a father-son tandem playing some baseball on one of the ball fields in the park (pictured). There is nothing wrong with playing a little catch with your father but from what I could see/hear, this was more of a practice, which is sad. The kid couldn’t have been more than nine or ten, which is pretty much the age when real little league baseball (no tee ball) begins. It is a fun time for a kid but unfortunately, this parent was taking that away. I may be wrong in my observation but I
could sense this was a parent who somehow got screwed in his youth sports career and wanted so bad for his kid not to repeat it that he has him out there shagging balls on July 4th when the kid could be playing with his friends. I was fortunate in that my father played catch with me for no other reason than he loved to throw the baseball or football. There was no coaching but it was kind of funny when my dad would do his football cadence (i.e., hut, hut, hut) when I would go long for a pass. And my dad threw a pretty mean spiral. I experienced a few father-son combos in high school that I think impacted the final product on the field/court. When a father tells “Bobby” that he is “all world” and that the coaching is the problem, that can only lead to bad things and I think it showed in the final product on some of our teams. Sad, but 
true. That is my commentary for today.Have a great weekend.
