JJ Rodriguez of Birmingham turns to coach, teammates for support after father's death
JJ Rodriguez lost his father last month, but he's back playing with the support of his Birmingham baseball family.
Sophomore outfielder JJ Rodriguez of Birmingham is back playing after the death of his father, Anthony, last month. (Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times) 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.