GaryMrMets
06-16-2002, 01:13 PM
http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/cle/news/cle_news.jsp?ymd=20020611&content_id=50466&vkey=news_cle&fext=.jsp
06/11/2002 8:02 pm ET
Father's Day: Lawton reliving youth
By Justice B. Hill / MLB.com
Fatherhood has a way of changing a man. No matter if he's a butcher, a baker or a big-league ballplayer, fatherhood alters his world forever. But that is not a bad thing, which is what Major Leaguers like Indians right-fielder Matt Lawton say. So as a tribute to fathers everywhere, we asked Lawton, a father of two, and other ballplayers to share their views on fatherhood. Here are some of Lawton's thoughts on the subject.
MLB.com: What changed the most when you became a father?
Matt Lawton: The one big thing that changed for me was my sleeping habits. When my kids are around, I'm up early in the morning, and, of course, there's no more nightlife, because my daughter (Chassity) won't allow me to go out anymore. I get dressed to go out, and she's like, "Daddy, where are you goin'?" (Laugh) She'll end up talkin' me out of it, and I end up watchin' some little girl's movie or something. Those are the two things that changed for me.
MLB.com: How has baseball played a role in your fatherhood?
Lawton: Baseball has definitely made fatherhood more meaningful to me, because when my kids are around, I feel like it's always quality time, because they're there. I feel like I spend so much time away from them, and I just try to be the best dad I can to them the few days we're at home and the few days there up here in the summer. If I was a full-time dad, I'd probably take it for granted. But, now that with baseball I'm gone, like, for eight months out of the year, and on the road half of that time period, just makes the time we spend together more meaningful.
MLB.com: As a professional ballplayer, but also a parent, what motivates you?
Lawton: The thing that motivates me now, because I have a son (Chaseton), is watching him grow up. I can just see myself in him. It's like me just starting all over again. Now, he's almost 2, and the first thing he does in the morning when he wakes up, he wants to go play baseball. I remember me being like that when I was a kid -- just wanting to play the game of baseball all the time. Just watching him swing the bat the first couple of times, it's fun, you know. I'd always tease my friends: "I wouldn't want my kid to play baseball." That's what I told them. But now that he's starting to pick up a bat, it's gonna be fun to watch him.
MLB.com: Can you compare your childhood and upbringing to your children's?
Lawton: Wow! (Laugh) That's amazing, because I talk about it all the time. My kids go to the store, and my wife gets mad at me all the time, because it's almost like an everyday thing. My daughter, she goes to the store, and I buy her everything she wants. I can remember when I was a kid, even before we got into the car to go to the store: "Don't ask for anything, 'cause you're not gettin' nothing." That was always what I was told when I was a kid, and I hated it. Or, maybe, on special occasions: "You can only get one." That's what my mom and dad said: "You can get one thing. That's it." My daughter wants to go to the store now, and she might want CDs, she might want DVDs, she might want a new bathing suit. But whatever she wants, I try to get it for her. ... I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. (Laugh)
MLB.com: You sort of answered this already, but do your kids play baseball or other sports?
Lawton: I don't want my daughter to play sports. The reason? Because sports are ... I watched it take so much of my time growing up. I mean, baseball's all I've ever known. I played baseball through the summer, so I never really got to go on all the summer vacations or do any of the Spring breaks that most kids do. I don't want sports to interfere with that. I want her to be a total girl -- to enjoy her studies and to enjoy just growing up, you know. Like I said, sports take a lot of that time, and I don't want her to be involved in that type of atmosphere, I guess.
MLB.com: But your son?
Lawton: I wouldn't really want my son to play baseball. But I don't think I'm gonna have a choice, because it's the thing that he does, like I said, the minute he wakes up in the morning -- he picks up a baseball bat and wants to play baseball. But, for the most, if that what he decides, I'll definitely be there to support him. My wife always tells me now, "You're gonna be his first coach, because he's not gonna listen to anyone else." (Laugh) So if he wants to, I think it's alright.
MLB.com: I guess you kind of answered the last question, too. But, obviously, baseball wouldn't be bad, but your son being a professional athlete, that wouldn't bother you -- at some point?
Lawton: I think he's gonna be too small to play anything else. I'm a small guy, and his mother's small. So baseball -- he's gonna have to be a little second baseman or a little center fielder-type guy, because I can't see him playing football; I can't see him playing basketball. So baseball's probably gonna have to be the thing he has to play.
Justice B. Hill is a senior writer who covers the Indians for MLB.com. He can be reached at jbernardh@aol.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/images/2002/05/14/4ehCTMvU.jpg
Matt Lawton says baseball has made fatherhood more meaningful to him, because he has to make the most of his time with his children. (Tony Dejak/AP)
06/11/2002 8:02 pm ET
Father's Day: Lawton reliving youth
By Justice B. Hill / MLB.com
Fatherhood has a way of changing a man. No matter if he's a butcher, a baker or a big-league ballplayer, fatherhood alters his world forever. But that is not a bad thing, which is what Major Leaguers like Indians right-fielder Matt Lawton say. So as a tribute to fathers everywhere, we asked Lawton, a father of two, and other ballplayers to share their views on fatherhood. Here are some of Lawton's thoughts on the subject.
MLB.com: What changed the most when you became a father?
Matt Lawton: The one big thing that changed for me was my sleeping habits. When my kids are around, I'm up early in the morning, and, of course, there's no more nightlife, because my daughter (Chassity) won't allow me to go out anymore. I get dressed to go out, and she's like, "Daddy, where are you goin'?" (Laugh) She'll end up talkin' me out of it, and I end up watchin' some little girl's movie or something. Those are the two things that changed for me.
MLB.com: How has baseball played a role in your fatherhood?
Lawton: Baseball has definitely made fatherhood more meaningful to me, because when my kids are around, I feel like it's always quality time, because they're there. I feel like I spend so much time away from them, and I just try to be the best dad I can to them the few days we're at home and the few days there up here in the summer. If I was a full-time dad, I'd probably take it for granted. But, now that with baseball I'm gone, like, for eight months out of the year, and on the road half of that time period, just makes the time we spend together more meaningful.
MLB.com: As a professional ballplayer, but also a parent, what motivates you?
Lawton: The thing that motivates me now, because I have a son (Chaseton), is watching him grow up. I can just see myself in him. It's like me just starting all over again. Now, he's almost 2, and the first thing he does in the morning when he wakes up, he wants to go play baseball. I remember me being like that when I was a kid -- just wanting to play the game of baseball all the time. Just watching him swing the bat the first couple of times, it's fun, you know. I'd always tease my friends: "I wouldn't want my kid to play baseball." That's what I told them. But now that he's starting to pick up a bat, it's gonna be fun to watch him.
MLB.com: Can you compare your childhood and upbringing to your children's?
Lawton: Wow! (Laugh) That's amazing, because I talk about it all the time. My kids go to the store, and my wife gets mad at me all the time, because it's almost like an everyday thing. My daughter, she goes to the store, and I buy her everything she wants. I can remember when I was a kid, even before we got into the car to go to the store: "Don't ask for anything, 'cause you're not gettin' nothing." That was always what I was told when I was a kid, and I hated it. Or, maybe, on special occasions: "You can only get one." That's what my mom and dad said: "You can get one thing. That's it." My daughter wants to go to the store now, and she might want CDs, she might want DVDs, she might want a new bathing suit. But whatever she wants, I try to get it for her. ... I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. (Laugh)
MLB.com: You sort of answered this already, but do your kids play baseball or other sports?
Lawton: I don't want my daughter to play sports. The reason? Because sports are ... I watched it take so much of my time growing up. I mean, baseball's all I've ever known. I played baseball through the summer, so I never really got to go on all the summer vacations or do any of the Spring breaks that most kids do. I don't want sports to interfere with that. I want her to be a total girl -- to enjoy her studies and to enjoy just growing up, you know. Like I said, sports take a lot of that time, and I don't want her to be involved in that type of atmosphere, I guess.
MLB.com: But your son?
Lawton: I wouldn't really want my son to play baseball. But I don't think I'm gonna have a choice, because it's the thing that he does, like I said, the minute he wakes up in the morning -- he picks up a baseball bat and wants to play baseball. But, for the most, if that what he decides, I'll definitely be there to support him. My wife always tells me now, "You're gonna be his first coach, because he's not gonna listen to anyone else." (Laugh) So if he wants to, I think it's alright.
MLB.com: I guess you kind of answered the last question, too. But, obviously, baseball wouldn't be bad, but your son being a professional athlete, that wouldn't bother you -- at some point?
Lawton: I think he's gonna be too small to play anything else. I'm a small guy, and his mother's small. So baseball -- he's gonna have to be a little second baseman or a little center fielder-type guy, because I can't see him playing football; I can't see him playing basketball. So baseball's probably gonna have to be the thing he has to play.
Justice B. Hill is a senior writer who covers the Indians for MLB.com. He can be reached at jbernardh@aol.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/images/2002/05/14/4ehCTMvU.jpg
Matt Lawton says baseball has made fatherhood more meaningful to him, because he has to make the most of his time with his children. (Tony Dejak/AP)