One of the coolest stories we’ve heard in a long while involves Tim McGraw. It was reported that Tim was invited to throw out the first pitch in a World Series game in Philadelphia. He agreed to do it. Tim is the son of famous Phillies pitcher Tug McGraw, who passed away in 2004 of cancer. Tug was 59. Tim came to the mound in game 3 and without fanfare; he quietly spread some of his father’s ashes on the mound, threw the pitch and gave the ball to legendary Phillies pitcher, Steve Carlton, the same pitcher that passed along the ball to Tug in the 1980 World Series to close the game. Tug McGraw coined the phrase, “Ya gotta believe.”

According to an article written by The Tennessean’s Beverly Keel, “Tim’s relationship with his father is a testament to who Tim is as a man. Tim discovered at age 11 that Tug was his father when he found his birth certificate. But for years, Tug initially questioned paternity and had little interest in maintaining a relationship, a rejection that must have been heartbreaking for Tim, who had taped Tug’s baseball card to his bedroom wall even before he discovered their relationship. They got together when Tim was a senior in high school and the rest is a loving history.” (We’ll carry this story further in the November E-News).