ROCK HILL, S.C. — As vices go, this is one Jack and Jeanie Moore can handle.
Over the course of their first North Carolina baseball season, they’ve driven thousands of miles watching their son, Daniel, pitch for the Tar Heels.
They’ve seen far more of Georgia than ever imagined, missing a turn on their way back from a tournament in South Alabama.
They’ve gobbled up vacation days in bunches in an attempt to be at every game.
And then, there are the hats.
Jack Moore’s baseball superstition is no odder than any other in a long line of the game’s renowned rituals. His collection of UNC hats includes a “gamer,”reserved for the toughest contest in a three-game series. It has hats with losing records and winning records. It has special celebration hats, like the one bought after Carolina’s first-ever shutout at Clemson.
“I quit smoking, so I’ve had a little extra cash in my pocket,” Jack said. “I can buy a T-shirt here, a hat there and I never miss the money. I’m crazy about hats anyway.”
Then Jeanie chimed in, “And that won’t hurt you! As long as he doesn’t question the number of shoes I’ve got, I don’t question the number of hats he’s got.”
The Moores have some UNC shoes, and of course they’ve got jerseys. Just like the Carolina blue No. 25 worn by Daniel, the former North Rowan star who pitches a bit farther from home now.
The 912-hour excursion to Tallahassee for the Florida State series was tough, but no worse than an early-season tournament at South Alabama, which turned out to be a whole lot colder than packed for and a much longer drive home than expected.
Other than that, the Moores have the baseball roadtrip down to a science.
“We’re pretty good at it,”Jack said.“When we get in the car to go to Chapel Hill or wherever, we’ve pretty much got everything we’re going to need.”
They’ve only missed four Carolina games this season — out of 57 — but watched proudly at every one of Daniel’s 23 outings.
“It is an awesome feeling to see your son in an ACC uniform,”Jack said. “They thought this year as a freshman he was good enough to pitch in the ACC, and that’s pretty awesome.”
The Moores and 14 other sets of freshman parents have watched Carolina struggle at times throughout the 31-26 campaign. Every loss, regardless of Daniel’s involvement, has been tough to watch, but the promise of the future is exciting.
“If these 15 freshmen stick together, next year and the year after are going to be even more fun,”Jack said.
And at every stop along the way, the Moores will enjoy their new-found relationships —between the other Carolina parents, opposing fans and even casual baseball fans who come out just to see UNC.
“One thing that’s been really neat for us is the number of people that live in those baseball communities who have ties to North Carolina,”Jeanie said. “Folks all across the country have a connection with this team, and you get to know about them.”
The baseball odyssey Jack and Jeanie find themselves on now is far different from what they had imagined.
Five years ago, Jack said, he was a huge NASCAR fan with dreams of retiring with an RV and driving across the country to see all the races.
He still wants that RV and nomadic retirement. Now, though, it would be to see their oldest son Sandy coaching in the college ranks and — they hope — to watch Daniel pitching at the next level.
“Just ride around the country seeing some baseball games, wherever they take us,”Jack said. “Sandy’ll be coaching, and with Daniel’s career, the sky’s the limit.”
The Moore motorhome will have to be a big one to accommodate Jack’s hat collection. In addition to his personal stash, he gave eight to Daniel at the beginning of the season along with a couple of blue markers for autographs.
Eight lucky friends and family members are going to end up with Tar Heel hats signed up the entire team — assuming Daniel managed to collect all the signatures as ordered.
The presentation of those special caps will mark the culmination of an exciting spring unlike any the Moores have experienced. Next year, they’ll be ready to do it all over again, adding memories and hats at every stop.
And hopefully cutting down on the wrong turns.
“I can’t imagine anything being more fun than what we’re doing right now,”Jeanie said. “If he doesn’t play another day at Carolina it’d be OK.”
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Contact Steve Hanf at 704-797-4287 or shanf@salisburypost.com
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