As a typically enthusiastic parent, Martha Payne of Atlanta spent countless hours thinking about how to help her oldest son, Sam, become a better Little League baseball player.
Recently, the daughter-in-law of retired Judge and Mrs. Sam Payne of Chattanooga and wife of 1978 Baylor School graduate Dr. Houston Payne reflected some more on his career, but in a light-hearted manner.
What has resulted is the non-fiction book, Put Him In, Coach! – A Mother’s All-Star Memoir, published by iUniverse Inc.
“It is a funny look at how parents and coaches can take it seriously, but at the same time it looks at a mother’s and son’s bond,” said Mrs. Payne, who will be signing copies of her book Friday, Dec. 21, at 7 p.m. at Rock Point Books at 401 Broad St. in downtown Chattanooga.
“We were able to share a bond with each other through our love of sports and baseball.”
Mrs. Payne, whose son is now a freshman member of the Davidson College baseball team, had been thinking about putting the book together for several years.
She had read CBS News humor correspondent Bill Geist’s book, Little League Confidential, and wondered if any books on the topic of Little League baseball had been written by baseball moms. After finding that none apparently had, she began work on the book.
“I thought it might be interesting to do something like this from a mother’s point of view,” she said.
The book does have several humorous anecdotes. During his first tee ball game, his first hit goes into the outfield and Mrs. Payne is quite proud – regardless of the fact that one of the young outfielders is not even facing the action.
And during an opening day game in frigid weather, she said the family had to dress so snugly to sit out in the cold that they looked as though they had just come from a photography shoot for an .LL. Bean winter catalog.
The book also has a serious side, as it honestly presents some of the vulnerabilities and insecurities she felt.
Readers who have also tried to help their children succeed in sports or other ventures will likely identify with the book.
But her attention-grabbing and storytelling style makes the tale seem new and original.
Houston Payne – who is an orthopedic surgeon - also appears in the book as the calming and level-headed parent. Judge and Mrs. Payne are also mentioned as caring and babysitting grandparents.
Mrs. Payne – a diehard Atlanta Braves fan and former columnist for the team’s Chop Talk magazine – is also working on a novel that is set to come out in 2008. It deals with a young woman who grew up in the Copper Basin, Tenn., area and moves to the North Georgia mountains and must deal with changes and conflicting loyalties.
A former Morehead Scholar at the University of North Carolina – where she met Houston – Mrs. Payne began writing seriously in college and had some poems published in her late 20s. Later, she began writing short stories.
“I did as much as I could with raising four children,” she said with a laugh. “I didn’t have much time for it.”
Her and Dr. Payne’s other children are Matt, 16 years old: Emma, 13; and Ian, 8.
Her current book has been marketed so far primarily in the Atlanta area, she said. She has sold around 700 copies, with 50 percent of the profits going to the Reviving Baseball in the Inner Cities program.
Mrs. Payne believes the Davidson coaches and players are not yet familiar with the book. But many of the Paynes’ baseball friends in Atlanta have read it.
“When he (Sam) is home in Atlanta, he gets a lot of comments,” she said. “He is good natured about it and is proud of me.”
Mrs. Payne, who serves on the board overseeing the Little League players and coaches at the baseball park in the Buckhead community of Atlanta, said that she thinks most of the parental involvement in children’s sports is healthy and positive.
“I think most parents after a year or two get a grip and see they are over-reacting,” she said. “But there are always going to be a few who can’t get over it.”
With those parents, Mrs. Payne can understand at least their passion.
Jcshearer2@comcast.net