State baseball tournament an Eldred family experience

MOUNT VERNON - As young boys, they'd stand in center field at Busch Stadium for batting practice and help field flies and grounders.Jim Edmonds was their buddy, someone who always took the time to talk to them and give them pointers. They'd walk into the clubhouse, and guys like Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen would say hello to them.For C.J. and Luke Eldred, these were the perks of having a father in the big leagues."We were born and raised around it," Luke Eldred said. "It's part of us."Baseball is the Eldred family game, no doubt, though the tables haved turned. Now dad is the spectator, his boys the players.Cal Eldred retired in 2005 after parts of 14 seasons as a major league pitcher. He still works for the St. Louis Cardinals and is an assistant coach for Mount Vernon High School when his schedule permits.C.J. is a senior for the Mustangs, Luke a freshman."We grew up in the outfield shagging balls together in the Cardinals stadium, old Comiskey (Park) and Milwaukee," C.J. Eldred said. "I think it's cool that we've kind of reversed roles in a way. Dad played, and we watched him. Now we've switched around, and he watches us. That's pretty cool."Cal Eldred wouldn't have it any other way."I'm all for it," he said. "I had a great opportunity that lasted way longer than most. Now I have the chance to sit back and watch them play and encourage them."Mount Vernon (26-14) plays Roland-Story (27-13) in a Class 2A state tournament quarterfinal Monday at noon. You bet Cal Eldred will at Principal Park in Des Moines, in the dugout aiding head coach Jeremy Elliott.C.J. will be at first base and hitting second in the batting order. Luke will be there for moral support only, in uniform but on crutches after breaking his hip on a swing, of all things, during a game in early July."It's bittersweet," Luke said. "It's good to see C.J., good to see the team going to state. At the same time, I wish I was there and helping.""When he hurt himself, I was actually standing on first base," C.J. Eldred said. "It's kind of funny because we've only played about 15 games together, even though we've been on the same team for two years ... I was having a good time standing over there at first and taking throws from him at third. Giving him a hard time about what he's doing out on the field. So, yeah, this is bittersweet. I wish he could play. At least he's here with us."Luke played on Mount Vernon's varsity last season as an eighth-grader, but it was C.J. that only got into only eight games because of injury issues. He's had surgeries the last two Januaries (with an eight-inch plate and 10 screws still in his leg) to repair a right kneecap that continued to shift out of place, then a broken bone in his lower right leg.He's headed to Indiana University this coming fall to pitch, though he didn't throw for Mount Vernon this season so he could fully heal. His unabashed goal is to follow his dad to the bigs."They've been through a lot," Cal Eldred said of his son's injuries. "These are great life lesson that sports can give you."C.J., Luke and their three younger sisters (Emily, Abby and Holly) have been home schooled over the years by mom, Christi. It was never difficult to get the boys to complete their daily lessons because there always was an agreement.Make that a threat. If they wanted to go to the ballpark that night to see dad, or watch his team's road game on television, every bit of schoolwork had to be done.Talk about that role-reversal thing again. Cal was in Florida this past week to work with Cardinals minor-leaguers but made certain he was in Des Moines by Sunday night to share the state tourney experience with his sons and their team.That even meant driving back because of an ear problem that prevented him from flying."To me and my brother, (this is) huge," C.J. Eldred said. "That you can be on the field with your dad, especially in high school, that's something special. That's huge to us. He's helped us so much, helped me my four years of high-school ball and everything before that. Throwing a whiffle ball to me when I was two years old. Same deal with Luke.""It's something you realize is an experience you don't ever want to take for granted," said Cal, who played in the state baseball and basketball tournaments for old Urbana High School in the mid-1980s. "They always say as a parent, it's more fun to be able to watch your kids go through it, but I've got to be honest. As a competitor, I tell you, I wish I was playing."