A big congratulations to Curtis Darby who was recently promoted to Assistant Chief of the Bryan Police Department. Curtis and I go all the way back to elementary school in Iola. Since then, our paths have continued to cross, on and off, for the past 30 + years.

I ran into Curtis when I started first grade at Iola. He was in second and already the BMOP (Big Man On Playground). Even back then, I remember him as being pretty intense, a trait you don't find in many second graders. The one activity all us boys looked forward to each day was playing football during recess. And when I say football, I'm not talking about flag or "two below" (pronounced "toobalow"), I'm talking all-out, no pads, smash-mouth tackle football. Curtis, being the natural-born leader that he is, was almost always one of the two captains assigned to pick teams. Usually, the older, bigger, faster kids were picked first. But it was a big deal for us younger kids to get chosen for Team Darby. Of course Curtis was usually the quarterback and you pretty much did what he said or he'd let you know about it. But no big deal, we won most of the time.

Curtis moved away from Iola when I was in the fourth or fifth grade. Later we moved to Bedias so I went to school in Madisonville. Lo and behold, my junior year in Madisonville, Curtis and I crossed paths again. This time on the baseball diamond during a tournament in Centerville. Curtis was pitching for Leon High School and they were our opponent. Four times I went to the plate that day. Four times I returned to the bench after making an out. Much to my chagrin, Curtis was even better as a high school pitcher than a second-grade quarterback. My last at bat, he burned a fastball right at my knees. My bat never moved as the umpire screamed, "Striiiiike One." The next pitch was high and tight which had me launching myself out of the batter's box like an rocket. Ball one. Then he fired one across the plate that I swear I never saw, but it didn't stop me from swinging. "Striiiiike Two."

Then he did something that I think was a purposeful act just to embarrass me. I was expecting another fastball so I choked up on the bat and shortened my stroke. Instead Curtis threw what-had-to-be the slowest curve ball of all time. Seriously, you'd have to time it with a calendar. It came floating in at a snail's pace than broke downward so abruptly it appeared to have fallen off an invisible table. I swung so hard I think I blew the third baseman's cap off his head. The umpire yelled, "Striiiiike Three...yer out!" Thanks a lot Curtis.

Years later, we ran into each other again. This time at the city of Bryan. Curtis was an officer with Bryan Police, I was the public information officer for the city. We didn't work together much, but when we did see each other we always shared a laugh or two. Now I'm here at News 3 and Curtis is not only an assistant police chief, but also a city council member in Iola.

I can't say I'm surprised at his success. As I mentioned earlier, people have always looked up to him and he's always been a strong leader. He's never been one to talk a lot, preferring instead to let his actions speak for him. So to Curtis Darby, I salute you and am glad to call you my friend. But I'll never forgive you for striking me out with a slow breaking ball on a 1-2 count.