Robert Augustine Seidel III

West Point, 2004

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Frederick News Post on June 29, 2007:

The Frederick News Post Touching all the bases: by Stan Goldberg Catoctin Hosts a Hero?s Tournament Sunday, April 8, 2007 THURMONT - ROBERT SEIDEL wasn't a star baseball player at Catoctin High School, but he was a good person with a great personality, according to Catoctin baseball coach Mike Franklin. So, when 1st LT Robert Seidel was killed in Iraq last May while serving in the U.S. Army, Franklin decided he wanted to honor the former Catoctin athlete in some way. Being a baseball coach, Franklin came up with the idea of holding a yearly baseball tournament in Seidel?s honor at Catoctin during the Easter holidays. The first such tournament was held Thursday and Saturday, with Walkersville beating Urbana 11-4 in the championship game. Frederick beat Catoctin 14-4 in the consolation game. But to Franklin and others who knew Seidel, it didn't matter much who won this year's tournament, or who will win in the future. They just wanted to honor the 2000 Catoctin graduate whom they liked as a person and as an athlete. "We wanted to do something to keep his name alive," Franklin said prior to Saturday's championship game. "We wanted to keep his name out there. Every year, people will see his name." Franklin and Walkersville coach Jeremy Long knew Seidel well. Seidel spent four years in the Catoctin baseball program, two years on the junior varsity and two years on the varsity. Franklin was an assistant coach for three of those years and head coach for one. "He was an average ballplayer, he would tell you that," Franklin said of Seidel, who started at second base for the Cougars, "He was very intelligent with an unbelievable sense of humor. No matter how mad I would get, he would always come up with a one liner that would bring me back to reality." Long was Seidel's junior varsity coach one year and an assistant varsity coach another. "He had a lot of character, was a bulldog, a battler," Long said. "When things got tough, he got tougher. He always carried a smile with him. He had a great attitude and was a great competitor. When things would go wrong he would just shrug it off. He had that thing about him where he could pick people up." Franklin said Seidel was known more for his defense than offense. Seidel also was a fullback in football. "He was a hard running back," Franklin said. "He was a better football player than baseball player." Seidel who graduated from West Point in 2004, was killed in Baghdad on May 18 of last year when the Humvee he as in was struck by an improvised explosive device. Soon after, Franklin began thinking about hosting a tournament. "When he died, it hurt a lot of people in this community," Franklin said. "There was a huge crowd at the funeral. I began thinking, What can I do to help him.?" He came up with the idea of the baseball tournament and contacted Robert Seidel's father, Bob Seidel. "We got the ball rolling," Franklin said. At the time, Catoctin was playing an Easter Tournament hosted by Urbana. Franklin called Urbana coach Mike Frownfelter and told him that he wouldn't be able to take part in the Urbana tournament in 2007 because he was hosting a tournament in honor of Seidel. "He said why don't I cancel my tournament and we will all go to your place," Franklin said. The other coaches involved, Long and Phil Rhodes of Frederick, agreed. Seidel's parents, Bob and Sandy Seidel, and his brother Steve were at the first game on Thursday. Steve threw out the first ball. The family also gave Franklin pictures of their son in a Catoctin uniform and a military uniform. Each year, the winner of the tournament will be given a tray. On the tray are the words that President George Bush said about Robert Seidel in a national radio address following the former Catoctin student's death. Proceeds from the tournament's 50-50 drawing also will go to the Robert Seidel Scholarship Fund. "I'm honored to be part of this," Long said. "It means a lot to be here. It's great."

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