Flint's fatherly role serves Roy well

Thanks to Stan's influence softball has become the name of the game in the Flint households.

"We talk about softball in our family, and that's exactly what it means — family," Mandy said. "I do it for my dad, my brother and for MaCauley."

Along the way, Stan has helped many other young pitchers learn the intricacies of the fast-pitch game, which he learned from Glen Cherry almost 40 years ago — when it was much more popular than slow-pitch softball, which has since become the rage nowadays.

Stan didn't even began playing softball until he was in his early twenties after graduating in 1969 from Bonneville High.

"My Dad couldn't throw as hard and might not be as big and strong as some other pitchers," Mandy said, "but he had this incredible change-up that would make batters look stupid and embarrass them."

Stan was pleasantly surprised when Roy High got on a roll and swept this year's 4A state title in the program's final year as a 4A school before moving up to the 5A ranks next season. And he's grateful his family has been able to play a vital role in both of the Royals' state championships.

"It's overwhelming. I mean, it truly is," he said. "You know, I feel like a very rich man without a lot of money. You can't buy this kind of happiness, this kind of reward. It's hard to put into words. It's so gratifying to be a part of it and see these kids have that kind of success."

And I'm sure all those girls he's helped coach feel the same way about the "Godfather," Stan Flint.

E-MAIL: rhollis@desnews.com