Docking With The Ports–A Sea of Support for Straily

Every night Dan Straily pitches, you can bet that there is a sea of support tuning in to listen to his every move. Straily may be just popping up on Stockton’s radar, but he has been catching the attention and support of his family for years; a fact which he does not take for granted.

“It’s really nice to have that support system behind you,” said Straily. “This is a long, long season. You are out here for half a year, and to know that every fifth day, or sixth day that I am pitching, that I just have a vast number of people listening. It really is awesome.”

One of the biggest things that Straily can count on from his family is their love of the game. Every chance they get, Dan and his family break down his starts, asking him about certain plays and his mindset throughout the game. Staying positive, he says, is the key message that his family tries to impart upon him.

“They are a very positive group,” Straily said of his family. “We always try to find the good in everything. Even some of the days that aren’t as good as we hoped for, we still try to find good things in it. They may not know the exact ins-and-outs of baseball, but they definitely know the game, and they just love talking about the game.”

Being able to discuss the game with his family brings them all closer together. Straily recognizes that this has created a special bond between them all.

“I talk to them a lot the day of the game, but afterwards as well,” he said. “And it kind of brings our family more together. Not every family member gets a chance to talk all the time, especially mine, being pretty far spread out.”

Even when Straily doesn’t get to speak with his family, he knows that they are tuning in on the airwaves. With family tuning in everywhere from Oregon to Illinois, he takes comfort in knowing that they are checking in on his progress. He says that his family is immensely grateful to have the broadcast coverage of the games, being their eyes when they can’t be there to see themselves.

But you can bet that they aren’t just listening in – they are turning out in waves to watch him pitch all across the California League.

“I have yet to have a start without someone there watching that I know,” he said proudly. “My family is 12-for-12 or 11-for-11, whatever it is. Everyone has a support system. My support system just makes it really well known to me, and to whoever is around. They’re at the games, they are the ones yelling loudest for me. And that’s just how it’s always been.”

Straily wholeheartedly welcomes the enthusiastic support of his family and friends from the stands, or from wherever they are able to listen. It means a lot to him, and hopes to return the support himself one day.

“Some guys get embarrassed about it, but I don’t,” he said. “That’s probably going to be me someday, out there rooting on my kid, being ecstatic and happy for them. It’s just an awesome feeling having that many people out there supporting you.”