CHICAGO -- One of Matt Armstrong's earliest memories of his son on an athletic field came not on a baseball diamond, but on the gridiron. When Pete Crow-Armstrong was 7, Matt was the head coach of his flag football team in Southern California. Former major league player and manager Gabe Kapler, who also had a son on the team, was Matt's assistant.
"I think he was my defensive coordinator," Matt said.
One day after practice, Kapler was throwing a football around to some of the kids.
"There was a moment when Pete ran this crossing route, like 5 yards up, and then he cut and Gabe whipped the ball to him," Matt said.