On the day before things promised to get seriously emotional -- final home game, senior night, glowing tributes, baseball field named in his honor (that item a surprise -- tissues, please) -- Ken Moore maneuvered his stocky frame into a student desk at Douglas Freeman High.

And shed tears.

A simple question -- simple to me, conflicting to him -- had speed-bumped the closing laps of his sentimental journey. What, I asked, had persuaded him to spend his entire professional career at Freeman, the school where he graduated in 1969 and returned after college in 1973 and put down the deepest of roots -- and never left?

And he paused then, lips quivering, eyes glistening, and groped in his pocket for a handkerchief.

"See, it's just it," he said finally, the simplicity of the thought speaking volumes about a life of devotion and nurturing (and counseling hitters to think fastball and adjust to the curve). "It's just my niche."

June looms. Schools across this sprawling country will soon say goodbye to retiring teachers, coaches, principals and guidance counselors and vice versa -- Ken Moore among them. He's 57. The last 35 of those years he's spent in Room 144 at Freeman, teaching Latin to the children of Henrico County and two sons of his own.

Ray Moore played infield for his father and now teaches Latin and coaches Hanover High's JVs. And Chris is a catcher, a senior, on the current squad, his dad's 26th, that was crunched by Godwin 8-4 last night, Ken Moore's night.

Ah, but it was a grand evening anyhow -- family members and former players lining up pre-game with Moore, hugs, glowing words, gifts, bouquets, the announcement about the naming of the field. And a beloved coach getting all blubbery until someone asked if he had anything to say and he replied, "Let's play ball."

Words he won't be saying much longer.

"Well, you know, it's time," he'd said Wednesday. "The teaching of the classes, the coaching of the baseball and everything that's involved with it -- all of it really has taken its toll on me. The main reason why is I don't do anything halfway. I do everything full-out."

Drive past Freeman's baseball field -- Ken Moore Field -- and you're liable to see him mowing the grass in darkness after an evening practice. Those Latin tournament trophies crowded onto four ancient filing cabinets in his room? They represent countless weekends away from home. He's attended Latin conventions, coached summertime baseball, accompanied student groups on European excursions.

Never taken an overseas trip on his own.

Hardly taken a breath.

As for the baseball, he's had a fine run, winning more than 60 percent of his games, taking two of his teams to the state playoffs, churning out hundreds of players who were long on fundamentals and short on behavioral issues. They call him "Babe" -- not Coach or Mr. Moore, just Babe, a soft toss of affection that mimics his own "Hey, babe" greetings. Similarly, come the Ides of March, his Latin students annually kidnap the bust of Caesar he keeps in a corner of the room.

All of which helps underscore senior outfielder Ciaran Maguire's take on his coach/teacher's imprint: "Just because he officially leaves, I don't think he'll ever really leave. He'll always have his mark on Freeman."

It's a motion Godwin coach John Marano readily seconds. Nine years ago, late at night and hours after his Eagles had snared a state championship, Marano was home when the phone rang. It was Moore. It was Moore, calling to congratulate his cross-county rival.

"He really is a guy who's a very good man," Marano said. "I'm sure his kids have learned a lot of valuable lessons from him."

And that's the idea, isn't it? The bunting techniques, the declensions, they're all well and good. But sacrificing for the greater good, attention to detail -- those things will carry you a ways. No wonder Moore will tell you he's "proudest of trying to teach the players the right way to live their life -- play the game and get everything out of life and the game as you can."

No wonder he misses the hallways and basepaths already.

"When I first came back, I was probably the only male teacher in this part of the building," Moore said Wednesday. "I loved it then. I love it now."

That said, he needs to step away, to decompress. He says he'd like to lose some weight, play some golf, take care of himself some for a change. It'll be a new experience. The best of teachers, the best of coaches -- and I'd submit Ken Moore qualifies on both counts -- rarely do that as well as they take care of others.
Contact Bob Lipper at (804) 649-6555 or blipper@timesdispatch.com.