Logan Wagner had no memories of his grandfather Tom Wagner's highly successful coaching days.
He does now...
The senior Wagner earned his way into the softball Hall of Fame after leading the White Center-based Pay 'N Pak men's major fastpitch team to five national titles and two world titles -- and coached the United States national team to two world titles.
His last coaching stint was with the United States team in 1996 -- the year Logan was born.
"I was just getting out of it then," said Tom.
Now Wagner -- who also coached the Federal Way Omni American Legion baseball team from 1989-1991 including a best ever third place state finish for the team in 1990 -- is in his second year of coaching Logan's Federal Way Knights baseball team.
Tom led the team to a U-16 World Series title at a tournament in San Diego last year, and has the Knights gearing up for a return trip for the U-18 series starting July 28. He is assisted by son Kurt Wagner, the father of Logan.
"I wasn't planning on doing this," Tom said. "I thought I was finished a long time ago. They tricked me into it. They asked me, and my wife (Elinore) said you might as well coach. You're at all the games anyway."
Now Tom is enjoying the chance to coach his grandson alongside Kurt, a 1985 Decatur High School graduate.
And Logan, a three-year football quarterback and three-year baseball player at Mount Rainier High School in Des Moines, enjoys having the two family members around to instruct him.
"I love these guys," said the 17-year-old senior to be. "It's cool getting to know how much they know about baseball. It's pretty awesome. I'm able to go home and ask them questions. They tell it to me straight."
Kurt finds himself in an interesting position in the three generation picture.
"I'm kind of stuck in the middle of it," joked Kurt, who lives above Saltwater State Park in Des Moines with Logan and the rest of his immediate family. "My old man, he comes in and can't stay away from it."
Tom will especially find it hard to keep away if the squad accomplishes anything like last year's San Diego tournament.
The Knights flew in as an extreme underdog and won the title. They took a beating at the hands of a Southern California team to open, but came back to beat the same team -- for the championship.
"All of the world and national championships, they're all great to win," said Tom. "But last year for these kids to go to San Diego and win it was fantastic. It was an overachieving team last year."
The Knights got this season off to an 8-3 start, including a Memorial Day tournament championship, but could find things even tougher going into this year's World Series back in San Diego.
"The tournament will be tougher, since most of the players on the other teams will be 18 and most of ours are 17," said Tom. "We had a lot of trouble with kids' graduations. But we'll do fine getting back into the swing of things with everyone on the roster."
All of the Federal Way Knights age 10-18 teams will be hoping to be in the swing of things when they host the July 20-22 Federal Way Knights tournament. Over 100 teams will be involved in games all over Federal Way.
"Most every field in the Federal Way area that's up to par has been reserved," said Kurt.
The U-18 team plays most of its home games at Mount Rainier High School, with its players coming from a variety of other schools as well in Federal Way High School, Todd Beamer, Lakes, Blanchet, one at Stanford by way of Bainbridge,Tahoma, Kentlake and even Elma.
The squad can draw from anywhere.
"They just call it U-18," said Tom. "We could have gotten into a league, but then you get Wednesday games at 8 p.m. in Redmond. So we play exhibition games and go to tournaments."
In contrast, American Legion teams such as the ones that used to exist in Burien and Federal Way are limited as to where they can draw from and how many total students can be at member high schools.
"I loved Legion," Tom said. "The kids are all from one area and they are all in the same playing field. They're at the same level and there isn't all the recruiting."
Logan, who is being looked at by the University of Washington and Oregon State for baseball and is also drawing attention for football, finds advantages to playing for the Knights, though.
"I get to play with the guys I grew up with," he said. "I really like it. It's a really good program."
Then there is the sport of men's major fastpitch that Tom used to coach.
"That game has come and gone," Tom said. "It was a great game for awhile. The USA was on top of the world, but not much of a contender anymore. They still play it in the Midwest some. White Center (Mel Olson Stadium) used to be a big park for softball. The stands all the way around the field from one side to the other were full."
When Tom led the Federal Way Legion squad that included his second son, Jeff, it was under the sponsorship of Omni Properties with a team bus that took it to San Diego in 1990 and the San Francisco Bay Area in 1991 -- as well as on local road games such as to Bellevue and Kirkland.
"Those kids realize now how lucky they were," said Tom, whose current players have gone to the old Federal Way Legion colors of orange and black of the 1980s from the Omni navy blue and white.
Tom has noticed another big change to youth baseball in general.
"The game is changing back to wood bats," he said. "The balls don't jump off like those tin bats. They still go if you hit them well. There's a lot of wood bat tournaments now. Even the metal bats have been toned down a lot. There still more lively than wood, but not like last year where they launched it. There's a difference, but once you adjust it's OK."
