Top of the Morning, July 6, 2024

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Not only did traveling by private plane get Tuscola’s Ryan Tabeling to his son’s faraway baseball game in a jiffy, it gave him serious celebrity vibes.

“I felt bougie,” he said, “and I’m as far away from bougie as there is.”

Ryan’s son, former Tuscola star and Illinois pitcher Logan Tabeling, plays for the Niles, Ohio-based Mahoning Valley Scrappers In the MLB Draft League. On Tuesday, he was scheduled to appear in a game in Morgantown, W.Va., on a day that Ryan — tied down much of the summer due to work and coaching — had free.

Ryan’s longtime friend Toby Ring offered a ride … in his Piper Lance. A farmer and softball coach, Ring got his pilot’s license in November, making the most of a grass runway at his rural Tuscola home.

A bit of a chicken when it comes to flying in smaller planes, Ryan still jumped at the offer.

“We can do this,” he told himself, the pull of seeing Logan in person outweighing any fears.

The two left Tuscola at 11:30 a.m. and arrived in Morgantown 2½ hours later. They saw the Scrappers win and Logan pitch a flawless ninth inning. By 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, they were back in Tuscola.

Ryan was grateful for Ring’s gesture — “he’s someone who’d do anything for you” — and tickled pink to watch and visit with Logan as he continues a comeback from injury. It was the first time he’d seen him pitch in person since March 24.

“It was the most surreal, best trip I’ve ever made,” he said, “something I’ll never forget.”