I am always getting from people, “Man, I would love to have your job. You get to go to all of the ball games for free and be on the field at the Georgia Dome,” you know, things like that.

Well, it is nice, but there are those three letters there, you know, j-o-b, and there are a lot of times this is a, well, a JOB — like late last week when I tried to get everything done I had to do up here even though I was taking so much medicine for my allergies, I couldn’t think straight.

But all thoughts of being sick quickly vanished Friday night when I arrived in Dalton to cover the annual Georgia Athletic Coaches Association Sports Hall of Fame induction.

On Friday night, I was able to talk to several people that had been in the life of Coach Arthur Mott, one of the inductees.

It was like a history lesson come to life. Some of the many stories I heard were about players practicing on rocks, having to wear hand-me-down cleats and playing golf with tin cans for cups.

Then came the main event on Saturday.

Not only was I there to cover Coach Mott’s induction, I had also been personally asked to receive Mr. Charlie Ridgeway’s award for him. Mr. Charlie wanted me to accept the Beverly Sanders Raines award, because he was unable to travel due to health concerns.

It was perhaps the greatest honor I have ever received. I think the world of Mr. Charlie and it meant a lot that he thought so highly of me he asked me to be his representative Saturday.

By the way, that is the only reason you are seeing the picture of me — yes, that’s me with the tie — accepting his award. Mr. Charlie wanted everyone to know that I was the one that he wanted to honor.

It was especially nice, because I didn’t trip or something like that. There is a reason I write about sports and don’t play, because you have to be at least partially athletic to play sports.

Then came Coach Mott’s induction as the GACA executive director, Ray Broadaway, made the presentation.

Coach Broadaway talked about how much Coach Mott had done for the children during his 33 years in the Tift County School System.

As Coach Broadaway stated, Coach Mott taught his students lessons in the classroom, the football field, the baseball diamond and the basketball court.

One of those biggest lessons was about respect.

That was a word I heard often Friday and Saturday when people were describing Coach Mott: the respect Coach Mott had earned, as well as the respect Coach Mott wanted his students to have for others, as well as themselves.