Glory days.
Thirty-one years ago, those two words weren't just a two-year-old Bruce Springsteen hit. They were the property of Red Bank High School baseball players and close friends Moe Galbraith, Rob Hensley, Bumper Reese and Scott Wicker.
But in 2017 - at least within the Signal Mountain high school baseball program that will compete for a Spring Fling berth at Sweetwater tonight at 7 - a similar collection of glory days is being authored by that Red Bank quartet's sons, all of them seniors and all key reasons for the Eagles' 28-9 record to date.
What's tough to figure out is whether the end of the Signal careers of Grant Galbraith, Garrett Hensley, Briston Reese and Seth Wicker - whether those careers end tonight or at the Fling in Murfreesboro - are going to be emotionally tougher on the sons or the fathers.
"I think it will be harder on them," said catcher Garrett Hensley, who will take his considerable talents to the University of Dayton next season. "I still hear stories about my dad and how they got robbed at McCallie in a regional final because McCallie's field didn't have a fence and Dad hit one into a tree in the outfield. I also never quit hearing about how he hit two bombs out in the game before that McCallie loss."
Added center fielder Grant Galbraith, who's headed to Jacksonville State: "We used to dream about being as good as our dads. Now my mom, Donna, says she's heard all their stories at least 20 times."
Mark Wiedmer
Signal Mountain assistant baseball coach Bumper Reese stands at 3rd during their prep baseball game at Signal Mountain High School on Thursday, March 16, 2017, in Signal Mountain, Tenn.Moe Galbraith agrees with his son about possibly reflecting too much on his long-ago career.
"The conversations usually turn to how much higher a level of baseball we played than they do now," the Billboard Advertising salesman said with a big smile. "They tune us out, but we keep going."
Said Scott Wicker, the head greenskeeper at the Black Creek golf course: "I'm amazed what you learn watching your kid play ball. I've probably learned more the past seven years than the previous 40."
If so, that might be because Bumper Reese not only is a Signal assistant coach (and formerly the head coach) but also worked with this fearless foursome of seniors from the time they were sixth-graders playing for the Choo Choo City Mustangs.
"It's been incredible," said the younger Hensley. "Just a great experience."
On talent alone, they are an incredible quartet. Grant Galbraith is hitting .370 with eight doubles, four triples and three home runs. Garret Hensley is batting .376 with 11 doubles and is so feared at the plate that he's been walked more times (37) than he has hits (35). Second baseman Reese has committed only three errors in two years. And Seth Wicker - the team's No. 1 pitcher with a 10-1 record, 1.60 ERA and 80 strikeouts - will play for Lee University next season.
"They've always been a tough, hard-nosed bunch," said Coach Reese, who coached 18 years at Red Bank before coming over to Signal in 2010. "Even (Wednesday night), when we got down 7-0 early to (Murfreesboro's) Central (Magnet), we came back and got the lead before we lost. And as soon as that game was over, we were already looking forward to (tonight)."
Nor is the younger Reese certain that his father is looking less forward to the end of this season than he is.
"I think it will be harder on my dad," Briston said. "I'm his last son that will play for him. But it's going to be hard on me, too. I really like hearing stories about when he played. Everyone tells me I'm just like him."
Bumper says Grant is "Moe Junior."
Grant Galbraith, who didn't join the other three at Signal until midway through his sophomore year after transferring from Baylor, said, "I wish I'd gone here from the beginning. We should have been in school together the whole time."
Added Seth Wicker of the parallel universe traveled by these fathers and sons: "It's pretty cool. We've heard a lot of the stories. They were just like we are."
They weren't exactly like their sons. Rob Hensley was a senior in 1986, with Scott Wicker and Bumper Reese juniors and Moe Galbraith a sophomore. And while the kids have known each other since they were 6 or 7 years old, their dads had drifted apart over the years.
"We'd been away in our own different worlds," said Rob Hensley, who works at Unum. "Then we came back together through our kids."
And now that they're parents, they sound a whole lot like dads the sports world over.
"We all have our superstitions," Rob Hensley admitted. "For me, it's where I sit. If it's not working, I'll change."
Scott Wicker admitted to even questioning Coach Reese's decisions on occasion.
"Hey, I'm the father of a baseball player," he said with a smile. "So we'll say something now and then. But we're really just dads with an opinion that doesn't matter."
Garrett Hensley hopes his grandparents' opinions matter. Much as they did when their son was playing for Red Bank, Robert and Retta Hensley come to almost every Signal Mountain game now.
"After every game," Garrett said, "my granny tells us, 'I know you're going to win the state.'"
Neither Signal nor Bumper Reese having ever so much as gotten to the state tournament, that might be a tall order. But regardless of what happens, these four fathers' pride in their sons is obvious.
"They'll be playing somewhere else next year," Moe Galbraith said. "It's hard to believe they're this old."
It isn't hard for their coach to believe they're this good, however.
"Whatever we may tell them," Bumper Reese said, "they're all better than we ever were."
With a win tonight, they'll have a victory to prove it.
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.