Born and raised in the Midwest, Grady Gaynor was a Cincinnati Reds fan from an early age. “Growing up, that was one of the few things we did as a family.  Dad would take us over to Cincinnati. I was a ‘Big Red Machine’ fan.” Gaynor’s father coached youth baseball for his five sons, and Grady followed in his footsteps coaching in the Indianapolis area for 25 years. “It was his passion, and it became ours.” 

As a young boy, Grady collected baseball cards and kept a binder full of Reds’ stats. He studied the back of baseball cards and memorized the statistics of his favorite players. This was the beginning of his love of numbers. In college, his favorite class was “Financial Statistics.” Little did he know back then, that his love of statistics would influence him to pursue a career in the financial industry, and lead him to form Indie Asset Partners, an investment advisory firm, with local businessman Jay Brammer.

Little did he know back then, that his love of statistics would influence him to pursue a career in the financial industry, and lead him to form Indie Asset Partners, an investment advisory firm, with local businessman Jay Brammer.

While Grady never planned on becoming a baseball coach, he noticed one of his son’s teams needed help and volunteered to be an assistant. After that, he was hooked and continued to coach until his youngest son hung up his uniform. When asked what drew him to baseball over other sports, Gaynor said, “Baseball is a chess game. It’s a sport where you don’t have to be the fastest or the strongest to contribute. It’s a sport that helps kids prepare for life. You’re going to strike out; you’re going to make an error; you’re not always going to pitch a perfect game. It is how you respond to these adversities that makes you a better player and teammate, and as you get older, a better spouse, employee, etc.” Grady drew some of his coaching philosophies from the wise words of his favorite player, Pete Rose, who famously said, “When you play this game twenty years, go to bat ten-thousand times, and get three-thousand hits, do you know what that means? You’ve gone zero for seven-thousand.”*  Helping players learn how to manage failure and develop mental toughness was one of Gaynor’s most valued roles. His number one goal with his players was to see them become good men on and off the field. 

Of course, he also loved to compete and won about 70% of the games he coached, but what hit home most was seeing the community and family that baseball built. It was this sense of community that led him to become the Commissioner of Our Lady of Mount Carmel league until 2008. In his last year, around 500 athletes and their families would gather each week to participate in America’s favorite pastime, recreating Gaynor’s fondest Little League memories from the late 70s to early 80s. While he may have witnessed his last Indiana sunset from inside the dugout, his love of the game will never fade.

**Pete Rose quote Source: It’s Anybody’s Ballgame (Joe Garagiola)