Cavalry pitcher Frank Gailey knew something was terribly wrong when the phone started ringing and his wife Christina's name flashed up on the screen.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Philadelphia native had been preparing for a trip to Melbourne for the annual Australian Baseball League All Star game, while Christina was heading to the coast for a mini vacation.
In an instant, their lives changed forever. Christina was one of four people seriously injured in a horrific car crash near Braidwood just one week before Christmas.
"I didn't know what to expect, every situation, every variable was going through my head which was just creating nothing but a ball of emotion," Gailey recalls.
"When I went there and I saw here it was obviously upsetting. No one prepares you for a situation like that, a sense of what you need to do just kind of kicks in, how you need to step up and figure everything else out.
"If you look at the big scheme of things it could've been a lot worse, especially if you've seen the images of the car."
It was the sliding doors moment for Gailey and his wife that ultimately led them to settling down in Canberra.
Priority number one was Christina's long road to recovery, how to heal a broken femur and partially ruptured bowel.
MORE CANBERRA SPORT
She has since recovered from the most traumatic of her injuries, but chronic pain is ongoing to this day - so much so she required another small procedure on her knee just this week.
When the couple first landed in Canberra it was a temporary move - a chance to play what is known as 'winter ball' in the northern hemisphere.
Europe was next on the hitlist after that first season with the Cavalry and then a potentially nomadic existence where Gailey's pitching shoulder would take him around the world.
His 13-season professional career might have been over, but there were still opportunities to pursue the sport he'd played for almost 30 years.
But Gailey and his wife have simply fallen in love with Canberra, and his decision during the week to sign on with the Cavalry for a fourth-straight season was one of the easiest he's ever made.
"As of right now we are just living here and enjoying what Canberra has to offer," Gailey said.
"I enjoy Canberra life, this is more my speed. You still get the city atmosphere but you get the tight knit, smaller, not as crowded kinda scene.
"Baseball is an opportunity all around the world now. Our gameplan was to travel and experience all over before the accident but that all adjusted since.
"You kind of drop everything and think health first. When that happened we were only six weeks in basically being in Australia.
"From there it was just kind of what does she need health wise. And everything just kept pointing back here where everything was at, the doctors that kept seeing her throughout. It just felt like here was where we needed to be to continue for her to get the best treatment.
"There's no other team to play for beside the Cavs."
Gailey spent time at the Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies, Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles reaching Triple-A level, one step below the major league in America.
He turns 35 at the start of this season, but remains confident his shoulder can deliver the goods.
"I wouldn't have signed a contract if I wouldn't be able to compete," Gailey said.
"I'd be lying if I said it felt like when I first got drafted when I was 21. But no I still feel good, I'm in the cages now throwing all the time.
"It's always going to be something physical that'll hold me back because mentally it's a passion, me competing, I don't think I'll ever say I could never get anyone out so I've just got to make sure I stay healthy because the mindset will never leave."
Gailey has recently launched his passion project Capital Dugout with Brendan Major, with an aim to develop youth baseball in Canberra.
"We spoke with Baseball Canberra and we partnership in that aspect to work together to develop the youth, do one-on-one lessons and instructions and to mentor men and women to be professionals on and off the field and chase their dreams whether it's to make the under-12s team next year or be the next Cavs player."
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
