2007: A Hall of Fame mom

And funny thing, though she's gone on to have great seats at some of the world's most famous ballgames, the athletic memories tend to come from those dusty sandlots, not the palatial stadiums.

"The games when they were little, definitely are the ones I remember, because they're so cute," Charlynn said.

She grew up in Long Beach, got married, started a family and soon enough moved to Oklahoma, where the rural life seemed awfully attractive, the living a little more easy and slow.

Her girls played softball and volleyball and cheerled for football, which piqued the interest of her baby, a boy.

"My mother sacrificed so much for myself and my two sisters," said Charlynn's son, "shuttling us to practices, attending our games, fixing meals, keeping our uniforms clean and basically always being there for us whenever we needed her."

Charlynn's now-grown kids rave about her.

Terri, the oldest daughter, called Charlynn "the perfect mom. Everything we needed, she took care of."

Tammy, the middle child, said, "Now that I'm a mother, I have much more appreciation of her unselfishness throughout her life. Her whole life has been dedicated to her children and now her grandchildren."

Terri calls Charlynn not only her best friend, but best friend to her daughter, a student at SMU.