Former big-leaguer happy pitching ice cream for the home team

Chris Latham spent his professional baseball career chasing singles, doubles and triples from Great Falls to Tokyo.

The 1991 Basic High graduate fulfilled his dream of playing in the Big Leagues with stints for the Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays, and even had a couple at bats with the New York Yankees.

Like many ballplayers, his road to the majors was packed with plenty of stops along the way. Like that old Johnny Cash song, he's been everywhere, man, from Vero Beach to San Antonio, Yakima to Bakersfield, Albuquerque to Syracuse, Winnipeg to Colorado Springs. Not to mention his winter ball seasons in Venezuela, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, and the summer he spent with the Yomiuri Giants of the Japanese Central League.

I'm making him sound older than Minnie Minoso, but in reality, even after all that traveling, Latham is still only 34. The 6-foot, 200-pounder looks fit enough to take his place in any outfield in the land.

These days Latham's game has changed. When I met him recently, he was behind the counter of a brightly colored Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop in a shopping center just off the 215 and Decatur Boulevard.

Latham turns out singles, doubles and triples with a flick of the wrist as a small businessman accompanied by his wife, who was his high school sweetheart, the former Sarah Cunningham. Their decision to buy a franchise with the famous ice cream icon has their children, Jerrel, Alexis and Jaedyn, smiling and more than happy to visit their parents' "office." At 5, Jaedyn is the store's self-appointed hostess.

On the afternoon I dropped by, customers trickled in and ordered from among the 31 flavors and were served their ice cream on cones or in cups. If I had to imagine a former big-leaguer going into business, I would have thought about Sam Malone and the "Cheers" bar.

But the Lathams seem pleased with their decision to serve ice cream cones to kids and parents instead of mugs of beer in an adult atmosphere. There's no denying that a trip to a Baskin-Robbins is a family experience.

"When people come here, they're enjoyable -- most of the time," Chris said while Sarah listened and prepared a shake. "When we learned about this, we jumped at the opportunity. It's something that our kids can come in and work at. Different family members can step in and help out at any time. It's pretty great."

Perhaps the biggest adjustment is for Sarah. They've been together since they were teenagers, but she's spent most of their relationship with Chris gone during the summers.

Does familiarity breed contempt?

Not much, she says.

"It's an adjustment," Sarah said, enjoying the moment. "We were high school sweethearts. We've been together since we were 16. Now that we're around each other every day, it's an adjustment in our lifestyle."

But it's one that Team Latham appears to be making without many glitches.

When I asked Chris about his baseball career and Big-League pursuits, he was surprisingly relaxed. Although he never landed the eye-popping contracts fans read about in the sports pages, he did all right and managed his money with Sarah's support. When he exchanged a baseball jersey for the one numbered with 31 flavors, he realized he was making an important choice.

"I didn't want to work for anyone else," Chris said. "I wanted to be an owner. This is a franchise, but I work for myself. There's nothing more satisfying than working for yourself and building your business."

But it's more than that.

He gets a chance to work with Jerrel, a 12-year-old whose baseball skills already show promise. He gets to be with his girls, who are elated to have daddy around the house.

And there's the business. Chris and Sarah have opened their first of three planned Baskin-Robbins shops.

Just when I started to wonder whether Chris Latham longed to jump from behind the counter and start chasing baseballs again, he talked about his wife and children.

"I've missed so many family things, plays, school, sports activities," he said. "I get to watch them grow up now. I get to be an everyday father and everyday husband now. It's great."

The field has changed, but Chris Latham is content to play for the home team in life's most important game.

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