Breaking Dad News: Matt Carpenter's father is high school baseball coach of the year

We break from our regularly scheduled Friday programming to bring you an important announcement from the world of dads: Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter has a national award-winning father.

Congrats to my dad! @RickCarpenter14 NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL COACH OF THE YEAR.. Awesome honor http://t.co/OvfGbCzSo6

- Matt Carpenter (@MattCarp13) January 15, 2015

On Wednesday, the National Federation of State High School Associations announced the 2014 National Coaches of the Year. There were 21 coaches honored in total -- 10 girls coaches and 10 boys coaches, and one coach for an "other" sport that falls outside of the top 10 in participation rate. Included among those 21 was Rick Carpenter, high school baseball coach of the year and certified dad of professional baseball player Matthew Carpenter.

Reports that Rick accepted the award while reading his morning newspaper and wearing a pocket t-shirt tucked into dad jeans that would make Jim Harbaugh proud are thus far unconfirmed. But still, this is a great win for dads everywhere. 

Rick has been admirably humble since the announcement, responding to congratulations with tweets of thanks, but not making a big to-do out of it himself. It was his son who broadcast the award on Twitter.

@TexasCoaches thanks. I am very honored and appreciative

- Rick Carpenter (@RickCarpenter14) January 15, 2015

Which brings up the pressing question: Which Carpenter is prouder?

Is it Rick, whose son is a two-time MLB All-Star who led the league in hits, doubles and runs in 2013?

Or is it Matt, whose father was selected as coach of the year out of hundreds of high school baseball coaches across the country, and who appears to run his own Twitter account, which boasts an impressive following-to-followers ratio?

We're going to go with Rick.

While a coach of the year award is certainly impressive and we're sure Matt is awfully proud of his dad, it is simply impossible to be prouder than a dad. Seriously, the infinite magnitude of a father's pride is one of the fundamental structures of the universe. 

So keep on doing you, Rick, winning awards and being proud of your kids. Dads gonna dad.