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“We Are the Champions”
“The Best”
“Celebration”
You’ve heard them all before…the songs of victory. Well tonight I got to witness the thrill of victory up close and personal. For a few moments after the final pitch of Oregon State’s 9-3 win over North Carolina, I was transformed back to my youth, back when winning really meant something, back when playing baseball was all anyone cared about in my neighborhood.
As I stood there on the field watching the Oregon State University Beavers celebrate their second consecutive college baseball championship, chills shot through my body. I almost felt like I was part of the team. There were smiles and hugs, kids looking for their parents, and proud parents looking for their kids in baseball uniforms. I looked down at the baselines and the pitchers mound, and smiled. I looked across the diamond and into the outfield. A field that sometimes looks so big suddenly looked so small. A game that is played around the world suddenly seemed so close to home. As I spoke with the series MVP, Jorge Reyes, I struggled to get the words out of my mouth. All I wanted to do was high five the teenager or give him a congratulatory hug! Meanwhile, back in the Hall of Fame room, UNC head coach Mike Fox was addressing the media. I made my way into the room and watched as the seasoned coach held back the tears. He talked about his team’s relationships and missing the players that will be moving on. Don’t ask me how, but I seemed to feel every emotion coach Fox expressed.
I never thought it would be so easy to get caught up in the moment like I did tonight. I have no allegiance to Oregon State or North Carolina. I don’t know any of these coaches or players personally. But I guess that’s baseball, isn’t it? It emulates the highs and lows of life. It brings us close together in winning and in losing.
But there’s something about college baseball, even more so than professional baseball, that represents all that is good about sports. Young kids give their hearts to a game they love while friends and family cheer them on by name from the stands. “It’s not unusual to hear, “Come on Joey,” or “Are you OK Petey?” When someone hits a home run, the players come out of the dugout to greet the hero at home plate. And when the game is over, both teams line up and shake hands. Competition and sportsmanship truly come to life.
I enjoyed my experience at the Major League All-Star game a few years ago. I’ve enjoyed meeting some of the greatest stars in all of professional baseball over the years including the likes of Derrek Lee, Josh Beckett, Albert Pujols, and Prince Fielder. And make no mistake about it, there are few things in life that I look forward to more than the combination of sun and baseball at Spring Training. But when it comes to emotion, nowhere, and I mean nowhere, is the essence of sport more on display than at the College World Series. I’m looking forward to going home, but I will really miss Joey Wong, Darwin Barney, Cody Cipriano, Eric Sogard, Joe Savery, Josh Horton, Wayne Graham, Mike Fox, and Pat Casey. And somehow, despite what I might have told you yesterday, I will miss Omaha. |
