Coming off an 18-4 win at Gettysburg, the Fighting Diplomats were hosting the Bullets for the second game of their series as a prelude to the doubleheader at Johns Hopkins to determine the home field for the conference playoffs. But after 8 ½ innings of play the Bullets held a 3-2 lead going to the bottom of the ninth. Diplomat fans were understandably anxious, but hope springs eternal in the breast of Diplomat Nation. Leadoff hitter Rich Galuggi reached base when his grounder was muffed by the Bullet first baseman. We can only imagine the baseball god’s reaction to this and we have to assume profanity was part of the response. Furniture may have been thrown as well. Our game research suggests anger management classes have not yet been mandatory for the baseball gods. After a sacrifice bunt moved Rich to scoring position with one out, senior Mark Minataglio ripped a triple down the right field line to tie the score and delighting the jubilant Diplomat Nation. One can imagine the baseball gods smirking after that shot. Lots of strategic possibilities here: Do the Bullets choose to walk the bases loaded to set up the force bringing up the top of the order or pitch to the 8th and if needed 9th hitters. With the infield and outfield drawn in, the Bullets choose to pitch to them and survived the threat and take us to extra innings. The Diplomats took the field in the 10th knowing they had been very fortunate while the Bullets were chagrined to still be playing but relieved they had survived the potential knockout punch. The 10th and 11th innings were uneventful as neither team threatened but in the bottom of the 12th Mark Minutaglio who saved the game in the 9th with his triple, led off with a single and was sacrificed to second putting him in scoring position. Gordon Pellagrini, the centerfielder, was walked intentionally to set up a force. Andrew Hanson then grounded out to the second baseman advancing the runners to second and third with two out. And here is where the Bullets had a decision to make. Should they walk Shea, who already had three hits on the day or pitch to him? At this point I began to think about the narrator for the TV show the Wonder Years. The narrator was able to offer insight and wisdom to young Kevin’s life that Kevin could not articulate himself. I wonder on occasion what My Personal Wonder year’s narrator would have said as I have journeyed through certain events. At his point in the game I recalled an event in April 1967, my first high school baseball game. As a freshman I had made the varsity and we were playing North Brookfield HS. As a little 14 year I had shown enough to be named a starter but had not faced a guy like Eddie Bartlett the North Brookfield pitcher, a 17 year old senior with facial hair who looked like a man. Back then, we did not have travel teams or play outside of town and the first high school game I ever saw was the one we were playing. I was a committed player and spent the winter swinging at bat in the dirt cellar of the two family house in which i grew up. I spent my nights facing an imaginary Bob Gibson or Sandy Koufax while the rest of the town was watching Gilligan’s Island or the Munsters. My mother called it the “Winter of 10,000 swings”. So in the 7th inning of this game, we are tied at 1 and we have the go ahead run on second and I am on deck. “Hey Irish”, my coach, Bo Borghesi, beckoned “c’mere”. He then put his arm on my shoulder and said “you are the guy I want up in this spot—you have the best swing in the county… now go ahead hit one for us”.
As I walked to the plate I know what I was thinking – but if My Wonder Years narrator were around to explain to observers he would have mentioned how the coach’s expression of faith gave me the confidence I needed at that moment. And what a beautiful gift to young kid-to tell him you believe in him. Then our narrator could have continued further and discuss that the best coachs understand that the player needs to really have the inner confidence he can execute in order to make the play. There is a reason Yogi says 90% of this game is half mental.
So we jump back to the bottom of the 12th and we see Gettysburg is going to pitch to Shea BUT we also hear from Gettysburg—“Don’t give him anything good to hit, make him chase” if you walk him it is ok and get the next guy”. Well, now we have the Wonder Years narrator weigh in again and say that our favorite coach would have handled this differently. He would have decided whether he wanted to pitch to Shea or the next hitter and then walk to the mound and say “I have you out here because you are my best and you have great stuff. You can get this guy out with your stuff now go get him”. But by telling the guy to be cute and pitch differently you have also in effect told him—your stuff is not good enough to get this guy out. What is missing is that on some unconscious level our pitcher might have his confidence challenged. And the baseball field is a very revealing place. Character is not built in a baseball game but it sure is revealed.
The Diplomats won on the next pitch-a base hit to left field. My baseball coach has passed on but I took a moment to thank him for having a belief in me way back then.
And I thank Coach Walkenbach of the Fighting Diplomats who believes in Shea.
The next day the Fighting Diplomats journeyed to Johns Hopkins. The challenge to beat a team with more horses and better players means you have to play flawlessly to win. This means you can’t give them an extra out or base runners from walks. You have to get a clutch hit with runners on and you have to have some luck. On Saturday, the Fighting Diplomats were beaten twice by the better team. In each game they had a moment to get a lead and see but each time the threat was neutered and JHU came back with more offense to put the game away. The games had a higher pitched intensity but the Blue Jays had more hitting, pitching, and defense and convincingly claimed both games. These games are a bit of a lesson in how high they have to climb to be at the level JHU plays.
The Fighting Diplomats are likely to be the #2 seed and will face the #3 seed in the first round with the winner of their game facing the winner of #1 seed (JHU) vs. #4 seed. In the interim two weeks, the Fighting Diplomats will prepare to be at their best on the weekend of May 2-4. They are going to have to be better than they have ever been but Teddy Roosevelt tells us:
“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."
In the meantime I have been thinking about this expression of faith in someone and the impact it can have on their outlook. I sent a note to a friend of mine who is a legislator in Maryland and has worked for years on legislation to make things better for everyone there. I told him I admire his work and believe his is doing great things for people. I don’t think that will improve his hitting much but I hope it reinforces his sense that his efforts are deemed worthwhile by those of us who see it.
As I walked to the plate I know what I was thinking – but if My Wonder Years narrator were around to explain to observers he would have mentioned how the coach’s expression of faith gave me the confidence I needed at that moment. And what a beautiful gift to young kid-to tell him you believe in him. Then our narrator could have continued further and discuss that the best coachs understand that the player needs to really have the inner confidence he can execute in order to make the play. There is a reason Yogi says 90% of this game is half mental.
So we jump back to the bottom of the 12th and we see Gettysburg is going to pitch to Shea BUT we also hear from Gettysburg—“Don’t give him anything good to hit, make him chase” if you walk him it is ok and get the next guy”. Well, now we have the Wonder Years narrator weigh in again and say that our favorite coach would have handled this differently. He would have decided whether he wanted to pitch to Shea or the next hitter and then walk to the mound and say “I have you out here because you are my best and you have great stuff. You can get this guy out with your stuff now go get him”. But by telling the guy to be cute and pitch differently you have also in effect told him—your stuff is not good enough to get this guy out. What is missing is that on some unconscious level our pitcher might have his confidence challenged. And the baseball field is a very revealing place. Character is not built in a baseball game but it sure is revealed.
The Diplomats won on the next pitch-a base hit to left field. My baseball coach has passed on but I took a moment to thank him for having a belief in me way back then.
And I thank Coach Walkenbach of the Fighting Diplomats who believes in Shea.
The next day the Fighting Diplomats journeyed to Johns Hopkins. The challenge to beat a team with more horses and better players means you have to play flawlessly to win. This means you can’t give them an extra out or base runners from walks. You have to get a clutch hit with runners on and you have to have some luck. On Saturday, the Fighting Diplomats were beaten twice by the better team. In each game they had a moment to get a lead and see but each time the threat was neutered and JHU came back with more offense to put the game away. The games had a higher pitched intensity but the Blue Jays had more hitting, pitching, and defense and convincingly claimed both games. These games are a bit of a lesson in how high they have to climb to be at the level JHU plays.
The Fighting Diplomats are likely to be the #2 seed and will face the #3 seed in the first round with the winner of their game facing the winner of #1 seed (JHU) vs. #4 seed. In the interim two weeks, the Fighting Diplomats will prepare to be at their best on the weekend of May 2-4. They are going to have to be better than they have ever been but Teddy Roosevelt tells us:
“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."
In the meantime I have been thinking about this expression of faith in someone and the impact it can have on their outlook. I sent a note to a friend of mine who is a legislator in Maryland and has worked for years on legislation to make things better for everyone there. I told him I admire his work and believe his is doing great things for people. I don’t think that will improve his hitting much but I hope it reinforces his sense that his efforts are deemed worthwhile by those of us who see it.
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