Entry #35 - 10/07/04

This weekend should be very exciting. The draft for our Blue /Gold World Series is complete. I think it came out fairly even with one team going with pitching and the other team going with hitting. It should be an interesting match-up. Just like always, the series winner will be the team which executes the best. Something will have to give in the battle for the steak dinner. Most of our players’ families and friends will be in town, so it should be a great atmosphere.

We had our annual “scout day” yesterday and we had a great turnout from Major League Baseball. I was extremely proud of all of our players as they all performed quite admirably. I definitely could see some “tightness” in the early going, but as the day went on, they relaxed and let their abilities take over. This is a tough day because as a player you are trying so hard to impress that you don’t let things happen naturally. We have some very intriguing “draft eligible” players. This fall we have had more interest from scouts than ever before, but I have learned that you can’t use that as a gauge on who will get the opportunity to play professionally. The Major League Draft and the professional baseball scouting process is something which I doubt I will ever figure out.

On the weekend of October 16 and 17 we are having our Alumni Game. I am really looking forward to getting those guys back on campus. Since I have been here we have had five classes come through and graduate, but this weekend is not just for them. It is for all ESTU Baseball alumni, especially those who came through before I was here. We are building a strong baseball tradition here at ETSU, and we want all of our alumni to feel proud about their program. Our current players are well aware of the importance of playing and winning for those who have come before them. If I could have one request from our baseball alumni it would be that they raise the level of expectations for our baseball program. We are going to win a championship in baseball at ETSU in the near future and we want all of our alumni to know that they will also be a part of that championship.

A couple of weeks ago my wife and I were able to attend the wedding of Matt Baber. Matt was one of the all time great pitchers ever to pitch at ETSU. At Matt and Lori’s wedding it made me feel so good inside to see him and the close bond between him and many of his teammates. Friendships and relationships that will last your entire life is what playing baseball at ETSU is all about. Many of our alumni have recently been married (Jeremy Terry, Ryan McKinney, John Gorton) and I regret I was not able to attend their weddings, but I know the same atmosphere took place. At Baber’s wedding we laughed about many funny stories which occurred during their playing days. These guys sure have great memories. I don’t remember most of these stories and sometimes I think they are making them up, but Coach Goulet, his fiancée and my wife and I had some great laughs with these guys. I can’t wait to see them back on the field again. We will make sure our training staff is at full force for this alumni game, because most of them have eaten and drank themselves out of playing shape. I’m predicting a few pulled hamstrings on that weekend.

Since the end of summer and the beginning of fall some of my favorite sporting events have taken place. The summer Olympics have always excited me since I was a young boy. One of my favorite memories was in 1976 when Bruce Jenner won the decathlon. I remember going out and setting up my own Olympic decathlon in our backyard. My mother was not too happy when she saw that I had our sofa cushions from the living room in the yard being used as the landing area of the high jump. I also learned to like the cereal Wheaties, because Bruce Jenner was on the box. I admit my first taste of Wheaties didn’t exactly light up my taste buds, but mom said I had to finish the box because I nagged her so much about buying them when I saw the commercial of Mr. Jenner on the box. While finishing the last of that box of Wheaties, I often wondered why Bruce Jenner could not be on a box of Froot Loops.

Everyone that knows me knows that I am a very patriotic person. The Olympic Games along with the Ryder Cup (another of my favorite sporting events) really fuels my patriotism. As a kid while watching the Olympics with my father, when an American athlete received a Gold Medal, I would imitate that athlete on the medal stand and sing the National Anthem with him or her. Seeing their tears of joy and pride made a lasting impression on me. It is such an honor to represent your country in one of these events. I was disappointed this year because many of our athletes who won medals in these last Olympics showed no emotion on the stand and refused to sing or did not know the words to our National Anthem. Every athlete from another country whose medal ceremony I witnessed sang proudly to the playing of their country’s National Anthem. I don’t want to classify all of the USA’s gold medal athletes/teams in the same category. I did witness many of our athletes including the USA women’s, soccer and softball teams who were awesome on the medal stand. My players always look at me funny every year when I give hem a copy of our National Anthem and make them learn and write the words on paper. I guess I’m old fashioned, but I wonder how many teenagers/much less adults in our country actually know the words. If you don’t know them, you should learn them.

The Ryder Cup and our men’s Olympic basketball team was a great example of how spoiled our country has become. There is no doubt that we live in the greatest country in the world, but we take so much for granted. I cannot stand presidential election years, because nothing positive is ever said. Watching the recent debates, one party tells our current president he has failed miserably, while the other party tells the story that our country will be in big trouble if he is elected. I’m not going to use this digest as a forum for my political views, but I sincerely believe that everyone needs to vote and no matter which candidate is the winner you should support our President with no restrictions. This is such a trying time for our country. I have many friends in Iraq and a brother-in-law who has two daughters under the age of four who will recently be stationed there for the next year. Obviously, no one wants our country at war, but when people talk negatively about our conflict in Iraq or Afghanistan, it is a slap in the face of our troops. I guess with having a somewhat military background, I can’t stand the negative talk when we have loved ones fighting for our way of life. Whether or not we should be there or not is not for us to decide. It is for the leaders who we elect to decide. If President Bush calls me today and says my country needs me in Iraq, I’m going. If John Kerry is elected and he calls and asks, then I’m going. It doesn’t matter. From the outside it looks as if our country is so divided and this really bothers me. Whether or not this is true remains to be seen. I’ll get off my soap box now.

The other evening during game one of the Yankee and Twins division series a neat thing happened. During the seventh inning at Yankee Stadium they have someone sing “God Bless America”. This night it happened to be one of my former college football teammates at The Citadel. I last time I saw Morris DeRhon Robinson was at a football game in 2001. Our families visited and we talked for some time about the good old days. He told me he was taking a chance and heading to Boston to study opera. I had heard DeRhon sing many times and knew he was special. When I saw him take center stage the other night, I had goose bumps all over. Then I heard him and his voice brought tears to my eyes. My phone immediately started ringing off the hook. Pals were calling to see if I was watching. It was a phenomenal performance. I was proud of DeRhon and proud to know him. God bless you “D-Rob” and God Bless America. Until next time…

Coach Skole