If checking the box score during a morning cup of coffee is your idea of “following baseball,” then indulge your interest and hopefully I can add a bit of perspective to a set of numbers.
Let’s hope a bit more competition can make it to San Luis Obispo this coming week or we might be in for some doldrums. I’m sure our boys on the field would enjoy some competition as well.
Saint Mary’s, which some said would be a tough task, did little for the sport of baseball Tuesday night. If you saw their performances at the plate, I’m sure you would have enjoyed it too. I believe it was the sixth inning when the Gaels coach told the on deck hitter to get a tennis racquet before he got in the batters box.
The final score was 5 to 4, but in all seriousness, watching the game made you appreciate the fact that it wasn’t a three-game series. Just ask the strong contingent of 10 St. Mary’s fans that made the arduous trip down to Baggett Stadium. They were happy it was only a day trip. Why? For the simple fact that Saint Mary’s looked scared. They played scared, they pitched scared and oh boy did they get up to the plate scared!
You felt a bit embarrassed for them at first, but ultimately what do you expect? They come to our field to play a team that already beat the No. 3 team in the nation; they did well to keep it close.
As for the past weekend, Poly has been enjoying the many wonders that the town of Stockton has to offer, like the Delta Casino; it even has its own MySpace page. Needless to say the time they spent at the ballpark was probably the most enjoyed.
Pacific apparently got enough kids to come and try out this year and was able to put together a team. I think it’s really neat that all these other schools are trying to get their sports programs competitive, though it might be best to take it a little slower and maybe set up some games with Barstow Community College, or Taft, you know some confidence builders before they have to play Poly.
It was a great weekend to rehabilitate one of our veteran catalysts, someone Cal Poly has counted on for three years, Wes Dorrell, that’s right, he’s back. In lieu of his absence however, our rooks have been getting out there and doing damage; case and point, Matt Jensen. Have you been to a game yet this year? If you have then you’ve seen his work, usually along the lines of doubles in the gap, line drives through the infield and nine home runs in the first half of the season. The kicker is that he isn’t even an honorable mention for freshman of the year. Yeah, pretty ridiculous, but definitely the likes of a freshman all American. Is it to early to speculate? Not in my book.
The Mustangs took two out of three from the Tigers while Pacific learned a valuable lesson this weekend. Cal Poly was able to get a few new guys in the lineup to see some action, as well as regulars, such as Yoder, who was able to raise his average by nearly 20 points hitting .500 for the weekend.
As far as the trials of monotony go, you probably didn’t hear a bunch of whining and complaining when the Mustangs got on the bus and headed for Stockton. No remarks like, “Coach, do we really have to spend the whole weekend up there? Couldn’t we just send 12 guys to go play them?” The ball club sucked it up and did what they were supposed to do, which I’m sure that Pacific truly appreciates it. On the upside at least our ball club got something out of it, a series victory. Thank you UOP.
As for the games this week; Santa Clara is going to lose some sleep followed up by a long weekend for the Aggies as UC Davis comes to town for a three-game series. The games might be a bit one sided this week, but hey, that’s good for our boys isn’t it? Keep wining games regardless of how the competition plays; sure it may not be an action packed edge of your seat nine innings, but there is so much more that the ballpark has to offer.
Take for example the second biggest rivalry on the Central Coast; 6-year-olds vs. the event staff. It’s amazing, every time a foul ball is hit the scene is reminiscent of the beaches of Normandy in ’44. You’ve got a herd of roughly 30 “knee high to a grasshopper” kids doing about 120 mph toward their prize.
As the dust clears you can begin to make out a yellow jacket which in disbelief appears to be demanding the kid give up the baseball… right, great idea Jim, might as well jump into pool of ravenous perch with squid tied to your nipples.
If that doesn’t catch your fancy, then there’s always Krukow corner, all you can eat, drink and heckle for an incredibly fair price. Ultimately I can say with confidence that there’s something for everyone at the ballpark, be it baseball, food or sundresses in the warm spring air, irony or the foul ball crew. Regardless of your preferences, how bad could it be? It’s baseball on the Central Coast in the spring. Until next week.
Jacob Ewing is an animal science senior and a Mustang Daily guest columnist.