June 5, 2002

BLUE WAVE ROLLS OVER CRIMSON TIDE AND ON TO ATLANTA!

Well I'm a few days late with this, but things have been pretty hectic and exciting.

What can I say about the championship game and the way our kids played? I don't think my words can adequately describe how proud I felt at the gutsy performance of our kids in the face of a steaming cauldron of crimson clad crazies.

When we lost the first game on Sunday, there was no sense of panic among our guys. They just calmly started making bologna sandwiches and got ready for the next game. (normally our trainer Andrea Harrison has the sandwiches made, but I bet she didn't want to appear pessimistic)

Nelson Lopez started game two and repeated the clutch pitching he exhibited in the conference tournament. Our guys continued to hit and we had a two-run lead thanks to Jeff Fiorentino's two run homer. In the sixth, Nelson tired and walked two. After a pitching change, Beau Hearod hit his second home run of the game over the scoreboard and the Tide was up by one and the place was rocking. You couldn't hear yourself think.

The eighth inning. What an inning!

After an out, LJ singled. Jeremiah Creech hit a hard groundball to short that had DP written all over it. But the ball took an FAU hop and the SS booted it. Mike Valdes walked to the plate, bringing with him the burden of a frustrating, injury plagued senior year. Bang! Double down the right field line, LJ scored, Creech went to third, Mikey clapped and smiled at second as the scoreboard read 5-5. Shaen O'Connor, of game two fame, stepped into the box. Just get it in the outfield. Shaen lifted a fly ball to short left. Our fastest baserunner was poised at third. The Bama kid ran in, dove and caught it while sliding on his belly. Creech tagged and scored easily. Bedlam erupts and the entire Bama bench is on the field screaming to appeal Jeremiah's tag. The crowd is going nuts! The umpire, surrounded by some hulking Bama boys raises his right fist. OUT! Take the run off the board. End the inning! We were still tied. As I argued, I saw John McCormack being restrained, along with the rest of our team. Just when I thought I should stop because there was no air in my lungs and words were not coming out, a player raced towards the umpire and me screaming,"Don't let this -------- call beat us!!! It was Jim Cooney. I thought he was going after the umpire, you know genetics are a powerful thing, but he was running to get the first out. After striking out their lefty we went to McNab and Timmy got the next two and we headed for the ninth.

The ninth inning!!!! (My heart just started racing again...three days later!!!!!)

Freshman Derek Hutton lays off a high fastball and draws a leadoff walk. Senior Bobby Spano looks at me and gets the bunt sign. I turn to Lyttle and say, "The season is coming down to Spano and a bunt!" Lyttle's reply? "He's the best bunter in Alabama." We both laughed and turned to watch Bobby lay down a textbook bunt and move Hutton into scoring position. Gabe Somarriba steps in and all our prayers turn to our senior captain. But a senior doesn't always have to be the hero. Gabe flew out and freshman Jeff Fiorentino got ready to carve out his spot in FAU history. Jeff took a pitch and then drilled a single through first and second. Hutton raced for home carrying the hopes and dreams of thirty two players, coaches, trainers, SID's, and the thirty three FAU friends and families out of the fifty five hundred people in the stands! The dugout emptied and surrounded homeplate... Spano was holding my leg screaming. I was saying, "He's dead!" The umpire said "SAFE SAFE." FAU takes a 6-5 lead.

Bottom of the ninth.

Tim McNab is a slow worker on the mound. In this situation he was PAINFULLY slow. Timmy struck out the first hitter. I could see he had good stuff but the hitter was Beau Hearod again. Tim held him to a single. Hearod moved up on a ball in the dirt so it now came down to getting two outs with the tying run on second and the noise level approaching a Springsteen concert in the Meadowlands! Timmy stared in, reached back and struck out the next hitter. One out to go. Spano walks toward the mound. McNab steps toward him and says "Take a step to your right Bud, this one's coming to you." With a 1-2 count, Timmy threw a slider and a slow roller was hit to Spano. Bobby played it like it was the first groundball of the Spring, throwing on the run, putting some air under the throw. Jeremiah Creech was playing first in place of the injured Rusty Brown. When Jeremiah's Mom saw him at first she looked at her husband and said "He's never played first!" Just like the old time players did, Jeremiah reached out and caught Bobby's throw with two hands!

It was over. The most dramatic, important, challenging, toughest game in FAU history. As the dogpile went on at first base, the scoreboard flashed FAU REGIONAL CHAMPIONS!!! What a day. What a bunch! The stadium went quiet except for a bunch of happy guys hugging everyone in sight.

The rest has been a blur. Tiny on the bus, dinner afterwards, watching the end in the lobby, seeing Core and Lopez searched at every stop of our trip, the FAU police escorting the bus instead of chasing our players, TV and newspapers, families and friends waiting at school, MB and the kids greeting us as we got off the plane, so much to remember. So much still to do.