June 6, 2002

ATLANTA

Here we are the night before the NCAA Super Regional. I remember writing an entry before opening night,that dealt with nervousness about the next day. Well, it's now four months later and I am doing everything to keep my mind off what is ahead of us.

My thoughts tend to wander in the direction of our seniors. Those nine guys have each played an important role in the recent turnaround that began in the conference tournament. Eubanks gave us a clutch relief performance against Stetson, Spano had the dramatic 0-2, two out hit against JU, Somarriba was on fire in the A-Sun and regional tournaments, MacLane's six inning shutdown of Auburn on opening day in Tuscaloosa, Lopez coming up huge twice-Stetson and then Alabama-the clutch, game tying double by Valdez, L.J.'s MVP performance in the regional, Cooney's lights out relief in the championship game, and McNab closing out our first regional championship. Every senior we have has risen to the challenge at the most important time in their careers. Whatever happens from here-those nine kids can be proud.

There's a line by Bob Dylan that says, "When you ain't got nothin', you got nothin' to lose!" I felt that way in the final game of the Tuscaloosa Regional. Compared to schools like Alabama and Georgia Tech, FAU "ain't got nothin". I am referring to the long history and tradition of both academics and sports that are part and parcel of those athletic programs which exist at the top of the intercollegiate food chain

Sure, we at FAU aspire to athletic greatness, but the truth is that we are fighting an uphill battle to become the sort of University which engenders the following and the success of the major players in the NCAA. That isn't to say that we should stop believing. Faith and determination are great attributes to possess. These we have in abundance. We'll need to call upon them tomorrow.

In some ways, I feel that we are playing this series not just for the fans and families of FAU, but for every little guy that has ever taken on the big guy. My personal outlook on life was probably formed at a young age, influenced by hard working parents who never had much of anything. My parents bought their first house in 1951 for $10,000. They were not required to put any money down, so my Dad referred to it as "Mortgage Hill". The most money my Dad made was in the last year he worked. He retired as a bus driver in NJ after thirty years on the job. By working overtime that year he earned a total of $10,000. Not much to show for a lifetime of driving people to work and shopping, and wherever. I always resented people that had easy lives and everything they needed. Maybe it was from seeing my father work so hard. My mother also worked outside the home. She was also charged with deciding what bills got paid and which got skipped each month. "Robbing Peter to pay Paul", is what she called it.

I started out in a DIII school where we had no scholarships and no bat contracts. But we had players with big hearts who played hard. FAU was DII when I arrived. We really did not have much of anything compared to some schools, but we kept after it. Now things are different but they are still the same. The stakes have just gotten bigger and the rewards even better.

For all the Georgia Tech's in the NCAA, there are a lot more FAU's. We are the little guy who has to fight every inch of the way. Our guys have nothing to lose, but they play for every program out there whose coaches build their own pitchers' mounds, cut their own fields, wash their own laundry, recruit at their own expense, work without multi-year contracts and lucrative apparel deals. They play for every trainer that makes bologna sandwiches, super glues ear flaps on helmets, comes in early to do rehab. This game is for the SID that has to work two jobs, and for the assistants that don't make much money and have to do private lessons and work camps to make ends meet. And finally, our guys play for all the kids who dream of playing for the big schools with all the prestige and perks, but settle in at schools like ours and find a fulfilling career awaits them.

I want all of you that fit somewhere within that rambling list to know... we are playing to win. KC