By Willie Nicklaus

I had the opportunity to take in the Coca Cola Classic held at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC this past weekend. The field included the host team, as well as MAC champions Kent State, and ranked teams St. Johns of the Big East and ACC power North Carolina.

UNC went 4-0 and displayed good hitting, aggressive base running, solid pitching, and a defense that is as polished as can be for any team. St. Johns has terrific pitching, and when their offense starts to click, they will make a run for the Big East title.

Winthrop, who lost a few players due to transfer, are young, but are well coached, and should eventually regain form as a program to be reckoned with. The Flashes of Kent State, a sleeper team picked by many to make some noise, are off to their usual slow start coming from the indoor barn in Ohio straight to the field. Their ace has struggled twice so far and their offense is still finding themselves.

After thawing out from Day 1 of the competition, I stumbled into the motel continental breakfast room the next morning and had a great conversation with the grandfather of a UNC player. We chatted about the kids, his grandson, and the life experiences he has had in his advanced years supporting his grandson in Omaha. When you have the opportunity to put aside what colors teams wear, it all comes down to plain talk about baseball, and how the game is a common denominator for most of us who love the game.

Day 2 was full of observations, dominated by the fact that parents of players still live and die with the every at bat of their kid. It is also pretty neat to see the cell phones buzzing when a young pitcher enters the game and each pitch is relayed back home. It is also nice to see the support for each player on any team from the parents, former high school coaches who make the trip, and sometimes opposing fans. They seem to appreciate it also.

That’s when I ran into another grandparent of a UNC player while we both craved one of the famous BBQ pork sandwiches the Winthrop folks provide. On the back of his UNC hat was his grandsons number that said “UNC Grandpa # ?”. I could sense his pride, and the peace he feels that he is part of something special–his grandson.

During the Kent State-UNC game, a controversial call was made that resulted in the Tar Heels extending a fruitful inning which proved to change the game. Even UNC fans agreed, but that’s baseball, and everyone moved on. About the same time, I received a call from the deep south that fans were throwing peanuts at the umpires, and berating them continuously.

The next day, I had a chance to chat with the father of a freshman starter for Winthrop. After a hot start, the young man came a little back down to earth courtesy of the baseball gods. Prior to the game, even the dad said he(his son), could use a day off. We chatted about his sons recruiting experience and what brought him to Winthrop.

Day 4 started with the final with UNC versus St. Johns. After another breakfast chat with a UNC grandpa and a Kent State dad, who talked about cold weather disadvantages, I arrived at the field. The weather was conducive to real baseball. Only wood bats were missing(future article). I witnessed a game with UNC versus St. Johns that included a decent performance by a pitcher physically strapping who throws slower than my 49 year old body, but was still effective. I also witnessed the love and support of his family afterwards for a job well done before they headed back to the Big Apple.

I witnessed a great performance by a young Winthrop pitcher who has dealt with some family losses in recent past. You could sense the emotional outpour from the home crowd and feel their support a mile away.

Whether a team is #1 or # 293, the family support is there, just as it was when these young men were playing as 8 year olds. Within the attendance base of fans is a core of support and love for these kids, their families first, their teammates families, and then everyone else. College baseball is a privilege to the few, around 5% of all high school players. Being involved in the game as an observer, I admire the dedication these student athletes have. When I read about bashing and the criticism web fans sometimes shovel on certain teams, it makes me cringe simply because they don’t see the player, and the ones that really make a difference, their families.

Next time you take in a college baseball game, open up your eyes a little wider and witness a different slice of life.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 4th, 2008 at 11:11 pm and is filed under CBB Column, CBB Visit. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.