I am super atheltic... no not necessarily talented... no I don't necessarily look athletic... and no I wasn't the last one picked on the playground, but not the first either. I am just average, but I can't live without sports.
Growing up in Cincinnati I was obsessed with baseball. BUT I really had no exposure to sports until 1st grade when T-Ball started. I always heard my friend John Robinson talking about how good he was and about his coach, dad. So, I played for their T-Ball team. Shortly after John moved to Kenwood, the city that shared the school district with us rich boys in Indian Hill so I wasn't able to play with him or for his dad anymore in the early goings. I had to settle for the white uniforms with red trim and John wore the blue unforms with red trim. The one Kenwood team was always so good. Indian Hill had two or three teams and none of us were any good.
Growing up in Cincinnati I was obsessed with baseball. BUT I really had no exposure to sports until 1st grade when T-Ball started. I always heard my friend John Robinson talking about how good he was and about his coach, dad. So, I played for their T-Ball team. Shortly after John moved to Kenwood, the city that shared the school district with us rich boys in Indian Hill so I wasn't able to play with him or for his dad anymore in the early goings. I had to settle for the white uniforms with red trim and John wore the blue unforms with red trim. The one Kenwood team was always so good. Indian Hill had two or three teams and none of us were any good.
While with Indian Hill, I must have been the only pitcher to throw a no-hitter but still lose the game. I walked too many guys!! I was known as 'Fireball Baldwin,' and I am not sure if that was because I threw fast or if it was because I was a red-head. I was also the kid who cried when I struck out (or didn't even get to bat!) Needless to say more, I will sum it up with IT DIDN'T SEEM LIKE I WAS ALL THAT GOOD!
When I was 11 I was traded to Kenwood (I moved to Kenwood, and in the picture right I am the far right player on the back row. John's dad is over my shoulder). I finally got to play for the invinsible Kenwood Reds. Even though the jerseys were blue, everyone who played little league in Cincinnati played for the Reds... Just put your city team name in front of the name Reds, i.e... Indian Hill Reds, Kenwood Reds, Milford Reds... etc. Anyway, I finally got to play for John Robinson's Dad again! Well, I didn't get to play that much. 18 players is not enough for two teams, there are always one or two not able to make games, but 18 players is a lot for one team. I must have been the 15th or 16th player on the bench. I got my ONE at-bat a game and two innings in the field. Was I ever allowed to pitch?? NO! I kept my stats that year and hit over .500 and scored every time I was on base. I was bitter that I didn't get more playing time, but it couldn't last long because I moved to Utah.
Utah and baseball never really worked for me. It took me two years just to figure out when and where to sign up. I first played my 8th grade year, and I was good, I swear I was, but I was batting 8th and playing center field only because I had an arm that could throw from the homerun fence to the pitchers mound. Did I get to pitch?? NO! I played for the Yankees that year, which was weird because every team chose a real team and wore their exact uniforms.
When I was 11 I was traded to Kenwood (I moved to Kenwood, and in the picture right I am the far right player on the back row. John's dad is over my shoulder). I finally got to play for the invinsible Kenwood Reds. Even though the jerseys were blue, everyone who played little league in Cincinnati played for the Reds... Just put your city team name in front of the name Reds, i.e... Indian Hill Reds, Kenwood Reds, Milford Reds... etc. Anyway, I finally got to play for John Robinson's Dad again! Well, I didn't get to play that much. 18 players is not enough for two teams, there are always one or two not able to make games, but 18 players is a lot for one team. I must have been the 15th or 16th player on the bench. I got my ONE at-bat a game and two innings in the field. Was I ever allowed to pitch?? NO! I kept my stats that year and hit over .500 and scored every time I was on base. I was bitter that I didn't get more playing time, but it couldn't last long because I moved to Utah.Utah and baseball never really worked for me. It took me two years just to figure out when and where to sign up. I first played my 8th grade year, and I was good, I swear I was, but I was batting 8th and playing center field only because I had an arm that could throw from the homerun fence to the pitchers mound. Did I get to pitch?? NO! I played for the Yankees that year, which was weird because every team chose a real team and wore their exact uniforms.
The teams weren't the Orem Yankees playing the Provo Diamondbacks or the American Fork Orioles, it was the New York Yankess of Orem playing the Colorado Rockies of Orem... How boring, the same field every game. The thing I loved about little league in Cincinnati was the traveling city to city visiting the kids from Maderia, Kenwood or Indian Hill, Milford, ... etc.
I suffered through my first year with the Yankees and hit two doubles to the fence and found my power, unfortunately I swung and missed a lot too (AND STILL CRIED WHEN I STRUCK OUT). I just loved the game, but the move to Utah took all hope out of me to become something. I didn't get to pitch. I didn't get to play a significant part. Still, no coach had faith in me. I was good, I swear!
The next year, I was signed as a free agent to the Cubs, the Chicago Cubs of Orem. We played on the big field, the high school field (which is now 4 seperate little league fields). I had high hopes again, and with many of the same teammates I felt that I had no chance of pitching. Well, I tried out and before I knew it I was one of the two rotating starters on the Cubs. I also came in relief when I had innings left (they would cap how much you could pitch!).
I suffered through my first year with the Yankees and hit two doubles to the fence and found my power, unfortunately I swung and missed a lot too (AND STILL CRIED WHEN I STRUCK OUT). I just loved the game, but the move to Utah took all hope out of me to become something. I didn't get to pitch. I didn't get to play a significant part. Still, no coach had faith in me. I was good, I swear!
The next year, I was signed as a free agent to the Cubs, the Chicago Cubs of Orem. We played on the big field, the high school field (which is now 4 seperate little league fields). I had high hopes again, and with many of the same teammates I felt that I had no chance of pitching. Well, I tried out and before I knew it I was one of the two rotating starters on the Cubs. I also came in relief when I had innings left (they would cap how much you could pitch!).
A month before hooking up with the Cubs I went to the batting cages regularly. It was the time of freshmen baseball try-outs. At try-outs I hit farther and better than anyone. I really did, the only one that may have beat me out was Jared Harper who is just a mass of muscle! Did I make the team? No, or first cuts?? NO! I was honestly devistated. When I went to the Junior high to check the cuts, I didn't see my name. It was as if I was living a narrated story (like in the TV show, "The Wonder Years") and I heard a voice in my head say, "It was at this moment that I knew my dream of playing major league baseball was over," and then the theme music... I kid you not. I had a mutual church activity that night and all I could think about was my crushed dream. It was the night we learned manners for dating at a joint activity... Marinda Judd was my date...
Flash-forward to the Cubs... I hit well, and hard. In a game against the Orioles, two men on base (this was May 19, 1994), I stepped into the batters box.
I believe it was the first pitch, I felt a gust of wind and here came the ball. One teammate decribed my leg lifting much like Mark Maguire, and I swung. I barely felt the ball hit the bat, but there it went... toward left field, deep left... the fence was about 350 ft (I measured it at some later date, believe me). As I trotted to first I saw the ball clear the fence with about 15 feet to spare. My first and ONLY little league home run. One of only two that entire year in that league. I felt so weird, I didn't know what to do. I jogged right past first base and had to go back to touch it (much like Maguire's 62...) and I was met at home plate by my teammates. IT was awesome. After the game coach Walker tracked down the exact ball I hit that day and presented it to me in our teams huddle after the game. Awesome.
Another thing that sticks out in my mind though, was the mixed reaction from my peers. Jimmy England wrote in my yearbook "Baldwin, keep hitting those dingers," and a chick wrote, "I saw your home run---awesome." But for some people, like Schuyler Judd, all he could say was, "Baldwin, I heard you forgot to touch first!," or Brandon Jones who said, "I saw that, it was all the wind, you didn't really hit it that far." Its a shame that those comments have to scar the memory, but I won't forget any of it.
The next year, I played for the Indians. I pitched and hit hard. Didn't hit a homerun, but I played lots of night games and I loved it. Nothing of real significance happened that season except a KILLER diving catch against Provo High's Freshman team.
My Junior year I tried out for the Orem team again. I was coach Miner's first choice for the outfield as they chose teams for a scrimmage. In the outfield I disappointed. Gary Brown hit two monster shots between me and the left field fence that I misjudged. That was it. On my only at-bat I walked and I guess On Base Percentage isn't important to the OREM HIGH TIGERS. No hard feelings, really.
On what I thought was my last chance to play baseball in 1999 I tried out for Weber State's club team. I tried out for pitcher and 1st base. I showed up all three days and made FIRST CUTS! My arm was so sore! During second cuts I had spent the first day at 1st base and hitting practice, where I did impress. But 1st base was hard competition. I wanted to ride my pitching abilities to the team.
On the second day I was warming up with my catcher and the pitching coach was spending time with each of us. After a few adjustments to my wind up, he asked me to throw a curve. WOW, a curve... I hadn't thrown one for years. So I tried. And then there went my elbow. I felt a tug that was so painful I let out a loud grunt. The coach looked at me and I said, "I'm fine, I just slipped on the rubber."
Then came the live action against the batters. I knew I was in trouble, I knew all I could do was throw strikes. The pain was just barely bearable. I threw strikes, my control was on, but I lost about 10 MPH on my throws. The other pitching coach then asked for a curve, and I couldn't throw one. I just basically lobbed the ball right over the plate. Against the 6 or 7 batters I faced, all of them hit the ball hard. I was meat. And I was cut!... with a bum elbow. This injury still bothers me today, but ironically only on the basketball court.
The very last chance I had to try to make it in baseball was the college wooden bat summer league (2004) in SLC. I signed up, payed $300 and was put on the BYU team. There was one team for each of the colleges: UofU, UVSC, BYU and SLCC as well as 4 high school all-star teams. Not all of the BYU players played, but many did.
So, there I was watching the majority of the 20 game season on the bench. Over the course of the season I batted 5 times, 4 K's and I played a total of 4 innings in the field. I will admit I was out of shape and my baseball pants were too tight, but I was better than that,... besides I paid $300!
The coach had me throw in the bullpen every game, but would NOT put me in until the third to last game of the season. I warmed up and was told I got one inning. Under the lights and on the artificial turf at SLCC I began to warm up.
I remembered Randy Myers of the Cincinnati Reds (one of the 1990 World Champion 'Nasty Boys,' pictured right, the middle one) pacing around the mound after every pitch, so I did that just to get my mind together. My wife and her brother were in the stands. I was nervous.
Against this high school all-star team, most of the pitchers that day had struggled. We were ahead, but not by much. This was the 6th inning of a 7 inning game. My first pitch was released and was right down the middle, ... and fouled back. Wow, that was easy, just 8 more I said to myself. Again, the catcher called for a fastball... for me about 75-80 MPH. My fastball did have movement and perhaps that is what caused that first batter to swing and miss at the second and third pitches, YER OUT! The next batter swung and missed at my 4th, 5th and 6th pitch of the night. The next batter let two strikes go by before he took a ball. On my 10th pitch of the inning, A SWING AND A MISS! Three up, three down. Now, thats what I am talking about!
The next inning, the top of the 7th, I led off and nailed a SHOT to the Short stop and his throw beat me out by a step a first, OUT! But it was a rip and did I earn my coaches respect, finally? "Brian, you got some lucky calls on some of your pitches, nice hit, you should have beat it out."
What!?! Dang it, 10 pitches, 3 k's and a darn near double (if the ball got through) and I get the bench again.
I did get to pitch another inning the next game and I gave up one hit, there were two errors in the field by the Short stop (scoring one run) and then I got a pop-up, fly out and another K (against UVSC's team).
And so goes my baseball careers. Just Softball for me now. Last summer I played on the Hansen Brother's Team in Provo and hit well, I've lost all my power but I thrived by making diving/running/sliding catches and throwing people out at home.
I started this post wanting to talk about all sports, but you can tell by how much I have written that I still LOVE BASEBALL!
Flash-forward to the Cubs... I hit well, and hard. In a game against the Orioles, two men on base (this was May 19, 1994), I stepped into the batters box.
I believe it was the first pitch, I felt a gust of wind and here came the ball. One teammate decribed my leg lifting much like Mark Maguire, and I swung. I barely felt the ball hit the bat, but there it went... toward left field, deep left... the fence was about 350 ft (I measured it at some later date, believe me). As I trotted to first I saw the ball clear the fence with about 15 feet to spare. My first and ONLY little league home run. One of only two that entire year in that league. I felt so weird, I didn't know what to do. I jogged right past first base and had to go back to touch it (much like Maguire's 62...) and I was met at home plate by my teammates. IT was awesome. After the game coach Walker tracked down the exact ball I hit that day and presented it to me in our teams huddle after the game. Awesome.Another thing that sticks out in my mind though, was the mixed reaction from my peers. Jimmy England wrote in my yearbook "Baldwin, keep hitting those dingers," and a chick wrote, "I saw your home run---awesome." But for some people, like Schuyler Judd, all he could say was, "Baldwin, I heard you forgot to touch first!," or Brandon Jones who said, "I saw that, it was all the wind, you didn't really hit it that far." Its a shame that those comments have to scar the memory, but I won't forget any of it.
The next year, I played for the Indians. I pitched and hit hard. Didn't hit a homerun, but I played lots of night games and I loved it. Nothing of real significance happened that season except a KILLER diving catch against Provo High's Freshman team.
My Junior year I tried out for the Orem team again. I was coach Miner's first choice for the outfield as they chose teams for a scrimmage. In the outfield I disappointed. Gary Brown hit two monster shots between me and the left field fence that I misjudged. That was it. On my only at-bat I walked and I guess On Base Percentage isn't important to the OREM HIGH TIGERS. No hard feelings, really.
On what I thought was my last chance to play baseball in 1999 I tried out for Weber State's club team. I tried out for pitcher and 1st base. I showed up all three days and made FIRST CUTS! My arm was so sore! During second cuts I had spent the first day at 1st base and hitting practice, where I did impress. But 1st base was hard competition. I wanted to ride my pitching abilities to the team.
On the second day I was warming up with my catcher and the pitching coach was spending time with each of us. After a few adjustments to my wind up, he asked me to throw a curve. WOW, a curve... I hadn't thrown one for years. So I tried. And then there went my elbow. I felt a tug that was so painful I let out a loud grunt. The coach looked at me and I said, "I'm fine, I just slipped on the rubber."
Then came the live action against the batters. I knew I was in trouble, I knew all I could do was throw strikes. The pain was just barely bearable. I threw strikes, my control was on, but I lost about 10 MPH on my throws. The other pitching coach then asked for a curve, and I couldn't throw one. I just basically lobbed the ball right over the plate. Against the 6 or 7 batters I faced, all of them hit the ball hard. I was meat. And I was cut!... with a bum elbow. This injury still bothers me today, but ironically only on the basketball court.The very last chance I had to try to make it in baseball was the college wooden bat summer league (2004) in SLC. I signed up, payed $300 and was put on the BYU team. There was one team for each of the colleges: UofU, UVSC, BYU and SLCC as well as 4 high school all-star teams. Not all of the BYU players played, but many did.
So, there I was watching the majority of the 20 game season on the bench. Over the course of the season I batted 5 times, 4 K's and I played a total of 4 innings in the field. I will admit I was out of shape and my baseball pants were too tight, but I was better than that,... besides I paid $300!
The coach had me throw in the bullpen every game, but would NOT put me in until the third to last game of the season. I warmed up and was told I got one inning. Under the lights and on the artificial turf at SLCC I began to warm up.
I remembered Randy Myers of the Cincinnati Reds (one of the 1990 World Champion 'Nasty Boys,' pictured right, the middle one) pacing around the mound after every pitch, so I did that just to get my mind together. My wife and her brother were in the stands. I was nervous.Against this high school all-star team, most of the pitchers that day had struggled. We were ahead, but not by much. This was the 6th inning of a 7 inning game. My first pitch was released and was right down the middle, ... and fouled back. Wow, that was easy, just 8 more I said to myself. Again, the catcher called for a fastball... for me about 75-80 MPH. My fastball did have movement and perhaps that is what caused that first batter to swing and miss at the second and third pitches, YER OUT! The next batter swung and missed at my 4th, 5th and 6th pitch of the night. The next batter let two strikes go by before he took a ball. On my 10th pitch of the inning, A SWING AND A MISS! Three up, three down. Now, thats what I am talking about!
The next inning, the top of the 7th, I led off and nailed a SHOT to the Short stop and his throw beat me out by a step a first, OUT! But it was a rip and did I earn my coaches respect, finally? "Brian, you got some lucky calls on some of your pitches, nice hit, you should have beat it out."
What!?! Dang it, 10 pitches, 3 k's and a darn near double (if the ball got through) and I get the bench again.
I did get to pitch another inning the next game and I gave up one hit, there were two errors in the field by the Short stop (scoring one run) and then I got a pop-up, fly out and another K (against UVSC's team).
And so goes my baseball careers. Just Softball for me now. Last summer I played on the Hansen Brother's Team in Provo and hit well, I've lost all my power but I thrived by making diving/running/sliding catches and throwing people out at home.
I started this post wanting to talk about all sports, but you can tell by how much I have written that I still LOVE BASEBALL!
1 comment:
Nice post, Baldwin, I remember you telling me about most of those moments, except the Weber State thing. Maybe I was on my mission.
I also remembered the etiquette activity that year, but I can't remember who my date was.
I have to say that you are probably one of those most athletic people I have played with...too bad you're so darned slow! hahahahahaha! But seriously, you've got a great arm and one of the most accurate shots in bball.
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