Tuesday, August 7, 2007 11:02 PM CDT
After much work, it's time to play
BY BRIAN NIELSEN Sports Editor
bnielsen@jg-tc.com
First, the disclaimer: Nobody here knew that boiler slag – in baseball language, black stuff – would mess up some of Mattoon’s streets as it did.
Hey, American Legion baseball state tournament visitors, you should have seen these streets last week.
We apologize if your car gets dirty but we have other reasons to proudly welcome you.
When I say we, I mean a lot of people other than me.
In our version of ask-us-about-our-grandchildren, just get us started on how former Mattoon Post 88 star Mitch Hilligoss from the 2003 legion state championship team is doing in his second year in the New York Yankees farm system.
Well, since you asked, Mitch was named Most Valuable Player of the Class A South Atlantic League All-Star Game after earlier setting a league record with a 38-game hitting streak for the Charleston (S.C.) RiverDogs.
Also, if you want to know who is the San Francisco Giants’ minor-league pitching coordinator, sure, that is our own Bert Bradley, who even subbed a few days this year in the Giants dugout. Bert’s son Ryan is a first baseman/pitcher/outfielder for Mattoon Post 88.
And before Romo-mania hit the NFL, we could have told you all about Tony Romo playing for Eastern Illinois on his way to becoming the Dallas Cowboys quarterback and People Magazine glamour boy.
You can drive 12 miles to the east and see the field where Romo played. You are just a bit early to eat at Charleston’s rebuilt McDonald’s.
Speaking of Eastern Illinois, the Panthers’ basketball coach Mike Miller’s son and EIU baseball recruit Matt is the scheduled starting pitcher for Mattoon tonight.
But really, all you have to do for us to show off is to see our Grimes Field playing host to the American Legion state tourney featuring many of Illinois’ best baseball players ages 19 and younger.
When I say our field, I mean the field maintained by parks superintendent Kurt Stretch and his grounds crew.
No, this is not a pro baseball stadium like Sauget where Mattoon Post 88 won its 2003 state legion title.
“This isn’t as new of a stadium but the field itself is in as good of shape or better and it has a lot of charm and character,” tourney media coordinator Mike Bradd said during Tuesday’s media day at Grimes. “If we don’t have as new of a stadium we have to make up for it in other ways with the field and hospitality and I think we’ve done that.”
To give Stretch credit for an outstanding field is to shortchange Stretch in preparing for this state tourney.
“Kurt is the main person,” Bradd said. “He’s done the most work. Of course the field looks great but he’s done a lot more than that. If you add up all the rest of us, that might equal what Kurt has done.”
“Maybe,” tourney director John Logan said.
Plenty of others have contributed. My naming a select few is probably dangerously omitting numerous others.
One of the many to mention would be Bradd, who as an assistant coach for Post 88’s state championship team knows baseball and as the radio play-by-play man for Eastern Illinois football and basketball knows how to serve as the tourney media director. Plus, that means we could hardly find anyone better to be the public address announcer.
Also of note would be Donn Beals, the former Post 88 assistant coach who this year helped coach in the younger leagues while obtaining sponsors for the state legion tourney.
“Donn Beals probably raised $6,000 himself,” Logan said. “Without those sponsors we couldn’t have the tournament. It takes a lot of money to put on a state tournament but the benefits are worth it.”
Logan, who coached Mattoon’s legion team for 20 years before retiring after last season, is one who plans to take advantage of the benefits as the tournament director not that he is to brag about the work he has contributed.
“I’ve got the easiest job of all,” Logan said. “All I have to do is watch baseball. Bill Davis and I are the official scorekeepers.”
Others of us have easy jobs as well.
When I say us, I mean me.
While marking on a time card that I’m working this week, I get to sit and watch great baseball.
Play ball.
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Collatine wrote on Aug 8, 2007 4:24 PM: