Favorite Baseball Memory

This is cool for so many reasons:

1. I didn't know they actually had game tape back then..and to have it on Youtube is really cool

2. Buddy Rego- Wow..and I believe he is still coaching in Union Co.

3. I never knew a Charlotte team beat Rose in a series....EVER!

4. What is Darrin Hart doing now?

5. Ed Law- glad you got a haircut for that interview.

6. TV local dudes, Paul Cameron and Jim Celania, looked like babies back then.

7. The Championship game was played in SC (Knights Stadium)--I believe. Who said you can't play it out west?

 

Of all the guys here Braves, I figured you would get the biggest kick out of this video.

1. I had a bunch of stuff on VHS that has followed me all over the country. Some of it got lost...or taped over by a college roomate. But I recently bought a slick DVD recorder and converted a bunch of stuff. YouTube is awesome! If you haven't already done so, check out some of my other stuff.

2. I got an email from Buddy today after sending him this video. He was very appreciative. He's retired now, but coached at Porter Ridge for a while.

3. We are the only team to beat Rose in a final. My brother's '75 Harding team lost to RV and Rose. Over the years, it has gotten even more special. They were an amazing team, but ran into a scrappy bunch that never gave up.

4. Darrin lives in Gastonia now from what I understand. I haven't seen him since 1998 when we did a 10 year reunion. I am working on getting the guys together again this spring so I hope I can get in touch with him. That guy was an incredible athlete. And IMO, a better high school baseball player than Durham. I hate that he let his opportunity with the Padres slip through his fingers.

5. My mom HATED that cut. There's a story to it...i went to the barber about an hour after graduation. But as a team, we got together before the season started and all got military flat tops. Buddy joined us after we won the conference championship. I promised my mom i would let my hair grow out for the Phil Hughston awards and graduation.

6. I sent the video to Celenia on Facebook. He thanked me for sending it and said he enjoyed it. I am going to do the same with PC.

7. That was actually the OLD Knights park in Dilworth. The field was in terrible condition, but we had a blast with it. They let us practice out there that week. It was probably the most fun I have ever had at a practice...and of course, we got a popcicle party after. Haha This was played before neutral sites, so the home team was rotated. That school year, i was fortunate to play in two State Championships in Charlotte. We lost to Garner in football in Memorial.

 

Man.....thanks for sharing this. I love it. That's amazing that you were able to keep all those tapes. I wish I had those during my career. They would be a blast to watch now. Great memories, Ed. It would be cool to see CMS athletics honor that team. In fact, this would be a great idea for the Charlotte Hot Stove event next year. It's not like the city has a ton of State Championship teams.

 

Glad you enjoyed it. I was lucky. i am missing a couple of football games, but i am confident that they are here in the house somewhere. But a college roomate did tape over some of my football interviews and highlights. Game 2 of the Championship Series was televised on the local cable outlet. I'm missing that game too.

Our 25 year anniversary is coming up in two years. I'd like to see CMS and/or the observer do something. Hot Stove Dinner sounds great too!

I watched Game 3 again tonight. I still get chills.

 

Is my favorite baseball memory the time my son pitched a no hitter,the time he hit a monster grand slam to help beat the Caldwell Legion team, the 2 homerun game in Legion playoffs, his homerun over the scoreboard at UNCC during the homerun derby at State Games......no.

My favorite baseball memory came from a Hickory Crawdad game. My son was about 8 years old at the time. This was an extemely long game due to a light failure at the ball park. My son had ran all over the place trying to get a foul ball with no luck. After the game was over one of the Crawdad players tossed my son a baseball and you could see his smile from centerfield. At the top of the bleachers my son saw a kid in a wheelchair looking at him and his new prize ball. My son looked at the ball then at the kid in the wheelchair a couple of times. He then walked up to the kid in the wheelchair and gave him the ball. You could see the smile on my face from centerfield, you couldn't however see the tears in my eyes.

 

As a parent it has to be this fall when the DirtBags won in Jupiter. They had to beat 3 of the the top ranked showcase teams in the country to get to the championship game. Every game was exciting and a nail biter. What made it even better was the other teams was the favorite in every game.
As a player it has to be in 1978 when our Senior Babe Ruth Team was playing in The SOUTH EAST REGIONALS Championship game in Andulusia ALABAMA with the right to go to the World Series ( BEFORE AAU and SHOWCASE was even thought of). For you older posters some of these names will sound familiar. I had pitched a no hitter for six innings and our coach (DON ATNIP) one of the best coaches and motivators i have ever met, took me out and brought in Mark Roberts( Myers Park) to close it out. We was up 1-0 and Mark threw pure gas, think (Madison Bumgardener) in high school. He proceeded to walk three straight to load the bases. Mark then struck out the next two. Bases loaded, two outs 3-2 count on the batter. The batter hit a Charlie Brown Pop-Up to our third baseman. the crowd, our bench were all celebrating, when our third basemen dropped the pop-up and with a full count everybody running they scored the winning to beat us 2-1. To this day i always think about that play and day. Some of the guys on the team were Bob Falls(west meck) John Boyd(west meck) Johnny Keistler(west meck) Rocky Lewis(harding) Scott McConnell(Country Day) Greg Sito(Myers Park) Mike Cofer(Country Day) Robert Davenport (Harding) Mike Eury(Country day)

 

As a player: The entire State Games during the summer of 2003. We lost to Region 6 who had Reid Fronk just to name one of the players I remember and being apart of Region 5 I got to play with Jeremy Synan, Mitch Atkins, DJ Mitchell, Chad Baker, Ron Causey, Justin Brown, Travis High, Dan Poindexter, Jason Rook, Alex Sink, Kenneth Wagner,just to name a few from off the top of my head. We won the silver medal, but I will never forget those 4 days of games.

As a coach: Winning the Senior League NC State Championship in 2005 coming out of the loser's bracket to beat Myers Park twice. We defeated Nate Cudney (Belmont Abbey) in game one and my brother pitched game two to win the championship. I remember the last inning like it was yesterday and I remember jumping the fence and hugging my brother after the last out and I saw the water cooler coming and definately thought it was for my dad until I was drenched with the cooler. We went on to the Southeast Regional and went 3-0 and lost in the semi finals to Alabama, but I will never forget those kids or that summer. We had 2 Division 1 baseball players on that team (Kenny Swab UVA and Ryan Dull UNCA). All of the kids now are either in college and we had two join the military (Army and Air Force).

As a sibling (since I'm not a parent): Watching my brother strike out 17 in high school and striking out 12 against Georgia in the Southeast Region tournament would have to be the 2 best games I've seen him throw. I wish last year I could have got up to Asheville to see his complete game shut out against Gardner-Webb to put UNC-A into the Big South tournament but I will hopefully have more opportunities to see him throw more this year and the years to come!

 

I have two that I'm counting as one because I view them as being quite related. The first might be relatively obvious; the second not so much so.

(1) On Father's Day, 2006, my son's complete game, 3-hit shutout of Clemson in the College World Series. Coming into the game, Clemson had the highest team batting average in Division I baseball. The win left us alone in our pool's winner's bracket.

(2) The very next day, he and I sat WAY down the left field baseline in Rosenblatt Stadium surrounded by a bunch of college baseball fans. They came with allegiances from many schools; but we all shared a love of college baseball. As one of those famous Rosenblatt sunsets took place behind us, it was wonderful sitting there watching the game and talking with them.

...and one more, non-baseball (yet still related) memory: Graduation Day, 2008. Everyone hangs up the cleats one day, but the education stays with you forever.

 

Wow, great stories! Mine would be...

Dixie Youth Coach Pitch All-Stars - In a semi-final game, we were down 11-10 in the bottom of the last inning with 2 outs and runners on 2nd and 3rd. I was coaching 1B and up to the plate strides my 7 yr old son, who had a look of terror on his face. The opposing coach called time to set his defense, which gave me a chance to talk to my son, as I placed my hand on his shoulder, I could actually feel him trembling. I just remember telling him how proud I was of him and that I loved him, he looked at me and smiled and then singles in 2 runs for the win. I will never forget as he jumped into my arms, that look of "terror" was now a look of confidence. We've shared many great moments in baseball, but we made a connection that day and I still proudly display that dirt stained ball 10 years later.

 

I've been very lucky, as a player and a Dad of a player ... but my favorite baseball memory is still playing catch with my Dad .