Stanley’s Stance No. 11

June 9, 2000

Journal Entry No. 11 June 9, 2000 – Omaha, Neb.

Hello Tiger fans. Let’s talk baseball. Another good win for the Tigers on Friday. A 10-6 opening game victory over San Jose State in the College World Series places the Tigers in the 3:00 p.m. EDT game versus Stanford on Sunday.

Ryan Mottl pitched five innings to earn his 10th victory of the season. Steve Reba pitched the final four innings to earn a save. The Tigers were led at the plate by two hits apiece from Patrick Boyd, Khalil Greene, and Jeff Baker. One of Boyd’s hits was a three-run homer, which came in the eight-run second inning.

It was a fairly big opening crowd, and the Tiger contingent was very strong, as expected. Many fans drove from South Carolina to support the team. It took a group of my friends about twenty hours to drive from Columbia, S.C. They did stop a few times, though.

The crowd did not phase the team, as many of us actually felt more relaxed here than we do at home. It is a different atmosphere from playing at home. The crowd is much larger, but most of the fans are just spectators. Most fans are there to see baseball, and not just one particular team.

The field also plays much slower than our home field. The grass is higher, so the ball does not reach the wall in the gap as quickly. The gaps are also much smaller.

Two ESPN cameramen rode the bus with us to the game. Their project was called Total Access. I believe they actually aired some of the footage from the bus during the game.

Overall the day was good. We won and we got to play on ESPN in front of a national audience. This time of the year is what you play and look forward to, so we will definitely make the best of our opportunity. I cannot wait until Sunday, because the wind at Rosenblatt Stadium makes pre-game batting adventurous. Mike Proto and I had a good time battling the wind in the outfield today.

The game will be televised on ESPN on Sunday at 3:00 eastern time. Keep rooting for your favorite team! A national championship is within reach!

We will practice Saturday morning at 9:00 local time. So much for sleeping in and getting some rest on an off day. A group of local sponsors have been as generous as to plan a dinner for the team on Saturday at 3:30 in the team hotel. Support has been very good, as our sponsors went out of their way to provide a meal for us after the game today. The team thanks them tremendously!