Batter Up!

“Batter up!” yelled the umpire.

I looked down the third baseline at my coach as I thought about the situation. It was the second round of sectional play my senior year, and I was leading off the top of the seventh inning, with my team down 6-2.

“Find a way, John,” my coach yelled. “We just need a baserunner.”

I took a deep breath as I began my pre-pitch routine. I stared out at the pitcher and tried to think of what he was likely to throw. Our team had been getting fastballs inside all day, and I expected more of the same.

The pitch comes in, curveball, low and away.

“Stttrrriiiiikkkkeeee one!” the umpire yells.

That’s ok , I think to myself. You didn’t want that pitch anyway. Wait him out, he’ll give you something you can hit and then jump on it.

The pitcher followed with another curve in the dirt, and I let it go to even the count at 1-1. Not wanting to get behind, the pitcher threw a fastball low and inside, my sweet spot.

I swung was hard as I could as my hips flew open, ripping the bat through the zone. As I felt the ball make contact, I knew I had hit this one well. The ball took off, soaring through the night sky down the left field line. As I rounded first, I heard the crash of the ball hitting the fence.

“Foul ball!!”

Disappointed, but now more determined than ever, I walked back to the plate, picked up my bat, and dug in.

Knowing he had gotten lucky, the pitcher refused to give me anything else good to hit. Mixing up curveballs low and away, fastballs up and in, and the occasional nasty slider, he managed to keep me off balance. I kept battling, however, and, six pitches later, the count was 2-2.

Having already fouled off seven pitches I was beginning to tire. I stepped out of the box to catch my breath and regain my composure.

“Keep battling, John!” I heard my coach yell down from the third base coaching box.

I straightened my helmet as I dug in once again. The pitch came in right down the middle, just as I’d been waiting for.

As I started my swing, I suddenly had a horrible realization. This pitch floating down the middle was not the fastball I had thought it to be, but rather an agonizingly slow knuckle ball.

Somehow managing to slow down my swing, I nicked the ball with the end of my bat, the barely audible ping being the only indicator I had not just struck out.

Backing out of the box, I took a few slow practice swings.

 I’m going to get a hit, I thought. No other thoughts crossed my mind, except the simple fact that I was going to get a hit.

The next pitch was a fastball in on my hands. Not surprisingly, I simply fouled it off yet again. The at-bat now totaled 12 pitches, including nine foul balls.

I was now almost exhausted from the physical and mental strain of such a long battle.

The thirteenth pitch came sailing in, a hanging curveball on the outside half of the plate. Straining, I reached out and managed to poke the ball over the shortstop’s head for a single.

We went on to lose the game, although it was filled with personal success as I went 3-3 in my final high school game.

After the season, during the awards banquet, my coach brought up this at-bat. “This at-bat was the epitome of John’s career,” he said. “It wasn’t the prettiest, but he kept battling and eventually got the job done.”

USC, Bush scandal extends to Heisman

By John Sittler, September 24, 2010

Throughout the 2005 college football season, there was no doubt who the best player was on the field.

Reggie Bush, a running back from the University of Southern California, thrilled fans and befuddled defenses with his ridiculous moves and blazing speed. He gained over 1,700 rushing yards to go along with almost 500 receiving yards and 18 total touchdowns.

At the end of the season he was awarded the Heisman Trophy, the annual honor for the best player in college football. He did not just win the Heisman, he won in a landslide. There was no question as to whether or not he deserved it.

Flash forward to early in the summer of 2010. USC was rocked by allegations of recruiting violations surrounding Bush and USC basketball standout OJ Mayo. The results of a four-year investigation revealed that Bush and his family had received benefits amounting to approximately $300,000.

The NCAA responded with swift punishment by banning the Trojans from post-season play for two years, placing them on four years of probation, and enforcing the loss of 30 football scholarships.

Also, they have been forced to forfeit their 14 victories from the 2005 season, including their National Championship Orange Bowl victory. The most controversial result, however, revolved around Reggie Bush and his Heisman.

In early September, reports were published saying that the Heisman Trophy Trust was going to strip Bush of his honor. While the Trust denied these reports, Bush eventually made the decision to return the trophy on his own. But it appears he was pressured into it. Many fans agreed with this, as they were haters of USC, or simply wanted to see “justice” done.

I am not so sure. While I completely agree with the sanctions imposed on the Trojan football program, what exactly did Bush gain by receiving those benefits? Did a night in a hotel make him faster? Did that new suit allow him to make those stop-on-a-dime cuts that left defenders groping air?

No.

Regardless of how much money he and his family received, he was still the best player in football.

This scandal has been compared to Barry Bonds and steroids, but the two situations are actually radically different. While Bonds has only “allegedly” taken steroids, let’s assume for the sake of argument that he did. Without the steroids and increased muscle size it seems unlikely he would have broken Hank Aaron’s home run record.

If he is allowed to keep his record, it is safe to say without a doubt that Bush should keep his. As I stated above, the benefits Bush received in no way, shape or form affected his on-field play.

Another argument for Bush forfeiting this trophy is that he would not have been as good without the tremendous supporting cast he had at USC.

This might be partly true, although I believe that he still would have put up huge numbers had he played for a lesser team. He proved this by making a large portion of his plays in the open field, just him one-on-one (or one-on-two, one- on-three, etc.) against defenders.

His talent is so rare, so once-in-generation that Reggie Bush without a doubt should be allowed to keep his Heisman Trophy as the best collegiate football player of the 2005 season.