Well, that’s it. After falling behind 12-0 to Midland (Mich), most of Rowan Legion’s fans had given up on their team, heads pointed toward the ground, already thinking about heading home tomorrow and reminiscing on a magical season. I mean could you really blame us for thinking this was the end of the road for our guys?
Turns out in the end, it essentially was, but after an eight run inning, those heads started to turn upwards and Rowan fans began to think, can they really do this?
Unfortunately for our guys, they came up one run short, stranding the tying run at second base, ending a season that no one who was a part of this cardiac bunch, will not soon forget.
This T-E-A-M brought passion, desire and a will to win that cannot be matched.
Other Rowan teams may have had more talent than this year’s bunch, but that desire and want-to is something that you have to have in order to make it this far.
The 2009 American Legion World Series will have to be completed without those Rowan boys, disappointing to say the least. I know all of Rowan County seemed to latch on to what was going on in Fargo, ND the past couple of days and I know the team appreciates the support.
So it’s back to Salisbury now, for us and for the team. I know a big crowd will be waiting on the Rowan team when they get off that bus at Catawba College.
It’s always sad when the season ends. You’re around the same people for two months and you form friendships and share your life with those same people, and then it has to come to an end. People have to go back to school, parents go back to work, and people go back to their non-American Legion baseball lives, in which they have come accustomed to.
You get used to it after a while, and then one day, maybe in the dead of winter, you think of those people, and those awesome players, and you’ll remember that awesome ride they took you on in that summer of 2009.
I’d say that’s a nice memory to live on.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Drew Sechler column: Legion team just finds a way
These boys just keep finding a way to blow your mind. Of course I'm speaking of Rowan Legion's recent big win against the defending champions from Las Vegas. This Rowan County team just keeps finding a way to do it.
With the bases loaded and no one out in the bottom of the seventh for Las Vegas, things looked pretty grim for Rowan's chances. But somehow, Alex Litaker got out of it and gave his teammates a chance to score some runs, which they did, and somehow got three outs to secure a huge win in the Legion World Series.
Many fans, like me, said afterwards that they couldn't take too much more of this (referring to the closeness and intensity of the games), but we're all just so happy that our hometown boys are still in it.
It really is hard to fathom how momentous an occasion this is. The fact that Rowan is guaranteed at least a fourth- place finish in the entire nation is mind-blowing.
Before the game I said to someone, "Rowan County vs. Las Vegas, that just sounds funny, doesn't it?" She replied that it was just a name, and she was right.
So folks, stay tuned, stay excited, and keep on pulling hard for your Rowan County boys. They might just find a way to surprise you.
With the bases loaded and no one out in the bottom of the seventh for Las Vegas, things looked pretty grim for Rowan's chances. But somehow, Alex Litaker got out of it and gave his teammates a chance to score some runs, which they did, and somehow got three outs to secure a huge win in the Legion World Series.
Many fans, like me, said afterwards that they couldn't take too much more of this (referring to the closeness and intensity of the games), but we're all just so happy that our hometown boys are still in it.
It really is hard to fathom how momentous an occasion this is. The fact that Rowan is guaranteed at least a fourth- place finish in the entire nation is mind-blowing.
Before the game I said to someone, "Rowan County vs. Las Vegas, that just sounds funny, doesn't it?" She replied that it was just a name, and she was right.
So folks, stay tuned, stay excited, and keep on pulling hard for your Rowan County boys. They might just find a way to surprise you.
Sechler column: Rowan rises above rain delays, hard loss
After the rain ruined the first night of Rowan Legion's stay in Fargo and forced postponement of the team's first game, we finally got to play some baseball after a long wait. Many, like me, were thinking: Are we going to get to see our team play after coming all this way?
But Rowan finally did get to play on Saturday and nearly found a way to win its first game, despite not playing particularly well the majority of the game.
Many Rowan fans from Fargo to Salisbury held their breath as Rowan looked as though the team might escape a bases-loaded, no-outs jam while leading Festus, Mo., in the bottom of the ninth. Unfortunately, destiny and luck weren't on the side of Rowan that game. A fly ball fell softly on the right field grass after three Rowan players tried their best to make the catch, and Rowan fell 6-5 to Festus.
I'm sure many who haven't followed the team closely this year wondered how Rowan would respond after such a gut-wrenching defeat. The answer to that is: very well. The team hasn't had many back-to-back defeats this year, and the Rowan boys have always responded well after a loss.
That was the case once more as they took the field Saturday against Mount Airy (Md.). It didn't look good early on for the Rowan boys, trailing 2-0, but they rallied big time for a staying-alive 8-3 victory.
I've had many people ask me what we do to pass the time in Fargo when Rowan is not playing. The answer to that is: whatever we can find to do. We always find time to eat, and even on Sunday we found some time to visit the local WalMart. The rest of the time we spent just hanging out in the motel room or on the phone with numerous people who want to know what is going on and when would Rowan play next. It can be frustrating because we have no idea what to tell them because we don't know ourselves.
With the weather being uncooperative the past couple of days and games being pushed back, we just have to sit and wait until we hear some news.
The waiting game can get old, but for now we just have to relax and enjoy this monumental moment.
But Rowan finally did get to play on Saturday and nearly found a way to win its first game, despite not playing particularly well the majority of the game.
Many Rowan fans from Fargo to Salisbury held their breath as Rowan looked as though the team might escape a bases-loaded, no-outs jam while leading Festus, Mo., in the bottom of the ninth. Unfortunately, destiny and luck weren't on the side of Rowan that game. A fly ball fell softly on the right field grass after three Rowan players tried their best to make the catch, and Rowan fell 6-5 to Festus.
I'm sure many who haven't followed the team closely this year wondered how Rowan would respond after such a gut-wrenching defeat. The answer to that is: very well. The team hasn't had many back-to-back defeats this year, and the Rowan boys have always responded well after a loss.
That was the case once more as they took the field Saturday against Mount Airy (Md.). It didn't look good early on for the Rowan boys, trailing 2-0, but they rallied big time for a staying-alive 8-3 victory.
I've had many people ask me what we do to pass the time in Fargo when Rowan is not playing. The answer to that is: whatever we can find to do. We always find time to eat, and even on Sunday we found some time to visit the local WalMart. The rest of the time we spent just hanging out in the motel room or on the phone with numerous people who want to know what is going on and when would Rowan play next. It can be frustrating because we have no idea what to tell them because we don't know ourselves.
With the weather being uncooperative the past couple of days and games being pushed back, we just have to sit and wait until we hear some news.
The waiting game can get old, but for now we just have to relax and enjoy this monumental moment.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Sometimes it rains
“Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose and sometimes it rains.” If you recognize that quote, than you know it’s from the movie Bull Durham. I thought about that as we watched the rain come down on Newman Field Friday night.
After finally arriving to our destination in Fargo, ND for the American Legion World Series at 11 am Friday, Mother Nature decided she would interfere with the festivities. Rowan really didn’t have a scheduled time, so there’s always a little waiting around to do.
As the game between Medford, Oregon and Midland, Michigan was winding to an end, the clouds began to move in. Not wanting to think the worse, I said to everyone around me, “It’s not going to rain.” Sometimes optimism and positive thinking can blind the reality. That was the case this time.
As I looked over at Leigh Michalec’s blackberry cell phone, I saw the blob of green heading our way. The rain began to fall very gently for a short while and we thought positively again that we might get to play. Well that was a bad thought, a gust of strong wind and rain blew in moving all the fans and even players to the concourse. Shortly after, we all realized we weren’t playing this game tonight.
One of the locals said to us with just a hint of sarcasm, “Don’t you just love North Dakota weather?”
So the first day of games in Fargo results in no home runs or three up and three down innings for the Rowan County boys, but the best thing about baseball is even when you don’t play well one night, or at all in this case, there is always a game tomorrow, we hope.
After finally arriving to our destination in Fargo, ND for the American Legion World Series at 11 am Friday, Mother Nature decided she would interfere with the festivities. Rowan really didn’t have a scheduled time, so there’s always a little waiting around to do.
As the game between Medford, Oregon and Midland, Michigan was winding to an end, the clouds began to move in. Not wanting to think the worse, I said to everyone around me, “It’s not going to rain.” Sometimes optimism and positive thinking can blind the reality. That was the case this time.
As I looked over at Leigh Michalec’s blackberry cell phone, I saw the blob of green heading our way. The rain began to fall very gently for a short while and we thought positively again that we might get to play. Well that was a bad thought, a gust of strong wind and rain blew in moving all the fans and even players to the concourse. Shortly after, we all realized we weren’t playing this game tonight.
One of the locals said to us with just a hint of sarcasm, “Don’t you just love North Dakota weather?”
So the first day of games in Fargo results in no home runs or three up and three down innings for the Rowan County boys, but the best thing about baseball is even when you don’t play well one night, or at all in this case, there is always a game tomorrow, we hope.
Road cones and corn
As my journey to Fargo for the Legion World Series continues, I found myself taking in country that I had never before seen and some of it that I don’t care to see again. I did enjoy our ride through Chicago, as we tried our best to take snap shots of the Sears Tower and other surrounding buildings of the “windy city” skyline.
That however, besides the lively conversation between us, was the highlight of our Thursday ride from Sellersburg, Indiana to St. Cloud, Minnesota. You know how in the movie “The Wizard of Oz” in the beginning when you see nothing but corn fields before the tornado takes Dorothy’s house away, well imagine that for several hundred miles in Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Besides the seemingly endless corn fields, there was plenty of road construction to really get under your skin.
Each time we saw a sign for road construction, our driver Jenny Fox could only give a small growl to show her begrudge for the familiar orange road cones that became an all too familiar sight for us.
We’re still about two and a half hours or so from our destination on the border of North Dakota. We decided to get some rest and finish our journey in the morning when we will pick up Leigh Michalec (Russell Michalec’s mom) at the Fargo airport.
Rowan plays the last game of the day on Friday, so there really is no telling when Rowan County’s boys and the boys from Festus, Missouri will toss that ball around.
So I leave you again, signing off from St. Cloud, as we will finally make it to Fargo, North Dakota for the Legion World Series Friday.
That however, besides the lively conversation between us, was the highlight of our Thursday ride from Sellersburg, Indiana to St. Cloud, Minnesota. You know how in the movie “The Wizard of Oz” in the beginning when you see nothing but corn fields before the tornado takes Dorothy’s house away, well imagine that for several hundred miles in Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Besides the seemingly endless corn fields, there was plenty of road construction to really get under your skin.
Each time we saw a sign for road construction, our driver Jenny Fox could only give a small growl to show her begrudge for the familiar orange road cones that became an all too familiar sight for us.
We’re still about two and a half hours or so from our destination on the border of North Dakota. We decided to get some rest and finish our journey in the morning when we will pick up Leigh Michalec (Russell Michalec’s mom) at the Fargo airport.
Rowan plays the last game of the day on Friday, so there really is no telling when Rowan County’s boys and the boys from Festus, Missouri will toss that ball around.
So I leave you again, signing off from St. Cloud, as we will finally make it to Fargo, North Dakota for the Legion World Series Friday.
Car full of fans heard north
The first day of our quest to Fargo, North Dakota for the American Legion World Series is now a day old after leaving Salisbury a little after 11 am Wednesday and arriving in Sellersburg, Indiana that evening (just outside of Louisville, Kentucky). I am making the once in a lifetime trek with longtime Rowan Legion fan Jenny Fox, die-hard fan (and cousin) Brent Yost and left fielder Russell Michalec’s grandmother Genny Reed.
We all know each other very well through the season and the past seasons, so it’s not like I’m riding with strangers. The first part of our journey took us through the mountains of North Carolina heading west on interstate 40, taking us through Knoxville, Tennessee. From Knoxville we headed north to Lexington, Kentucky.
It’s interesting to see a part of the country you’ve never seen before and I know that over the next day or so, I will definitely get to see some country that I’ve never before seen. I know it sounds cliché to say “once in a lifetime,” but this trip truly is once in a lifetime. I may never get to make it to another Legion world series in my lifetime and Rowan is not guaranteed another trip back.
I’ve been a pretty avid and some might say religious Rowan County American Legion baseball fan for the past four years or so, so the decision to make the trip to Fargo wasn’t an easy one but I never had any doubts about wanting to go. At first of course, there was talk of getting together a fan chartered bus, but with little time to plan and lack of commitments, the bus ended up not being an option.
Plane tickets to Fargo were outrageously pricey, so many of the parents and fans just decided to just drive and take their time getting to Fargo to watch their Rowan boys of summer continue this magical ride.
So with a long day of traveling ahead of me Thursday, I sign off for now, and should report on my ‘Trek to Fargo’ from Minneapolis, Minnesota.
We all know each other very well through the season and the past seasons, so it’s not like I’m riding with strangers. The first part of our journey took us through the mountains of North Carolina heading west on interstate 40, taking us through Knoxville, Tennessee. From Knoxville we headed north to Lexington, Kentucky.
It’s interesting to see a part of the country you’ve never seen before and I know that over the next day or so, I will definitely get to see some country that I’ve never before seen. I know it sounds cliché to say “once in a lifetime,” but this trip truly is once in a lifetime. I may never get to make it to another Legion world series in my lifetime and Rowan is not guaranteed another trip back.
I’ve been a pretty avid and some might say religious Rowan County American Legion baseball fan for the past four years or so, so the decision to make the trip to Fargo wasn’t an easy one but I never had any doubts about wanting to go. At first of course, there was talk of getting together a fan chartered bus, but with little time to plan and lack of commitments, the bus ended up not being an option.
Plane tickets to Fargo were outrageously pricey, so many of the parents and fans just decided to just drive and take their time getting to Fargo to watch their Rowan boys of summer continue this magical ride.
So with a long day of traveling ahead of me Thursday, I sign off for now, and should report on my ‘Trek to Fargo’ from Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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