Recovered from ankle injury, Rockwall catcher is also a hit on offense
08:55 PM CDT on Wednesday, May 3, 2006
By DAVE LANCE / The Dallas Morning News
The pain in his right ankle prevented him from hitting last season because he wasn't able to torque his body. But Chad Noble had every intention of participating in the playoffs.
Squatting gave the Rockwall catcher no problems. So Noble caught every playoff game in his team's run to the state final, where it finished second. A designated hitter batted for Noble.
When he went to the doctor after the season, he was told he had been playing with a broken ankle, an injury he suffered while playing pickup basketball. Noble said had he known it was broken, he would have played anyway.
"I could always rest it in the summer," Noble said. "The team needed me behind the plate."
And it does again this year. Once again, the 6-0, 185-pound senior is playing stellar defensive. Coach Jeff Payne said base runners rarely test Noble's arm. His defensive skills are the primary reason Northwestern has given him a scholarship.
But the Big Ten school will be getting a two-dimensional player. Unlike in years past, Noble is a crucial part of Rockwall's offense. Batting from the No. 3 hole, Noble is hitting .388 and has a team-high 19 RBIs. Payne called him the team's best clutch hitter.
"We always knew how good he was as a catcher," Payne said. "He has quick feet and a strong arm. This year, he's proven himself with the bat. He's been our best hitter from Game 1.
"I had him at lead off for a while because he's always getting on base. I just decided I needed to get him to No. 3 or 4 so he could get some RBIs."
Payne said Noble has everything a coach wants in a catcher.
"He's the smartest player on the field," Payne said, "and he's real vocal. He's just a gamer. He doesn't get too high or too low."
Noble admits it was sometimes hard to keep an even keel last season because of his father's health issues. In the winter of 2005, Dave Noble was diagnosed with throat and mouth cancer. The non-smoker had part of his tongue removed in April 2005 and underwent chemotherapy and radiation soon after.
He rarely missed his son's games.
"The first day I found out he had it, I was going to practice," Chad said. "I was dead the whole time. I couldn't do anything. But I found out it wasn't too serious and that he was going to get around it.
Chad Noble discovered after last season that he was playing on a broken ankle. "But it tore me up a little bit."
After months of therapy, Dave Noble, 50, has regained his speech. He counts every day as a blessing and not just because he beat cancer. Neither Dave Noble's father nor grandfather lived to be 50.
"First off, I'd like to say I'm so blessed to see him get second in state last year," said Noble, a swimmer at the University of Iowa in the mid-'70s. "But I'm sad in a way. I've always wanted my dad to have been around. You want your old man to see his grandkids.
"I always wanted my dad to tell me, 'You know what, son? You brought your three sons up nice.' That's something I'll never get until I'm in heaven. But that's OK."
E-mail dlance@dallasnews.com
