https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orel_Hershiser
Was called the Bulldog" by Tommy. In an interview Orel said he could tell the "heavy" part of the baseball when the Umpire threw a new ball to the mound."the 6th Tool.
He could feel the weight of the baseball and throw the pitches he needed for "outs".
Orel philosophy: "change speed" and "change location"!!!
Bob
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Bob, I met Orel at a publicity event when he was on the Texas Rangers coaching staff. That had to be 15 years ago and my middle son was with me at the time. Orel was a very nice guy and was very approachable so we had the opportunity to talk baseball with him for 15-20 minutes. Our respective college teams had actually played each other only once in history (at that point in time) and it happened to be in 1979 in Miami, FL when he was a freshman at Bowling Green and I was senior at Texas A&M. He didn’t play in that game but I did so I asked if he remembered that game. He said all he remembered was that they got shut out by a guy that did a really good job changing speeds. I told him that guy was me and I happened to bring the game ball with me in case there was a chance for him to sign it - which he did. As he signed the ball he told my kid what a great game I had pitched. As he did that I saw my kid swell up with pride to hear his old man get a compliment from a Big League player & coach - and my son looked at me a little differently after that. Orel didn’t have to do that but I will always be thankful that he did. How can you not be romantic about baseball?!
^^^Stud!!!^^^
adbono;
great story!!
Bob
adbono knows baseball folks, settle down and settle in....
great story.
Sweet!
A&M? Really @adbono, just when I was thinking I liked you…
I did put one through UT, but that was a computer science major, and I don’t believe he attended a sporting event of any kind while he he was there…
However, in 2017 when Arkansas traveled to College Station is where I decided no more rooting for A&M… Firstly, they put the parents (at least the visiting parents) in the upper deck first base side as far as way as possible. To add insult to injury, it’s intermixed with the adjacent student’s section… My kid started the game and got the W, so there’s that – but wow, there’s nothing like listening to 6 innings of kids lobbing insults at your son, and his girlfriend. I will say they do their homework – lol! My wife got lightly kicked the back after cheering a K, and that got my attention! I will say, if you find yourself as a visitor at Blue Bell Park, pay for better seats…
All give Arkansas some kudos, they seat the parents (both sides) on their dugouts and directly behind, first come first serve. If your kid is starting, get there early and you’re on the dugout. Only team in the SEC I visited that gave parents premium seats.
@JucoDad, on behalf of decent Aggies I apologize for how you were treated. A lot of things went on in the program under the previous HC that many people weren’t pleased about. If it makes you feel any better the former players weren’t treated much better - although the fans were not the offenders in that case. There is a lot of pent up frustration in College Station due to years of the team underperforming. That probably had something to do with it. Hoping for better results this year. Having said all that, I will add that Blue Bell is one of the best college baseball game day experiences anywhere - especially for a big game.
@adbono, Blue Bell Park is an amazing venue - I just didn't like the seats... Both kids went to HS in Magnolia and the whole community bleeds maroon… Landing Schlossnagle is a major coup and should make a significant difference.
I went to all the Arkansas weekend series in 2017 but unfortunately LSU and Mississippi State both played at Baum – I would have liked to experience both those parks – someday!
