It was cold and rainy and felt more like April than late July. Tom Caron and Jim Rice didn’t have their stage set up on Yawkey Way and the bleachers were 100 percent empty — but there was still baseball to be played at Fenway Park.
Last Thursday, the Cape Cod Baseball League held its annual All-Star Game at the Fens for the first time since 1987. Once the fans got over the inclement weather, the strangeness of America’s most beloved ballpark being only one-third filled and of hearing that same old announcer calling names like Mickey Wiswall and Derek Dietrich instead of Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis – it was fun. It was damp, and it was different, but it was fun.
For the players – the college kids who hope to call Fenway Park their home in the not-so-distant future – it was a dream come true.
“This is where you want to be if you’re a professional baseball player,” Georgia Tech’s Dietrich, representing the Wareham Gatemen, told the GateHouse News Service. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for all of us, even though every one of us hopes and dreams that one day we can come to these parks every day for a living.”
Dietrich’s West squad defeated the All-Stars of the East, 3-1 in a five-inning affair that was called due to rain. Cotuit star Zach Cox (Arkansas) highlighted the West’s offensive effort, driving in two runs with a long triple in the first inning and a single in the second. A respectable 14,317 fans showed up for the festivity – not quite as many as David Ortiz and Co. draw on a daily basis, but enough to give the players a little extra jolt in their step. Not that it would have taken much, anyway. Most of the college standouts would have been happy to play in front of three people if it meant they would have the chance to leave a dent in the Green Monster.
ESPN senior baseball analyst Peter Gammons, a longtime supporter of the Cape League, understands the sentiment.
“For some of these kids, this game will be the first time they’ve stepped onto a professional baseball field, and you can see their eyes light up once they are here,” he told the GateHouse News Service. “They’re playing a high level of baseball all summer, but once they step onto the field at Fenway, they’ve got a taste of the big time for the very first time.”
Cox, a rising sophomore, is used to playing at Lowell Park in Cotuit, which welcomes as many fans as it can fit on two sets of bleachers and some fenced-off grass between home plate and the bullpen. But he wasn’t intimidated by the Citgo sign and the rickety green scoreboard. He earned his keep on the West’s lineup card and proved that he has what it takes to play on the biggest of stages.
“You get a chance to come out here and play at Fenway," the third baseman told 5 News of Fayetteville, Ark. "It's just a big opportunity. You know, obviously, everyone's goal is to be a Major League Baseball player, but this may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for all of us, so it was a great feeling.”
Who’s hot?
The USA men’s basketball team will head to the 2012 Olympics in the hopes of defending its gold medal – and it will be doing so with Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski at the helm once again.
The Duke coach led the Americans to the world championship last summer in Beijing and will reprise his role, accompanied by assistants Mike D’Antoni, Nate McMillan and Jim Boeheim.
“In my coaching career, I don’t really have any regrets,” Krzyzewski told ESPN.com. “Obviously, you’d like to have won a certain game or two, but as far as decisions of where I coach and what I’m doing, I’ve led a very charmed life. And I think if I didn’t do this, I would have regretted it.”
Coach K could be the X factor in luring America’s top players – including Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwayne Wade — back to the Olympics.
“I had a wonderful experience playing with Coach K and his staff,” Wade said in a statement. “I believe his return will make many players want to join the senior national team and represent our country.”
Who’s not?
South Carolina football coach Steve Spurrier revealed on Friday that his preseason All-SEC ballot was the one that omitted former Heisman Trophy winner and current Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. Instead of selecting Tebow as the all-conference gunslinger, Spurrier picked Mississippi’s Jevan Snead.
Tebow, 21, threw for 2,746 yards and 30 touchdowns with just four interceptions last year as he led the Gators to their second national title in three years.
During a news conference, Spurrier told ESPN.com that his director of football operations filled out his ballot. Spurrier only took a quick glance at it before signing off, therefore unaware of his Tebow omission until much later.
“I take full responsibility,” Spurrier told ESPN.com. “I'm embarrassed about it, I feel badly about it … I apologize to Tim Tebow.”
Wonder if that director of football operations still has a job?
Quote of the week
"The premium is astronomical, but the payback in the event of a catastrophe puts the monetary value there. We felt it was the prudent thing to do."
— Brad McCoy, father of Colt McCoy, on ESPN.com, after taking out an insurance policy that will pay $3-$5 million in the case of a career-ending injury to the Texas quarterback
Outlook
As the Cape League wraps up its last nine days of regular-season competition, the players return to Fenway Park on Thursday for All-Star Player Recognition Night. The All-Stars from the East and the West will be recognized and congratulated during a pregame ceremony before the Red Sox wrap up a four-game set against the A’s at 1:35 p.m.
