“For those about to rock, we salute you…”

I couldn’t think of a better song for the 200-plus programs in action this weekend. Countless phone calls, endless miles on the road and strokes of good luck have already given some clubs a better recipe for success than others.

Two-day clinics, 50/50 raffles and pancake breakfasts have given way to the opening of the 2005 spring season.

This is the time of year when all college baseball programs are rewarded for their patience. Our staff looks forward to our team meals, when we can be more personal with our guys. I strongly believe in storytelling as a way to teach our kids.

When a player lays out and makes a big play, I may give him “Looked a little like Bo there.” (Not Bo Jackson – Bo Durkac, the assistant at UNC Charlotte.) It helps to remind me how fortunate I have been.

Bo was a dynamic third baseman who played with me on a championship team in pro ball. This time of year I think of the South and the great people I have met along the way. Another guy on that team, Chris Sinacori, is now the pitching coach at Wake Forest. I guess none of us got rich in the minors, but the mind never forgets the classic times spent together.

I like to bust on our pitching coach, Mark Lavenia, for the bleeder he gave up to P.J. Rose back in ’98, which may have cost us another title. He reminds me of the slow-footed left-fielder nowhere in sight. (That would be me.)

It’s the greatest time of year for all of the baseball community. At the same time, I feel it is appropriate to not lose sight of what is going on in the real world.

We don’t risk our lives for our profession, we shape them. We have endless issues. Who will be starting on the weekend? Who will get playing time? Who wants more money? Most importantly, what is my job security like? They can consume you if you let them.

During the Super Bowl, one commercial really stuck with me. It was the one where

the military personnel were walking through the airport. When they walked past,

the civilians gave them a standing “O.” “Thank you” then appeared. It made me think of how good I have it, and how proud I am to live in this great country. I have a great family, a great staff and a great team, which I would bleed for.

Good luck to all of the team competing, and most importantly to our troops.

“For those about to rock, we salute you…” – AC/DC

JM

(photo courtesy of Albany Media Relations Office)