I think as coaches and competitors, we can become concerned with only the bottom line. Did we win today? Will we win tomorrow? What is our current record?

Obviously winning is a big part of the job, but it is not the only one.

When recruiting at Oregon State, we also talk about the places recruits will get to go to compete. Every other year, we go to some of the most prestigious stadiums in baseball history. Many young men dream of walking on the dirt in stadiums rich with tradition.

Within our own conference, we get to experience the desert culture of Tucson, the glitz of Los Angeles and the open range of Pullman.

So far this year we have played in Hilo, Hawaii; Athens, Ga.; and Surprise, Ariz. I hope our players understand what an opportunity they have to see and experience different places. We try to give our kids time to do the tourist thing each day.

On Opening Night in Hilo, we had a full stadium of two hundred people, yet it felt like the last game of the National Championship series. During the day, our players walked on the beach, ate sushi and snorkeled in knee-deep water.

Two weeks later, we were playing in Athens, Ga., it is 40 degrees and there are 2,500 people in the stands, and again it felt like the last game of the National Championship series. During the day our kids walked around downtown Athens, admired the southern architecture and rolling hills, ate barbecue and counted the number of concrete bulldogs in the city.

Surprise, Ariz., has the desert heat in the day and crisp cold at night. During the day, the guys worked out in a big league spring training site. We played in a pro park in front of 5,600 people against ASU on Saturday afternoon.

Almost all of my own life’s travels have been because of baseball, and I am thankful for that opportunity to see our country and all its differences and similarities.

Dan Spencer

(photo courtesy of Oregon State Media Relations Office)