Baseball: Zach Daw

Charlie Sheen May Be Onto Something With This Winning Thing

Winning.  This term has been thrown around a lot recently mostly do to the on-air antics of Mr. Charlie Sheen but despite his apparent insanity, you can’t blame the guy for seeking a positive outlook on his life that seems to be falling apart.  If the Wild Thing is simply doing what all of us should want to do every day:  whether if it’s in the work world, on the baseball field, or playing tittly-winks with a kid you should always be motivated to win.  (Side note: If Two and a Half Men were half as entertaining as the Charlie Sheen interviews in the past month, I would be upset about his shows impending doom)

This motivation is something that the Guilford Baseball team has had over the first month-and-a-half but the wins have been hard to come by.  Before this past Saturday, the team was 4-12 overall and 0-2 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC). These losses were not a result of our lack of motivation, but rather a result of the fickle nature that the sport of baseball offers to its participants.  This weekend, the conference schedule had us lined up against one of the top teams in the ODAC in the form of the Hampden-Sydney College Tigers.  With our backs against the wall in terms of conference contention, this was a weekend where we needed at least one win.  The result was something that nobody in our conference saw coming.

Over the course of two games, the Guilford College Quakers struck for 33 runs off of 49 hits to sweep the Tigers by the scores of 15-11 and 18-3.  We had four players with at least seven hits on the day and our first baseman Kyle Wooden went 8-9 on the day with four doubles, six RBI and a home run in his first at-bat upon his return from a toe injury that sidelined him for about three weeks. This was a day that was simply a result of the determination and motivation that we kept throughout the rough times finally erupting to put together two wins that the team desperately needed.  While this day was a breakthrough game for the team, this day also signified a turning point for me as well. 

My last three starts following my Day Two win over Piedmont College had been less than ideal, resulting in two no-decisions and a loss.  As a result, my coaches tapped two other starters for the weekend, relegating me to the bullpen in anticipation of starting the equally-important midweek conference game this Wednesday.  Sounded like a solid plan until our starter on Saturday had a line drive force him out of the game after the first inning.  After not expecting to start, I ended back in the starters role with my team down 5-4 at a point in the season that was “make or break” everyone standing on the field.

My outing lasted five innings, where I allowed four runs and struck out five.  It was enough to earn the win but I owe that win entirely to the guys holding the bats.  With 15 runs to back you up, it sure makes it a heck of a lot easier to win a game.  Following a bit of a lull in the past games, this performance against the Tigers has me back on the right path and confident that there is nowhere to go but up for the remainder of the season.   The key was that throughout all of this adversity, just like the rest of the team, I never let the struggles get me down and simply looked for the next chance to compete. 

Unlike Charlie Sheen, the guys from Hampden-Sydney could not continue their “Winning” ways just because they had Tiger Blood running through their veins.  (This trash talk is directed towards Mr. Michael Blackwell (and I suppose the entire Blackwell family) who is the coolest Hampden-Sydney alum I had the pleasure of knowing)

The Best Sports Season of the Year - March Madness

(Written 3/5/11)

In the south, and especially in Burke County, we are about to enter one of our favorite sport seasons of the year as the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament will begin on Thursday, followed by the “Big Dance” a week later when the NCAA Tournament begins.  However, before we can get to these tournaments, one key matchup is always guaranteed to take place and that is a highly anticipated meeting between the Duke and North Carolina.  As I write this on Saturday morning, before the big game this evening, I felt it would be a good time to reflect how my relationship with this rivalry has changed over the years.

ACC basketball games are some of the earliest sports memories that I have.  They aren’t memories in the way that I remember precisely what happened in a certain game, but rather I just have a foggy recollection of me as a toddler watching basketball games with my family.  When most kids are indoctrinated by their parents as to which school to pull for based on their personal allegiances, I was in a strange position where I got to choose my team as I grew older.  My Dad went to Campbell University and my mom went to UNC-Greensboro so there was no alumni-fueled bias directed at me.  I remember that I was three or four years old when I said the words “I really like their mascot” and became the Duke Blue Devil fan I am today. 

(I’m now guessing all my UNC readers have stopped reading this column so I thank all you Dukies and assorted Wolfpack fans for moving onto this next paragraph)  It may seem odd that one of my strongest allegiances is based off a silly childhood observation but it was simply the mascot that got me interested.  After the Blue Devil caught my interest, I suddenly had an opinion about the sport and became interested in watching them. Throughout my public school years, I was never afraid to rock some Duke gear.  I have owned Duke shirts, sweatshirts, baseball jerseys, basketball jerseys, and hats and anytime I wore that stuff to school I caught massive heat from my fellow Tarheel “friends.”  Just stirring up that kind of conflict just made the Duke/UNC games more fun to watch. 

My relationship with Duke has changed a bit since I came to Guilford College.  Even though we compete in different NCAA divisions, the school I attend became the number one school by default.  All my Duke gear was replaced by Guilford gear and would only be worn around the month of March.  I was also nearly fired from my job as a campus tour guide for accidentally wearing a Duke fleece while giving a tour.  My emotions towards the Devils would only become more screwed up after I started working for the ACC.

When I first interviewed for the ACC internship, my greatest fear was that I was going to be working for an old, frazzled UNC-junkie who would never give a job to a Duke fan.  Luckily that wasn’t the case in that my boss turned out to be a relatively young Florida State fan.  Even though I didn’t have someone looking down on my fandom, it became clear early on that people who worked at the ACC don’t wear their allegiances on their sleeves.  In fact, there are people I have worked with for two years at the office that I still don’t know who their ACC team is.  In a building that encompasses all the history of the Duke/UNC rivalry, it feels so weird not being able to pick a side like I have done my whole life.  When I monitor football or basketball games, there is only one time that I can root for Duke: whenever they are playing a non-conference opponent.  While this is a good outlet, the rule does have a bit of a downside. 

The inverse of this rule has also developed a disturbing trend for this Duke fan in that I have to pull for any ACC team (including UNC) when facing a non-conference opponent.  All I can say is that after years of ridiculing Tarheels for losses (UC-Santa Clara, just sayin’), it has been tough to show compassion for my rival.  However, if doing so can keep me working in the world of major college sports then I think I’m willing to take that bullet.  But right now, as a college student waiting for the game tonight with no plans to go near the ACC Offices, I think you all will know who I will be rooting for come 8pm.