I can see it now...

April 14, 1999

Originally Published By The State Hornet (Sacramento State)

I CAN SEE IT NOW… “MY WORLD” JOINS THE SAC STATE BASEBALL TEAM

By Mark Bryant

The weekend of March 26 through 28 saw some dramatic Hornet baseball, with help from an unlikely fill-in.

Put me in, coach. I’m ready to play…today.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on a Hornet baseball shirt, which started this crazy business in the first place. It started out as a daydream, but turned into a serious lark.

What would result if a weekend warrior decided to try and crack the lineup of a collegiate baseball program? Yours truly was about to find out.

I was sitting in the State Hornet offices when I abruptly received a phone call from the coach, who was looking for a presence to inspire his team.

So, after taking batting practice and cranking a pitch into the left field pavilion (much to the joy of the Bums), I was the proud owner of a Sac State shirt and sitting in the dugout, where I would remain.

No, I didn’t change into my spikes in the phone booth, but the thrill of being part of the Hornet baseball tradition was indescribable.

As a kid, I made a rather futile attempt to pattern myself after my baseball heroes, such as the immortal weak-hitting Buddy Biancalana of the Kansas City Royals and flash-in-the-pan Jack Perconte of the Seattle Mariners.

That explains why my longest hit in organized baseball was a windblown pop-up that the shortstop and second baseman both lost in the sun.

But, as it turned out, the Green and Gold didn’t need my paper-thin bat, wooden legs or bad hands on Friday afternoon because the Hornets socked it to the Matadors, 8-3.

Jesse Krebs and Daniel Harkness both went 3-for-4 to lead the onslaught. And I sat.

Then next day, I still sat.

Then in the bottom of the 12^th inning in game three with the score tied 3-3. That’s when I got my chance.

With the bases loaded and no one on the bench available, guess which direction Coach looked? ... That’s right.

Ever seen a deer staring into a truck’s headlights? The stance I took at the plate bore an eerie resemblance.

Forget trying to get the winning hit. I was doing my best to not get hit.

Which is precisely what happened. Here’s what took place: Fastball conked me right in the noggin. I dropped like a sack of potatoes. The winning run scored from third.

Game-winning stud. A complete klutz would be more like it.

Oh, the next day I read something to the effect that Harkness singled to center and drove in two runs in that very same inning to win the game, 4-3. Oh yeah? Then why is that bump on my head still as high as a three-story building?

I wonder if Coach Smith has anything up his sleeve for the road trip against Pacific.

Ya gotta admit, any sports fan would give his right arm to get close to a team and play. Any role other than being used as a crash test dummy… and getting bench splinters firmly lodged in his keister.