Column: Baseball gives Blacksburg a sense of normalcy
Clark Ruhland, CT Staff Writer
April 24, 2007
Friday Pete Hughes continued to answer question after question posed by the national media.
Virginia Tech had just lost, but as the head coach looked over into the dugout, he spotted his eldest son beginning to cry. The young batboy ran to his father's arms.
"It's OK, buddy. It's OK," Hughes said as he held his sobbing son in his arms. "If Warren would have spent one day in the weight room·"
Hughes' young son wasn't crying because the Hokies had just lost; he was crying because of how the Hokies lost.
Down by two in the bottom of the ninth inning with a man on, Tech senior shortstop Warren Schaeffer lifted a moon-shot to the leftfield wall, only to be robbed over the wall by Miami's Nick Freitas.
For one brief moment, Hokie fans had a chance to celebrate. That celebration was pulled away, and the Hokies lost 11-9.
"I can't believe that on a day like today they bring the ball back," Schaeffer said. "It's unbelievable. Just unbelievable. I knew he was going to bring it back, because that always happens to me."
It happens to the best of them. Albert Pujols gets robbed of game-winning home runs, but he only plays for himself and his team. Schaeffer and the entire Hokie squad played for the university and its community.
Sports mean so much in a time like this. It doesn't matter if it's softball, lacrosse or baseball. The games give the community a chance to take its mind off of the world around it for a brief period of time. Most of all, it's a time to get back together as Hokies, whether you owned an orange or maroon shirt before April 16 or not.
As a sports guy, I knew that I had to be at these events. It was so cool to hear the "Let's go Hokies!" chants from the crowds, especially at English Field. A usual baseball crowd is a little over 500 or so. But when over 3,000 came out to the park, it was a sight to behold. Even the Hokie Bird made an appearance.
Sports on campus stand for more than just athletic events. These are our peers who represent the institution with which we will always associate ourselves. All of the Hokies played their hearts out this weekend. They knew that everyone was watching, and you have to commend how determined each team was.
Sure, the Hokies lost every event on Sunday, but who cares? They all won in the hearts of the Hokie Nation. And now, as we students are heading back to class, the Hokie Nation is reaching out to us.
Walking to class Monday morning, I came upon a lady handing out brownies to everyone who walked by. One by one she continued to hand out her plastic bags with two brownies in each. She was doing something that she felt would help students get back into the swing of things.
As I walked up to her, she handed me a bag, and then I recognized her face. Her smile was familiar, and then it hit me. It was Cheryl Beamer, wife of Tech head football coach Frank Beamer.
"Thanks, Mrs. Beamer," I said.
She turned around, grabbed my arm and gave me a hug. She doesn't know any students on campus, but she felt like handing out goodies was the best thing to do. Her husband leads the beloved Hokies, and she wanted to be there for those who cheer on his team the hardest.
That's what sports do to you. Ordinary people do extraordinary things in sports, but at the end of the day, they all put their shoes on the same way.
Ward Burton, a NASCAR Nextel Cup driver from South Boston, Va., sported a large white "VT" logo on the front of his car this weekend. Monday he came to campus with his family to pay respects to the victims on the Drillfield.
Sure, Burton may be a Daytona 500 winner, but he was just any other guy out on the Drillfield paying his respects. He wasn't here for a glamorous interview or to sign autographs. He was here as a member of the Hokie Nation. He has always worn Virginia Tech shirts at the track, and even his son wants to go to Tech in four years.
Ward Burton, Cheryl Beamer and Pete Hughes's son have no true relationship. One races on television every weekend, one is a coach's wife, and the other is an aspiring college baseball player. However, there is one thing that all three have in common - they are all proud Hokies.
Things will slow down here on campus, and the days are limited before seniors such as myself will lose the student identity, but one thing will stay the same. We'll always be Hokies.