4.26.07 Character
This entry was posted on 4/25/2007 8:47 AM and is filed under uncategorized.
You heard enough about me and the book yesterday. Let's talk about the team.
So many things have gone into the success of the 2007 Lynx: superb coaching by Coach C and assistants Rob Schrier and Steve Wright; talented, intelligent, hardworking, and disciplined players; families that are supportive in every way; and more. I'll have occasion to write about all of these in the posts to come. For now, though, let me focus on one vital element of this team's success: character.
By my reckoning, the character of this team was revealed most clearly on February 27, when Rhodes played Christian Brothers University Bucs, a Division II team and a crosstown rival. The Lynx had just lost 15-0 to Maryville. Junior Chris Catalanotto, the still-unproven No. 3 starter, was on the mound. CBU scored three runs in the top of the first.
Here's what most teams would have been thinking at this point: We're probably going to lose. No big deal--they're DII, Cat's not one of our hosses, the game doesn't count for anything, let's get it over with.
Here's what the Rhodes team thought: three runs behind is nothing, we can beat any team if we play our game. The dugout got loud, the hits started falling, and Cat shut CBU down in a way Rhodes fans would grow accustomed to as the season unfolded. The final score: Rhodes 5, CBU 4.
The day after the game I sent an email to the players and coaches. Here's part of what it said:
"The easy thing to do when you fall behind a D2 team 3-0 in the top of the first is to just accept that you're outmanned and not worry about it--after all, they're D2 and you're not. Instead, you stopped the bleeding and then battled back all the way.
"Aristotle said that character is revealed in action. You showed real character yesterday--not just the guys in the lineup but the guys in the dugout who cheered them on."
The CBU game set the pattern for the season, a pattern in which bad days like the one against Maryville never turned into bad weeks. Look at the record:
>Rhodes loses to Hendrix, then beats nationally ranked Millsaps the next day.
>The loss to Maryville is followed by a sixteen-game winning streak, including four-game sweeps of conference rivals Oglethorpe and Sewanee.
>Rhodes drops a doubleheader to DePauw, then wins the next day's doubleheader and goes on an eight-game tear, including a four-game sweep of Centre.
>The team loses two games to LaGrange, then takes two of three from No. 10-ranked Washington University and No. 3-ranked Emory University. Against Emory, not only does a bad day not turn into a bad week, a bad morning--Emory 14, Rhodes 3--turns into a good afternoon. Rhodes spanks Emory in the second game, 8-3.
>A 9-0 loss in Game Two with Trinity is followed by a 5-2 victory the next day, with Catalanotto on the mound for all nine innings. The victory catapults Rhodes into the SCAC final four in Georgetown.
Aristotle again: I think he got it mostly right when he said that character is revealed in action. I would add just one phrase to that statement: Character is laid bare in action in the face of adversity. By that reckoning, Rhodes has passed character check after character check all season long.
So many things have gone into the success of the 2007 Lynx: superb coaching by Coach C and assistants Rob Schrier and Steve Wright; talented, intelligent, hardworking, and disciplined players; families that are supportive in every way; and more. I'll have occasion to write about all of these in the posts to come. For now, though, let me focus on one vital element of this team's success: character.
By my reckoning, the character of this team was revealed most clearly on February 27, when Rhodes played Christian Brothers University Bucs, a Division II team and a crosstown rival. The Lynx had just lost 15-0 to Maryville. Junior Chris Catalanotto, the still-unproven No. 3 starter, was on the mound. CBU scored three runs in the top of the first.
Here's what most teams would have been thinking at this point: We're probably going to lose. No big deal--they're DII, Cat's not one of our hosses, the game doesn't count for anything, let's get it over with.
Here's what the Rhodes team thought: three runs behind is nothing, we can beat any team if we play our game. The dugout got loud, the hits started falling, and Cat shut CBU down in a way Rhodes fans would grow accustomed to as the season unfolded. The final score: Rhodes 5, CBU 4.
The day after the game I sent an email to the players and coaches. Here's part of what it said:
"The easy thing to do when you fall behind a D2 team 3-0 in the top of the first is to just accept that you're outmanned and not worry about it--after all, they're D2 and you're not. Instead, you stopped the bleeding and then battled back all the way.
"Aristotle said that character is revealed in action. You showed real character yesterday--not just the guys in the lineup but the guys in the dugout who cheered them on."
The CBU game set the pattern for the season, a pattern in which bad days like the one against Maryville never turned into bad weeks. Look at the record:
>Rhodes loses to Hendrix, then beats nationally ranked Millsaps the next day.
>The loss to Maryville is followed by a sixteen-game winning streak, including four-game sweeps of conference rivals Oglethorpe and Sewanee.
>Rhodes drops a doubleheader to DePauw, then wins the next day's doubleheader and goes on an eight-game tear, including a four-game sweep of Centre.
>The team loses two games to LaGrange, then takes two of three from No. 10-ranked Washington University and No. 3-ranked Emory University. Against Emory, not only does a bad day not turn into a bad week, a bad morning--Emory 14, Rhodes 3--turns into a good afternoon. Rhodes spanks Emory in the second game, 8-3.
>A 9-0 loss in Game Two with Trinity is followed by a 5-2 victory the next day, with Catalanotto on the mound for all nine innings. The victory catapults Rhodes into the SCAC final four in Georgetown.
Aristotle again: I think he got it mostly right when he said that character is revealed in action. I would add just one phrase to that statement: Character is laid bare in action in the face of adversity. By that reckoning, Rhodes has passed character check after character check all season long.
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4/30/2007 4:01 PM
Skip Cook wrote:
My son played D-3 baseball at Sewanee graduating in May 2006. He discovered your site and let me know about it.The entire family misses the Sewanee/D-3 experience. You site is great and we will be monitoring frequently. "HOW BOUT CHA BABY, COME ON ONE SIX, LETS GO TO RIPPIN" is a favorite.
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