Memphis Chicks
October 24, 2008First off, I just want to say that we have been blessed to be watching such a great World Series so far. These two teams are made for each other. Young, homegrown talent, fast, pitchers throw strikes, put the ball in play, can play catch, and run the bases intelligently. Good baseball. So since the last post had a couple of good events to mention…first off had a great training session with Barefoot Ted up in the hills of Los Angeles. I learned more about the barefoot running style, the Indians, and my technique. My hope is to pass it on to my son and see if that alleviates his heel/achilles pain. I’ll keep you posted.
So the second good thing that happened was that I hooked up with a good friend and ex-teammate from my first days in pro ball. Kevin Koslofski played a number of years in professional baseball – he was a speedy left handed hitting outfielder with a great arm from Illinois. Our paths first crossed as teammates on the 1990 AA Memphis Chicks and later for a couple seasons in the big leagues with KC. Anyway, he was traveling through So Cal on business and I brought him over to the house to reminisce about the glory days (Bruce Springsteen – one nothing) over pizza and the World Series. It brought back so many memories of one of the best seasons and teams I ever played on. The 1990 Memphis Chicks. I caught, Sean Berry 3B, David Howard SS, Frankie Liriano 2B, Jeff Conine 1B, Kos, Bobby Moore, Brian McRae, Pete Alborano outfielders, Stu Cole, Kyle Reese, Tommy Dunbar, Jorge Pedre. The pitchers -Scott Centala, Brian McCormack, Carlos Maldanado, Hector Wagner, Ritchie LeBlanc, Jim Campbell to name a few. And our manager was the one and only Jeff Cox. What a year… we won the Southern League championship and I made friends that will last a lifetime. It was my first time out of California, my first time in humidity, my first time eating grits and drinking sweet tea, my first time meeting Southern girls, my first time taking 18 hour bus rides, my first time meeting Latin players, and my first time doing my own laundry. There were points in the season – somewhere in the back roads of Georgia in the middle of a 18 hour bus ride – that I wanted to kill every person on that bus. I could’ve cared less if I ever saw any of them again. Ever. There were times I wanted to come home. I didn’t though. When the dust all settled, I had a ring, memories of a lifetime, friends I’d been through the wars with, and probably the finest baseball playing experience I’d ever had.
very nice reading………….you forgot the story in class”a” one of your first road trips ever…when we were walking in pt.charlotte fla. on the side of the road with a 12 pack of bud light………….no sac .you remember what happened? ill let you finish the story…..tried getting in touch w/ you while you were out here in new york but it never happened.anyway god bless and write me…………..pete a.
Umm, yep I remember Pete….we ran into our coach. Never forgot to use a sack after that! That was probably my first “lesson” in pro ball…always disguise the contraband, use a sack. Those were great times and a great team Pete. Hope life’s treating you well….B
you had a nice career.wish i was able to see you during your mets stint!!!!ive become a huge hockey fan(rangers) and to be honest when i was released by the phillies,i got a bad taste in my mouth w/ baseball.to be honest im still fighting it ,in the back of my head…..its a tough thing when you do something since you are 6 yrs of age and then one day,some white collar guy who never wore a jock strap,tells you that the org. is going in a different direction………..a sequence in the movie”bull durham” hits home w/ me…when crash gets called into the office and gets his walking papers ,and then is walking along side the stadium,really distraught and dijected…….it depicts how hard this game is, not just on the field but as a business too………….anyway buddy,you were always a down to earth surfer dude and never had a bad word to say about anybody,i respected that……thats what i remember about you…..it didnt hurt that you were drafted number 1 out of fullerton!!!lmao.im an officer with the sheriffs dept on long island!!!!still wearing a uniform and single again!!having some fun w/ the guys once again….life is funny,lol sometimes this job reminds me of baseball,comraderie,teamwork etc…….anyway stay in touch and it would be great to see you sometime…..p
Hello Brent. We never met, but I knew several of the guys you named from that team as well as Pete. Hey Pete! I was the batboy for the Virginia Generals in ‘88. Every now and then I look up their names on the net and try to see what they are up to now. I am now working in Japan as a teacher. Been here the last 5 years. I haven’t played baseball for a while myself, but now I play badminton and volleyball every week. If that website link shows up it has a bunch of my pictures from Japan.