Abandoned - Chapter 12: It was the Summer of ‘89

 The Hawks’ 1989 season ended on May 2^nd, the same way it began on March 13^th, with a doubleheader loss to Missouri-Saint Louis.

And in between, there were 51 days of the most disconcerting baseball experience that any of the 19 players who made up the QC roster had ever gone through. It was a campaign of personal feelings and emotions that ranged from embarrassment, disappointment, and frustration to a few moments of relief and celebration. 

 
Some observers and maybe even a player might say it was a baseball year of few highs and many lows. I would dispute, but respect that representation with some of those commentaries coming from a direction and individuals who understood what had transpired in the past year.  There were a few other criticisms from others whose reasoning and portrayal meant absolutely nothing to me.  I had the advantage of age and the experience of familiarity and insight to grasp what would and eventually did take place with the Quincy College baseball program in the years to come.  Many of the '89ers" would continue to be a part of that in the years to come.

There is always a transition of students leaving their initial college of choice after their freshman year and in our specific case, I don’t think baseball had anything to do with their departure. We could have been a complete reversal and finished 40-6 and some players would have transferred and/or reconsidered the whole higher education concept.

Too far from home, missing a girlfriend, academic concerns, financial worries, a change to a major not available at their first-choice college and a myriad of other reasons can be present. 

The summer months of mid-May to late August found four players from the ’89 team, who were returning to Quincy College, choosing different paths than baseball with all of them form-fitting their academic and/or work schedule during the school year.  
There were some who had to step away for a few summer months. One pitcher who had thrown a ton of innings during the season needed a summer of non-throwing activities. He received his summer physical training by filling, lifting, and stacking 50-pound bags of wheat working for a seed company.

Quincy was not part of the CICL (Central Illinois Collegiate League) in 1989. It would be another 5-6 years before a Quincy franchise would join the league. That would have been a very viable option for several of our players had that opportunity been present in the summer of 1989.

Summer school was an option for some, either at Quincy, or a college close to home.
Then there were a few individuals who had an opportunity to undergo a baseball pilgrimage and a well-deserved change-of-pace. 

Catcher Bud Mcginnes had an invitational tryout in the summer with the USA Team in Millington, Tennessee. 

I had coached a team of college players in Millington one year earlier. We faced the 1988 Olympic team twice and were handed two sound losses, but what an observation post and thrill it was to participate in those games.

Bud had a much better day participating on the field in Millington than my summer group of fine collegiate players had. He went 1-2 with a double and threw out two baserunners. He also had an opportunity to catch a couple of the finer college pitchers in the country.
He wasn’t selected for any further workouts that are set up in large part to see pitching prospects pitch in live situations.

Ending his college career in that setting was a virtuous reward for a player whose four years at Quincy College included a grab-the-lunch pail work ethic and ended with being a leader of a team that badly needed player guidance. Every teammate will always remember his walk-off home run that gave the 1989 club their first win of the season.

Bud’s career performance numbers were clearly affected by the team’s 1987 van accident that severely injured three QC players. Bud broke both wrists and a kneecap that day and played his final two seasons with pins in his right knee and a slight limp that became more obvious when he ran down the baseline.

Maybe I was partially blinded by his overall catching skills, but I never saw his knee affect his ability to block pitches, throw out runners or run-down foul pops. 

It’s an understatement to say that 6-40 was not the way he wanted to close out his Quincy College career, but he and his brother, Pete made a permanent and positive mark on the Quincy College program. 

Bud carried the water for us through most of the 1989 season and I know his teammates will always recall his contributions. His last college coach did.
Simply put, Bud McGinnes was a baseball player.