I was a sophomore at Cal Poly in 2003 when the university announced Ozzie Smith would be speaking at commencement that June. From a school known for producing architects and engineers, Smith was the most-famous athletic alumnus, easily, with his Hall of Fame career at shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres. [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Cal Poly baseball stories’
Ozzie Smith’s commencement speech at Cal Poly in 2003
Posted: 25th November 2009 by Graham Womack in UncategorizedTags: Cal Poly 2003, Cal Poly baseball stories, Ozzie Smith commencement speech
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Jerry Weinstein: The Best Baseball Coach I Ever Knew
Posted: 28th June 2009 by Graham Womack in UncategorizedTags: Cal Poly baseball stories, Garrett Olson, Sacramento baseball players
When I was a kid, growing up in Sacramento, I went a couple of summers to a baseball day camp hosted at Sacramento City College. Designed for elementary school-aged children and led by the City College players, the camp let us focus on fundamentals, filming our batting stances, having us hit against pitching machines, and [...]
A Ricky Romero story you haven’t heard
Posted: 26th June 2009 by Graham Womack in UncategorizedTags: Cal Poly baseball stories
I’ve mentioned on here before that I saw current Toronto Blue Jays starter Ricky Romero pitch a couple times in college, when he was with Cal State Fullerton. Here’s a story about him that I doubt too many people know. I saw Romero pitch for the first time his freshman year six years ago, when [...]
Before they were famous: Garrett Olson
Posted: 2nd June 2009 by Graham Womack in UncategorizedTags: Cal Poly baseball stories, Garrett Olson
I started covering baseball my sophomore year of college at Cal Poly and the first series I attended, a freshman southpaw making his debut drew my attention. Pitching long relief against Loyola Marymount, the hurler was a bright spot in an otherwise forgettable game. Before long, he earned a spot in the starting rotation and eventually, he became a compensatory first-round [...]