Opening Day – Appy Style

I attended seven opening days in Major League Baseball amd there is nothing like it. I also was in uniform for twenty six in the minor league opening nights but never one in the Appalachian League. On this day, the Flyboys of Greenville travel to Elizabethton,Tn. It is a commuter trip, meaning we drive to the city, play and return home after the game. This field in Elizabethton is the smallest in all of minor league baseball There are three sets of grandstands, each very different from the other. The clubhouse is “ dusty”,the playing surface is adequate for this league. The scoreboard does not work, almost like the season has snuck up on the fine folks there. The mounds are flat -both game and bullpen. This ballpark sits on the Watauga River. The Watauga runs from Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina into Eastern Tennessee. The river that rubs aside the ballpark is beautiful

The game is nearly underway. A former player of mine is the manager for newly coined River Riders. The attendance is sparse, the excitement and energy from the players is not. The teams, battle for nine innings. Some sloppy play from time to time but expected as each team had one workout before opening day. Let not one forget, these excitable players are collegians not paid professionals. Intensity, hustle and effort spilled out from initial pitch to last swing of the bat. The Flyboys fall in the season opener by one run. The men played hard, tomorrow is a new day and I can’t wait to be a part of it.

Meeting The Flyboys

The inaugural season for the USA Baseball and MLB run Appalachian League starts one day after reporting day. The day before our first and only preseason workout we board a bus headed to East Tennessee State University baseball stadium. The team has 16 pitchers to begin the season. I have researched the players on the roster. I am trying to learn as much as I can about each athlete before meeting them in person.

The teamed donned these sweet Appy league tee shirts and shorts on this warm, muggy Tennessee afternoon. I have roster in hand so that I can learn the names of the players as quickly as possible. Oh man did we make a blunder the initial day. We wore the shirts with no numbers on the back. After a team briefing from the manager, coaches, medical team and USA Baseball personnel, I can get my first sit down with the pitchers.

I have learned over the years how short the attention span of us males can be- well limited. So, I am going to be loud, to the point, make it light, informative and humorous to break up the conversation. The most glaring issue is who is this guy talking, me. So an introduction of my playing and coaching history is the leadoff hitter. Secondly is finding out who is ready to pitch the next day. By the end of the workout I announced who will toe the rubber the first two days of the season. It did make me feel uncomfortable asking a pitcher who is in the middle of throwing a bullpen , “ what is your name again”. Well, we made it through the first day despite not knowing anyone’s name. In professional baseball the coaches are called by their first name, not coach. But these kids call me coach, which on the inside makes me smile. Coach is the second greatest moniker, next to Dad!! Tomorrow, is a commuter trip to play in Elizabethton, Tn. A new adventure, a new city and a new league kicks it out tomorrow.

Another Summer of Baseball Awaits

A new adventure in around the corner. I will serve as a pitching coach in the newly former Appalachian League My new team has been coined, The Greenville Flyboys. The Appalachian League is and will be a summer collegiate baseball league that is part of the MLB and USA Baseball Prospect Pipeline, a pathway for amateur baseball players in the United States. The league will be an integral part of the identification and development process for USA Baseball Collegiate National Team and other national teams.

The Appy League is one of the longest running leagues in professional baseball history. It began originally began in 1911. This is a 10 team league. There will be a 54 game schedule. I and my partner, Road Momma will chronicle, unbiasedly, the daily happenings of The ” Appy League” life. The journey will begin on June 1st as I leave the comforts of Cary for the unknown( well, for me anyway).

I have worked a lot of leagues in the past 33 years but never this one. I have been to Princeton, WV as the Cincinnati Reds had a Rookie level team there years ago. Princeton is a member of the Appalachian League, by the way. This should be a fun season, very eye opening. Let’s don’t forget I was in the Major Leagues from 2012 to 2018. I see this as an opportunity. I have not been seen by the baseball community since 2019 and out of sight and out of mind as the saying goes. This will be a fun ride and I will keep you updated each day. Oh, the co-writer you ask, Road Momma. I will let her introduce herself. All as I can say is she has argued in front of the Supreme Court, ran the Disney Marathon and adopted an entire baseball team in 2019. Stay tuned.

Mack