So how about that Houston High School baseball team?
Congratulations to the Tigers and head coach Brent Hall for nailing down the program’s first district championship since 2007 and second in Hall’s coaching stint. And the fact that the title game win came in run-rule fashion (15-5 in five innings) against Mountain Grove, well, that just makes it even sweeter, you know?
Never mind that Houston fell 2-1 in a sectional matchup with Fatima, what the Diamond Tigers did this year is just plain cool. And it’s a great omen for the future, as most of the squad’s key players will return for the 2020 season, and the program appears to be stocked with plenty of nice youngsters who should keep things rolling well beyond next year.
As Hall said, “Houston baseball is back.” Sweet.
Speaking of Hall, he’s one of those guys who seems to always make the right calls from the dugout when the Tigers are in the field and at third base while they bat. And he obviously has the attention and respect of every guy in a Houston uniform – something that’s perhaps not as common as it once was in scholastic sports. For anyone who claims to be a Tiger fan, that alone is worth being proud of.
But while it’s hard not to enjoy watching home team players smacking the ball around on offense, making nice plays on defense and delivering up clutch pitches in crucial moments, and it’s even harder not to recognize the good coaching being done by Hall, I enjoyed several other aspects of watching the boys during their run to the district title.
Here are a handful of reasons why I enjoyed watching specific players. They, of course, might be considered a bit silly (that’s the idea), are surely unique to my peculiarly arranged brain and are presented in no particular order.
•I enjoyed watching Sterling Jackson because my wife and I are big fans of NBC’s “The Voice,” and we thought Carter Lloyd Horne was one of the best contestants in Season 16, which concluded this week. I also liked watching Jackson hit a grand slam in a district championship game (again, made even sweeter because it was against Mountain Grove).
•I enjoyed watching Connor Wilson pitch because I was a huge Mariners fan during my 28 years living in the Seattle area and Wilson reminds me of a miniature version of Randy “The Big Unit” Johnson.
•I enjoyed watching Alex Castleman play because I was a big fan of Olympic short track speed skater Apollo Ohno.
•I enjoyed watching Devin Wallander because it’s cool watching a strong football lineman treat third base like a quarterback while diving into the bag trying to avoid being thrown out.
•I enjoyed watching Trevor Mitchell because I’ve always respected the work of actor Ned Beatty. And seeing him crack a game-winning 2-run single in a district final wasn’t bad, either.
•I enjoyed watching Braden Groff because I was pretty skinny when I was in my teens and 20s, so I can relate to a guy whose waistline couldn’t measure more than about 27-inches.
•I enjoyed watching Wiley Sisco because, well, just say Wiley Sisco out loud.
•I enjoyed watching Cody Allen because I always thought Jeff Hornacek was a good NBA player and a decent head coach.
•I enjoyed watching Jacob Koch because I appreciate anyone who goes through life mispronouncing they’re own last name. For the record, out West, Cook is pronounced “cook” and Koch is pronounced “coke.” Just sayin’.
Anyway, to any kid whose name isn’t listed here: Don’t feel left out; in fact, you might consider yourself fortunate.
And to the players returning for more in 2020, me and a whole bunch of other fans are already looking forward to it and we’ll be ready.
Doug Davison is a writer, photographer and newsroom assistant for the Houston Herald.
Email: ddavison@houstonherald.com.
