July 26, 2002
Notre Dame Baseball Summer Diaries (Javi Sanchez, Entry #1; Hays, Kansas)
Hello Irish fans. I’m currently in Hays, Kansas, playing for the Hays Larks (33-11) along with my Notre Dame teammates Ryan Kalita and Tyler Jones. We were just recently crowned Jayhawk League champions for the second consecutive year.
Hays is a unique place and it is not unusual to see temperatures going over 110 degrees. At times, it is rather windy, making it a little bit more comfortable to play in this scorching heat. However, the wind plays against us at our own field (Larks Park) because it blows in from the north and there just so happens to be a feeding barn north of the park, blowing in the sweet smell of cattle manure. The fan support is great and it is not unusual to see about 150-200 people per game.
My host family has been amazing to me. I have a wonderful host little brother and sister. My host brother, Jacob Young, has a question for every question ever known to man. Everyone finds it humorous and every once in a while I utter the words to him “last question, Jacob.” My host family has allowed me to drive the family antique (a.k.a. The Beast), a 1971 Chevy Cheyenne. It’s ironic because my teammates seem to love the truck; however, the women in Hays are not as impressed.
Road trips are grueling because the bus we travel on is really something else. We travel from one corner of the state to the other. We have played games in Topeka, Elkhart, Liberal, El Dorado, Kansas City and Salina. We also travel to a town called Nevada (it’s in Missouri) to play a team there. The road trips are exciting and they bring out the best in the kids, thus allowing the Larks players to bond while playing our ritual card games.
After a 1-for-27 start at the plate, I have finally began to feel comfortable swinging the wood bat. At the present time, I am hitting .241. Both Ryan (1-1 with a 3.69 ERA) and Tyler (5-0, 3.60) are pitching exceptionally well and have won some big games for the Larks this year. I spend a lot of time at their host houses. We just always hang out together.
Tyler has fell in love with the old school Nintendo Entertainment System. He created a team (The Irish) and has truly built them up to be a powerhouse. The game is called Baseball Stars, I’m not sure if any of you remember playing it as a youngster, but I sure do and any time Tyler needs a forsure win he calls on Javi to get the job done.
We will be playing in the feature game at 7:30 in the National Baseball Congress (NBC) World Series, starting on July 30. It’s possible that our teammate J.P. Gagne may be there with his team from Alaska.
I reported to Hays after spending four days in my hometown of Miami. While at home, I had some time to think and reflect on the amazing season the Irish baseball team posted. Omaha was by far the greatest experience of my life and I was just so thrilled to be a part of it . The College World Series was everything you imagine and more. The atmosphere was electric and the fan support for the Irish was amazing.
I vividly remember driving up to Rosenblatt Stadium for our first practice session and being in a state of awe as I just stood next to the statue in front of the stadium. I was waiting for my mom to walk into my room and say, “Javi get up it’s time for school,” because I was living a dream.
Steve Sollmann and I were roommates in Omaha and we pretty much just laid low each night with our families. Card games were of the norm, as we would just sit around a table and tell stories.
Joe Thaman probably got the biggest laugh out of my teammates and I when he told the ESPN personnel that, “Nobody calls Javi ‘Hollywood.’ ” The segment was aired before every game, and, yes, after every game somebody told me about how my teammate mocked me on national television. It was all in good humor and very typical of Joe. I’m sure all the Irish fans enjoyed it as well.
I remember going to dinner with Zach Sisko several times. “Siskaino” (as we like to call him) is always fun to be around while eating at restaurants, because for some reason all the waitresses always fall in love with him. Cody Wilkins was present and I spent a little bit of time in his room. It’s always a pleasure talking to Cody because he is always full of delightful thoughts.
Omaha was full of amazing experiences, experiences my teammates will cherish for the rest of their lives. Omaha was remarkable, and for some reason I don’t think that the Notre Dame baseball team would mind returning. When our season ended in Omaha, at the College World Series, we had something to be proud about. We have something that nobody can take away from us – a memory.
Take care and I hope everybody is enjoying their summer.
-Javi
P.S.: I miss the seniors already.