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The thing about greatness is, you don’t really appreciate it until it’s in the past.
LeBron James may end up the undisputed greatest player of all time, and it seems like no one is truly appreciating what he’s doing right now. In 25 years, people are going to look back and say, “LeBron was the greatest to ever pick up a basketball.” But right now, hoops fans are overlooking what he’s doing simply because we as human beings have a knack for feeling indifferent about what we have until it’s gone.
This seems to be the case for Tech baseball, too. Fans are evidently preoccupied with the future of Kliff Kingsbury, or what Tech football has to do to win six games, or pretty much anything other than the present successes of our baseball program.
Here’s my advice: Stop. Take a look at what Tim Tadlock has done and is doing with this team. Two College World Series appearances in the last three years, and the team he’s put together this year feels stronger than the previous contenders.
And let’s talk about Tadlock for a second. Most fans will say Larry Hays is the greatest baseball coach in Tech history, and they wouldn’t be wrong to do so. But even in Hays’ finest regular season (51-14 and a SWC tournament championship), the team never advanced to the College World Series. Tadlock was able to do so twice in his first four seasons, revealing the brilliance in his postseason coaching ability. Baseball is as much a mental game as it is physical, and Tadlock has proven he can get his guys in the correct frame of mind to go the distance.
Ace RHP Davis Martin is returning to full health and will likely pitch in the Big 12 tournament. Steven Gingery is a top-five starter in the country. The Red Raider hitters can put up 15 runs on any team in the nation. The Tech defense is top-20. And the team has won five of its last six going into the regular season finale against Kansas. They have all the momentum in the world.
If you’re not on the Tech bandwagon yet, now’s the time to hop on. The next few weeks are going to be thrilling. Recognize LeBron for his greatness. Appreciate Tech baseball for the same.