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ENLARGE
Watching Ben Sheets pitch on TV for the National League in the 79th annual Major League Baseball All-Star game on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium brought the 1996 American Legion Baseball World Series to my mind.
In ’96, Sheets was the 18-year-old ace for Athletic Center of Gonzales, La., which advanced to the Legion World Series at Roseburg’s Bill Gray Stadium at Legion Field. Gonzales finished second in the eight-team tournament, losing to Yardley, Pa., 6-3 in the championship game.
Now, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound right-hander is the ace for the Milwaukee Brewers. Sheets, who turned 30 today, is in his eighth MLB season. He became the first Brewers’ pitcher to start the All-Star game.
With a 10-3 record and 2.85 earned run average, Sheets deserved the start. He allowed one hit in two scoreless innings against the American League, striking out three and walking two. The AL prevailed 4-3 in the 15-inning contest.
The ’96 Legion World Series was a treat to cover and Sheets was the most talented pitcher to take the mound in Roseburg that year.
After Gonzales lost 10-9 to Yardley in its tournament opener, the Louisiana club faced elimination. But Sheets kept his team alive, firing a two-hitter (one of them a popup that was lost in the sun) in a 7-0 win over Sandy, Utah. He struck out 10 and walked six, retiring 15 straight batters at one point.
I was impressed and interviewed Sheets after the game.
“It was an average performance,” he said. “I didn’t have my best stuff. I was leaving everything up, but I made some big pitches when I needed to.”
Oh, he was better than average. Sandy coach Mike McNary didn’t mince any words when asked about Sheets’ performance. It was the 10th win of the summer for Sheets, a graduate of St. Amant High School.
“That’s the finest pitcher we’ve seen all season,” he said.
Gonzales (48-11) would win three more elimination games in the tourney, setting up the finale with Yardley.
Sheets got the ball for the championship game and struggled. It wasn’t due to lack of effort. He allowed nine hits in eight innings, striking out seven and walking six. Three of the six runs he allowed were earned.
Sheets received the Bob Feller pitching award for most strikeouts (37) in regional and World Series games, but said he would’ve gladly traded it for a World Series title. Still a season to remember.
It didn’t take long for Sheets to reach the bigs. He pitched for Northeast Louisiana (now the University of Louisiana at Monroe) before becoming a first round draft pick of the Brewers in 1999. He was a member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic team that won a gold medal at the Summer Games in Sydney, Australia.
Sheets joined the major league club in 2001 and has been in Milwaukee ever since, compiling an 83-77 career record with a 3.74 ERA. Heading into the second half of the season, the current Brewers sit five games behind the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central race and are seeking their first postseason appearance since 1982.
There are a few of us in the office who are rooting for Sheets and the Brewers to be playing in October.
In ’96, Sheets was the 18-year-old ace for Athletic Center of Gonzales, La., which advanced to the Legion World Series at Roseburg’s Bill Gray Stadium at Legion Field. Gonzales finished second in the eight-team tournament, losing to Yardley, Pa., 6-3 in the championship game.
Now, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound right-hander is the ace for the Milwaukee Brewers. Sheets, who turned 30 today, is in his eighth MLB season. He became the first Brewers’ pitcher to start the All-Star game.
With a 10-3 record and 2.85 earned run average, Sheets deserved the start. He allowed one hit in two scoreless innings against the American League, striking out three and walking two. The AL prevailed 4-3 in the 15-inning contest.
The ’96 Legion World Series was a treat to cover and Sheets was the most talented pitcher to take the mound in Roseburg that year.
After Gonzales lost 10-9 to Yardley in its tournament opener, the Louisiana club faced elimination. But Sheets kept his team alive, firing a two-hitter (one of them a popup that was lost in the sun) in a 7-0 win over Sandy, Utah. He struck out 10 and walked six, retiring 15 straight batters at one point.
I was impressed and interviewed Sheets after the game.
“It was an average performance,” he said. “I didn’t have my best stuff. I was leaving everything up, but I made some big pitches when I needed to.”
Oh, he was better than average. Sandy coach Mike McNary didn’t mince any words when asked about Sheets’ performance. It was the 10th win of the summer for Sheets, a graduate of St. Amant High School.
“That’s the finest pitcher we’ve seen all season,” he said.
Gonzales (48-11) would win three more elimination games in the tourney, setting up the finale with Yardley.
Sheets got the ball for the championship game and struggled. It wasn’t due to lack of effort. He allowed nine hits in eight innings, striking out seven and walking six. Three of the six runs he allowed were earned.
Sheets received the Bob Feller pitching award for most strikeouts (37) in regional and World Series games, but said he would’ve gladly traded it for a World Series title. Still a season to remember.
It didn’t take long for Sheets to reach the bigs. He pitched for Northeast Louisiana (now the University of Louisiana at Monroe) before becoming a first round draft pick of the Brewers in 1999. He was a member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic team that won a gold medal at the Summer Games in Sydney, Australia.
Sheets joined the major league club in 2001 and has been in Milwaukee ever since, compiling an 83-77 career record with a 3.74 ERA. Heading into the second half of the season, the current Brewers sit five games behind the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central race and are seeking their first postseason appearance since 1982.
There are a few of us in the office who are rooting for Sheets and the Brewers to be playing in October.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL.
Of course it’s not too early to start talking about the 2008 season. The Ducks and Beavers both have openers in August.Two preseason football publications, Athlon Sports and Lindy’s, see Oregon finishing third in the Pacific-10 Conference behind Southern Cal and Arizona State. Oregon State gets a sixth from Lindy’s and eighth from Athlon.
The Trojans, who are loaded annually with blue chip recruiting classes, are ranked No. 2 nationally by Lindy’s and No. 4 by Athlon. Lindy’s has ASU No. 4 and Oregon No. 21; Athlon lists the Sun Devils No. 15 and Ducks No. 19.
Georgia heads Lindy’s top 25, while Florida is No. 1 by Athlon.
Individually, three Ducks and two Beavers made the Athlon preseason all-Pac-10 first team. Senior defensive end Nick Reed, senior safety Patrick Chung and junior cornerback Jairus Byrd of UO were mentioned along with senior guard Jeremy Perry and senior tackle Andy Levitre of OSU.
The Beavers open at Stanford on Aug. 28 in a Thursday night Pac-10 game. The Ducks also open with a conference contest, hosting Washington Aug. 30 at Autzen Stadium.
Air Force, guided by Roseburg High graduate Troy Calhoun, is predicted for sixth in the Mountain West Conference. Brigham Young, coached by former Oregon State linebacker Bronco Mendenhall, is picked to win the league.
• You can reach Sports Editor Tom Eggers at 957-4220 or by e-mail at teggers@nrtoday.com
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