Phoenix show various shades of season excitement

Quinn and Elefante right before conditioning. (Photo by Garrett Koster)

Remember back in the Santa-believing era of our childhood, when counting down the days until Jolly Ole Saint Nick would drop down the chimney on December 25 was an annual affair? Well, if you want to see the excitement accompanied with that affair resurrected in college-aged men, go to a baseball locker room this time of the year. Countdown: there are exactly four weeks until our first game.

Like our variety in fashion style, the Phoenix locker room offers a wide variety of attitudes building up to the season, all of which are shades of excitement. I’ll never forget the shade of excitement I had on my first college game day, I’m unashamed to say that I ran up the water bill going to the bathroom that day, as a result of all the butterflies I had. Everyone seemed to take full advantage of my excitement by pulling a timely prank, which I’ll leave unstated for now, in hopes of maybe reviving it this opening day.

I couldn’t help but chuckle talking to some of the freshman outfielders about their thoughts going into their first college baseball season. “I can’t wait, I’m jacked up for the season, but I have no idea what to expect,” the twins (Blain and Quinn) said in perfect harmony, “like, when do we eat? what time do we get to the field? what’s it going to be like playing against big SEC and ACC schools? I’m just clueless.” And then there was Bruno, who was really afraid of leaving his cleats at Elon while on a road trip.

Leaving your equipment back at the ‘Lon on a road trip is a perpetual fear. My freshman year I forgot my pants when we went to Clemson and I had to wear some pants four sizes too large (I looked like a wannabe rapper). The past two years my road trip room

Bankhead, the twins, Swim, and Elefante before conditioning (Photo by Garrett)

mate has been Swim. There was a stretch last year where he forgot an article of our uniform four weeks in a row (So, Bruno, you’re not alone, we’ve all been there).

In comparison to the excited curiosity of Bruno and the twins is the excitement from the veteran players who know “when to eat, when to get to the field, and what it’s like to play against SEC and ACC schools.” Brez, Swim, and Garret we’re talking all about it today. “I can’t wait for meal money, nothing beats free food” Brez said (whenever we play road games we get “meal money” to eat). “I can’t wait to just get back on the field and play games,” Garrett said “it’s the time of the year to focus fully baseball. That’s awesome.” Swim mellowed out the freshmen’s excitement, displaying a “cool, calm, and collective” approach to the season, one that is as cool as the backside of the pillow.

Learning more about the team: If you have never been around baseball players, you will learn quickly that we are the most superstitious humans. I found out today that Blaine

Javier Hernandez doing Blaine’s pre-game ritual.

fits that stereotype like a glove. He likes to imitate the famous soccer player for Manchester United, Javier Hernandez, before each game, dropping to his knees and rubbing his thumbs together. As far as I’m concerned, if he keeps getting on base and running as fast as he does, he can do ballet in the outfield before the game and I’ll be fine with it.

I’ll end this post by telling a little story from practice today that should be amusing for you, at my expense. While, we were taking fly balls in the outfield, I moved from CF to RF and got a bad “read” on one of the fly balls directly over my head. I turned and ran at full speed and immediately looked up to see the laces of the ball…in my eye: black eye. A little less chivalrous battle wound than fighting Kimbo Slice, but all in all, it’s worth a chuckle or two.