Unexpected Arm, Ever-Constant Heart

The Alta High baseball club finished their season with a record of 17-13 and played exceptionally well in the state tournament this past May. Their team was loaded with young men who could really do their job at the plate and their fielders had unbeatable chemistry. By looking at them, one could tell these boys had great potential, and by the end of the season--although they were not state champions--they had every right to be proud of fulfilling that potential. This team surely did amazing things and created a fan-base that high school baseball is very unfamiliar with. Packing the stands for games that were not even played at their home field, this group of ball players did their best and definitely did not disappoint.

The real highlight of their story, however, is seen in a teammate who, ten years ago, would never have been picked to carry a team to such great victory.

At eight years old, Khale Tilby was barely big enough to control the bat when he swung it. With his pants tightened as much as the baseball belt could handle, he would stand at the plate and give it his all. Some days, this would get him on base... other days, the fans would be left saying "You'll get it next time, kid," while Tilby walked back to the dugout that he was all too familiar with. He was the ultimate 'little guy' and many unbelieving spectators would doubt in his ability to ever be anything more.

Although his stats over the next six or seven years would not show it, Khale Tilby continued to give baseball his all. Looking past the fact that he was cut from teams by coaches who were blinded to his potential, he spent countless hours on the field, in the cages, and in the bullpen striving to become the ball player he always dreamed of being.With the support of his family, teammates, and a faithful coach, small improvements were seen by the time he hit High School ball, he had only gotten taller (now at 6' 4", 170 lbs.) and many continued to doubt that he would ever retain the strength of a pitcher. Therefore, it was nothing short of a fight for him to keep his spot on the team. Pitching mostly Sophomore and Junior Varsity games in his first high school seasons, Tilby was anxious to get out of the upper classmen's shadows.

When his Senior season came around, all high school baseball fans and speculators knew that Alta had to bring something extraordinary in order to compete in their new, aggressive region. Although very few thought to ask Khale to provide the special ingredient, he and his team had something up their sleeve.

Alta's best kept secret was not kept for very long, though. Before the season even started, Tilby threw a no-hitter against Weber High school, foreshadowing the rest of the club's season--yes, it only got better!
Deeper into the season, there were countless games when Khale had to lift his team out of a terrible slump and not only fight for his own, but that of the whole nine in the field. Full counts in situations that would normally choke any experienced pitcher seemed to entice him, and he battled them with extreme poise. His ability to war against all odds inspired teammates and fans.

Even with an outstanding appearance against their rivals, the Jordan Beetdiggers to win the series, Tilby's arm in the state tournament was by far the most outstanding. He lead his team to jaw-dropping victories against teams like the undefeated Taylorsville Warriors and reigning champs, the Bingham Miners. His pitching and the team's support and hard work soared them through the first four rounds of the state tournament.

With as much fight and poise, the Hawks were ready to meet the semifinals with everything they had. But that day, a victory was not in their agenda. Of course, fighting til the very last inning of two exhausting games, Tilby and his teammates came to understand the true meaning of Yogi Berra's famous words "it ain't over til it's over," --that meaning being that eventually, it is all over.

With six other seniors, Khale Tilby walked off the High School field for the last time and--with tears in his eyes--showed all those present that even though his arm was the unexpected treasure that brought his team so far, his heart and love for the game are a constant that should never be doubted.

The Alta Baseball club has been blessed to have this 'little guy' on their team--he not only brought fans to their feet because of his skill and hard work, but more importantly, he brought them to tears because of his heart and inspiring story that reminds us of the power that baseball has to truly make anything possible.

The Real Madness of March

Even the most experienced of travelers cannot avoid the twisted, nervous, free-falling feeling in their stomach that happens every time a plane finally lifts off of solid ground. They could fly as many times as they please and still never get away from the internal excitement of being so high above the clouds.

Just the same, even the most accustomed of baseball fans cannot avoid the twisted, nervous, free-falling feeling in their stomach that happens every time March rolls around.


High Schools are getting their fields ready, tryouts everywhere are underway, "team moms" and little league coaches are signing up in every suburb, and, of course, spring training is up and running.

This excitement we feel is quite the epidemic!

This anxiety comes at the beginning of Spring for the same reason that it comes before any baseball game--anything can happen! Unless the fifty-fourth out has been made, there is no way to say that the game is over, and unless October is dead and gone, there's no way to say who is number one. Time and time again, baseball has proved its unpredictability.

Whether you are a Yankee or a Royal, there is no getting away from the madness! The stress factor never fails to drive us insane!... However, it is also one of the reasons we love the sport as much as we do.

Other sports fanatics often tell us that we are odd, crazy, or straight up psycho for loving such a "boring" game. Every time we hear it, it takes everything in our power to not lash out at them for their ignorance. Even when games change with every out, batter, and inning; even without a time limit; even with unexpected plays every minute they still brand baseball as boring.

And here we sit in March, sick to our stomachs, clammy handed, and misunderstood. Yes, we will always be the truly "mad" fans in the sports world.

Therefore, this must be our month! So here's to March, here's to insanity, and here's to us--the only people willing to put up with the anxiety, unpredictability, and "boredom" that only our sport provides!

A New Standard, or Simply Super-Human?

We might have watched him miss slightly more than we are used to tonight; and other nights, we watch him hit so many that it is nearly unbelievable! Whether he is a little off, or being classic Jimmer nailing what seems like every shot, taking those deep "Jimmer three's" is the part that shocks us all.
Some may say he is over-rated, and maybe they are sick of hearing about this amazingly talented New Yorker--but whether you love him or hate him, there is no denying that the way he plays is nothing short of remarkable.
The deep three pointer that Jimmer so often takes has come to be his trademark. Fans talk about it amongst themselves like it is something no one has ever seen before, and trying to explain it to someone who has not watched Jimmer play before is nearly impossible. The shot from about five feet behind the three point line has helped the Cougars with their record and rankings this season (not to discredit the great talent coming from the rest of the BYU basketball team) and has got Fredette incredible amounts of attention.
And why not talk about it?
This shot has the potential to set a totally new standard for college basketball as we know it.
People like Willie Mays did things differently in their game, and along with this, they changed the way that others played it--they set a new standard for the sports. All it took was one player willing to try something different, that is ALL it took, and the game changed forever.
However, in some cases, we see players who seem to just simply be super-human. The athletes that played with Michael Jordan could hardly compare to his skills that left so many people in awe. He did things that still remain fairly untouchable today. He, too, did things differently, and did change the game, but was always looked at as an extraordinary athlete that was just the uncontested best.
Now, before you get to calling me crazy for comparing a Mountain West college athlete to the legendary "greats" that are known by every sports fan, let me just say that Jimmer Fredette is linked to them because of how great he is in his sport and his league. Of course, I am not saying that he is as great as Michael Jordan, but there is no doubt that he has the potential to be a legend in basketball.
The "Jimmer three" also has great potential--potential to change the standards of college basketball. His willingness to shoot those deep, fan-thrilling shots could be that one thing that could change the game forever.
Then again, other players can start shooting like Jimmer, or they can believe he is just simply super-human. Maybe this shot is untouchable. Sure, we see it on occasion from other players, and it is seen a lot in the last seconds of close games; still, there is a chance that no one will ever grow as comfortable and consistent with this shot as Fredette is.
Whether a new standard has been set, or whether we just simply call him super-human, there is no doubt that the "Jimmer Three" is a monumental thing for basketball.
(BYU-69. Wyoming-62. 2/2/11)

Frustration about Fredette Hype

In the Deseret News last week, an article explained how the BYU men’s basketball team has grown in skills and in team chemistry because of the attention that the superstar, Jimmer Fredette has been getting. The papers, TV, and BYU’s opponents have been paying so much attention to Fredette that it actually gives the other players a chance to shine while being neglected by defenders that leave to help guard Jimmer, or not having to deal with the expectations of being the superstar. The outside talk about the amazing senior is a great thing for his teammates and, not to mention, this hype has barely phased Jimmer himself!
In tonight’s game against the UNLV Rebels, however, we did see someone affected by this season’s BYU fame.
It wasn’t Jimmer, that’s for sure. In the mid-second half, Fredette fired a LONG three and, surprise!… nailed it--my personal favorite play for tonight. He also scored over thirty points and dished a beautiful fast break to Jackson Emery for the play of the game.
And, it definitely wasn’t Jackson Emery. He scored his career-high of 23 points tonight; and, along with finishing the play of the game, played huge defense and with great hustle. Coach Dave Rose proudly (and with a big smile) stated that “[Jackson was] shooting with a lot of confidence,”--confidence that most certainly oozed through in his performance tonight.
Ok, it’s obviously not a Cougar who was troubled by the Jimmer chatter.
The frustrated Quintrell Thomas of UNLV undeniably showed his anger when he faced the team from Provo tonight. In the second half, there was a messy rebound by Thomas, but when a cougar attempted to steal it, and fouled him, Thomas threw a feisty elbow that resulted in a flagrant foul.
With the cougars never really phased by the tight, full-court defense that the Rebels played, and winning for the first time in five years in Las Vegas, Quintrell Thomas was probably not the only heated Rebel this evening.
And, aside the raging Rebels, there was plenty of happy Cougs. As expected from BYU, Jackson and Jimmer were not the only guys working hard.
As Jimmer said, it was “a great, all-around effort for all of [them].”
(BYU-89, UNLV-77)

True Highlights (1-1-11)

Just as you would expect a coach of a Rose Bowl Champion team to say, Coach Gary Patterson of TCU praised his quarterback, thanked the ecstatic fans, and spoke of his wild emotions during the most intense play of the game.
In this season’s Rose Bowl, the undefeated Horned Frogs battled the Badgers of Wisconsin down to the last minutes of the game. After the Badgers got into the end zone to cut the TCU lead to just 21-19, they had no other choice than to go for the conversion; however, as the ball was headed toward a wide-open receiver, Tank Carder denied the pass and forced the Badgers to try an on-side kick… which was recovered by TCU--the play that basically locked in a victory for the mighty team from Texas.
So, of course, in his interviews, Coach Patterson was asked about Carder’s amazing play, his team’s great quarterback, and what this win meant to him. But something definitely stuck out in the questions that were asked by the reporters.
As anyone who knows the slightest bit about TCU and their history could tell you, the Horned Frogs are a “little guys” program. Yes, their linemen are far from “little” and their record far more than a “big” deal, but coming from the Mountain West Conference, not many college football groupies outside of the Mountain knew of this incredible team until recently when it has become nearly impossible for this fighting, purple football team to go unnoticed.
With this in mind, the surprising question that was prevalent in the interviews was if this TCU win was for “all the little guys,” (meaning all the other teams that don‘t get their turn to shine in the BCS spotlight because of the BCS rules that most college football fans know as terribly bogus). Both Gary Patterson and his 42-7 quarterback answered the same way: they won, first, for TCU, and next, for all the little guys; Coach also said something to the effect of “it was for all those guys that didn’t get their chance.”
In a sport that focuses more and more everyday on individual superstars and teams that win based on one player’s actions, you can see a lot of teams and teammates that let so much get to their heads. You would think that if anyone in college football had the right to be conceited, it would be this unstoppable Texas program; but they just won an incredibly well-fought game and gave the win to the “little guys everywhere who didn’t get their chance.”
TCU is just what football needs. Not only do they pull off game-changing highlights, and defy all possibilities with their remarkable players; but they pull off true highlights and change the focus from individual superstars to teams that win for something so much bigger than themselves.

About The Sports Paige

This blog will be pieces that I write about games, players and sports in general. I'm no professional though, so I won't have anything too juicy. I will try to make it kind of like the sports section in the news, and I will also have a frequent post about true highlights in sports, once you read one or two you will get why I call it "True Highlights". I hope you enjoy reading and thanks for visiting The Sports Paige!