The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, June 12, 1985, Page Page 10, Image 10
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Page 10 ? June 12, 1985 Sports e gamecock i
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Kirk Rogers: The man
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I'll admit that I went to the College World Series in
Omaha, Neb. to take in a few ballgames before classes
resumed as well as to write for the paper.
But I don't feel right calling myself a USC fan, for I met
what has to be one of the best.
Kirk Rogers works in the oil fields near Dallas, Texas. I
nici iiiiii iu iiic oiiiiparK ivso nuurs neiore nr>?. s ursi game
against Arkansas.
KIRK WAS WKARINC an old C arolina hat. Not the
Joe Morrison style, but the version with a large Gamecock
under the word "Carolina".
I guessed from the hat that he was a longtime USC fan.
and i wondered how he fell to be one of lew Carolina fans
in the park, not to mention the state.
Hut Kirk's trek to Omaha equals him to the most devout
USC fan in South Carolina.
See, he didn't fly with the team or drive with another
fan. No, Kirk came by himself.
KIRK HITCHIKED to Omaha. 1 was even more amazed
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TTI1V.II lit saiu lit III.M IIIU1I1UCU HJ V^UIUIIIUIU IU WUIC'll Hit
Gamecocks in the East Region tournament.
"It's safer and cheaper than flying," said Kirk, who
rode with truck drivers most of the way. "I didn't want to
take the bus. It stops everywhere you don't want to go.
"I would drive, but my car axle broke in a pothole. The
city of Dallas said they'd pay for it."
Kirk grew up in Columbia and attended USC in 1979. He
studied civil engineering but wanted to work in oil, so he
left Columbia over a year ago to work on a drilling crew
outside of Dallas.
HE DOESN'T APPEAR likf* niic nnf nff hv a hrnLi-n I
car axle. And once USC's NCAA bid coincided with a
break in the drilling, Kirk made a decision true to
character.
He rode with truck drivers from Dallas to Atlanta to
Columbia. He worked from truck stops along the way until
he found a driver heading East.
He arrived in Columbia in plenty of time for the East
Region tournament, where the Gamecocks swept through
the eight-team affair and won the regional title on May 26.
With obvious confidence in his thumb, he left Columbia
two days later, giving him three days to get to Omaha for
the first game.
UK WENT through Birmingham, Ala., Nashville,
Tcnn., St. l.ouis, Mo. and Kansas City, Kan. before
reaching Omaha. Mis longest wait for a ride was two hours
in a Kansas City truckstop, where he took a shower and
caught up on his sleep before hitting the road.
Once in Omaha, he locked his bags in a truckstop locker.
Two old men he met at a gas station took him across town
to the park ? making it two hours before game time.
Me seemed to enjoy wuiting for the game to start.
"On a trip like this you build lip to a peak, and when the
game starts, I'll he peaking," he said.
"HITCHIKINCS MOKE FUN and you get to meet
people," he said. "I spent only about $30 getting here. A
lot of people could do it if they wanted to come."
Kirk said he reads all the Gamecock news he can in
Dallas. He gets excited talking about the past year's football
team and how he hitched rides to Jacksonville, Fla. to
see the game.
"When I was a kid, I was a Gamecock nut," he said. "I
used to go up to the Roost and eat with the players in their
cafeteria.
"When Hobby Richardson was the baseball coach, he used
to let me be the bat hoy. Now you can't even get the
field," he said.
III'. MAY' gel anoihei chance to sel loot on USC's S.ir/'e
1 rye f ield. Kirk said he wants to re-enter Carolina in the
t.i!!. I his lime, he'll pursue a petroleum engineering
I < 11 f I iImimi'i t h#? nmuriint w* k'irL vuil!
have to transfer when ncccssary.
"Carolina's ilit* placc lo be," he said. "I wish they had
.in oil field (here."
I flew back with the team after the second loss to
Oklahoma State. During our three hour layover in Dallas,
I saw a happy Mike Cook get word of being a first-round
pick in the pro draft.
But I couldn't help wondering what mood Kirk was in,
Jeff Rogers is editor-in-chief of The Gamecock.
I
" ^ ^
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Jeff Churchich tags out Norm Roberts of A
Razorbacks gave the Gamecocks"their first Ic
lisn fallc
By Jeff Rogers s
Uhu\m*hM a
OMAHA, Neb. ? USC baseball c
coach June Raines said his team t
should return to next year's College
World Series, although the Gamecocks (
finished last in this year's eight-team
national championship tournament. <
"Wc have the nucleus for another <
good ball club next year, good enough
to be back here in Omaha," Raines I
said after Oklahoma State eliminated
the Gamecocks 16-11 June 2. "We
have our entire infield and our catchers
returning."
Raines also said three good out- .
fielders return to replace outfielders |
Scott Mackie, Keith Killian and Rob
Rinehart, who have used up their
eligibility. I
USC ALSO LOSES pitchers Glenn
Jenkins, Bo Taylor and junior All- ,
America Mike Cook, who was chosen
in int* nrsi rounu 01 me major leagues
amateur draft last week by the Califor- (
nia Angels. Raines said he'll try to (
recruit six or seven pitchers to bolster
next year's staff. I
Carolina reached the College World
Series with a combination of heavy hit- <
ting and superb pitching and were
never seriously challenged in any of the
oampv
The Gamecocks advanced by knockI
ing off LaSalle II ? 1, St. John's
13?6, Western Carolina 14?3 and
I.aSalle 7?2 again in the championCalifornia
bi
Angels pi
By Grogu Lasky
)ta?fU Uitl'
Junior righthander Mike Cook, USC's ac<
hurler this past season with a 16-2 record ant
a 1.93 earned run average, capped his all
america year by being chosen by the ( alitor
nia Angels in the first round and the I9tl
player chosen overall in the 19K5 majoi
icaguc man.
Cook, who was also drafted in 19K2 in th<
sixth round after his senior year in hig)
school, led the Gamecocks to a 47-22 rccorc
and an eighth place national ranking in thi
"I'm very happy with my selection by the
California Angels. There a good organiza
t-.- tHwt tfeat Ity their- farm
00
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rkansas in second inning action of th
>ss in the series with a 10 victory o
in Ufnrli
WW VI II
hip game of the East regional playe
it Sarge Frye Field, outscoring thei
ipponents by an amazing 45?12 i
he four games.
In thp firct oarrtA nf f hp Hnnhl
ilimination tournament, Cook an
Jenkins combined to shut out Arkai
;as for 12 1/3 innings, but Razorbac
starter Howard Hilton and relievei
rim Deitz and Fred Farwell also ke|
JSC from scoring.
Arkansas broke the deadlock in tl
bottom of the 14th when Keith Ker
singled home Norm Roberts. Taylc
who walked two other batters as w<
?' t>> ? ?? & "?' ? .w nuuv.u, IUV.
the loss for Carolina.
Ai the beginning of the scasoi
Raines had said pitching would be tl
team's strong point. But once Coc
and Jenkins were used, IJSC had pr<
bleins putting a quality pitcher on tl
mound.
"AFTER MIKK COOK, we ha>
definite pitching problems and it sho\
L-d today (against Oklahoma Stale).
Raines said. "Three or tour guys wh
had good years lor us last year had b;
years this season. We had a tired pi
L'hing staff."
Both Oklahoma Stale and US
showed a lack of pitching in the
game. Both teams gave up 14 wall
and used five pitchers in the 3:!
minute contest.
USC starter Brian Currie faced nit
hatters and gave up four walks ar
two hits. Casey Reed relieved Currie
Duna
ick Cook in
system, ;iihI ri^ht now they ar<
chinj? so that's good lor me,
from his home in C harleston.
I
III. MUSI now wait until he
:in Amx'ls t:irm ti*:im
i "I haven't been told spceil'ici
r be going, hut I did talk
(southeast) scout and he in
possibility of me going to eitli
i Calif, to play in high A League
I midwestern league to play low
; said. "I'm hoping that I'll
?oniewher? fcooa??ll's kuui ai ,
r just sit around and wail."
Cook pitched the first eigJ
k? - - Sm.'i
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UPI photo
e College World Series in Omaha, Neb. The
ver 14 innings.
d Series
d ir
?
n "I think tho lark nf hittinn
v ?nw iMwn vi iniiiny
e. was partly due to a bit of tenid
sion and great pitching from
? Arkansas. We were also playing
r* against better defenses than
the average ballclub. It's just
he terrific to be here. It says
something for our program and I
eii think you'll see this team back
,k again soon."
fit
Rob Rinehort
3- USC leftfielder
the second inning and didn't fare much
/e better, as the Cowboys tagged him for
v- three hits and two more walks on their
way to a seven-run inning.
10 Going into Omaha, Raines probably
id didn't expect his team to have prol
blenis with hitting. Carolina hit 144
home runs and averaged better than
C nine runs per game during the season, %
ir but they didn't score in the series until
ks the fourth inning against Oklahoma
50 State ? a total of 17 scoreless innings.
le IJSC HAD PLENTY of opporid
(unities to score during the drought,
in See "Gamecocks," page 11
I
amateur draft
;?11 y where I'll
cntioncd the V l]j
icr Redwood. \ ? ?
iMumtinu Ubrn J
it innings of Mike C?ok * * I
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