Day Two
June 15
There are summer collegiate baseball
leagues throughout the United States, the best known being the Cape
Cod League. Today, we went to Shawnee High School in Lima, Ohio, for a Great Lakes Collegiate League game between the Lima Locos and the Grand
Lake Mariners. Like the Cape Cod League, the GLCL is made up of collegiate players in pursuit of the major leagues. Most
of them will not reach the majors, but they share a passion for baseball.
The 250 or so fans at the game have their
own passion for baseball. The entire experience is far different (more casual, less commercial) from other forms of baseball
that have a greater profit motive.
We had another beautiful night for baseball and saw another well-played game with
players that may never get a line in The Baseball Encyclopedia. Yet, like the pros, they field grounders, throw strikes,
hit gappers and provide enjoyable baseball action for baseball fans. Lima won the game, 9-5.
In the last ten years,
or so, many new summer collegiate baseball leagues have emerged throughout the United States. They all play a schedule of
about two months in June and July. Try to attend a summer collegiate baseball league game on your baseball travels.
We
also visited the campus of Ohio Northern University in little Ada, Ohio. Ohio Northern’s baseball team, the Polar Bears, has a record of success in the Ohio Athletic Conference. It won championships in 1923, 1931, 1949, 1974, 1976, 1982 and 1983.
At the helm for the last four of those titles was Herb Strayer, head coach from 1971 to 2001. Strayer guided 630 ONU victories,
over 500 more than anyone else in school history. He died in 2002 and the road that goes past the first base side of Wander
Field, home of the Polar Bears, is named in his honor.
Special thanks to fellow Ohio University alum and great friend
Vince Koza (and his family) for taking
such good care of us in Lima.
continued
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