Spring Break
Former OSU player Barden earns bronze in Beijing
After hitting .362 at Oregon State, infielder Brian Barden medaled for the USA
Casey Grogan
Issue date: 10/7/08 Section: Sports
Minor leaguers and college athletes are eligible for roster spots in baseball and with hundreds of players across the country, the selection committee has its work cut out.
A month before the final cuts were made, USA Baseball had selected 60 players for consideration. The final 60 were approached by USA Baseball and asked if they were interested, a question with an obvious answer of yes. Ten scouts dispersed across the nation to keep tabs on the 60 before the arduous process turned to focus on getting rid of 36 and keeping a 24-man team.
Upon being selected, Barden and the 23 other players made their way to Cary, N.C., the headquarters of USA Baseball. Once in Cary, practice began and exhibition games were set up with the Canadian national team in order to prepare for Beijing. The players needed to feel one another out and build on-field relationships that would translate into the clubhouse and hopefully onto the medal podium.
After the long flight to China, Barden took to the Olympic experience as many would, wide-eyed, excited and honored regarding where he was. While some athletes chose to sit out opening ceremonies in the Bird's Nest so they were ready for competition the next day, the baseball team was able to enjoy the experience with time between the ceremony and its first game.
"You just feel the energy as you walk into the stadium. It is like going to a Super Bowl game," Barden said of the Opening Ceremonies. "It was just such a great 30 seconds walking around that stadium; you just cannot explain it. It was something I have never experienced and just being in that stadium was a great honor."
In addition to opening ceremonies, the United States athletes had the opportunity to meet President Bush and reside within the Olympic Village.
"Meeting President Bush was really great," Barden said. "He is a really easy guy to talk to. It was really nice of him to take time to see us and come down during batting practice and sit down to take some photos. It was definitely one of the highlights of the trip."
A month before the final cuts were made, USA Baseball had selected 60 players for consideration. The final 60 were approached by USA Baseball and asked if they were interested, a question with an obvious answer of yes. Ten scouts dispersed across the nation to keep tabs on the 60 before the arduous process turned to focus on getting rid of 36 and keeping a 24-man team.
Upon being selected, Barden and the 23 other players made their way to Cary, N.C., the headquarters of USA Baseball. Once in Cary, practice began and exhibition games were set up with the Canadian national team in order to prepare for Beijing. The players needed to feel one another out and build on-field relationships that would translate into the clubhouse and hopefully onto the medal podium.
After the long flight to China, Barden took to the Olympic experience as many would, wide-eyed, excited and honored regarding where he was. While some athletes chose to sit out opening ceremonies in the Bird's Nest so they were ready for competition the next day, the baseball team was able to enjoy the experience with time between the ceremony and its first game.
"You just feel the energy as you walk into the stadium. It is like going to a Super Bowl game," Barden said of the Opening Ceremonies. "It was just such a great 30 seconds walking around that stadium; you just cannot explain it. It was something I have never experienced and just being in that stadium was a great honor."
In addition to opening ceremonies, the United States athletes had the opportunity to meet President Bush and reside within the Olympic Village.
"Meeting President Bush was really great," Barden said. "He is a really easy guy to talk to. It was really nice of him to take time to see us and come down during batting practice and sit down to take some photos. It was definitely one of the highlights of the trip."
Note: writers will not reply to comments.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Ruth
posted 10/08/08 @ 5:54 PM PST
Nice piece. Too bad Beavs didn't have him in the line up last year. Could have used that kind of average.
Post a Comment
Comments by registered users are approved by default.