josh phegley...indy star.....

[TJames]

i know josh plays at iu, but did anybody see sunday's indy star?...they did a short profile of the some of the top indiana players who are eligible for the major league baseball draft....they had a picture and write-up about josh....his indiana tie? a catcher at iu...lol...not a word about him being from terre haute.....lol....other players who were from indiana high schools, they included that information.....just wondered what anybody thought about it.....

[Jason Svoboda]

i know josh plays at iu, but did anybody see sunday's indy star?...they did a short profile of the some of the top indiana players who are eligible for the major league baseball draft....they had a picture and write-up about josh....his indiana tie? a catcher at iu...lol...not a word about him being from terre haute.....lol....other players who were from indiana high schools, they included that information.....just wondered what anybody thought about it.....
I hate, hate, hate it when they put players in there that play for state colleges but did not grow up in Indiana. They aren't local, they're aren't Hoosiers.

[4Q_iu]

What?! I thought EVERYONE who drives through Gloomington is a hoosier?!

[BankShot]

Only if you finish your trip in Indy!!!

[4Q_iu]

I always get a chuckle out of all of the Mellencamp snaps/footage during a bball game; guarantee mast Americans think he's a iu grad; did he even graduate from Vincennes?

[TJames]

just wondering why, when you have a kid who grew up just an hour away to the west, you don't mention his hometown? he is an indiana kid and baseball, after all (as the beautiful sarah fisher always says), is an indiana tradition....lol.....

[TJames]

is an indiana state grad? lol...but at least tommy actually attended classes at indiana state...met his future wife there....and spent time on campus.....heck, if iu can count mellencamp, isu can also count don mattingly....he signed a baseball scholarship to attend isu before he was drafted by the yankees.....

[Jason Svoboda]

Mattingly was also on Cowherd recently and said "what was I thinking?" when I signed with ISU.

[BankShot]

Did Mattingly ever get a college degree? Where's his son now in the MLB farm system? If he doesn't cut the mustard, what are his plans...cow-herder or pig farmer? Risky enterprises in the wake of swine flu...

Didn't "Mattingly's 1.5" (or whatever his # was) go out of business down in E-ville?

[TJames]

he was thinking that he was signing with the premier in-state collegiate baseball program at the time, that's what he was thinking...lol....indiana state was the only in-state school at that time that was giving full-ride scholarships to come and play baseball...indiana state was the only major in-state school that was putting money into baseball at that time....notre dame followed soon after, but indiana state led the way there for awhile....that's why isu's recruiting was good in getting most of the best in-state talent to stay....and at that time, high school baseball in indiana wasn't considered to be on a par with schools in the south and west....bob warn proved that you could win with having exclusively indiana-born talent.....in the late 1980s and early 1990s, schools like stanford, ohio state, wichita state, and others came recruiting to indiana in general and terre haute in particular....because they saw what bob was doing at indiana state....i heard gene stephenson of wichita state say that...he couldn't believe that bob could win big with indiana-born kids, but that bob proved him wrong....

i think don is having some revisionist history....lol......maybe the fact that isu didn't recuit his sons enough...i dunno....i think he and bob are still on good terms.....maybe not....

[ths/Sycamore32]

i know josh plays at iu, but did anybody see sunday's indy star?...they did a short profile of the some of the top indiana players who are eligible for the major league baseball draft....they had a picture and write-up about josh....his indiana tie? a catcher at iu...lol...not a word about him being from terre haute.....lol....other players who were from indiana high schools, they included that information.....just wondered what anybody thought about it.....

Didn't he win Indiana's Mr Baseball while at North?

[TJames]

which i pointed out in an email to the indy star's editors...lol......in today'
s feature about greenfield central's kyle gibson, they talked about indy metro players...they made sure and said that....lol.....

[BankShot]

TJ - "i think don is having some revisionist history"

Since Mattingly still claims Evansville as his home, he simply didn't have the balz to admit the fact of ISU collegiate baseball excellence WHEN he was drafted out of HS. Let's not forget that a few years ago, he was ready to become a co-INVESTOR in a new downtown E-ville ballpark that ultimately, fell thru the political cracks to be replaced by the "E-ville Downtown Arena" idea.

Mattingly was simply chewing his "political correctness" cud during his Cowherd moo.

[4Q_iu]

I guess the difference is Tommy John is an ISU alumnus and grad!
Mellencamp is a fan / donor. Having an honorary degree from an institute doesn't make one an alumnus nor a graduate.

Cowherd? Not familiar with it but considering how Mattingly's career worked out, it's doubtful 1-4 years at State would have been of benefit. Don't mis-understand, I wish Donnie Baseball would have attended State but he didn't.

Why wouldn't Mattingly still consider E'ville his home? He maintained a home during his years in NY; always came back in the off-season. I, for one, will not be surprised when he's managing a team in the MLB; just wish it was the Yankees. But I could see him taking the LA job, post-Torre; perhaps the Cards or another Midwest team.

The folks in E'ville truly consider it "Indiana's Shang-Ri-La" -- I'm not sure why; having grown up in Posey County, I'm familiar with the place but... The true shame is the state of Indiana establishing another HS in Evansville; perhaps you've heard of it, it's called USI.

[4Q_iu]

Yep, Mattingly was very interested in obtaining a SaL (SALLY League - Class A) Franchise and moving it to Evanville. The plan was a new riverfront stadium; the team may have ultimately ended up in the MidWest league as two of the SaL teams are being realigned next season (Is Bowling Green KY really in the South Atlantic area?? Or Eastlake OH??)

Ultimately, the E'vill taxpayers said HELL NO -- Play at Bosse Field! So, the Frontier League is the pro baseball of choice in The Pocket City.

[TJames]

the last i heard, he had been given an honorary degree...that was when i was working there...he was honored...but they had to pull some strings because at that time he has not actually graduated as of yet...and i left isu as an athletic department employee in 1997....maybe he graduated after that.....i'll have to check with john newton on that....

[4Q_iu]

Well, the archives list him as 'Class of 1964.' But I don't know if he has a degree.
http://www.indstate.edu/archives/daa/alumni/John.html

At a minimum, he is an alumnus (only requirement is attendance, not graduation).
If anyone would know, it's John Newton -- he knows everyone at State!

[4Q_iu]

That would be interesting to know why Mattingly IIa and IIb didn't play ball at State; hate to think it was recruitment/scholarship, no offense but Don could have EASILY afforded to pay for them to walk-on! Maybe he loses a lot in the divorce but it can't be more than 1/2!

Did his restaurant just close (choice) OR have to close? I was there a couple of times; good grub but I've had as good/better. Big memorabilia collection; it was definitely more of a Sports Bar than restaurant.

Should TJohn or DMattingly be in the Hall of Fame?

[BankShot]

I'd go for TJ, because he was BOTH a Terre Haute HS (Gerstmeyer) and ISU grad. Not Mattingly.

[4Q_iu]

I don't think iu claims Mellencamp BUT they do nothing to dissuade anyone from THINKING he's an alumnus. Consequently, I've never seen ISU CLAIM Mattingly as an Alumnus but they have every RIGHT to claim Tommy John because John IS an alumnus.

Whether or not John is a GRADUATE is apparently still open to debate.

TJames, were you working for ISU in 1979 (when T John was named a Distinguished Alumni?)

:) Wait a minute -- T James, T John... You're ACTUALLY Tommy John aren't you?!?! Wow, I can't believe it's Tommy John! Damn, I remember watching you when you were with the Yankees! Does your elbow hurt when the weather changes? How come you're not still managing in the independent leagues? Wow -- what an honor to meet you! :p

[TJames]

yes, i was worked at isu when tommy was named a distungushed alum...he was also honored at halftime of a home football game a few years later....

[4Q_iu]

Will you sign my Don Mattingly baseball card?!

[4Q_iu]

Replying to Bankshot
Where's his son now in the MLB farm system?

Taylor spent 1 year in Rookie ball with the Yankees; Preston (1st rd draft pick, probably why he didn't pick State...) spent 3 seasons in the Dodger system; 2009 finds him with the Inland Empire 66ers, LA Angels of Anaheim Class A-Adv in the California League. As he's only 21, not bad but he needs to ratchet up the hitting, he's hitting .293 this season; guess Don should have spent more time working on his swing!

Anyone catch Barmes and the Rockies lately? CB is on a 7-game hitting streak; 9 of last 10. Stetter is still working out of the Brewers bullpen and I just read that Joe the "Throwin' Kokomoan' is back w/ the Beavers in Portland.

[BankShot]

Thanx for the updates 4Q!

[BankShot]

:) Wait a minute -- T James, T John... You're ACTUALLY Tommy John aren't you?!?! Wow, I can't believe it's Tommy John! Damn, I remember watching you when you were with the Yankees! Does your elbow hurt when the weather changes? How come you're not still managing in the independent leagues? Wow -- what an honor to meet you! :p

LOL...TJ's more in the line of a Tiger's Mickey Lolich profile....:imslow: