The Jon Secrist Diary: No. 5: "The saga's over"
It was probably more than just one lousy inning in an exhibition game this morning, but the fact that the St. Paul Saints have decided that 53-year-old knuckleball pitcher Jon Secrist's dream of making the team has ended doesn't make it any easier for him to take.
"The saga's over," the Westlake Village resident out of Monroe High said just hours after Saints manager George Tsamis called him into his office and told him he wasn't going to make the opening day roster as it works toward the start of season Thursday.
Secrist was trying to rejoin the team that gave him a cup of coffee nine years ago, when he was 44. He was the oldest rookie in pro baseball back then, and would have been again had he made the roster.
In an 8-8 tie against the Winnipeg Goldeyes before 3,637 at Midway Stadium, Secrist came in to start the fifth inning and gave up three runs, walked two and surrendered two hits while striking out two. A home run by Goldeyes shortstop Brent Metheny, who had hit a two-run homer earlier in the game, is what Secrist thinks did him in.
"Jon did a good job here," said Tsamis, who got his roster down to 21 players, including eight pitchers and three more pitchers on the inactive roster. "He fit in well and worked hard. We wish him the best of luck."
Secrist ended up pitching in two exhibition games, three innings total, giving up four earned runs.
In 1999, Secrist pitched in two regular-season games for the Saints and was 0-1 with a 9.34 ERA in two games.
Sean Aronson, the Saints' radio play-by-play man, tried to put Secrist's time with Saints in their training camp into perspective: "A lot of guys pay $4,000 to go to Florida and play in a fantasy camp, but for Jon, I think he got to do all this and it didn't cost him a thing. It's unfortunately that he didn't make the team. He was a great guy to have around."
Here's Secrist account of what happened today:
"The knuckleball today wasn't bad, but it wasn't the greatest. I was around the plate but I just couldn't get strikes. They called me in afterward and I knew what was coming. They said it wasn't just that home run I gave up, but I don't know for sure. I think that sealed my fate.
"At this level, you can't make any mistakes. I gave it my best but I guess my age played a factor. I did feel strong today, but I was behind on the count all the time.
"This was a great opportunity, but I knew going in, I was going against the grain. I really wanted to make it.
"Up until that final inning, everything was a great experience here. It was awesome. Some of the other players told me it was a roster numbers thing, but how much of that is true, I'm not sure. This is a great league, it's double-A level baseball. These guys are good. I'd like to stick around and be a coach but I don't think that's going to happen either.
"I guess I'll head over to the Amtrak station to see if I can get the same rental car I had to drive back home. It'll be a long ride home and I'll take my time. Maybe I'll head through 70 through Denver this time. When I get home, I know I'll write (co-owner) Mike (Veeck) a letter than thank him for the opportunity, that I wished it would have worked out. I have a lot of nice things to take home from this. A great experience, but a sad ending. A sad day in Mudville.
"So it hurts, but life goes on."
==The Twin Cities' Fox TV affiliate posted a story on Secrist's release, taking the press release issued by the Saints.
==Previous journal entries:
April 30: "I could have gone nine innings I felt so strong"
April 25: "I got by the first hurdle"
April 24: "I'm in a curious spot"
April 17: "It could be five days or five months"
Comments
Keep the dream alive, don't stop pitching!
Posted by: colt22 | May 8, 2008 8:38 AM
Keep the dream alive...don't stop pitching!
Posted by: colt22 | May 8, 2008 8:39 AM