Two points of view from the Post 320, Post 22 game
By Jake Nordbye
I had a unique perspective Friday night when Post 320 finally beat Post 22 the state tournament. After the game I quickly made my way through the huge crowd at Fitzgerald Stadium to interview the players and coaches. I went to the 320 dugout first because I always interview the winning coach first. I opened the gate and saw coach Jim Brandt huddled with players who were smiling from ear to ear.
I was the first to greet coach Brandt when he came out of the dugout, which was ironic since I am a former Post 22 player. Win or lose coach Brandt is almost always smiling, but Friday night he had a glimmer in his eye I have never seen before. I told the coach congratulations and I meant it. Post 320 has come a long ways in eleven years and he deserves a lot of credit. As always he was humble, and complemented Post 22 numerous times. At the same time, he knew just how big this win was for him and his players. I think he even had watery eyes, but who knows maybe he was just exhausted after one heck of a game.
I went on and talked to several Post 320 players who were as enthralled as any group I’ve seen after winning a game.
I left smiling, it’s always good to see sports at this level and the joy accomplishment brings. It’s not about money, or fame, it’s about the love of the game.
Walking across home plate at my old ballpark where I used to play catcher was a bit surreal. Here I was a former Post 22 player about to write the biggest story in Post 320 history and it happened at Fitzgerald Stadium. As I walked over to the Post 22 dugout I wanted to just turn around and run the other way. My smile was gone and now I was thinking about the heartbreak on the other side. Even though teams I played for won two state tournaments and went to a World Series, we also lost one, and I remember the sickening feeling. All you want to do as a Post 22 player is live up to the tradition and when you don’t it is crushing.
I saw coach Rich Downs and had no idea what to say, so I didn’t say anything. The players were visibly shaken. I talked to a couple of them and told them to about how I had lost a similar game when I played and that the only thing you can do is come out the next day and play your hearts out.
I then made my way to talk to my old coach, coach Ploof. Since Post 22 took a little longer coming out of the dugout I was also the first one to greet him, not exactly a position I wanted to be in.
I sat down with Ploof and like always I didn’t have to ask a question he just started talking. He said, what I thought he would say, that in baseball there is always a tomorrow. Ploof is not the kind of guy that will feel sorry for himself or make excuses. Instead, he just moves forward and so will the players for Post 22.
I know a lot of people out there take personal satisfaction in seeing Ploof lose, especially to 320. I remember losing to Sioux Falls in the state tournament, and people screaming at him from the bleachers. He just kept walking and didn’t say a word. When extremely successful people fail, there will always be someone there to revel in it. But there are probably more people that have tremendous respect for the man and everything he’s done for baseball in this town.
Good luck to both teams the rest of the way. It would be great to see an all Rapid City championship.
-Jake-