Scudder lives what many can only dream
October 25, 2005
There was a 10-year span in the life of Scott Scudder that many youngsters can only dream about.Scudder, who won a World Series Championship 15 years ago as a member of the Cincinnati Reds, is currently head baseball coach and assistant football coach at North Lamar High School. He grew up in Blossom, leading a life similar to any other kid, but once his high school baseball career came to a close, Scudder's God-given talents came to the forefront and allowed him to eventually play Major League Baseball.
EARLY YEARS
Scudder played all sports as a kid, but baseball was his passion. His love of the game was shared by close friend Tony Duncan, who is now his assistant baseball coach and is also an assistant football coach for the Panthers.The two played sports throughout their four years at Prairiland, but nothing compared to their senior year of high school in 1986.The Patriots baseball team was coached by Scudder's father Bill and advanced to the state championship game at Austin's Disch Faulk Field, where they faced Brownfield and won 7-4."Scott had a great arm, and he worked at it all year long," Duncan said. "I remember his dad used to catch him on a five-gallon bucket, but there was one day when Scott threw one so fast he got off the bucket and never did it again."Scudder dominated that season with a 19-0 record, and Duncan caught the game's final out in right field to seal the championship game. Duncan still has the ball from the win."We were still a close-knit group and still see each other a lot today,"Scudder said. "It was tough at times, as any coach's kid will tell you, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. My dad was involved in my life all the time and was a big influence on me.”
MINOR LEAGUES
There are no plane rides, fancy restaurants or expensive hotels in the minor leagues, but Scudder made the experience look rather simple.Scudder was drafted in the 1st round (17th pick) by the Cincinnati Reds, and his first stop was in 1986 at Rookie League Billings (Montana). He moved on to Class A Cedar Rapids (Iowa) in 1987, the Double A Chattanooga (Tenn.) Lookouts of the Southern League in 1988 and made the short trek west to Nashville in early 1989, where he played for the Sounds of the Pacific Coast League.Scudder had the distinction of winning a championship at each of his minor league stops."It was a big adjustment, because I had to get away from a lot of the things I did in high school," Scudder said. "The guys I went up against had the same talent and ability, and I had to learn how to pitch instead of just throw.""I was living away from home for the first time, and it was a different lifestyle. I had to adjust to living in an apartment, paying bills and fending for myself. That's a lot for an 18-year-old."
ENCOURAGEMENT AND THE BIG DEBUT
Scudder knew in spring training of 1989 he was going to begin the year at Triple-A Nashville, but he got some encouragement from one of the game's all-time greats in manager Pete Rose.The man affectionately known as Charlie Hustle had his fair share of problems that year after being banned from baseball for gambling. Scudder has a different view of the man that is currently trying to get back into the game."Pete Rose is probably the biggest reason I got into the majors as quickly as I did," Scudder said. "He seemed to like me and told me that although I would break spring training in Triple-A, that I would be called up soon. He was true to his word."Scudder made his Major League debut on June 6, 1989 against the San Francisco Giants at Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium. He recorded his first strikeout against left-handed first baseman Will Clark but realized the big leagues weren't always a bed of roses after giving up a home run to Kevin Mitchell.Rose's off-the-field problems had their affect on the team according to Scudder, who won the final game in which Rose managed. The team found out of their manager's fate while on a road trip one morning in Chicago."As the year went on, you could tell he was distracted by the allegations," Scudder said. "We all received questions daily that we didn't know how to address, but Pete Rose was a great player's manager who was liked and well respected. I wish it was under different circumstances, but I personally liked him a lot."The first Major League victory came later in the year against the Atlanta Braves, and Scudder got his first career hit against John Smoltz, who is still pitching today. Those weren't the only positives Scudder would endure in his trips to the southeast in the coming years.
ROCKY ROAD TO CHAMPIONSHIP
Scudder was part of the 1990 Major League Baseball lockout, the third in the history of the game and first since 1976. It lasted 32 days and made for a rather interesting beginning to what wound up being the best year of Scudder's career."Lockouts are a no-win situation, and it was a public nightmare for both sides," Scudder said. "We're lucky the game of baseball has such a resilient fan base."People are going to say yeah right when they read this, but competition is what drives most of us who have played the game, not the money."Once play resumed, Scudder got to finish his first full season as a major leaguer.
RAINY DAY TURNED SUNNY
Scudder hit his first big league home run in 1991 off San Diego Padres left-hander Dennis Rasmussen in Cincinnati. It was the only home run he would ever hit on the field, but he hit one off it in the fall.Rain had forced the postponement of the Reds' Sept. 24 game in Atlanta, and Scudder was in a restaurant eating with some friends. It was there where he met a young lady named Tracy from Tennessee who would change his life forever."We talked and kept in touch," Scudder said. "What I liked about Tracy was that we were both from small towns and had so much in common. We were so alike and grew up in the same way. We had the same outlook on life as well, and that was important to me."Tracy took a job as a Delta flight attendant, as the two began dating more seriously, and they married in the fall of 1992.
MINOR LEAGUES
There are no plane rides, fancy restaurants or expensive hotels in the minor leagues, but Scudder made the experience look rather simple.Scudder was drafted in the 1st round (17th pick) by the Cincinnati Reds, and his first stop was in 1986 at Rookie League Billings (Montana). He moved on to Class A Cedar Rapids (Iowa) in 1987, the Double A Chattanooga (Tenn.) Lookouts of the Southern League in 1988 and made the short trek west to Nashville in early 1989, where he played for the Sounds of the Pacific Coast League.Scudder had the distinction of winning a championship at each of his minor league stops."It was a big adjustment, because I had to get away from a lot of the things I did in high school," Scudder said. "The guys I went up against had the same talent and ability, and I had to learn how to pitch instead of just throw.""I was living away from home for the first time, and it was a different lifestyle. I had to adjust to living in an apartment, paying bills and fending for myself. That's a lot for an 18-year-old."
PLENTY OF ENCOURAGEMENT
Scudder knew in spring training of 1989 he was going to begin the year at Triple-A Nashville, but he got some encouragement from one of the game's all-time greats in manager Pete Rose.The man affectionately known as Charlie Hustle had his fair share of problems that year after being banned from baseball for gambling. Scudder has a different view of the man that is currently trying to get back into the game."Pete Rose is probably the biggest reason I got into the majors as quickly as I did," Scudder said. "He seemed to like me and told me that although I would break spring training in Triple-A, that I would be called up soon. He was true to his word."
Source: http://web.theparisnews.com/
There was a 10-year span in the life of Scott Scudder that many youngsters can only dream about.Scudder, who won a World Series Championship 15 years ago as a member of the Cincinnati Reds, is currently head baseball coach and assistant football coach at North Lamar High School. He grew up in Blossom, leading a life similar to any other kid, but once his high school baseball career came to a close, Scudder's God-given talents came to the forefront and allowed him to eventually play Major League Baseball.
EARLY YEARS
Scudder played all sports as a kid, but baseball was his passion. His love of the game was shared by close friend Tony Duncan, who is now his assistant baseball coach and is also an assistant football coach for the Panthers.The two played sports throughout their four years at Prairiland, but nothing compared to their senior year of high school in 1986.The Patriots baseball team was coached by Scudder's father Bill and advanced to the state championship game at Austin's Disch Faulk Field, where they faced Brownfield and won 7-4."Scott had a great arm, and he worked at it all year long," Duncan said. "I remember his dad used to catch him on a five-gallon bucket, but there was one day when Scott threw one so fast he got off the bucket and never did it again."Scudder dominated that season with a 19-0 record, and Duncan caught the game's final out in right field to seal the championship game. Duncan still has the ball from the win."We were still a close-knit group and still see each other a lot today,"Scudder said. "It was tough at times, as any coach's kid will tell you, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. My dad was involved in my life all the time and was a big influence on me.”
MINOR LEAGUES
There are no plane rides, fancy restaurants or expensive hotels in the minor leagues, but Scudder made the experience look rather simple.Scudder was drafted in the 1st round (17th pick) by the Cincinnati Reds, and his first stop was in 1986 at Rookie League Billings (Montana). He moved on to Class A Cedar Rapids (Iowa) in 1987, the Double A Chattanooga (Tenn.) Lookouts of the Southern League in 1988 and made the short trek west to Nashville in early 1989, where he played for the Sounds of the Pacific Coast League.Scudder had the distinction of winning a championship at each of his minor league stops."It was a big adjustment, because I had to get away from a lot of the things I did in high school," Scudder said. "The guys I went up against had the same talent and ability, and I had to learn how to pitch instead of just throw.""I was living away from home for the first time, and it was a different lifestyle. I had to adjust to living in an apartment, paying bills and fending for myself. That's a lot for an 18-year-old."
ENCOURAGEMENT AND THE BIG DEBUT
Scudder knew in spring training of 1989 he was going to begin the year at Triple-A Nashville, but he got some encouragement from one of the game's all-time greats in manager Pete Rose.The man affectionately known as Charlie Hustle had his fair share of problems that year after being banned from baseball for gambling. Scudder has a different view of the man that is currently trying to get back into the game."Pete Rose is probably the biggest reason I got into the majors as quickly as I did," Scudder said. "He seemed to like me and told me that although I would break spring training in Triple-A, that I would be called up soon. He was true to his word."Scudder made his Major League debut on June 6, 1989 against the San Francisco Giants at Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium. He recorded his first strikeout against left-handed first baseman Will Clark but realized the big leagues weren't always a bed of roses after giving up a home run to Kevin Mitchell.Rose's off-the-field problems had their affect on the team according to Scudder, who won the final game in which Rose managed. The team found out of their manager's fate while on a road trip one morning in Chicago."As the year went on, you could tell he was distracted by the allegations," Scudder said. "We all received questions daily that we didn't know how to address, but Pete Rose was a great player's manager who was liked and well respected. I wish it was under different circumstances, but I personally liked him a lot."The first Major League victory came later in the year against the Atlanta Braves, and Scudder got his first career hit against John Smoltz, who is still pitching today. Those weren't the only positives Scudder would endure in his trips to the southeast in the coming years.
ROCKY ROAD TO CHAMPIONSHIP
Scudder was part of the 1990 Major League Baseball lockout, the third in the history of the game and first since 1976. It lasted 32 days and made for a rather interesting beginning to what wound up being the best year of Scudder's career."Lockouts are a no-win situation, and it was a public nightmare for both sides," Scudder said. "We're lucky the game of baseball has such a resilient fan base."People are going to say yeah right when they read this, but competition is what drives most of us who have played the game, not the money."Once play resumed, Scudder got to finish his first full season as a major leaguer.
RAINY DAY TURNED SUNNY
Scudder hit his first big league home run in 1991 off San Diego Padres left-hander Dennis Rasmussen in Cincinnati. It was the only home run he would ever hit on the field, but he hit one off it in the fall.Rain had forced the postponement of the Reds' Sept. 24 game in Atlanta, and Scudder was in a restaurant eating with some friends. It was there where he met a young lady named Tracy from Tennessee who would change his life forever."We talked and kept in touch," Scudder said. "What I liked about Tracy was that we were both from small towns and had so much in common. We were so alike and grew up in the same way. We had the same outlook on life as well, and that was important to me."Tracy took a job as a Delta flight attendant, as the two began dating more seriously, and they married in the fall of 1992.
MINOR LEAGUES
There are no plane rides, fancy restaurants or expensive hotels in the minor leagues, but Scudder made the experience look rather simple.Scudder was drafted in the 1st round (17th pick) by the Cincinnati Reds, and his first stop was in 1986 at Rookie League Billings (Montana). He moved on to Class A Cedar Rapids (Iowa) in 1987, the Double A Chattanooga (Tenn.) Lookouts of the Southern League in 1988 and made the short trek west to Nashville in early 1989, where he played for the Sounds of the Pacific Coast League.Scudder had the distinction of winning a championship at each of his minor league stops."It was a big adjustment, because I had to get away from a lot of the things I did in high school," Scudder said. "The guys I went up against had the same talent and ability, and I had to learn how to pitch instead of just throw.""I was living away from home for the first time, and it was a different lifestyle. I had to adjust to living in an apartment, paying bills and fending for myself. That's a lot for an 18-year-old."
PLENTY OF ENCOURAGEMENT
Scudder knew in spring training of 1989 he was going to begin the year at Triple-A Nashville, but he got some encouragement from one of the game's all-time greats in manager Pete Rose.The man affectionately known as Charlie Hustle had his fair share of problems that year after being banned from baseball for gambling. Scudder has a different view of the man that is currently trying to get back into the game."Pete Rose is probably the biggest reason I got into the majors as quickly as I did," Scudder said. "He seemed to like me and told me that although I would break spring training in Triple-A, that I would be called up soon. He was true to his word."
Source: http://web.theparisnews.com/
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