What a ride!
Monday, June 1, 2009
Before the National Championship game on Saturday, Emporia State outfielder Chris Dobler found a frog in the bullpen.
Dobler, maybe the wackiest of a wacky Hornet crew, had brought his frog Derek to the World Series. The team’s adopted mascot didn’t survive the plane ride, and Dobler was convinced that this new frog was Derek reborn.
It’s only appropriate to compare the Hornets to Derek the frog. They of the playoff beards, pregame Sumo matches and enough superstitions that even a fortuneteller would raise an eyebrow.
Once left for dead after a 4-6 streak to end the season, the Hornets were reborn the week leading up to the Regional tournament. Coach Bob Fornelli bought them MIAA championship T-shirts with their team slogan — Do work, son! — on the back, and then on the way to Warrensburg, Mo., they watched “Miracle,” about the 1980 gold-medal winning USA hockey team that pulled off one of the greatest upsets in sports history.
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