Fogelberg – Mike Schmidt turned to his wife when he woke up and asked: “Did Sunday really happen?”
The Wildcats and their fans awoke Monday to the realization that Jenks stood alone as All-Star Baseball Classic Champions for the first time in the club’s history after Sunday’s 18-17 triumph over the McCall Mudhens.
“I’m not sure if it’s completely sunk in yet,” Schmidt said at Monday morning’s news conference at the convention center in Fogelberg. “It seems like as the minutes go by, it slowly does.
“Our victory yesterday was the culmination of years of hard work, fighting through a lot of adversity, ups and downs and more importantly than that, representing a city that has been through so much,” Schmidt said.
“We look at it as a responsibility. Our city, our fans, gave us strength and we owe this to them. That’s made all the difference. … There’s no people that you would want to win for more than the city of Jenks. So it’s an honor.”
As Schmidt spoke, coach Joe Medwick sat off to the side, elbows on knees, face buried in his hands. When it was his turn to speak, he leaned on the podium, clutching the ASBCL trophy in his right hand.
“I am not sure there are words…”
Medwick then smiled and added that he had the trophy in bed with him while he slept early Monday morning.
“You can’t get enough of this,” Medwick said. “Rolled over it a couple times. I probably drooled on it. But man, there’s nothing like it. There’s no people that you would want to win for more than the city of Jenks.”
Medwick said when all was quiet in the team hotel around 3 a.m., he offered a prayer of thanks for his team and his experience in Jenks, where he became a manager for in 2003.
“When I was hired in 03, it became apparent to me that baseball was obviously very important but it was much bigger than just baseball” Medwick said. “The people here are special. The Cats’ add so much to this city.”
Their run to the All-Star Baseball Classic Championship captured the attention of baseball fans everywhere. The Nielsen Co. says the Championship game got its highest overnight ratings in 3 years, meaning there’s a strong likelihood it will be the most-watched ASBCL Championship game when the final numbers are released later Tuesday.
“I keep thinking of the word ‘magical,’ ” analyst Joe Gordon said. “When you think about the relationship between the Wildcats and the city of Jenks.”
“Misty Bell Stiers sat off to the side of the conference, silently fuming. Approached by an out of town reported she was heard commenting, “I didn’t expect credit, but you would think they would at least THANK me for the new logo that very possibly changed Wildcats history. There’s going to be some serious negotiations before Schmidt gets new unis, or even 2010 Champion patches.”