Is this heaven? No, it’s Sarpy County.
There’s a Field of Dreams thing going on this week out at Werner Park, among the corn fields and meadows. Is there some magic in this Nebraska dirt?
Alex Gordon and Joba Chamberlain, the ghosts of 2005, have returned to Nebraska, walking out of the fog in Storm Chasers uniforms. Wow. Has it really been 10 years?
That’s the last time these two were teammates. Gordon and Chamberlain grew up in Lincoln playing against each other, then they teamed to take NU to a College World Series.
Then two kids from Lincoln were on their way to the big leagues. What are the odds?
Their careers were like ships passing in the night. But it wasn’t Gordon, the college player of the year and No. 1 draft pick, who made it first. Chamberlain was taken 41st overall by the Yankees in 2006, and a year later, was pitching in the American League playoffs, swatting bugs from his face on a hot night in Cleveland.
Two years removed from Haymarket Park, Joba was at Yankee Stadium, hanging with Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. They won a World Series in 2009.
Meanwhile, Gordon the can’t-miss was taking the long way home. In 2010, he was back in Omaha, working on hitting the curve, learning an outfield position.
The two ships circled back around. Chamberlain bounced from the Yanks’ rotation to the pen and back, had Tommy John surgery, had an accident on a trampoline and found himself a Detroit Tiger in 2014.
Meanwhile, Alexander the Great became an All-Star in left field and a cornerstone of Kansas City’s run to the World Series last year.
Last month, their road to Omaha began. Chamberlain was released by Detroit, signed by Toronto, then opted out as a free agent earlier this month. He signed with K.C. and now he’s here, after getting battered around, looking for some magic.
Maybe he found some in the Nebraska dirt: Joba went 1-2-3 on Sunday night.
Gordon was part of a Royals entourage at the All-Star Game until he injured his groin just before the game. He’s here on rehab, and what a unique time to watch Gordon in person — he’s a major factor on arguably the best team in baseball, a month or so away from chasing a World Series title.
Ironic, how these two ships docked here in Nebraska at this stage. Ten years later, they meet again, with fans and friends in the stands, sleeping in their own beds in Lincoln, hanging with their families.
When you’re a kid out of college, you don’t think about 10 years from now. All they could do was hope they would still be in the bigs, still playing a kid’s game with, as Chamberlain joked about himself, a receding hairline.
The fact that their fates had somewhat flipped did not escape Chamberlain.
“When you think about it, 10 years, my son’s in fourth grade,” Chamberlain said. “We’re not getting any younger. At times, it feels like it’s been really fast, at times really slow.
“Did I think I would be up (in New York) that quick? No. Talking to Alex, he got sent down in 2010. At some point in your career, it happens, that’s just the way the game is done.
“Sometimes you have to take a step back to take two steps forward. I’m trying to embrace this time and moments of my baseball career and enjoy it and have fun.”
And get to where Gordon is: on a World Series contender. This is where folks thought Gordon would be all along, but the position on the field and time it took were another story.
“I don’t really look at it that way,” Gordon said. “Winning is what it’s all about. That’s what I’ve been playing for since I got drafted in 2005.
“I just like where I’m at right now. That’s all I can ask for. I’m in a pretty good place right now. I’m blessed to play the game I love and I never take it for granted.”
They’ve been through too much for that. Ten years later, they’re back for home cooking, one rehabbing an injury, another his career. Maybe there’s some magic in that Nebraska dirt they can take with them.
http://www.omaha.com/sports/shatel-...cle_3b26fcda-9878-5400-ad66-9e538571ad48.html
There’s a Field of Dreams thing going on this week out at Werner Park, among the corn fields and meadows. Is there some magic in this Nebraska dirt?
Alex Gordon and Joba Chamberlain, the ghosts of 2005, have returned to Nebraska, walking out of the fog in Storm Chasers uniforms. Wow. Has it really been 10 years?
That’s the last time these two were teammates. Gordon and Chamberlain grew up in Lincoln playing against each other, then they teamed to take NU to a College World Series.
Then two kids from Lincoln were on their way to the big leagues. What are the odds?
Their careers were like ships passing in the night. But it wasn’t Gordon, the college player of the year and No. 1 draft pick, who made it first. Chamberlain was taken 41st overall by the Yankees in 2006, and a year later, was pitching in the American League playoffs, swatting bugs from his face on a hot night in Cleveland.
Two years removed from Haymarket Park, Joba was at Yankee Stadium, hanging with Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. They won a World Series in 2009.
Meanwhile, Gordon the can’t-miss was taking the long way home. In 2010, he was back in Omaha, working on hitting the curve, learning an outfield position.
The two ships circled back around. Chamberlain bounced from the Yanks’ rotation to the pen and back, had Tommy John surgery, had an accident on a trampoline and found himself a Detroit Tiger in 2014.
Meanwhile, Alexander the Great became an All-Star in left field and a cornerstone of Kansas City’s run to the World Series last year.
Last month, their road to Omaha began. Chamberlain was released by Detroit, signed by Toronto, then opted out as a free agent earlier this month. He signed with K.C. and now he’s here, after getting battered around, looking for some magic.
Maybe he found some in the Nebraska dirt: Joba went 1-2-3 on Sunday night.
Gordon was part of a Royals entourage at the All-Star Game until he injured his groin just before the game. He’s here on rehab, and what a unique time to watch Gordon in person — he’s a major factor on arguably the best team in baseball, a month or so away from chasing a World Series title.
Ironic, how these two ships docked here in Nebraska at this stage. Ten years later, they meet again, with fans and friends in the stands, sleeping in their own beds in Lincoln, hanging with their families.
When you’re a kid out of college, you don’t think about 10 years from now. All they could do was hope they would still be in the bigs, still playing a kid’s game with, as Chamberlain joked about himself, a receding hairline.
The fact that their fates had somewhat flipped did not escape Chamberlain.
“When you think about it, 10 years, my son’s in fourth grade,” Chamberlain said. “We’re not getting any younger. At times, it feels like it’s been really fast, at times really slow.
“Did I think I would be up (in New York) that quick? No. Talking to Alex, he got sent down in 2010. At some point in your career, it happens, that’s just the way the game is done.
“Sometimes you have to take a step back to take two steps forward. I’m trying to embrace this time and moments of my baseball career and enjoy it and have fun.”
And get to where Gordon is: on a World Series contender. This is where folks thought Gordon would be all along, but the position on the field and time it took were another story.
“I don’t really look at it that way,” Gordon said. “Winning is what it’s all about. That’s what I’ve been playing for since I got drafted in 2005.
“I just like where I’m at right now. That’s all I can ask for. I’m in a pretty good place right now. I’m blessed to play the game I love and I never take it for granted.”
They’ve been through too much for that. Ten years later, they’re back for home cooking, one rehabbing an injury, another his career. Maybe there’s some magic in that Nebraska dirt they can take with them.
http://www.omaha.com/sports/shatel-...cle_3b26fcda-9878-5400-ad66-9e538571ad48.html
