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TUESDAY, MAY 27- 11:13 PM
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It was April 18 and Shea Robin’s batting average had dipped down to .262 after the senior catcher had only four hits in his previous 22 at bats.
With Auburn coming to town the next day, Robin was approached by Vanderbilt baseball’s sports information director Thomas Samuel about the slump.
“I was talking to Thomas and he was giving me a hard time about how I hadn’t been hitting too well,” recalled Robin. “He said if I got above .300 by the time the SEC Tournament was over, then I could shave his head.”
The challenge to .300 was set.
And it didn’t take long for Robin to get back on track.
He tallied seven hits and four RBI against the Tigers that weekend and raised his average to .298 in the blink of an eye. His hitting tear continued through the remainder of the season as he stood at .316 entering last week’s SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala.
After a 2-for-17 slump during the tourney dropped his average to .298, Robin had one last crack at .300 Saturday night against Ole Miss. Robin stepped to the plate in a critical situation with the Commodores trailing 8-4 in the eighth and two runners in scoring position.
While Robin had no clue “the challenge” was at stake with that at bat, those of us in the press box knew that a hit would probably mean the end of Samuel’s full head of hair.
Robin proceeded to rip a single up the middle and seconds later, the stat monitor flashed .302.
“I didn’t realize that I had eclipsed the mark until after the game,” said Robin. “Thomas saw me and we were just talking about the game and as I was walking off, he congratulated me. I didn’t really know what he was talking about. And then he kind of smiled and I figured it out.”
So before Tuesday’s practice, Robin had the pleasure of shaving Samuel’s scalp.
“He took his punishment just like a man and didn’t try to get out of it or make any excuses.”
Even though Thomas stood up to his end of the challenge, he’ll have some explaining to do to his wife.
“I’m going to wear my hat and surprise her when I get home,” said Samuel. “Hopefully she doesn’t kick me out.”
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Well, the team will head to Tempe Wednesday afternoon. I will try to do some updates from the road as the Commodores prepare for another NCAA Regional.
One side note… Before practice today, Coach Corbin brought in a special guest speaker to address the team. Nashville Predators color commentator Terry Crisp talked to the guys about two things: the importance of having fun on the diamond, and what it takes to win championships.
Crisp knows a thing or two about that. He won two Stanley Cup titles as a player with the Philadelphia Flyers (also known as the Broadstreet Bullies) in the mid-seventies and also coached the Calgary Flames to the Cup in 1989.
I’ll leave you with two videos of the day that were emailed to me… remember to submit your favorite YouTube videos at the box at the top of the blog so I can share them with other Commodore fans.
First, some halftime fun with classic video games. (You’ll See)
Second… even though we’re headed into a tough regional at Arizona State… I will take the advice of Mr. Billy Ocean and the cast of the 80’s movie “The Jewel Of The Nile” … When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going.
Oh, and check out the height difference between Michael Douglas, Danny DeVito and Kathleen Turner.
