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Commodore Notebook: April 3 4/3/2006 by Rod Williamson A Master’s Winning Touch If you care enough to read this notebook, you probably are wearing a smile today that is as wide as shortstop to first base. Our baseball team just polished off the Florida Gators — runner-up in last spring’s College World Series — two out of three games in Gainesville. Indeed, the ‘Dores are now 19-9 overall and 7-2 and challenging in the rugged Southeastern Conference East. This is a “new” team, as opposed to “young”, in Coach Tim Corbin’s vocabulary and it struggled to a 6-6 start. That Vanderbilt has gotten on a winning roll isn’t a surprise to us or the college baseball world. We all figured out a long time ago that Corbin is one of the best coaches in the college game. He is the current Team USA coach, which gives you an idea of how the Commodore skipper is perceived on a national level. However, you know he is a talent on the diamond but here is a reason why he is truly special. An unsolicited letter came to Vanderbilt Chancellor Gordon Gee, dated March 7, 2006. It read, in part: “I am a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines. I am writing this letter in regards to flight #436 on February 16 from Nashville to Los Angeles in which I had the pleasure to serve Coach Corbin and the Vanderbilt baseball team. Over my thirteen years of flying for Southwest I have had many opportunities to serve a variety of teams from collegiate, high schools and even the pros. It is unfortunate that the past I would say six to ten years the behavior of these programs has been terrible?. You sir, can take GREAT PRIDE in knowing ?all the men were well dressed for the flight?.EXCEPTIONALLY well behaved and just a true pleasure to deal with. Two athletes even offered to switch seats so a mother and child could sit together on a long flight. Upon the completion of the flight they wee all very thankful and left their seating areas very clean. What a treat. As we wrapped up our day as a crew we continued to talk about the team?” Gee replied to the letter, calling it “one of the most unusual letters that I have ever received” and said “Tim Corbin and our baseball team represent this University on and off the field with the highest level of character and integrity. For that we are grateful?” Is it really any wonder that we have the nation’s No. 1 freshman class? Is it surprising that we have set and reset our school record book in three years? Any wonder why fans and friends would build a tremendous new locker room/office/classroom complex along with an indoor hitting and weight training facility for this program, just a few years after building a shining new Hawkins Field?
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