| I.S.C. Graydon's Grumblings |
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Only So Many Opportunities
The
window is closing. That's the window of opportunity. Or has the window already closed? Certainly, Larry H. Miller Toyota pitching legend Peter Meredith hopes it hasn't. Eighteen years. That's how many years Meredith has had to gain that elusive ISC ring. Or championship. The 6-foot-4, 232-pound, 38-year-old Meredith ownes a grundle of ISC World Tournament pitching marks, including the most victories, with 52, and no-hitters, with seven. Maybe his best opportunity has come and gone with the 1995 ISC World Tournament, when Toronto's Darren Zack, and Meredith hooked up in a classic for the championship in Sioux City, IA. Zack's Gators carted off the rings. Eighteen years. A teenager blows out 18 candles. Life unfurls. Anything is possible. A man huffs into his 18th ISC World Tournament, which starts Friday in Kimberly, Wis., and the player is nearly finished. A career winds down.You wonder how much more is possible. So many questions for Meredith, and the weight upon him. You could sensethat for him last year in Victoria, B. C. Meredith, suffering from backspasms, heard the crowd booing him, and yelling, "you're finished! You're over-the-hill!" That's when Meredith convinced himself, "I can't finish my career this way." And he isn't. No, Meredith has to much pride to leave on such a sour note. Yet there is a melancholy to Meredith in 1998, to a fiercely proud warrior coming to terms with his own slow decline. No great athlete in any sport -- at least one who has played a full career and dared the calendar -- has figured out how to avoid what has begun to shadow Meredith. He has reached that stage at which his own longevity turns, fraction by fraction, from an admirable plus to a thing he is asked to comment upon, perhaps to justify. The asset of his own long experience takes on a touch of gray. "I feel as strong as I have the last few years," said Meredith. It is remarkable how Meredith, in so many ways, continues to be the only Miller Toyota player who matters, the one compelling saga, even as so much swirls and froths around him. Still, even if Meredith never captures that elusive ring, his career and its longevity has made up a legend. "Pete is one of the best ever," pointed out ISC historian Art Cashion. "Very few can be as dominate as he has been for so many years. I placed him among the top three pitchers of all time, which includes LeRoy Zimmerman, and Ty Stofflet. "When you're talking about those three, you're talking about excellence. Meredith is definitely past his prime, when he would just dominate hitters. I haven't seen him pitch in a while. I'm sure he can still bring it in the low 90s. "But I'm willing to bet that he has become a better location pitcher," added Cashion. "When he first started in 1980, he would overpower hitters. Blow it right past them. And in those days, he was a bit wild. That led to his intimindation. Hitters were bailing on him." Kevin Hurly, Michael White, Mike Piechnik, Zack, etc., to be named among the top three and possibly the best of all-time, means an awful lot to this proud warrior. And he would admit it. Meredith has rebounded from his dismal 1997 ISC World Tournament. He has responded with a 24-5 record, with a 1.97 ERA. And he is hoping to bring that success to the table for the 1998 worlds. He wants to leave a message. The 1998 ISC bracketing leaves tournament fans with the possibility of a tremendous second round matchup Sunday at high noon. Meredith versus D.C. Tire's (Philly, PA.) Piechnik. Two of the all-time ISC greats. It will be hot in Kimberly. The sun will be relentless. The air will have enough humidity that you could cut it with a knife. And these two warriors will be working to add to their legacies. And something else, too. Something else, yes, because 18 is one of those numbers with such wild shades of connotation. Eighteen years can see a pitcher achieve all-time greatness. And for Meredith, it has. Editor's Note: |