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Zane Curry
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Location: Blogs . |
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| Posted by: Content Administrator |
2/5/2007 |
At least I wasn’t a third baseman…
My name is Zane Curry and I have $100 that says no one has had a more complete Rice Baseball experience than me. Please send all challenges to zane.curry@activelifenetwork.net (What would the RUBPA be without a little trash talking?) Now, let me elaborate on the aforementioned claim.
My list of roles in chronological order includes:
Catcher
The second hardest position to play for Coach Graham after third base. You know “when he was 15 he caught Jack Schulte in a men’s league championship and they didn’t use signs, and he never missed a ball or had a passed ball.”
Camp Instructor
Great pay, but not quite as good for your exposure to pro scouts as the Cape Cod Summer League. No wonder I didn’t make the big leagues…
Student Assistant
I mean how hard can your job be when you hang out in the bullpen all day, and travel to Hawaii, Reno, and Florida? The other item worth noting from this period is what I learned about the psychology of a relief pitcher. I have concluded that all of them are certifiable lunatics (especially the lefties). And if you ever wondered where all the gum and sunflower seeds went, check the bullpen crew’s bags.
Field Crew
You can’t beat fixing a hole in the tarp and soaking up water and mud at 2 a.m. the day before our first practice. (Feris and Prather may be the only two who get this.) When I was a player, I could ignore the dreaded “tarp duty” phone call and continue sleeping. Once I was on staff not only could I not avoid the calls, I even had to make them.
Camp Coordinator
160+ kids per week, daily rain showers, parent coaches, t-shirts that were never on time, not to mention seven year olds who had never put on a glove or held a bat...I can’t think of a better way to prepare for the unexpected.
Pitching Coach
Also a challenging role under Coach Graham. Rice, being Pitcher U, made this job somewhat intense. It’s kind of like being Tiger Woods’ caddy: if things go well it was expected but if things go badly, it has to be someone’s fault. Of course several 1st rounders and a couple ERA titles later and things were pretty smooth. All of you who let me share my opinions on pitching made the job a blast. Hope you enjoyed your time as much as I did.
I could go on, but I believe those are the key roles of an experience that I would not trade for the world. I truly believe I was meant to be a baseball player at Rice. I actually turned down a scholarship to attend Rice out of high school. I chose instead to attend Galveston Community College (I had been drafted and wanted to sign). Luckily two years later I was offered again and accepted.
From then on I got to:
Play and live with the college player of the year in ’98 (Thames)
Play on the first team to win a game in Omaha
Catch a no-hitter from Jeff Nichols
Catch in a game that set NCAA records for BBs(11) and HBP(10)
Experience the “hardship” of life pre-RBI club and indulge in the comforts of life post-RBI club
Help coach the team to a National Championship in ‘03
Help develop the talents and minds of countless great young men and pitchers (including six 1st rounders)
Play in the minors for the Los Angeles Dodgers
And most importantly Rice Baseball has allowed me to develop numerous relationships with people young and old that I will cherish for the rest of my life. For the scholarship, and in turn the above mentioned opportunities, I have to thank coaches Graham, Prather, Feris, and whomever in admissions stamped my application approved. Additionally, I have to thank Coach Graham for the right to assist him in coaching the team from ’00 through ’05. During my tenure I learned a great deal about leading men, attaining success at the highest level, seeing the core of a problem and solving it the most efficient way possible.
My time at Rice came to a close in August of ’05 after a season that saw us come within four outs of a trip to Omaha. It was then that I decided I was ready to tackle the world as an entrepreneur. I resigned to start an online search engine for athletic/outdoor information (www.activelifenetwork.net), which is my current career and passion. This concept was born of my experiences as a volunteer assistant. As a coach, I earned a living primarily through private instruction to local kids, and slowly realized that a vast majority of information regarding instruction, facilities, events, and opportunities was still being transferred by word of mouth. So after camp ended in August I seized the opportunity to develop a business that would solve this problem. I feel the combined experiences I had at Rice have given me all the necessary tools to excel in my new venture. From the people I have leaned on for advice, to those who have helped fund this venture, and to those I am sure will help in the future, I feel blessed to be a part of the RUBPA family.
The site is live, but has been for only two weeks, and as a result there is very little content. As soon as we are able to raise the remaining necessary seed capital, we will begin initiating our sales and marketing strategies, and filling the database with relevant information. The research, development, testing, and preliminary sales have been completed, and over half of the necessary capital has been raised. Raising operating capital is our final major hurdle we must overcome before an official launch. Please email me with any comments, suggestions, or questions you have regarding Active Life Network (zane.curry@activelifenetwork.net).
The only other project I have planned in the near future is an unauthorized biography of Wayne Graham. Forward stories you would like included to my email address above...Just kidding, Coach...but if there is a publisher amongst our members and readers I am willing to discuss the possibility. I cannot tell you how many pearls I have gathered from the man himself, my teammates, former players, and his former teammates.
Personally, I do occasionally miss the excitement of chasing another National Title, but the business world has proven equally as challenging and fulfilling. Unlike most of my former teammates I am not married (I think Kurtz-Nichol and Savarino are the only others), but I have been a groomsman in three former players weddings and have a fourth in two weeks (Jacques Landry). I do still live about fifteen blocks from campus, which once again proves I was meant to be at Rice.
Finally thank you to everyone I have come into contact with through Rice Baseball. I can’t imagine where I would be without all of you. Actually I would probably be in Galveston working a little and fishing a lot.
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