MANDAN, N.D. -- What does a batboy do when he has no way to
get to his team's biggest tournament of the year?
The answer is simple: That batboy says a prayer of thanks for
Grandpa.
Watertown, Wis., batboy Alex Crogan was without a way to get to
this year's Central Plains Regional baseball tournament when his
grandfather, Eli Crogan, came up with an idea.
The older Crogan decided he was going to drive his grandson the
750 miles from Watertown to Mandan so Alex would not miss his
chance to be with the team at the regional tournament.
"As his grandfather, I thought it was important that he be out
here, and I thought that it would be fun to be together for the
five or six days," Eli Crogan said. "He looks up to these guys --
they're just his heroes. It was important for him to get down
here."
The 11-hour drive got a little long for the 10-year-old, but it
was all worth it. The Crogans left Wisconsin at 7 a.m. on
Wednesday, and Alex was in Mandan in time for the pre-tournament
banquet.
"He came up with the idea for me to come out here with him, and
it sounded pretty good to me," Alex said Sunday. "It's been
pretty fun. I'm glad I got to do it, because there's two batboys
still at home in Watertown."
Eli Crogan is more than just a thoughtful grandfather -- he's a
coaching legend in Wisconsin.
Crogan coached basketball for 40 years before retiring at the
end of the last school year. He also has 20 years of coaching
baseball under his belt.
Crogan was a scout for the NBA's Houston Rockets from 1975 to
1977, and he was nearly hired as an assistant coach for the Chicago
Bulls.
"Back then, Larry Costello was the head coach (of the Bulls)
and was a good friend of mine," Crogan said. "I interviewed for
the job, and was offered the job, but that's when Rod Thorn decided
the team needed to hire someone with more experience."
The Bulls' loss was Wisconsin's gain. Crogan is a member of the
Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame, and his 562 prep
coaching wins are second most in state history.
The bulk of Crogan's coaching career has been at Watertown,
where he coached basketball for 22 years. He also coached high
school ball at Soldiers Grove, Fennimore and Wayland Academy, as
well as some college ball at the University of
Wisconsin-Whitewater.
"I coached for a long time," Eli Crogan said with a laugh. "I
coached basketball, but I was a baseball player before that, and
that's what this week is about."
Crogan played semipro ball for 20 years, and was offered a
contract with the St. Louis Cardinals when he was 18 years old. But
he decided he wanted to go to college, and went to the University
of Wisconsin-Madison on a scholarship. His time with the Badgers
was short-lived.
"I was there for one week, and then I told them I was going to
go sign with the Cardinals," Crogan said. "But that didn't work
out, and I ended up at Luther College (in Decorah, Iowa).
"When I graduated from there at age 22, I got an offer from the
Boston Red Sox, but I decided to go into teaching and coaching."
It's been a long road since then. He came to Mandan with his
grandson to root on the hometown team in what has turned into
Watertown's best Legion season to date.
"We moved to Watertown in 1965, and this is the first time
they've gotten this far," Eli Crogan said. "It's quite a thrill
for us to see them play here."
On Sunday, the team's hopes were dashed with a 4-1 loss to Rapid
City, S.D.
The one getting the biggest thrill during the tournament has
been Alex, who was tickled to be with the team in the dugout for
every game of the regional.
"I've been really happy all week," Alex said. "It's been a
neat time. But I know I couldn't have gotten here without the
players and coaches doing their job, too.
"I'm just glad I was able to be here."
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Information from: Bismarck Tribune,
http://www.bismarcktribune.com