On August 6, Baxter took the mound against the Niagara Falls Rapids and looked in at his catcher, Dan Hargis, for a sign. Hargis rubbed his chest. Hargis tugged at his equipment. Hargis crossed himself. Hargis did not, however, flash him one of the signs they had arranged before the game.
After about 10 minutes of Hargis' slapstick signs and Baxter's frantic head-shaking, home plate umpire Peter Funt, the host of Candid Camera, approached the mound. Smile, Bobby.
Baxter went on to pitch a seven-inning complete game victory--with a real ump. He has chalked up a 4-3 record with a 4.97 ERA. His teammate, Tom Decareau, left Harvard after his junior season to join the San Diego Padres organization. In 55 Arizona League at-bats, Decareau has compiled a .273 average.
David Berkoff '89 was a member of the first-ever student-athlete committee to address the University Presidents Commission. Berkoff and two other swimmers complained about pending NCAA legislation limiting practice time to 20 hours. The legislation passed anyway.
And for those who have lost touch with the Boston pro sports scene:
The Red Sox had a magical summer, catapulting past the Blue Jays into a comfortable first-place lead. They can thank the baseball gods that the Jays are a team of chokers, whiners and losers, that Roger Clemens exists and that castaway hurlers named Tom Bolton, Mike Boddicker, Greg Harris and Dana Kiecker have managed to keep them mediocre on days when Clemens isn't pitching.
The Celtics had an embarrassing summer. First, they were snubbed by Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski, and were forced to hire Chris Ford instead. Then they found themselves in a bizarre courtroom battle with guard Brian Shaw and his rebellious agent, Jerome Stanley. Finally, Reggie Lewis announced to the media that he was planning to leave Boston, at the same moment that his agent (You guessed it--Jerome Stanley) was hammering out a contract with Celtic management. The Green Mystique is dead.
The Bruins had a quiet summer. Ray Borque and Bruin Coach Mike Milbury got gypped out of the MVP and Coach of the Year awards. Borque and Cam Neely signed megabuck contracts. Otherwise, blissful peace.
The Patriots are a horrible, horrible football team.