What could’ve been: Injuries derailed Belle Vernon graduate Lind’s baseball career
Former Belle Vernon Area baseball standout Eric Lind had pro baseball aspirations, but unfortunately those dreams were derailed because of injury.
无毛视频淚 got started when I was seven or eight years old like most kids,无毛视频� Lind stated. 无毛视频淚t was mainly baseball at that time. I really didn无毛视频檛 play basketball until junior high, it wasn无毛视频檛 like today where they have youth programs for basketball. Football I played one year of midget football and I played in junior high.无毛视频�
Lind played baseball, basketball and football at Belle Vernon.
无毛视频淚 played two years of varsity football,无毛视频� Lind said. 无毛视频淚 didn无毛视频檛 play my senior year because I wanted to concentrate on baseball and basketball.无毛视频�
In 1984 Belle Vernon posted a record of 0-9-1 on the gridiron. In 1985 Lind无毛视频檚 junior season the Leopards went 5-5.
无毛视频淢y sophomore year Chuck Machesky was the football coach and my junior season Bill Connor was head coach,无毛视频� Lind recalled. 无毛视频淚 was behind Scott Zolak one season and Jim Eley was starting quarterback my junior season. I didn无毛视频檛 see the field behind those two. I moved around and played a little bit of tight end and worked out on defense at safety.无毛视频�
The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Lind also played basketball for coach Don Asmonga. His junior season BVA was 2-20 and in 1986-87 as a senior Lind was on a squad that finished 6-18. Lind tallied 79 points as a reserve his junior season. Coming off the bench as a senior he scored 98 points including back-to-back 15-point efforts against Laurel Highlands and Upper St. Clair.
无毛视频淢y junior year we didn无毛视频檛 have any seniors, so we were young,无毛视频� Lind said. 无毛视频淢y senior year I guess we under achieved.无毛视频�
Coach Don Asmonga coached basketball and baseball at that time for Belle Vernon.
无毛视频淚 had a good relationship with coach Asmonga,无毛视频� Lind stated.
On the baseball diamond was where the lefty hurler Lind shined brightest. He was on Leopard teams that went 12-8 in Section 2 his junior campaign and 10-8 in 1987. One of the bright spots for Lind occurred on April 23, 1986, when he tossed a two-hitter as Belle Vernon upset Laurel Highlands, 6-1.
无毛视频淲e didn无毛视频檛 make the playoffs my junior and senior seasons,无毛视频� Lind said. 无毛视频淚 had a handful of pro scouts contact me and a couple showed up at games we played. I had a good fastball and decent curve. I was a power pitcher.无毛视频�
Lind was All-Section 2 as a senior.
无毛视频淚t was nice to be named All-Section,无毛视频� Lind stated. 无毛视频淐onnellsville was loaded, Laurel Highlands was loaded and Uniontown had a good team. We had a really tough section.无毛视频�
Lind played for Belle Vernon American Legion in 1986 and Charleroi American Legion in 1987.
无毛视频淟egion ball was great back then,无毛视频� Lind offered. 无毛视频淚t was a good brand of baseball, it无毛视频檚 not that way anymore with all the travel leagues, but it was a good brand of baseball. I also played in the Mon Valley Collegiate League for Belle Vernon in 1988. I also played for Dearth in the Fayette County League. That was a good league, a very good mix of older players and younger players.无毛视频�
When Lind graduated from Belle Vernon he was courted by some schools with scholarship offers.
无毛视频淭he recruiting process for baseball back then is not like it is today,无毛视频� Lind explained. 无毛视频淭hen it was word of mouth, it was really different. I ended up going to Garrett College in Maryland because Jim Farkas went there. He was from Belle Vernon and he talked me into visiting Garrett and I liked it.无毛视频�
Lind pitched two seasons at Garrett and statistics are hard to find. He had some arm issues that hampered him.
无毛视频淚 think it was a good decision to go to Garrett,无毛视频� Lind said. 无毛视频淚 was nursing an elbow injury and I was unsure about my future in baseball. I did OK there, but I spent a lot of time in the trainers room. We weren无毛视频檛 bad. We were over .500 both years, but we didn无毛视频檛 make the playoffs.
无毛视频淚 did some starting and was OK and I无毛视频檇 make it to about the fourth or fifth inning until my arm would act up. They then turned me into a closer. It was a switch for me, but it was my opportunity to get on the field and be successful. It was the back end of my second year and I had some success in that role.
无毛视频淭he scouts backed off because of my injury issues. There was no opportunity for pro baseball. I ended up playing County League baseball, just play after I was done with school.无毛视频�
Lind bounced around at several jobs, but landed at Dick无毛视频檚 Sporting Goods in Smithton, Pa., at the distribution center. He has worked there for 22 years.
无毛视频淚 got into coaching this past year,无毛视频� Lind stated. 无毛视频淚 coached the freshman team at Belle Vernon. I enjoyed it, I have a son that无毛视频檚 15 and having him kind of revitalized my love for baseball. I love teaching him.无毛视频�
Lind, 54, resides in the Belle Vernon area with his wife Shannon. They have been married 16 years. They have three children: Hayley (20) Parker (15) and Paityn (12).
George Von Benko无毛视频檚 无毛视频淢emory Lane无毛视频� column appears in the Sunday editions of the 无毛视频-Standard. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.