University of Minnesota Athletics
Postgame Quotes: vs. Michigan
5/26/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Statement from interim director of athletics Beth Goetz…
"Todd touched the lives of all those who knew him. A life of courage, strength, and faith has and always will be reflected in the character of Gopher Baseball and what it represents."
Head coach John Anderson opening statement…
"I'm really proud of our kids today. I thought yesterday we were really anxious and really excited. We had some players that hadn't been on the big stage, so it's been a little harder for them the past couple of weeks because they don't have that experience staying connected to the process rather than worried about winning and losing and what everybody else expects from them. As you get more attention, it gets harder for people until you learn how to deal with it. We talked about it yesterday and I thought we did a much better job today staying present and connected to the process, playing the game and I was proud of the kids. This is all about learning and growth. I thought I saw some growth today from our players and it was good to see."
Anderson on emotional week…
"It's been an emotional couple of weeks with our pitching coach Todd Oakes. He moved into hospice and I'm very proud of kids, how strong they have been, both in terms of their support for Todd and his family, his wife Terri, and the way they pay tribute to him. Todd's a servant leader, person of strong faith. His family, friends, his relationships are very important to him. He's a person who has always given back and tried to help others more than he ever cared about himself. He's made out program better. He's made me a better person, better coach, better husband, better father. He'll be missed."
Anderson on baseball being just a game…
"Today is just another day of perspective. I think you can put today very easily into perspective. This is a game that we love playing. We try to play as well as we can. But at the end of the day, regardless of what happens, we're all going to be ok. We're all going to be ok. We're all going to leave here today and we don't let the game - win or lose - define us as people. We're not going to let this define our kids. We have wonderful young men and the game doesn't define us. What we do in the other parts of our life, how we serve others and the leadership we can provide in mentoring others to just be an overall good person. We have a team of those particular young men. This doesn't define us. I'm very proud of this team. They've been servant leaders and the whole lot, not only helping one another in our program but they've done a lot in the community. This is a day of perspective and we probably need some perspective right now after losing another tough ballgame."
Ty McDevitt on managing emotions…
"There's a lot of things going on with school. This time of the year is crazy and it's finally just letting up now. Everybody handles it a little bit differently. That's sort of the challenge with everything. Some need their space. Some people need to let it out. Some guys need to talk and others don't want to talk about it at all. From a team perspective, it's really tough to cast a wide net on how to manage the situation as a whole. It's a really obviously sensitive subject for everybody on the team. I learned a lot, gained a lot of insight and have been really close to T.O., so it's tough. It's really tough for a lot of guys. We had quite a few guys on the team where he's been their father since they've been here. And that's really tough, too."
McDevitt on memories of T.O.…
"I think it's funny, you know, I've always thought that me and T.O. have had a unique relationship. We've always been pretty close. Then, the more I talk to anybody else who's played for him, they feel the same way. That's just T.O. There was never one sit-down. He's never called me into his office and gave me some gigantic perspective on life. He never wrote me a card that made me cry. It was his every-day presence and the way that he treated others, the way that he made you feel comfortable. I came into the program five years ago. I thought I was going to be a pro pitcher. I wanted to learn how to throw the nastiest slider in the world. I wanted to throw 95 miles-per-hour. I wanted to do nothing but get guys out. I sit here today and I couldn't care less about that stuff. He's taught me way, way, way more important stuff. I think I'm one of many who are in that boat."
Anderson on memories of T.O….
"I think there's a quote, and I can't remember who it was attributed to, but it speaks well to Todd and the impact he's had. 'It's not what you say. It's not what you do. It's how you make other people feel.' He always left his presence feeling better and he always made sure you felt better than he did, if you were having a tough day or you wanted some support or you wanted some wisdom. That's the way he treated the kids. That's why he's been with us 18 years and that's why I liked him. He was a tremendous pitching coach, but I think he was a wonderful fit for our program because of his values, the person he is and the servant leader that he was. If you talk to these kids, they won't tell you about how he taught them to throw a better breaking ball or how to command the fastball. They'll talk about the life lessons he taught them, how they all felt valued, no matter if they were the first pitcher or the 15th pitcher. They all felt like they were valued by him. He coached everyone the same, treated everyone the same, regardless of where they stood in the pecking order. That was always a big part of his philosophy. He wanted to work with them all. That's really what I think stands out to me. Whenever you left his presence, whenever I watched him work with our players, they always felt better after they were in his presence and I know I did as well. He's got a wonderful wife, Terri, and three boys and they're going to need our strength as they go forward and we're going to support them any way we can."
