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Archive for the ‘Baseball’ Category

Quote King scores big respect!!

Posted in A freakin' American hero, Baseball, Football, Happy birthday, tagged , , , , , on January 6, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Birthday boy Chris Tumblin (right) with son Jake.

Birthday boy Chris Tumblin (right) with son Jake.

Tumblin (right), back when he was King of the Mats.

Tumblin (right), back when he was King of the Wrestling Mats.

Hanging out with (l t r) daughter Ashlyn, wife Shannon, Jake and Izzy LeVine

Hanging out with (l to r) daughter Ashlyn, wife Shannon, Jake and his #1 fan, Izzy LeVine.

It is the quote that will live forever.

And yes, after wife Shannon read said quote, Coupeville coach/living legend Chris Tumblin was not allowed to give out any more quotes.

But we’ll always have that moment when Tumblin described the play of Wolf football standout Josh Bayne thusly:

“Josh had one tackle on a receiver, folded him in half like a cheap hooker who was punched in the gut by her pimp. He had to sit out for awhile and wait for his liver to start working again.”

Memories…

Of course, there’s more to the man than just a way with words.

He’s also the only Central Whidbey coach in memory to have guided his team to a state title, beating the big city boys to win a little league title with a squad that included future Wolf stars like Ben Etzell, Jake Tumblin and Morgan Payne.

And today is his birthday. The day the original Rumblin’ Tumblin hit the ground running and never looked back.

Happy birthday, Chris!

You are, and have always been, a straight shooter who said exactly what was on his mind and a talented coach who got the most out of his players.

Of course, you’re also a pretty dang good paramedic, as well.

Coupeville is lucky to have you.

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Help Big Ben help little kids!!

Posted in Baseball, Fundraisers, Wolves in college, tagged , , , on November 5, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Ben Etzell (3) during his days on the CHS diamond. (Shelli Trumbull photo)

Ben Etzell (3) during his days on the CHS diamond. (Shelli Trumbull photo)

If you can spare a buck or two, you can help a whole bunch of people.

Former Coupeville High School baseball star Ben Etzell, now a freshman at Saint John’s University in Minnesota, is planning to take part in a campus-wide event to raise funds to support St. Jude’s lifesaving mission of finding cures and saving children.

Students will be pulling an all-nighter Friday, Nov. 7 to draw attention to St. Jude’s work and Etzell needs to raise $100 to reach his fundraising goal and participate.

He’s almost halfway there, but could use a push from Wolf fans.

To see more and help him out, jump over to:

http://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR?px=2953345&fr_id=20369&pg=personal

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Big day for a class act!!

Posted in Baseball, Boys Basketball, Happy birthday, tagged , , , , on October 22, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Morgan Payne 4 President.

Morgan Payne 4 President

Morgan Payne played his butt off.

Dude hustled every second of every day, every moment of every play.

Whether he was on the baseball diamond or the basketball court, the 2014 Coupeville High School grad, now a baseball player at Skagit Valley College, never backed down, never gave up on a play.

He let his actions speak for themselves as he was, at least in public, a young man of few words.

That didn’t stop the Bad-ass Party from stumping for him as their choice as President.

Waving signs and chanting his name for days, Brian Norris, Colin Belliveau and Co. made sure the whole world knew of their undying support for Morgan.

As he celebrates a birthday today, we also wish Mr. Payne the best.

He played the game the way it should be played, one mud-stained pair of baseball pants at a time, even if his heroic, game-saving dives sometimes made mom Joan cry when she remembered she’d have to wash those pants.

Morgan Payne for president? He has my vote.

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Well played, Mr. Edwards!! Well played!!

Posted in Baseball, Football, Happy birthday, Track, tagged , , , , on September 22, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Joey Edwards

Joey Edwards

He was a tough guy with a soft center.

During his days at Coupeville High School, Joey Edwards took hits with the best of them, whether it was allowing himself to be drilled with a fastball to get a crucial runner on base or cracking a runner coming across the field on the gridiron.

Off the field, the avid biker and car buff could still be seen as a tough guy. But one with a huge smile seen frequently gracing his face.

He came across as a genuinely nice guy, someone who fit in with his teammates and was well liked.

A transfer from South Whidbey midway through his high school days, Edwards became a valued part of Wolf Nation, graduating from the school this past year.

Now he’s off in the Army, serving his country and making his family proud of the young man he has become.

Today he’s far from Whidbey (the military doesn’t give you an off day for your birthday), but those of us back here on The Rock send him our best wishes on his big day.

Keep on keepin’ on, Mr. Edwards.

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Nick Etzell has racket, will smash!!

Posted in Baseball, Boys Tennis, tagged , , , , , on September 17, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Nick Etzell (front) with siblings (l to r) Marisa, Ben and Lucas. (Kristi Etzell photo)

Nick Etzell (front) with siblings (l to r) Marisa, Ben and Lucas. (Kristi Etzell photo)

Tennis balls are not safe around Nick Etzell.

The Coupeville High School freshman, who’s also a talented baseball player, tends to take great delight in beating the crud out of the fuzzy yellow balls.

“I enjoy the fun of just smashing a ball against a tennis racket,” Etzell said. “Especially right on the sweet spot!”

Of course, there’s more to the sport than just mashing the ball, and the younger brother of former Wolf netter Ben Etzell, who played in last year’s state doubles tourney to cap his high school career, is quickly developing multiple weapons.

“This is my first year of tennis and I started really playing about a month and a half ago,” Etzell said. “I started playing because I had seen my brother play and I know that it is a sport that I can play my entire life.

“I enjoy the real team spirit and how everyone helps each other out,” he added. “My strengths on the court are my ability to get great topspin on the ball and my forehands.”

Etzell continues to fine-tune his game (“the things I need to work on the most are my backhands and my serves”) and has set solid goals for this season and beyond.

“My goals for this season are to win more than 50% of my matches and to move to #5 doubles at least once,” he said. “Future goals include making it to state and being #1 or #2 doubles.”

A fan of the “Star Wars,” “Lord of the Rings” and Marvel movies, Etzell spends his free time playing Frisbee and watching sports (“except golf and soccer!”).

He’s the youngest of four in his family, which includes Ben, a freshman baseball player at Saint John’s University in Minnesota and twins Marisa and Lucas, seniors at CHS.

In all things, but especially sports, his older siblings have been positive influences on him as he has grown.

“My brothers, Benjamin and Lucas, have had the biggest impact on my life,” Etzell said.

“Ben would always help me out with my shot in basketball, or challenge me in one-on-one (he would crush me),” he added. “Ben would also show me the proper way to swing in baseball, and, my favorite and most used pitch, the curveball, he showed me how to throw well.”

Lucas, who has Down’s Syndrome, provides a different sort of inspiration.

“Lucas has made me a better person in my daily life,” Etzell said. “He has showed me even when you’re having a bad day, good things can come out of it.

“He’s always been the funniest guy I’ve ever met and he really has changed my life for the better.”

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