TicketsOct. 26, 2006
Former Bearcat Mark Haske is chasing a dream as a minor league player in the Detroit Tigers farm system. A native of nearby Saginaw, Haske played during spring training with the same players that make up the Tigers roster in the 2006 World Series. Tom Gilchrist of the Bay City Times recently wrote this piece on Haske.
Minor League, Major Dreams
by Tom Gilchrist--Times Writer
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Mark Haske, the kid from Reese, looked into right field and saw Detroit Tiger star Magglio Ordonez. At third base, he spotted Brandon Inge.
Moments later, just before the start of the fourth inning, the ball came sizzling at Haske - thrown by catcher Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez.
Haske, 23, caught it - not in a dream, but at second base, playing in the Tiger lineup this past March.
"It's kind of cool when you're taking throws from Pudge Rodriguez at second base in between innings - not many people can get to experience that," said Haske, who played with the Tigers for six innings in a spring-training game in March.
"It's cool when you're batting in the second spot in the lineup, behind Curtis Granderson, and when you're at the plate, Pudge is batting behind you, on deck," Haske said.
Haske, a 2001 Reese High School graduate drafted by the Tigers last year, will root for Detroit in the World Series Game 4 tonight from his home in Tampa, Fla.
He plans to join the West Michigan Whitecaps - one of the Tigers' minor-league teams - again in the spring. Haske, son of Larry and Toby Haske, played 120 regular-season and playoff games for the Whitecaps this past season, batting .250.
Tiger manager Jim Leyland also had Haske join the big-league team for two games in March. Haske played in only one of the games, but collected one hit and plenty of memories.
"Before I got in the one game, I was in the dugout and Placido Polanco was sitting down next to me, chatting about things," Haske said.
Haske said the Tigers let minor leaguers get an occasional chance at bat during the team's spring-training games, but he found himself playing most of one game with the team after getting in the lineup in the fourth inning.
"When they sent me in the game that early, it was really exciting," he said.
Haske wishes all the Tigers well in the World Series, but a few in particular.
He recalled the kindness Tiger slugger Craig Monroe showed when Monroe and fellow Tiger Marcus Thames spotted Haske and other minor-league players at a restaurant in Lakeland, Fla., during spring training.
"I was there with probably 10 minor leaguers, and Monroe was there with Thames, and they were talking with us," Haske said.
"Of course, it was cool that they'd do that, but Monroe especially stuck out to me. He was a real personable guy, and I'd see him during spring training in the weight room. I'll definitely be rooting for him, and for Curtis Granderson, too, because he also was just drafted a few years ago and he came up through the Detroit minor-league system."
Haske, now 5-11 and 175 pounds, played shortstop in high school for Coach Dave Elliott's Reese Rockets, and starred on the gridiron at the high school in Tuscola County, too.
"Pound for pound, Mark was the best football player I've ever coached, not just at Reese but in my 22 years of coaching football," said Reese High football coach Bob Saylor.
"His practices were as tough if not tougher than his games, and game day for him was an all-out training session," Saylor said. "He has worked his tail off to get where he's at. I'm a huge Mark Haske fan."
Early in 2007, Haske will return to the University of Cincinnati - where he played college baseball - to take more classes in pursuit of a bachelor's degree.
He'll return to spring training in Lakeland in late February, though. By then, he could be rubbing elbows with the World Champions of baseball.
In the meantime, he lifts weights and runs to stay in shape in Tampa, dreaming of making not just any team, but a championship team.
"Obviously, after as well as the Tigers have done this year, they're not going to be in a position to be calling people up (to the big leagues) all the time," Haske said. "Right now, I don't think that affects me.
"What's important is for me to have a solid season in the minor leagues. I have to keep moving up the ladder."