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Spring 2008
By Robert Jackson
Sports Editor
Sports boast a long list of odd objects and mascots associated with success. The then Anaheim Angels rallied behind the Rally Monkey in 2002 to win the World Series. Pittsburgh Steeler fans twirl the “terrible towels” during home playoff games. Consumption also signifies success. During the Celtics dominance in the 1960s, Red Auerbach smoked a cigar while the team finished out the last minutes of a game. The listed item’s quirks here contribute to the pantheon of sports memorabilia.
In the bottom of the eighth inning with bases loaded against Williams Baptist, senior catcher Whitney Nelson dug into the batter’s box. Williams Baptist’s head coach, Eric Newell, called for his pitcher to intentionally walk Natalie Bertucci to face Nelson, who entered the April 14 date hitless in the last week and a half on an 0/8 slide.
“(Coach Fisher) said, ‘Haven’t you dreamt of this situation? Bases loaded—bottom of the eighth inning—tied,’” Nelson remembered.
Nelson already decided the game against Williams Baptist would be different when she laced her cleats with pink shoestrings that her mom sent her in the parking lot before the game.
“There are a few things I wanted to do before I graduated,” Nelson said. “I wanted to have pink shoestrings and hit a home run. And I figured the home run isn’t going to happen so I went for the pink shoestrings.”
Newell’s gamble allowed the game to not only be different but potentially special.
With Nicole McAfee on third base, the senior catcher hoped to just put the ball in play, hoping the speedy McAfee could beat any throw to home plate.
“I was really nervous and hoping not to blow it,” Nelson said.
Nelson was eventually served a curveball on the outside part of the plate, a pitch she beat into the ground for an easy out her previous at bat. In the eighth inning, Nelson stayed back on the pitch, hitting a blooper to right field to drive in the game winning run.
“I have no idea why (pink) is my favorite color but it always has been,” Nelson said. “Except for when I was in like first grade, I thought pink was too girly.”
To Nelson, however, the shoestrings don’t mean much. “I just thought it’d be fun to have bright pink shoelaces,” she said.
The final singles match between UIS’ Jose Talavera and McKendree’s Evganiy Nigmatyanou not only determined the winner of the meet between the two teams but also a win over the rival Bearcats would place UIS in a three-way tie at the Hack Kellner Invitational on April 5.
Tournament scheduling had Talavera team with Diego Mayorga to play McKendree’s top doubles team, Timon Reichelt and Nigmatyanou, and then play the singles match shortly after doubles action.
Talavera needed all three sets to defeat Nigmatyanou and nourishing potassium from a banana to overcome slight cramping toward the end of the match.
According to Men’s Health, one of the possible reasons for muscle cramping is low potassium levels.
Enter the banana.
Bananas contain 806 milligrams of potassium, 23 percent of your daily need. After Talavera hobbled chasing a crosscourt forehand shot by Nigmatyanou, UIS players who had made their way onto the court asked if Talavera was alright.
Manny Velasco, the men’s tennis head coach, wasted little time and brought a banana to UIS’ No. 2 singles player.
Talavera lost 6-0 in the second set to Nigmatyanou, bringing the score 1-1. In the third set, Talavera fell behind but persevered to bring the score 4-5. Talavera won the fifth game of the set after Nigmatyanou hit a forehand shot into the net for an unforced error. The event encapsulated Talavera’s comeback strategy, according to teammate Pat Callahan.
“Jose wasn’t going to beat himself,” Callahan said at the time. “He was going to make the kid keep hitting good shots and the guy couldn’t sustain it.”
Talavera routed Nigmatyanou in the final two games, winning the decisive third set 7-5 and securing a UIS victory.
National championship-caliber teams aren’t supposed to drop two games by a combined score of 9-3. In New Orleans, the then Sangamon State Prairie Stars left with two bad losses and an orange traffic cone.
“We felt like we were snake bit a bit,” Men’s Head Soccer Coach Joe Eck said. Eck was an assistant on the 1993 team. “Our shots were pinging off the post and going out but everything the other team kicked the ball had eyes and just found the goal.”
Maybe in a city known for its voodoo museum, the team was hexed by supernatural forces. Eck explained the team adopted an orange traffic cone from New Orleans to try and reverse their fortunes.
“The players, they were pretty industrious and somehow they convinced the baggage handler that this big cone was a part of the team’s luggage,” Eck said. The cone though quickly evolved into more than just a part of the team’s luggage.
“I think they took it to any public function,” Eck said. “Anywhere the team had to go the cone went with them.” The cone found a comfortable spot on the sidelines as the 1993 team’s unofficial mascot.
SSU added to its pre-game preparation by touching the cone on the way out to the field.
After coming back from New Orleans, the team routed Missouri-Rolla 9-1 for their final regular season game. SSU then stormed through district and area playoffs en route to the NAIA National Tournament.
“It seemed to give them some kind of positive momentum,” Eck said. “Sometimes in playoffs too it doesn’t hurt to have a humorous distraction.”
SSU advanced to the championship game against Lynn University, a team that only allowed four goals all season that year.
The championship would be decided after four overtimes with SSU coming out on top 4-3. Besides having the memories of that magical season, Eck thinks a player from the 1993 squad also still probably has that three-foot traffic cone the team adopted in New Orleans as its mascot.
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