Beiden Field hosts history
Former Bulldog greats get their day in the spotlight
Juan Villa / The Collegian
It was no surprise
to the many Bulldogs baseball fans in attendance that Jeff Weaver (left) pitched an inning of shutout ball on Jeff Weaver Day. Earlier in the afternoon, Fresno City councilman Jerry Duncan awarded Weaver with a certificate authenticating Jan. 27, 2007 as Jeff Weaver Day.
Also honored before the game were Terry Pendleton, Jimy Williams and Truman “Tex” Clevenger, who had their jerseys retired. |
By Darrell Copeland III
The Collegian
Jeff Weaver doesn’t have the ring to show for it yet, but the achievement that it will recognize became the final piece in officially making him a Fresno State baseball legend.
History was made during Saturday’s annual alumni baseball game as four former Bulldogs standouts were honored for their achievements both during and after their time at Fresno State.
Weaver, of course, was the starting pitcher in the St. Louis Cardinals’ World Series clinching Game 5 against the Detroit Tigers. The two-time Fresno State All-American said the ring will be in near the beginning of the 2007 Major League Baseball season, and that will complete what has been a surreal offseason for him.
“Once that comes around, it’ll all kind of set in,” Weaver said. “Sometimes you gotta pinch yourself and make sure it’s all real.”
As announced by Fresno City councilman Jerry Duncan, Jan. 27, 2007 will forever be remembered as Jeff Weaver Day in Fresno.
Also honored prior to the game — which was won by the 2007 Bulldogs squad 2-1 — were three other Bulldogs namesakes. Terry Pendleton, Jimy Williams and Truman “Tex” Clevenger had their jerseys retired and forever remembered via the left field wall, which hosts the names and numbers for the former Bulldogs standouts.
Pendleton was unable to attend the event, but his 1991 MLB Most Valuable Player award still ranks as the only Fresno State player to have won an MVP in a major sport.
Williams had an abbreviated playing career, but his success as a major league manager made him worthy of the recognition.
The standout of the 1950s was Clevenger, who won two World Series titles with the New York Yankees. While at Fresno State, Clevenger pitched a nine-inning, 20 strikeout game on the mound, but he also went an impressive 5-for-5 with two triples at the plate.
Honoring Bulldogs greats of the past proved to be the theme of the day, as current and former major and minor league Fresno State alumni standouts returned to show their appreciation to the place many will call home forever.
Recent Florida Marlins signee Josh Labandeira fits right into that slot. The diminutive Labandeira starred at shortstop for the Bulldogs in the ‘90s, and has seen minimal time at the big league level, but he said without his time at Fresno State, none of his current opportunities would have ever existed.
With a 5’7” tall Labandeira and a former walk-on turned major league standout in Weaver, it wasn’t hard to see why Fresno State baseball fans were so busy applauding.
“To think I came here as a walk-on,” Weaver said. “When it’s something that touches you like that, it just means so much.”
The reaction from Fresno State fans in attendance was simple: ditto.
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