New Orleans - The date was, March 7, 2008. On the field, the Tulane Green Wave were battling nationally-ranked U.C. Irvine, but in the dugout Tulane Head Coach Rick Jones had more than just wins and losses on his mind.
“It was the first time I’ve dealt with something like that, in that setting,” Jones said as he vividly recalls the day.
In the 2nd inning of that game, Jones had learned tragedy had struck one of his players.
“You’re sitting there coaching the entire game knowing you’re going to have to tell this young man,” Jones recalled. “Who’s sitting there cheering for his team, afterwards?”
The ‘young man’ Jones was referring too was sophomore pitcher, Preston Claiborne who had no idea his father had died suddenly of a heart attack.
“I didn’t know what was going on,” Claiborne said.
Meanwhile, Jones had told his assistant coach to get Claiborne away from his teammates, to break the tragic news.
“My assistant coach Chad Sutter gave him a cell phone and said, ‘listen, you need to call your mom. She needs to talk to you,” Jones explained.
“My mom was on the other line. She started off asking me how the game went,”Claiborne said, remembering that he was still completely confused. “And then, she told me, he died.”
“He just collapsed right there,” Jones recalled.
“After I got the phone call, I broke down.” Claiborne said as he held back tears.
When the initial shock finally wore off, Claiborne and Tulane were still in the middle of a 3-game series. So Claiborne had a choice to make, fly home to Dallas, or stay in New Orleans with his teammates.
Claiborne said the choice was easy.
“I knew I had to.”
“One of the first things he told me was, I want to pitch if the time is right,” Jones said, after recalling struggling whether it was a good idea to put Claiborne should pitch.
But in the end, Jones honored Claiborne’s request and put him in the game Sunday, just two days after his father’s heart attack.
“Oh God, help me now,” Claiborne said he thought to himself,as he took the mound.
His prayers must have been answered, not only did he pitch,he pitched well. He threw 2 1/3 innings,and struck out 3 batters.
“After I got the final out,” Claiborne said, “it was such a relief.”
The Green Wave lost that game, 5-1, but his performance was something his coach will always remember.
“For him to enter the game and see how our fans responded to him, it’s just something that you won’t forget.” Jones said noting that the fans embraced Claiborne before and after the game.
It’s been over a year since Claiborne’s dad’s death, but he still thinks about him everyday, and of course, there are times when he forget she’s gone.
“I still have his speed dial in my phone. There’d be days when I would pick up the phone and hold down the button, put the phone to my ear,” Claiborne said. “Then I realize what I’ve done.”
He knows now the man who only got to see him play a handful of times in college is watching him now, and is proud of his son.
“He gets to see me pitch every game now.”
