'Wild' Night for Broncs--Baseball Team Receives 2008 MAAC Championship Rings
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The Rider University baseball team received its 2008 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship rings at a ceremony on Saturday, January 31, that featured former Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Mitch Williams as the keynote speaker.
“Play the game because you love the game,” Williams said to the players, who were among the 150 people in attendance. “Do what you love, because you love it. If you love it, you’ll get the most out of it. Once you stop loving it, you are done.”
Williams spoke about his career and the end of it. “I never wanted to see my paychecks when I played because that was not the reason I played,” said Williams, who was known as “Wild Thing” during his playing days. “I retired at 32 years old because I didn’t love it anymore. I was still throwing 93 miles per hour and being left-handed, I could have played almost anywhere. Today, if you have a heartbeat and throw left-handed, they’ll find you a place to play.”
Rider head coach Barry Davis, who led the 2008 Broncs to their first NCAA tournament since 1994, was appreciative of Williams. “We are very excited and grateful that Mitch Williams was a part of the dinner to honor the 2008 team,” he said. “His name alone gave the dinner credibility.”
Williams encouraged the current Broncs to savor their days on campus, a privilege not all athletes get to know. “I never went to college, even though I had 38 scholarship offers,” Williams recalled. “I wasn’t made up for college, so there are a lot of people in this room smarter than me. Make sure you enjoy your college experience, an experience I never had.”
A reception was held in the Rider Hall of Fame Atrium in the Student Recreation Center, followed by a dinner in the Daly Dining Hall Mercer Room.
Many former Bronc baseball players attended, including former Atlanta Brave Kevin Barry and Hall of Fame coach Sonny Pittaro. Members of the 1984 East Coast Conference Championship Team that took part in the NCAA Regional in Maine, and members of the 1994 Northeast Conference Championship team that played in the NCAA Regional in Miami were on hand, as well as players from the 1970s and recent graduates from the 2000s and parents of the current players.
“We enjoyed the evening with the many who have supported Rider baseball,” Barry said. “It was a fun evening of baseball and a great way to kick off the 2009 season.”
Williams earned 192 saves in 11 Major League seasons, including 43 saves for the 1993 National League Champion Phillies. “When we lost that series, I had people throw eggs at my house, but I didn’t mind because I was renting it,” quipped Williams in recollection of the World Series that ended with Toronto’s Joe Carter connecting on the decisive home run off Williams. “If you play long enough, someone is going to get you.”
Fifteen subsequent seasons, the last of which saw the Phillies claim their second World Series title, have erased some of that sting to Philadelphia fans, and allowed Williams the luxury of a more light-hearted look back. “Your rings look great. I have a second-place ring,” he joked. “Enjoy it now, because people only remember what you did for them lately. So go out and win another MAAC title and we’ll be back here next year.”
Williams is currently a postgame analyst for Phillies games on Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia and often appears on the 610 WIP-AM morning show and the MLB Network.
“It has been said that there are three types of people in the world,” Davis said. “Those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who say ‘what just happened?’ The 2008 Rider team was made up of individuals who came together and made things happen.”
