David Walters, a 2005 River Hill High School graduate, is approaching the single-season saves record for the low Class A South Atlantic League's Delmarva Shorebirds. The team record is 33, set by Derek Brown in 1998. Walters had 30 saves through Aug. 21. Before play Aug. 30, the team had lost eight in a row and 10 of 11. Walters' last chance to set the mark comes as the Shorebirds finish the season with a five-game homestand Sept. 1-5 against the West Virginia Power.
David, a 6-foot-3, 190-pounder, played his college baseball Division II Francis Marion College, but was passed over by all 30 Major League teams in the draft. He then signed with the Baltimore Orioles as a non-drafted free agent in 2009.
Players who come out of small schools and are not drafted have to prove to the parent club that they have what it takes to make it in a very tough business and Walters may just prove the other 29 teams were wrong in not drafting him.
After Delmarva's season is over, David could be promoted to the high Class A Frederick Keys of the Carolina League. We will keep an eye on this fine young man who has the drive and the talent to have a Major League-type career.
Waxler named CEO
I cannot keep track of Louise Waxler so I won't even try. She will be inducted into the Howard County Community Sports Hall of Fame in October and that will be the first time in years that our paths have crossed.
Louise, who held many positions with the Soccer Association of Columbia/Howard County, including running the Columbia Invitational Tournament for many years, has recently been named president and CEO of the National Association of Tournament Directors. The organization is the first and only association to nationally unite tournament directors of all sports for the purpose of leveraging buying power and knowledge. Why reinvent the wheel when someone already knows how to do it?
Louise has been involved in upper management of two women's professional soccer teams. She was director of operations for the Washington Freedom and, most recently, she was the general manager of the Philadelphia Freedom.
I say that those who have been in soccer or who have had the pleasure of serving with her in numerous capacities have been enriched, and I'm certain that those she works with at NATD will likewise benefit.
Civility is left behind
Every time I go to a professional football game. I worry about fan behavior, or I should say, fan bad behavior. Is it possible to use the Howard County Library's "Choose Civility" motto and transfer it to the professional sports arena? We already have read about the beating that occurred outside Dodger Stadium after a Dodgers-Giants baseball game and I see the possibility that the same could happen here.
Why we can't treat fans who root for teams other than ours with dignity remains a mystery to me. If the opposing fans want to act like jerks, just ignore them. I see no sense in taunting and throwing things at them because they are not rooting for our team. I once saw a jersey of an opposing team ripped off the owner's back and then tossed over the top of the stadium.
The answer that comes to mind is that people heading into the stadiums have already had a large quantity of alcohol. The National Football League is concerned about fan behavior, but beer companies are some of the league's premier sponsors.
It is not World War III people. It is just a game and nothing more. If you can't behave at games, stay home and watch it on TV.