As much as I sometimes long for the “good old days,” I must say that today’s modern technology has some advantages.
Gone are the days of trying to find the game you are interested in on an AM radio station 500 miles away, crackling with static. Today, you simply find the game of your choice and go to the web to watch or listen.
Last week, while watching the Northwest Florida State baseball team’s bid for a national championship, I found myself glued to the internet and my cell phone.
From the comfort of my recliner, I cheered on 2013 Crestview High School graduate Dakota Dean and the Raiders in their march to school history.
If you haven’t heard, Dean and NWFSC won the championship. Dean had four hits in the championship game — two of which were home runs — and drove in six runs.
It was a big-time performance by an athlete who doesn’t back away from challenges.
Five years ago, another Dean, Dakota’s older brother Blake, a 2006 Crestview grad, helped lead Louisiana State to the 2009 Division I baseball championship. Dakota will now have his own championship ring to match his older brother's.
Had things worked out differently for Dakota, he wouldn’t have played for the Raiders this year. Dean spent his freshman year at LSU, but when things didn’t work out he came home to attend NWFSC. Without Dean, the Raiders probably don’t win the national championship.
Dean isn't just a great player; he’s also a great leader. Every dugout and clubhouse needs a guy who will take charge and show his teammates the way. I’ve talked to men who have coached Dean, and they said he’s a guy the other players follow.
Another Crestview tie on NWFSC's baseball team is assistant coach David Garner. Garner’s first head coaching job in Okaloosa County was at Crestview. One of his players was current Bulldog coach Tim Gillis, who coached both Deans.
Garner, who left Crestview and coached at Niceville, was the first coach at the Okaloosa Walton Junior College when the program reinstated baseball in the 1990s. He later coached at Niceville a second time and Fort Walton Beach.
Finally, another Raider assistant coach, Brett Stewart, was on Crestview’s junior varsity team his freshman year before transferring to Niceville. Stewart’s father, the late Bruce Stewart, was the longtime men’s basketball coach at the college.
Congratulations to Dean, Garner, Stewart and all the other members of the Raider baseball team on a well-deserved championship.
Email News Bulletin Sports Editor Randy Dickson, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: DICKSON: Raider championship has Crestview ties