by Matt Rogers

Like people, baseball seasons are complex.

But unlike some individuals, all are more than memorable.

Take the 2009 Corpus Christi Hooks campaign. This was a ball club that performed at a considerably higher level than its predecessor. From the time home plate umpire Brian Sinclair hollered “play ball” on Thursday, April 9, at 7:08 p.m., until Hooks catcher Jose Lopez was rung up by plate umpire Jeff Gosney for taking a third strike at 9:40 p.m. on Monday, September 7, it was a group of young men who took the game seriously.

They were, and are, professionals. I sensed it in April when there was very little difference in their body language and comportment win or lose. After all, wins in baseball aren’t celebrated for very long and lamenting losses can only set teams on a perilous track. In a sport where you play every day, even temperament is critical. It’s not like football, where a loss can seem like death, in part because you can’t do anything about it for another week.

These Hooks of ours were indeed fun to watch and follow. They quickly established bonds with Corpus Christi’s fan base at a season-ticket holder outing in Kieschnick’s Korner the day after the Astros exhibition game.

Ah, the April 2 Astros exhibition. They beat the parent club 6-5 on a walk-off home run by catcher Brian Esposito before a Whataburger Field-record 9,118.

Esposito and second baseman Drew Meyer are former major-leaguers who helped manage the clubhouse.

Here’s what I’ll long remember about some of the other Hooks and front-office staff during the 2009 season:

I’ll remember Wladimir Sutil’s mercurial moves at shortstop. Sutil’s wizardry was on display for the entire nation July 7, when he made a video game-type rollover, behind-the back toss to Meyer at second against Northwest Arkansas. Sorry, that’s the best I can describe it. On this occasion, Sutil’s magic was ESPN Sportscenter’s No. 2 play of the night.

I’ll remember Collin DeLome’s short-term walk-up music, Glen Campbell’s Rhinestone Cowboy. A hitting slump chased that classic back to the ‘70s. I’ll also recall Collin’s willingness to help with anything… and his insistence on a cold Dr Pepper when interviewed on Matt Hicks’ postgame show.

I’ll remember Drew Locke, who never made it out of A-ball with the Dodgers, earning team MVP honors and capturing the Texas League batting and RBI titles. Drew Locke is an unassuming man, a person of great humility. Success should find people like him more often.

I’ll remember being happy for DeLome and Locke when they made the Hooks Five-Year Team… and a little disappointment for Ray Sadler when he didn’t. But, it was sure nice to have Ray back in a Hooks uniform. Never thought we’d hear his walk-up music again.

Five years of Hooks Baseball provided an opportunity for us to celebrate the best players in franchise history. If you didn’t pick up a five-year poster on Closing Night, swing by the Whataburger Field offices and we’ll get you one. No need to call in advance.

I’ll remember our players bound for World Cup competition: world-class badminton player Jimmy Van Ostrand (Canada) and 2008 first-round draft choice Jason Castro. Their teams are already mixing it up at the national training center in Cary, N.C.

I’ll remember the weekend Mark Ori’s family visited from Chicago. It wasn’t hard to pick them out among the Whataburger Field faithful. I’ll remember how excited they were when Mark appeared on the postgame show.

I’ll remember the lasers Jhon Florentino levered across the infield and watching DeLome, Sadler and Nick Moresi get on their horses to run down gap drives.

I’ll remember Sergio Perez and Brad James working here in the office, calling season-ticket holders to thank them for their business.

And Andy Van Hekken and Kenny Baugh, snatched out of indy ball to stabilize our pitching staff. And Wilton Lopez, the second Hook to go straight from Corpus Christi to Houston after an impressive August. And the emergence of Douglas Arguello as a rotation mainstay. And relievers like Danny Meszaros, Erick Abreu, Ryan McKeller, Chia-Jen Lo, T.J. Burton and Evan Englebrook, who significantly shored up the bullpen, particularly over the season’s last six weeks.

I’ll remember Jonathan Fixler, a classy backstop always helpful to his teammates and the front office.

And, speaking of the front office, there were far fewer catorces from Elisa Macias, our director of sponsor services. Catorce means 14 in Spanish. It’s also a substitutionary expletive for Elisa.

Justin Sommer joined us last off-season from the Albuquerque Isotopes, when he followed group sales director Andy Steavens to the Coastal Bend. Justin has a lingo all his own, and a drawl some consider humorous, still others magnetic. One of his favorite terms: dec, short for decent. Justin would say our season was purty dec.

Then there’s Michael Coffin, who works with Matt Hicks, Steve Richards and me on the communications team. Just last week MC told me, “I’m not really into globals” when asked to forward some information via e-mail for the good of the order.

Yet Coffin is quite the Renaissance man, particularly for a 25-year-old. He’s our webmaster and backup radio guy and a writer and actually safeguards our launch codes… well, at least the codes necessary to enter information on a laptop so fans can follow Hooks Baseball on the World Wide Web.

I’ll remember Lee Yeager, the baseball coach at Carroll, greeted with four errors (two by each team) in the first inning of the first game he served as official scorer. The understated Yeager: “Boys, we’re off to a great start tonight.”

I’ll remember Scott Johnson, our public address announcer who moved to Florida, and the way he announced Sutil’s name… sooooooooooo-TEEL! And Lon Gonzalez, who stepped in and did a great job. Thanks, guys.

I’ll remember 105 baseball games between February 4 and September 7, plus the Dylan-Willie-Mellencamp concert. May was truly interesting, 31 games in 28 days and then Calallen-Moody for dessert the first weekend in June.

Garrett Reddehase was named Texas League Turf Manager-of-the-Year. With record drought conditions and almost constant winds, he and his crew deserve it.

I’ll remember rolling 5,100 posters with other Hooks staff in a three-day period over the weekend. And settling in to watch The Open Road at Northshore 8.

And the guy in the Cotton Club who looked just like Luis Pujols. And Miss Electric Salmon, perched near the visitor’s dugout.

And EHS’ kettle chips, best in the world. And sharing the elapsed time of games as they were (sometimes) about to end with Whataburger Field security chief Mark Harrod.

And telling my pressbox mates the first week of the season to stop grousing about the length of games. After all, we’d been looking forward to the season for seven months.

As we do now.