August
8, 1999 1:15 AM
Tubbs may have played last Legion game
 EVANSTON --
Unless University of Illinois football coach Ron Turner has a real
love for the game of baseball and a soft spot in his heart, J.J. Tubbs has played
his final game as a member of the Rock Island Legion Post 200 baseball team.
While the rest of Tubbs' teammates will be making the long haul to Midland,
Mich., later this week to play in the Central States Regional, the Post 200
shortstop will be swapping his spikes and glove for shoulder pads and a helmet
and joining the Illini football team for the start of fall practices.
Tubbs is walking on at Illinois as a kicker and was scheduled to report to
Champaign Sunday morning and will begin workouts with the rest of the
incoming freshmen on Monday. The remainder of the squad will report on
Wednesday for physicals and the start of training camp.
It is not without some trepedations that Tubbs will be leaving his buddies
and joining the Illini team, but he really has no choice in the matter.
"Sure, I have had a few second
thoughts, but realistically I made my choice
and I'm sticking with it, '' Tubbs said following Saturday's 10-4 win over Danville
in the state championship game. "I'd love to be with the guys, but if that's not
a possibility, I'll have them in my thoughts.''
Post 200 coach Mike Bell isn't giving up hope that Turner and his staff will
somehow find a way to free Tubbs up to join his team in Michigan for
Thursday's regional opener.
"I put him on our travel list, if
that tells you anything,'' said Bell. "I'm hoping
J.J. can talk to the coaches and we can have him fly him in and play the
weekend and return to Champaign".
"If that doesn't happen, then there's
nothing you can say because he's a
great young man who has an opportunity to kick the football for a Big Ten
team and get a great education.''
While Post 200 will have to make up for Tubbs' solid defense and timely
hitting, the team will be missing much more.
"J.J. is a leader on this team and
we'll miss him a great deal,'' said R.I.
second baseman Dustin Harksen. "He's not a screamer and yeller like me;
he's a leader by example and I don't know that we have anyone here to
replace that.''
Tubbs tried not to think of Saturday being his Post 200 swan song, but
couldn't help it near the end of the game.
"Going in, I was trying to think of
it as a championship game and nothing
more,'' Tubbs said. "Then, with two outs in the ninth it started to hit me.
I remembered so well being in the same position two years ago when we
won state against Danville and how good that felt."
"That's what makes this a little
easier because I know I'm going out with
a state championship and even if I'm not there, I know my teammates will
do all they can to get back to the World Series.''
That's something he'll only be able to find out via the phone next week and
that will be the tough part.
"I'm sure I'll know the schedule and
I'll be wondering what's going on every
game,'' he said. "I'll call home as much as possible and try to keep up on
the guys."
"This isn't just a three-year deal,''
added Tubbs. "For some of us, we've been
together since Little League. These are guys I will always consider my friends.''
And whether he's in a Fighting Illini football uniform or in Midland, Mich.,
they'll consider him one of their teammates.
Jeff Wendland covers Legion baseball for The Dispatch and The Rock Island Argus.
Please email him at Wendland@qconline.com.
Copyright 1998, Moline Dispatch
Publishing Co.
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