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Godfrey Reflects on First Three Years
by Bob Keisser, Long Beach Press-Telegram
May 29, 2007
LONG BEACH - Brandon Godfrey had one thing on his mind as he left Los
Alamitos High School and enrolled at Long Beach State.
Omaha.
He wanted to play on a winning team that had aspirations every year to
play in the College World Series. Unlike so many local prep stars who
leave home, Godfrey was smitten with the team's appeal and its goals.
"I wanted to be part of a winning team with tradition," Godfrey
said Monday at Smooth's, where he and his teammates watched the NCAA selection
show and learned they'll open their regional Friday against Chicago-Illinois.
"I watched their games and saw that this was a team, not just guys
who were teammates."
If the Dirtbags do book passage to Nebraska, Godfrey will get a lot of
the credit because he was instrumental in making the 2007 season all that
2006 was not.
He arrived in 2004, took his redshirt year and worked out daily with one
of the most talented teams in school history. The 2004 team featured Jered
Weaver, Troy Tulowitzki, Jason Vargas, Cesar Ramos, Neil Jamison, Mike
Hofius, Brad David and John Bowker, won 40 games, beat Stanford in a regional
in Palo Alto, and came a bad inning away from beating Arizona in a super
regional.
Godfrey hit .305 on the 2005 team featuring Tulowitzki that earned a regional
bid, .298 in 2006, a season in which he lost a few weeks to a shoulder
injury, and is hitting .333 heading into this weekend's regional after
once again missing playing time because of a broken wrist.
"The talent we had in 2004 was unbelievable. We just fell apart a
little at the end," he said. "We were a good team in 2005, just
not as good. I think the 2007 team is the most talented since 2004."
He left the 2006 team out of his description for obvious reasons. The
Dirtbags slumped to a 29-27 record and didn't make the postseason, and
at season's end, returning veterans like Godfrey, Matt Cline, Robert Perry
and Allen Woods took it personal.
"We just weren't a team last year," Godfrey said. "Everyone
liked each other. But we weren't close, and there wasn't much camaraderie.
There seemed to be a barrier between the older guys and the newcomers.
"We were determined that it wouldn't happen again. With so many new
players this season, we needed to welcome them into the program and create
that team feeling we didn't have."
Godfrey et al used those exact words to coach Mike Weathers, who had wondered
if the lack of typical Dirtbag fire in 2006 was due to a difficult schedule
or something deeper.
Hearing it from Godfrey was important, "because we don't have anyone
more experienced on the team," Weathers said. "We needed someone
with experience, a veteran, to be a team leader and get us back on track."
"This year's team has that team philosophy," Godfrey said. "If
one guy doesn't (come up clutch), someone else will. We have four or five
guys who have really raised the level of their game the last two months.
"That gives us such a shot of confidence. We believe in each other,
and not just when we're winning. It's what made us capable of coming back
against Fullerton last weekend."
Comeback indeed. Having lost four straight, the Dirtbags trailed 5-3 in
the eighth inning Saturday night, with two on and two out.
Godfrey singled to score the first run in a four-run inning to take the
lead for good.
Godfrey's career numbers are solid, and they would probably be better
if he could stay healthy. The injury in 2006 led to a late-season platoon,
and the one in 2007 left him impatient and frustrated to be out of the
lineup.
"I spent a lot of time with Ken Ravizza," Godfrey said, referring
to the sports psychologist who has worked with the Dirtbags for 13 years.
"He's helped me out through the tough times. I've learned there are
things I can and can't control, and knowing that makes (handling adversity)
easier."
He doesn't break down his hitting with that kind of detail. He said he's
hitting well because he's seeing the ball better, "and if I could
explain why, I'd make a lot of money. I just try to get on base and have
confidence in myself."
The irony here is that a young man who was attracted to the Dirtbags'
team philosophy is a big reason why the program has regained its team
atmosphere. That's a reward all by itself, but no one will fault Godfrey
for hoping the real reward awaits him in Omaha.
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