![]() “He knew how to protect himself, but he wanted me to understand, ‘Give me the dad-gum bat.’” “He wanted to win the ballgame,” Martin Sr. “I went, ‘Oh, Christmas Eve, I’ve got to play him.’ I said, ‘Do NOT extend yourself, you got me?’”Īfter a wild pitch, Posey hit a two-run single to left to tie the game. The people in the stands were going ‘BUS-ter PO-sey!’ (clap-clap, clap-clap-clap). and Buster takes one step toward the dugout step and looks at me. ![]() “He kept stretching and finally he got closer to me and he said, ‘Well, I can hit.’ I said, ‘Buster, I want you to sit down.’ He said, ‘Eleven, I’m OK.’ I’ll be dad-gum if the guy (at bat) drove the ball into the gap and we’ve now got a man on first and second. I just looked over, said to myself, ‘You stupid idiot, don’t even look at him. He had pulled something in his upper leg, and I’m saying to myself, ‘I ain’t playin’ him.’ The game got close, seventh inning, and I looked to my right, and there he was, trying to get into my field of vision, and he’s stretching. “We’re playin’ in Jacksonville (against North Carolina), and Buster’s hurtin’. recalls most vividly is Posey’s presence and determination, and offers up another story to illustrate. 382 and finished second in the voting for the Johnny Bench Award. As the Seminoles’ go-to closer, Posey had a 94 mph fastball and “plus” changeup and slider, and command.īut at catcher, he found a calling. But the Martins have no doubt Posey would have found major-league success as a corner infielder or pitcher. The move to catcher was great for Posey - it boosted his big-league stock. “All I did was say, ‘OK, big guy, go get ’em,’ and turned around and left. ![]() Buster got to the dirt before I did and I heard him say, ‘Look, Geoff, if you’re scared, give me the dad-gummed ball and I’ll pitch.’ But this particular time, Geoff was not being Jess, he was intimidated. Well, I started for the mound, and as I’m walking out I kind of caught from the side view that Buster was walking fast, and I said, ‘Why’s he walking fast?’ I kind of speeded my walk up, ’cause I want to hear if Buster says anything. “This guy on the mound is getting ripped by the opposing dugout, ’cause he’d go ball-one, ball-two on every hitter. Buster was catching of course, but he also was our closer. “We had a guy on the mound named Jess (Geoff Parker). Instead, Posey moved easily and gracefully.Įven more impressive was Posey’s instant grasp of the catcher’s leadership role. expected to watch him waddle and clang clumsily in his new armor cage. They strapped Posey into the gear and Martin Sr. The speed of the transition amazed Martin Sr. The Martins did have plans to eventually switch Posey to third base, a position better suited to his body type than shortstop. So we’re going to take a first-team All-America shortstop as a freshman and turn him into a catcher.”Īnd so they did. said, then re-created his response, with heavy sarcasm: “That’s great. Martin Jr., who had caught for his dad at Florida State and in the minor leagues, thought Posey might be a fit behind the dish. The Seminoles figured to be strong the next season, with the glaring exception of catcher. ![]() It was Fall Ball season after Posey’s freshman year. is the storyteller of the two, and he loves the one about the day in 2006 that his son, longtime lead assistant, walked into Eleven’s office and said maybe they should try Posey at catcher. Posey’s torrid start this season, after many in the game had written him off because of age, rust and injuries, is zero surprise to the Martins. moved into the head coach’s role and the team remains a powerhouse. Martin Sr., in 40 years as a Florida State head coach, won 2,029 games, the Division I record. has no tie to the Giants, but that’s how strong Posey’s gravitational pull is on the Martin men, who have seen a fair amount of great college players. Well, Posey hit a single Sunday and raised his season batting average to. on the phone Monday morning, “I got real mad this morning ’cause I couldn’t find the box scores.
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