University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: The Clutchest
June 22, 2008 | Baseball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
June 22, 2008
By Adam Lucas
OMAHA--Mike Fox almost misspoke.
He was meeting the media after Saturday's improbable 4-3 victory over Fresno State, and he was trying to assess the importance of Chad Flack to yet another postseason Tar Heel victory.
This, of course, is like trying to assess the importance of Santa Claus to Christmas. You simply can't have one without the other.
"I don't know what to say," the Tar Heel head coach said. "I do know that Chad Flack is the clutchest player I've ever..."
Here Fox paused (And yes, he said "clutchest." The way his team won the game, it qualifies him to make up his own words--and what's more, everyone in the room was nodding, agreeing that Flack was indeed the "clutchest"). In the middle of his sentence, he changed his mind.
"He's the clutchest player I'll ever be fortunate enough to coach," Fox finished.
Those are big words for a coach. They usually speak only in the past tense, comparing players to what they've seen before. They'll rarely venture into the future, because they have no idea what they might yet find on the recruiting trail. That's why they go to summer showcases, why they'll sit in the stands at a meaningless high school game in late February with temperatures in the low 40s. It's the hope of finding the next gem, the next player that might be just what their program is missing.
Fox has already conceded that no matter how hard he looks, no matter which players he finds, he'll never locate another like Flack.
"I've already started thinking about the letter I'm going to write to Chad's parents," Fox said at the beginning of the NCAA Tournament. That's an end-of-year Tar Heel tradition, a letter from the head coach to the parents of the departing players. It's a safe bet that somewhere in that letter there will be the following words:
Thank you.
What else can you say? Fresno State was six outs away from playing for the national championship. Trailing 3-2, Fox's first instinct was to have Flack give the Bulldogs one of those outs. After a leadoff double by Kyle Seager, Fox flashed the bunt sign to Flack.
That's the same signal he gave on June 10, 2006, in the ninth inning against Alabama. It had the same result: Flack didn't get the bunt down and fell behind 0-1.
Normally, failing to get a bunt down in the late innings of a win-or-go-home game can be disastrous. This time, it was destiny.
The count eventually ran full from Fresno pitcher Justin Miller, a fastball/slider righthander.
Sliders can be poison to Flack, a fact that is undoubtedly noted on Fresno's scouting report of Carolina. The Bulldogs had ace closer Brandon Burke in the bullpen, but they wanted Miller's slider in the game.
"We liked the matchup we had," Bulldogs coach Mike Batesole said. "Justin threw a 3-2 slider. That's what he does."
It was the right pitch, the right call. It's just that Fresno State didn't count on Flack doing what he does: hit a game-clinching home run. He did it against Alabama. He did it against South Carolina. And now, he's done it against Miller's slider and Fresno State.
"My job was to get Seager to third and I didn't get the bunt down on the first pitch," Flack said. "Coach gave me the green light and I just missed the 3-1 pitch. At 3-2 I was looking to do my job and get Seager over and (Miller) happened to leave one over the plate for me."
Just do his job? To hear Fox tell it, the Tar Heels may never have another player who can do that job the way Flack has done it during his record-setting four-year career. During his time in Chapel Hill, he's been a third baseman, a first baseman, and even a catcher. He's hit second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth. He's had hot streaks and cold streaks.
One thing has been consistent.
Chad Flack has always been--will always be--the clutchest.
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly. He is also the author or co-author of four books on Carolina basketball.
