The "Baseball Runs In Their Blood" Story

It was an ordinary day. Watching a baseball game at Westfield Park at Manheim Township High School. This is the stadium that I helped to dig the holes for the outfield fence and carry cement blocks for a press box when my son was playing for the Blue Streaks over 20 years ago. Today it is one of the finest high school baseball parks in Pennsylvania. I'm sitting in the press box watching MT beat Lebanon High. Great place to watch a game and I have a lifetime pass to watch from the press box since I help build it and still print the Baseball Yearbook. I saw half a dozen pro scouts lining the area behind home plate as I entered the press box. Catching for Township today is a senior named Cameron Gallagher. He is the third in the Gallagher family who will probably be drafted by the pros. In 1978 I had Glenn Gallagher in my Graphic Arts class. He was fun to have in class, since he was a super baseball player and I enjoyed baseball. We spent many classes going over his opponent for the day. He finished his high school career with 4 shutouts to his credit, one behind my son Derek who played for MT 10 years later. He also finished his career with an ERA of 1.16, right ahead of my son's 1.40. In the 1978 MLB Draft, right after his senior year, Glenn was selected in the 4th round by the LA Dodgers, but decided to attend Div. I Clemson on a football scholarship. His first year he played both football and baseball, but concentrated on baseball after his freshman season and got to pitch in the College World Series. In 1981 he was again drafted, this time by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 3rd round, right before Tony Gwynn. He pitched in the Toronto minor leagues for 4 seasons reaching Double A ball before suffering a career ending arm injury. Today is the owner of the Gallagher School Of Baseball in Lancaster. He coached Div III Franklin and Marshall and also Div II Millersville University, leading them to the College World Series. I talked today with Glenn about his oldest son, Austin, who graduated in 2007 from MT and was drafted in the 3rd round by the LA Dodgers. He is playing in his 5th pro year this summer in California for Rancho Cucamonga. He is a left-handed batter who is playing both 3rd and 1st base. Austin holds the career records for MT in the following: Games (95), AB (275), Runs (102), Hits (131), Doubles (34), HR (24), RBI (105), BA (.476), Slugging % (.862), OBP (.584), TB(237), and BB (79). He not only holds those records, he is, in some categories, more than double the second best player!! Well, as I sit watching Cameron Gallagher catching, I wonder what is in store for him. He already has signed a letter of intent to play for DivI East Carolina University. But, his dream is to play professional baseball. All 30 major league teams have been in contact with Cameron. One major league scout at the game said he should go in one of the first three rounds. Bill Sassaman, Township's coach who had both Austin and Cameron, said "His arm strength is outstanding." He has moved him to lead-off to get him to plate as often as he can. I can remember when Willie Mays was moved to lead-off for the same reason. The season is only half over and he is pushing his brother for career batting records. Really neat to sit and watch a possible big league player as he develops into something special. Wow, you should have seen that throw to second to catch the runner stealing. Ball got there when the runner was 20 feet away! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - pixs from top are: Glenn talking with a scout, Austin Gallagher in his Dodgers uniform, pro scout timing Cameron's throw to second, Cameron making a throw to second base, Cameron behind the plate, in the on deck circle, Cameron lining a hit to center (you can see the blurred ball one chain link above the pitcher's head).