MATT VETO
Multimedia Reporter | Editor | Professor
Writing Samples
ENTERPRISE
JDC grounds keepers unseen, but results show
By Matt Veto for the Dispatch and The Rock Island Argus, July 7, 2011
It’s 4:45 a.m. at TPC Deere Run and the stillness of a quiet Wednesday morning is wholly shattered by the roar of 20 gas-powered John Deere Gators, charging into pre-dawn darkness and a blanket of low-lying fog. In mere hours, 25 golf course keepers will manage to complete a mission with a stealth that would make a ninja blush.
“That’s typically how we like it,” said Deere Run assistant superintendent Dustin Peterson of the unseen effort.
The 14-year course maintenance professional said few folks grasp the logistics and the true science that goes into preparing a golf course for a PGA Tournament like this week’s John Deere Classic. Mr. Peterson and several of the management staff members hold turf science degrees and have polished their trades in the wee hours of morning and the afternoon hours after play.
For most of these men and women, alarm clocks sound at 3 a.m. and aren’t reset until after 10 p.m. It’s the time in between during which they recharge.
Precision is imperative, time is of the essence and organization is everything. By 6:45 a.m., golfers are on the course and fans in the gallery, as course workers remain unseen, at least five to six holes ahead.
“If you’re not organized, it throws everything off,” Peterson said. “We split into front nine and back nine crews.”
Assignments are delegated during a morning meeting that takes place inside a 30-by-30-foot tent. It’s here, too, that Mr. Peterson has set a motivating tone for the week.
“This is the main function of this golf course – this tournament,” Mr. Peterson said. “I stress to our entire staff how much pride they’ll get. This morning, everyone is up and going, and that lasts the whole week. The entire spring and early summer is geared up for this week.”
Their tasks begin under an inky blue-gray sky. Headlights mounted on greens mowers help workers line up their angles as they move almost choreographically atop the golfer’s “dance floor,” shaving away miniscule traces of pristine turf. Meanwhile, others rake sand traps, change hole placement and reset pins.
During tournament play, hole changers carry a pin-placement chart that has been assigned to them by the PGA. When the step onto the green, they search for a marker left by a Tour official and cut out a grass and dirt “plug” to make the hole. That plug is returned to the earth surrounding the hole from the day prior.
The greens, meanwhile, are “double cut” by a pair of mowers, weighted down by a roller that lays the grass into its trademark, crisscrossing pattern.
When dawn finally breaks, a water-sopping rope is connected between two gators and dragged across the course, soaking up the morning dew.
It’s soon after that the eyes of the fans and golfers first meet the beautiful fruits of the clandestine labor.
“Doing what you love – that’s what gets your butt out of bed every day,” said maintenance staff member Ryan Abbate, whose love of golf and all things John Deere brought him to the Quad-Cities from Sayville, N.Y. “It’s a cool feeling, because you know a lot of people are out for the pros, and you’re the behind-the-scenes guy. You get to see your work when you watch on TV or drive around. There’s no better satisfaction than that.”
Mr. Abbate, who spent his Wednesday morning placing pins, said the quest for precision can be nerveracking at times, but a job well done is all worth it in the end for the maintenance crew he said functions as a “family.”
“You’re the first person to get here, and the last person to leave,” he said. “Seeing the sun rise and sun set – it’s pretty cool.”
DEADLINE SIDEBAR
'I'm a pro now'
Former UH star Kolten Wong makes his debut with the Class A Quad Cities River Bandits and goes 2-for-2 with two runs batted in
By Matt Veto, Special to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, June 28, 2011
DEADLINE GAMER
DAVENPORT, Iowa – A singular thought buzzed through Kolten Wong’s brain as he stepped onto Iowa soil for the first time – a culminating moment facilitated by years worth of practice, practice and practice on the baseball diamond.
“`I’m a pro now,’” he told himself. “That’s something every kid dreams about. To have the opportunity to say that and actually be one – it hasn’t really clicked yet.”
In his professional debut on Monday night, however, he clicked just fine.
The Hilo, Hawaii, native and first-round draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals went 2 for 2 with two RBIs for the Class A Quad Cities River Bandits. It added up to an 8-3 win for his club over the visiting Cedar Rapids Kernels.
Wong said the stories he had been told about the broken-down ballparks of the bush leagues didn’t jibe with the visions that filled his eyes when he took the field at Modern Woodmen Park. The stadium rests beneath the majestic arches of the Centennial Bridge, which carry over the Mississippi River that flows just beyond the right-field wall. The muddy water, he said, “doesn’t look clear as the water back home.”
So far, however, he likes his new home, and his new family of fellow aspiring Major Leaguers seem to like him.
As does his manager.
“We went over signs, he cleaned up his locker, got everything under control, and what did he do?” asked Bandits manager Johnny Rodriguez. “He went out to the cage and hit off of the (batting) tee. That tells me a lot.
“He’s serious about his career. He’s a guy that looks like he likes to learn. He’s focused. This is a good pick – an outstanding pick, from my first impressions.”
In Wong’s first impression on the 6,505 fans in attendance – the largest crowd this season at the Midwestern ballpark – the 20-year-old prospect laced what would have been an RBI single or double down the left-field line. His shot appeared to land fair, but the umpires called it foul, drawing the ire of Rodriguez from the third-base coaching box. Wong, though, still managed to plate his man on a sacrifice fly to center field.
It was a plate appearance Wong said he would never forget.
“I felt a little nervous, but after that first pitch, I kind of settled down and said, `It’s baseball; I’ve been playing it my entire life,’” Wong said. “I just said, `Keep doing what you’ve been doing.’”
“It was kind of surreal, but then everything was back to normal.”
And back to business. He finished his day with a pair of singles and a walk. Wong also drove in a run when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
For two more games, Wong will get to prove his $1.3 million worth in front of a key member of the Cardinals’ front office – Jeff Luhnow, the big league club’s vice president of scouting and player development.
Luhnow said no timetable will be put on Wong’s advancement, but added that there’s “no reason for him not to stay (in Quad Cities) all year.”
“You can argue that some time in August, toward the end of the season, you move him up just to give him a taste of another level,” Luhnow said. “But the reality is, we’re in the playoffs here and want to do well. He’s going to learn a lot here.
“He’s a complete ball player. He is a hard worker, he’s confident and he’s willing to listen to people that can give him advice.”
Some trademark traits of a true pro.
Senior carries McCluer North to title
By Matt Veto for the Columbia Daily Tribune, March 11, 2012
LONG FORM
A state basketball championship medal dangling by a ribbon of red, white and blue found a fitting home just above Jordan Granger’s heart.
The McCluer North boys’ basketball player loves the game, his teammates, but mostly, opportunity. So far, the 6-foot-8-inch senior has made the best of the last. He scored 26 points and pulled down 16 rebounds to help the second-ranked Stars beat top-ranked Nixa 69-60 in the Class 5 state championship last night at Mizzou Arena.
The Show-Me Showdown victory ended a 29-game winning streak for Nixa (30-2) and gave the Stars (28-1) their second straight state title.
That goes for Granger, too.
“I love basketball because I can’t see myself doing anything else but playing ball,” Granger said. “I feel like you’ve got to find your niche in life, and I feel like I was blessed to do this. I was given the height to do this. I need to put food on the table and I’m going to do that for my family.”
That’s the plan—professional ball. But college comes first.
Granger heads to Auburn next fall, so more trips to Mizzou Arena are in his future. Though the next time he makes his way to Columbia, the seats will be packed with thousands of screaming fans clad in black and gold. Still, Granger believes state title drama has helped hardened him.
“Games like this one we just played are like every game in the SEC,” Granger said. “I feel like hard fought games like this will help take me to the next level.”
This level has been challenging enough—maybe not as much on the floor, but at least with luck. Granger has had ACL reconstructive surgery twice. Quitting crossed his mind, but he says his dad provided the inspiration he needed to push through it.
Today, he’s a senior spouting—and apparently backing up—state title “promises.” In so many words, he told McCluer Coach Randy Reed a few weeks ago that he would get him another gold medal of his own.
“He said, ‘I got you,’” Reed said. “That’s his slang, ‘I got you, coach.’ I don’t know if he’s a prophet, but here I am sitting here.”
It took some effort. Nixa is known for its late-game runs. The Rock Bridge Bruins learned that in the quarterfinals when Nixa came back from an 11-point deficit to win in overtime.
Faced with similar plight last night, this time a 12-point deficit with 6:01 to go in the game, the Eagles did it again. Kameron Bundy (18 points) started the charge with two buckets. McCluer answered with a score, but Nixa went on a 10-0 run to tie the game at 54 with 2:43 to play. Austin Ruder (24 points) hit a pair of clutch 3s to close that stretch.
Then came Nixa fouls, unintentional at first, and desperately by the end. In the final 2:31, McCluer made just a single basket, but went 15 for 17 from the free-throw line to seal the game.
“Down 12 with six minutes left and we tied it,” Nixa Coach Jay Osbourne said. “I don’t know what else to ask of them. I’m proud of them.”
Queen of Diamonds
Representing both the MU Tigers and Team USA, Chelsea Thomas might be the best softball player in the country
By Matt Veto for Vox Magazine, March 8, 2012
Miles and miles of central Iowa corn and soybean fields cease, pausing their sprawl to make room for Pleasantville, a tiny town of 11 or so square blocks sitting almost entirely inside a single square mile of land. The miniscule oasis about 27 miles southeast of the state’s capital, Des Moines, is home for Chelsea Thomas, a 22-year-old MU pitcher and one of the best college softball players in the nation and, perhaps, in the world.
Chelsea and her rapidly wind-milling right arm have contributed to three straight MU College World Series trips, the NCAA’s end-of-season national competition. Only the best eight teams make it. Although the 2012 college softball season is still in its infancy, Chelsea and the Tigers take the field with a fourth trip in mind.
Chelsea also leads a second softball life. She is one of 17 players on the USA National Softball Team.
The mental and physical fortitude needed to withstand the pressure of national and international competition originally took root and grew out of that unassuming Pleasantville soil. Only about 1,700 people live in the small city. It’s a rather diminutive stage from which to leap into superstardom.
“[Pleasantville] is small, very small — everybody knows everybody,” Chelsea says. “I love that town, and everybody has been so supportive and great. I’m a small-town girl, and I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to live out the dreams I created for myself since I was young.”
Chelsea always wanted to be a USA softball player. Her father and high school softball coach, Rich Thomas, remembers her saying so when she was in fourth grade.
She would be playing in the Olympics this summer had the International Olympic Committee not eliminated the sport after the 2008 Beijing Games. No matter. She already has a pair of medals that she is proud of. Back home there are two of gold being fitted for a shadow box, last year’s prizes for helping Team USA win the World Cup of Softball in July and the more prestigious Pan American Games in October.
And, almost immediately following the 2012 college season with the Tigers, Chelsea will again meet up with the USA national team for another World Cup romp in Oklahoma City.
Softball is a huge part of her life, but it isn’t all of it.
“I wouldn’t say it defines life,” Chelsea says. “It’s given me the opportunity to come to college and experience a lot of things I never would have without it.”
The medals and softball accolades do enough to detach her from a typical experience. Yet she adds to that the life of an atypical college student, attempting to shove six days worth of practice, games, cross-country travel and a work-intensive biology major into the 168 hours of the week.
Chelsea is busy, but she stays focused on academics and finds time to participate in other activities. She received Big 12 Conference academic awards in 2010 and 2011. She earned those grades by working hard in the classroom and studying and taking exams on road trips. Chelsea also joins her teammates for charity food drives, helps out with Little League softball camps and is a member of MU’s Student-Athlete Activities Committee.
“A lot of people say, ‘How do you do it?’” she says. “I know all of us wouldn’t trade it for anything. It’s hard, but I can’t imagine being a normal college student. I don’t know what I’d do every day.”
Farmland Roots
Rich and Dana Thomas, Chelsea’s parents, were both star athletes in high school. From athletic parents came sports-gifted children. Chelsea’s little brother, Collin, is a standout basketball and baseball player who is getting major-college attention for his work as a pitcher. It’s a gene pool kind of thing.
Rich can remember his daughter beginning to pull ahead of her softball teammates in fourth grade. By the time she reached sixth grade, he realized she had a special gift. She was tall for her age, athletic and exuded an overall determination that made her stand out. Chelsea had never pitched, and her dad was not a softball expert. So he hired a pitching coach, and the father-daughter duo learned together.
High schools in Iowa play softball in the summer. Most other Midwestern states play in the fall or spring when school is in session. The Iowa schedule allows for outgoing eighth-graders — if they are especially talented — to play with the high schoolers.
And so, there was Chelsea, 14 years old, standing in the pitcher’s circle, staring down opposing batters, some two, three or four years her senior.
Dad and daughter regularly practiced on their own time. “She’s very much a perfectionist,” Rich says. “When she and I would go to the gym, she would keep throwing, even when I would tell her we were done.” He served as guide but says Chelsea cast herself in the role of motivator. They wouldn’t leave until she was satisfied.
“I never once would say to my daughter, ‘You need to throw,’” Rich says. “I never had to use that type of pressure.”
Chelsea played varsity for five years, and for five years, she was recognized and honored as one of the best players in the state.
It takes more than talent to get noticed in a small town. So Rich hired a friend with professional video experience to assemble a highlight tape showcasing Chelsea’s skills. He shipped it out to several colleges around the Midwest.
“Coach E” took notice.
On To Mizzou
Ehren “Coach E” Earleywine eventually made the trip to Pleasantville. He liked what he saw, and Chelsea liked what she heard. She says Earleywine sold her on his direction. He was in his first year at MU and wanted to improve a program that hadn’t finished first in its conference since 1997. Chelsea signed on.
As a freshman, Chelsea tossed 10 shutouts — a mark that tied her for 10th best in school history. She followed that up with a solid start to her sophomore season, recording 12 wins to just one loss. She appeared well on her way to heaping more success upon success.
But Chelsea felt a numbing ache in her right forearm that she could no longer ignore. In late March, X-rays revealed a stress fracture. She was shut down for the rest of the 2010 season. The NCAA granted Chelsea a medical hardship waiver, which allowed her to maintain a year of softball eligibility. Even though she is a senior in class status, she is a junior on the field and can stick around for 2013.
Chelsea is focused on 2012 and is hoping to build off a 2011 season that earned her the bulk of her college recognition and the attention of the USA team. A perfect game is one of the rarest softball achievements. It’s when a pitcher does not allow a single player on the opposing team to reach base. Chelsea managed that three times last season — twice in a single week. One of those was shared with fellow pitcher Kristin Nottelmann. Last weekend, Cheslea threw another solo perfect game.
Clearly missing in this story is the inevitable struggle for the small-town player to adjust to the heat of the big-time spotlight.
“You’d think, ‘Well, the competition is going to be better, she’s never been in a program this rigorous, she’s away from home,’” Earleywine says. “To this day, I have not seen any effect that any of that had on her. She’s a perfectionist. She’s extremely driven. She’s surprisingly poised.”
Chelsea says she has a split personality: The stoic one she takes with her onto the field and the goofy and talkative one she unchains when the cleats come off. Off the field, her brow unfurrows, and the smile returns. She says she loves malls and her hair and makeup. She loves ice cream, and she prefers goofy Will Ferrell movies to drama but will make time for a midnight Twilight premiere with friends.
On the field, watch out.
"Everyone is like: ‘How are you like that? You don’t smile out there,’” Chelsea says.
That on-field stoicism stems from something her father taught her when she first started playing: Show no emotion; opponents feed on emotion.
U-S-A
Ken Eriksen likes a good demeanor. The USA softball coach spends his springs coaching at the University of South Florida. Until the USA team holds in-person tryouts in June, much of what he assesses in a player is viewed from afar — televised games, highlight reels, phone calls or references.
In MU’s first game of the 2011 College World Series on June 2, Chelsea didn’t pitch in her usual dominating form. The game was televised live. Eriksen was watching.
“I wanted to see her response,” Eriksen says. “Thankfully, the cameras went into the dugout and showed the emotion of Chelsea after she came off the mound in the first inning. Her emotion didn’t change. I liked the way she approached the game.”
Eriksen had also heard of her three perfect games.
“The comparison note of throwing three perfect games is like a bowler throwing three 300 games,” he says. “It’s like the president winning two times in a landslide. It’s like the most perfect day 365 days out of the year. It’s just not going to happen that often.”
So Chelsea earned an invite to try out for the team in Chula Vista, Calif., on June 12 through 16. She was one of 35 players vying for 17 spots during the five-day camp.
After the camp, she boarded a flight knowing that the news would come while she was in the air. Stormy weather forced the plane to land in Kansas City instead of St. Louis where her teammate was waiting to pick her up. Somewhat frustrated by the diversion, she took out her cellphone after landing and turned it on. Her phone buzzed and beeped incessantly as it caught up with all of the messages people sent while it was turned off. Chelsea smiled from ear to ear. She had made the team.
“That’s my childhood dream,” she says. “That’s what I wanted to do since I started. … I didn’t expect it to happen so soon. I was thinking maybe after college, but for it to happen this soon is a bonus.”
Chelsea pitched in five games during the World Cup of Softball last summer. In the finals, USA beat Japan to win its fifth World Cup title. Then in October at the XVI Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, Chelsea picked up two of USA’s nine wins. USA won gold again.
As a girl, Chelsea wondered what it would feel like to stand atop the Olympic podium while “The Star-Spangled Banner” played. She knows what that feels like now.
“I can still remember every detail,” she says.
The podium was set up on the field. Ironically, she says she was standing next to Baylor University’s Whitney Canion and the University of Oklahoma’s Keilani Ricketts — teammates on that day but conference rivals on any other.
“I know a lot of us were tearing up,” she says. “You hear about how people feel. And when it really happens to you, it’s like, ‘Wow — that’s intense.’
“It’s a great honor. And what better country to represent?”
Forever a Role Model
For Earleywine, Eriksen and father and daughter Thomas, success is a word that needs dividing before defining. The goal of the game is to win, but it’s not the only goal.
After home games, kids line the fence, and the players stick around to visit, take pictures and sign autographs — win or lose. The closeness and accessibility to the star is more intimate in a sport that falls outside of the relative limelight, and with that closeness comes a responsibility.
"In an athletic department, it’s usually football, men’s basketball and then everybody else nobody knows about,” Earleywine says. “We’ve been fortunate to be on TV quite a bit and have some success, and because of that, our players have been able to have a bigger platform of being a role model, leading by example, sharing autographs and their time with kids.”
Chelsea considers being a role model one of her most important jobs. “I put that in the back of my mind with every decision I make,” she says.
Rich says the most important part of being an athlete is being a good person and remembering your roots.
Chelsea remembers. She remembers that life’s definition does not lie just in softball, but in the handwritten letters from young fans across Missouri who find her address each year, reminders that people are watching, and people are proud.