Thanks for the memories Cory...

Cory Luebke had our family cheering for the Padres in 2011

I couldn't help but feel a little shocked and sad when I received an email at work Monday morning around 10:00 AM. It read:

"Cory Luebke pitched for Charlotte on Friday night, had decent numbers, and then decided to retire. I have no other details at this time."

I didn't know Cory well, but I followed his professional baseball career because he was a kid from Marion Local High School not too far from here. I cheered his success when he finally made his major league debut with the San Diego Padres in September of 2010 and felt a little "hometown pride" a few times during highlights of his pitching performances over the years.

Cory's best year was 2011 with the Padres when he started the season in the bullpen and pitched so well he was promoted to the starting rotation. He signed a nice contract in 2012 and was 3-1 before elbow injuries resulted in two Tommy John surgeries that stole most of the magic in his left arm. He made a few big league appearances with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2016 and was pitching with the Chicago White Sox Triple-A club in Charlotte before making his decision to retire. 

Cory certainly had a lot of fans just like me. Fans who may not have been close to him personally, but rooted for him. Many times I recall being at local high school sporting events and seeing San Diego Padres hats on guys I knew were Cincinnati Reds fans. Major League Baseball most definitely profited from merchandise sales as a result of Cory Luebke, that's for sure.

My favorite Cory Luebke story took place in June of 2011. I was in San Diego on vacation with my family and we decided to take in a Padres game. As luck would have it, the Padres were hosting the Washington Nationals and another local kid named Craig Stammen from next-door Versailles was on the Nats pitching roster. We already knew Craig, so we chatted with him before the game started, got an autographed ball, and impressed a few Padres fans around us who asked how we knew a major league ball player! I thought if those fans were impressed with Craig, I wonder what they would think if I could get Cory over here. The only problem was Cory didn't know who I was. I waited patiently during the Padres batting practice until Cory and a teammate came out of the bullpen door and were jogging towards their dugout. When they were halfway across the field I yelled out a huge CORY! Both guys looked at me, but continued to jog. Next, I yelled, CORY... RUSSIA OHIO! He stopped in his tracks, took a 90 degree turn and came our way. Cory talked with my family for ten minutes. He asked what was happening back home, gave my 7-year old son an autographed ball, and signed non-stop for all the other kids that swarmed him because of me.

What's that old saying, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened"?  Cory Luebke most likely fulfilled a life-long dream playing Major League Baseball and I'm sure he's smiling about that right now. As I write this blog post, I'm smiling too about that summer day in 2011. Thanks for the memories Cory.

A vacation to remember for my son in 2011