Accident leaves Texas starter Green thankful to be alive, let alone playing baseball

Texas’ Green counts blessings after accident

OMAHA, Neb. — Few athletes can appreciate or embrace the role as starting pitcher for the College World Series championship game like Cole Green of Texas. That’s what happens once you have stared death in the face.

Green, the Longhorns’ sophomore right-hander, was nearly killed in an accident six years ago when he was 14.

“I think it happened at almost too young of an age for me,” the Coppell, Texas, native said. “But at the same time, I use it for inspiration every day.”

Green was helping father Mitch and grandfather Max pick up petroleum pipes the summer of 2003 when he fell off the bumper of a slow-moving pickup, which had a trailer attached. The trailer rolled on Green’s leg and then up to his shoulder.

“It was my fault,” Green said. “I shouldn’t have been sitting there. Everybody thinks they’re invincible at that age.”

Green’s grandfather saw what was happening and yelled for Mitch Green to stop and reverse the pickup. The teenager was driven to a hospital 40 miles away before being airlifted to a Fort Worth hospital.

He suffered a punctured lung, a lacerated liver, ruptured vertebrae and fractured ribs. That put an end to his hopes of playing football, but eventually it made him a better baseball player.

“It made me see the world a little bit differently,” Green said. “I knew for a fact I was going to live once I got to the hospital. But up until that point I was definitely kind of worried about it.”

Green made his third start in Wednesday’s championship game. He lasted two innings in the 11-4 loss to LSU.

Green wouldn’t have had the chance to pitch in the CWS finale had the Longhorns not rebounded from Monday’s 7-6 loss in 11 innings to beat the Tigers 5-1 Tuesday.

“Coach (Augie Garrido) just told us a great example was Fresno State last year, how they lost the first game and came back and won the second two,” Green said.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: LSU right fielder Jared Mitchell was the Most Outstanding Player in the CWS.

Three of his teammates joined him on the all-tournament team. They were second baseman DJ LeMahieu, left fielder Ryan Schimpf and pitcher Anthony Ranaudo.

Catcher Cameron Rupp, designated hitter Russell Moldenhauer and pitcher Tyler Jungmann were voted all-tournament, as were first baseman Dustin Ackley and third baseman Kyle Seager of North Carolina, shortstop Tyler Cannon of Virginia, and left fielder Kole Calhoun of Arizona State.

LONGHORNS’ GLOVE MAN: Texas utility man Preston Clark was prepared for the CWS. He has about a dozen gloves, and brought quite a few to Omaha.

“I’ve got my first baseman’s mitt, my catcher’s mitt, third baseman’s mitt,” Clark said. “I have a pitcher’s glove. I haven’t used that too much, so I didn’t bring that one.”

Clark has been the designated hitter and played catcher, first base and left field over 51 games. Rotating gloves, he said, means he doesn’t need to replace them every year.

“It’s just hard to break them all in,” he said. “If you get a new one every year, it’s hard to break in four or five gloves to get them game ready. The two that I get the most ready for are my catcher’s mitt and my first baseman’s mitt.”

Clark also carries five bats in his bag.

“I’ve got my BP (batting practice) bat and the ones we use in a game,” he said. “I’ve got a big bag, so I have to do a lot of carrying.”

One of his bats came through Tuesday when he went 3 for 4 with two RBIs.

“It felt great,” Clark said. “I had been trying too hard earlier in the series.”

ZESTO’S STILL POPULAR: ESPN’s opening shots in and outside Rosenblatt Stadium each year always include a swing by Zesto’s, the popular eatery just south of the stadium.

Thousands of fans partake in food, drink and ice cream. The hot fudge shakes are the stuff of legend.

Robin Schrake and Gary Lippold drove from Sturgis, S.D., for their first taste of the CWS and Zesto’s. They had tried the Zesto’s in Mitchell, S.D., but know that a person hasn’t really been to Zesto’s until he or she has visited the one next to Rosenblatt.

“This is the best chili dog you’ve ever had in your life,” Lippold said.

Schrake wonders what will happen to Zesto’s when the CWS moves to the new downtown stadium in 2011.

“As traditional as it is,” she said, “you’d think (the new stadium) would give them some space.”

It’s not known whether Zesto’s will move or add a location downtown. The owners haven’t been contacted by anyone connected to the new stadium.

SHORT HOPS: CWS attendance was a record 336,076. Average attendance was 22,405. … Before this year, the last team seeded in the top eight nationally to win the championship was Rice in 2003. … LSU, by losing Game 2 on Tuesday, lost its bid to become the first team to go 10-0 in the NCAA tournament.