Lou Marson & Jason Donald Olympic bronze medalists
double bobble head.
R-Phils duo enjoys magical ride
Tony Zonca
For Phillies youngsters Jason Donald
and Lou
Marson, the 2008 season has been a magical ride unlike any other in their short professional careers.
First there was the Futures Game at storied Yankee Stadium. Then came the Eastern League all-star game. And now the pair of stalwarts are in North Carolina – via Los Angeles – for a series of exhibition games against the Canadian national team as they and their 22 teammates prepare for the Beijing Olympics.
When Donald, 23, and Marson, 22, are finally able to sit back, sort through their minds and their memorabilia, these five months will be like living in a funhouse.
It’s something like two guys from the neighborhood winning a Nobel Prize. More specifically, it’s homeboys Ben Affleck and Matt Damon winning an Oscar. Or the Manning brothers collecting back-to-back Super Bowl title rings.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” Donald said about recent events. “I feel like I’ve been so fortunate and just so blessed to have had so many opportunities. This is by far the greatest year of my life.”
For the shortstop, his over-the-rainbow season began in Dunedin, Fla., when, playing with the big league team in spring training, he slugged two home runs against the Toronto Blue Jays.
And so it has gone for the former third-round pick out of the University of Arizona. He left the Phillies batting .308 with a career-high 14 homers and a team-leading .897 OPS.
“There is no bigger honor, no bigger thrill than having the opportunity to represent your country in the Olympics,” Donald said. “I think that’s as good as it gets. I can’t describe how big an honor it is. It’s one thing just to be considered, but to make the team, it’s been pretty surreal up to this point. It hasn’t really sunk in yet.”
Marson, the low-key, even-keel catcher, has managed to take his Games selection in stride. It’s as though he was told he’ll be playing in the Arizona Fall League later on.
In a bit of an anecdotal tale, apparently Donald went ballistic when he got the confirming phone call from Team USA exec Paul Seiler. Marson? He likely offered his thanks, called his folks, and presumably resumed his nap.
“I’m excited,” he offered, “but I’m not really nervous. After the season is over I’ll look back and realize it was a fun year, it was a good year. There’s been a lot going on.”
A former fourth-round pick out of Coronado High in Arizona, Marson has been riding a five-year wave that has taken him from suspect to prospect . . . and beyond. After batting a career-high .288 last year at Clearwater and impressing Philadelphia brass with his improving receiving skills, Marson has turned his game up a notch.
He was batting .319 – fourth best in the league – and his .434 on-base percentage was tops in the league. He also was throwing out base runners at a respectable 36 percent, with the potential for more.
“Everybody has been asking me about my walks (a team-leading 65),” said Marson, who has an eye that rivals Bausch and Lomb. “I’m not trying to walk; I’m just trying to have a good at-bat and get my pitch to hit. (But) I’ve been getting away from my approach lately.
“I don’t know why. I guess that’s why I’m in Double-A, that’s why I’m in the minor leagues. It’s just a matter of trusting myself (at the plate). I still have a lot to learn as a hitter and especially defensively as a catcher.”
Donald and Marson will be visiting a place that is heavy with history and mystery. This is China, after all, and nobody from the West gets to peek in that mysterious window.
Some 10,500 athletes, more than 10,000 media types and 80,000 fans will be at dazzling National Stadium for the Opening Ceremonies, not to mention millions viewing from around the world. For the two R-Phils, the event will leave a lifetime impression, and once the games begin – the U.S. opens play Aug. 13 against Korea – they shouldn’t expect the Crazy Wonton Vendor
and his ostrich to come dashing out between innings. They'll be a long way from Baseballtown.
The pair will be performing on a world stage, which, if you allow yourself to dwell on it as a young athlete, is a daunting mission.
“What it comes down to is that it’s still the game of baseball,” Donald said. “People might have different philosophies on how they play the game in terms of the other countries, but you still have to do the basic things, the basic fundamentals to win a baseball game.”
Marson hopes to get another call in September, to Philadelphia, so his take on the Olympic experience was a bit more practical than that of Donald’s.
“It’s one of the best opportunities you can have,” he said. “Playing in front of that many people and being in front of all the media, it can only help you get to the big leagues and become a better player. There’s pressure; you have to win, but that’s also what they want on the big league level.”
Donald and Marson were honored Saturday night at FirstEnergy Stadium in a ceremony that deeply touched the young stars.
“It gave me a sense of pride I’ve never felt before,” Donald said. “When they sang God Bless America, that gave me chills. And then the ‘USA chant.’ I didn’t know it was going to be as special as it was. You get a feel that it’s (being an Olympian) so much bigger than me, so much bigger than Lou. It hit me that we’re playing for our country, and how special this really is.”
They’ve come a long way, these two precocious road roomies, and a dizzying trip it has been. And now their goal is to end this once-in-a-lifetime ride with gold hanging around their necks.
