thedrifter
06-16-08, 09:07 AM
EUGENE EMERALDS HHHH
MAKING HIS PITCH TO SCRIPT A CAREER
By Steve Mims
The Register-Guard
Published: June 15, 2008 12:00AM
Someday, the Cooper Brannan story might make it to the big screen.
If that happens, some of the scenes could play out in Eugene, where Brannan will spend this summer pitching for the Emeralds.
How the movie ends is unknown, but more than enough has already happened to the 23-year old Brannan — especially in the last five years — to fill a feature film.
His is the story of an 18-year old who joined the Marines and lost a finger during a grenade accident in Iraq. While he was in the hospital, his girlfriend quit her job to be by his side, and she eventually proposed to him. He accepted, and the two have a 16-month-old daughter.
Then comes the part where Brannan is being interviewed on a San Diego radio station to talk about his war injuries when San Diego Padres CEO Sandy Alderson happened to be in attendance. A friend of Brannan’s convinced Alderson to give Brannan a tryout, and he was eventually offered a contract.
Brannan’s story was national news last February when he signed a minor-league deal with the Padres and, not surprisingly, a few filmmakers showed interest.
“There have been some talks, but I think it is way to early to think about something like that,” Brannan said. “There have been people who want to jump on the story, but I just want to focus on baseball.”
It looked as though Brannan’s baseball career would end in high school when he joined the Marines. His playing days certainly appeared over when the flash-bang grenade dismembered three fingers on his left hand.
Yet the 6-foot-3, 220-pound right-hander still felt baseball was his calling.
“I always had baseball in my heart,” he said. “One thing I felt God put me on this earth to do is play baseball, and He has given me the opportunity now.”
Brannan was a football and baseball star at Highland High School in Gilbert, Ariz. and some junior colleges were interested in him as a baseball player when he graduated.
Instead, Brannan followed his family history into the military. His father and grandfather were Marines, and his grandmother was in the Navy.
“I ended up taking my career and going into the Marine Corps, especially with all that was going on,” Brannan said. “I felt like I needed to serve my country at that time.”
Brannan enlisted in July 2003 and was deployed in Iraq for the first time for eight months in 2004. He was sent on a second tour of duty in September 2005, and two months later, he was seriously injured in Fallujah.
A corporal, Brannan was a squad leader in charge of 12 Marines when a flash-bang grenade exploded in his left hand.
“I was doing precombat inspection where you check your guys before you go outside camp to go into harm’s way looking for insurgents,” he explained.
“One of my younger Marines didn’t have (a grenade), so I had an extra flash-bang grenade. I reached on my left side to pull it out, and when I handed it to him, all the safeties were on it. It malfunctioned in my hand. Unfortunately, it happened, but we’re moving on from there.”
He was sent to the Naval Medical Center in San Diego for three follow-up surgeries and occupational therapy.
Doctors were able to reattach his thumb and ring finger, but his pinkie could not be saved.
His girlfriend, Lindsay, drove from Arizona to be with him in San Diego, and they were married on Jan. 20, 2006.
“I knew my wife for about eight months, and then I got hurt,” Brannan said. “She quit her job and drove to the hospital and was with me the whole time through recovery. One day, she asked me to marry her, and I thought if a woman is willing to give up all that and be by her man ... I said yes.”
In November 2006, Brannan and a friend were invited to speak about their war injuries during a radio interview marking the 231st anniversary of the Marine Corps. Alderson, a four-year Marine veteran, and San Diego manager Bud Black were in attendance, and Brannan’s friend told the two about Brannan, who played for the All-Marine team and the USA Military All-Star team.
“My buddy was egging me on to do it, but I’m not one to sit there and tell everyone I’m this good and that good,” Brannan said.
“My buddy told them I had been throwing for the Marine and Military teams and throwing real well. He told them they should give me a tryout. He was kind of playing the agent.
“They took it serious and took my e-mail information and set up a time for me to meet with a scout. The scout liked what he saw and told me that there was definitely some things mechanically that I needed to work on, but that there was something in there that had not been opened out yet.”
In addition to playing on the military teams, Brannan tried to play catch whenever possible while in Iraq.
“But when we threw, we would throw in flak jackets so we were more or less messing around,” Brannan said. “I love playing baseball and wanted to play catch. It was something to do. We didn’t have much to do outside of when we had to go on patrol.”
Brannan threw about 85 miles per hour during a tryout for San Diego scout Brendan Hause, who recommended the Padres sign him. On Feb. 13, 2007, Brannan signed a contract.
“It was unbelievable,” said Brannan, who also became a father about that time with the birth of his daughter, Brooke. “I’m finally living my dream and it’s awesome. Something I will never take for granted.”
The Padres sent him to rookie-level Peoria last year for his first season. He was rusty after the long layoff from baseball and had only about a month and a half of work with a pitching coach before the season started. Brannan went 1-3 with a 9.69 ERA in 20 relief apperances.
“Last year was like going into a battle with a knife,” he said. “I worked on nothing but mechanics and had only one solid pitch. I had a good sinker, but that was pretty much my ace pitch and what I had to stick with most of the time. Last year was good that I got to get my feet wet and I know what it is like. They put me down there to get some experience, and I got that. Now they are giving me the opportunity here, and I’m excited to hit the ground running with it.”
Brannan’s fastball hits about 90 miles per hour, and he has worked on a slider and change-up.
Brannan’s pitching coach last season was Dave Rajsich, who is now the pitching coach in Eugene. Rajsich told him what to work on in the offseason, and Brannan spent time with a pitching coach in California to work on some offspeed pitches.
“I am a totally different pitcher this year,” Brannan said. “Last year was definitely a rush trying to get me where I needed to be. I have done a complete 180 from last year to this year.”
There is also less attention on Brannan in his second year as opposed to last year, when he was selected as the Person of the Week by ABC News and had his story covered by national media outlets including USA Today and ESPN.
“There was a lot of hype with me last year,” Brannan said. “A lot of media interviews.
“I do feel this year that I have more time to focus on pitching and playing baseball.”
His wife and daughter will stay in Peoria, Ariz., this summer — “we have a lease there with an apartment and, as you know, we don’t make the greatest amount of money” — but will visit during the Ems’ eight-game homestand July 17-24.
Brannan has friends who died in Iraq, and he keeps in touch with some others who are now out of the Marines. He has dealt with post-traumatic stress disorder, but he said it does not bother him as much these days.
“Every once in a while I might get a dream here and there, but it is definitely something I can control,” he said. “I was fortunate not to suffer severe PTSD on the mental side of it. I feel great, feel healthy, and I am ready to go.”
Ready to write a happy ending for the movie.
Ellie
MAKING HIS PITCH TO SCRIPT A CAREER
By Steve Mims
The Register-Guard
Published: June 15, 2008 12:00AM
Someday, the Cooper Brannan story might make it to the big screen.
If that happens, some of the scenes could play out in Eugene, where Brannan will spend this summer pitching for the Emeralds.
How the movie ends is unknown, but more than enough has already happened to the 23-year old Brannan — especially in the last five years — to fill a feature film.
His is the story of an 18-year old who joined the Marines and lost a finger during a grenade accident in Iraq. While he was in the hospital, his girlfriend quit her job to be by his side, and she eventually proposed to him. He accepted, and the two have a 16-month-old daughter.
Then comes the part where Brannan is being interviewed on a San Diego radio station to talk about his war injuries when San Diego Padres CEO Sandy Alderson happened to be in attendance. A friend of Brannan’s convinced Alderson to give Brannan a tryout, and he was eventually offered a contract.
Brannan’s story was national news last February when he signed a minor-league deal with the Padres and, not surprisingly, a few filmmakers showed interest.
“There have been some talks, but I think it is way to early to think about something like that,” Brannan said. “There have been people who want to jump on the story, but I just want to focus on baseball.”
It looked as though Brannan’s baseball career would end in high school when he joined the Marines. His playing days certainly appeared over when the flash-bang grenade dismembered three fingers on his left hand.
Yet the 6-foot-3, 220-pound right-hander still felt baseball was his calling.
“I always had baseball in my heart,” he said. “One thing I felt God put me on this earth to do is play baseball, and He has given me the opportunity now.”
Brannan was a football and baseball star at Highland High School in Gilbert, Ariz. and some junior colleges were interested in him as a baseball player when he graduated.
Instead, Brannan followed his family history into the military. His father and grandfather were Marines, and his grandmother was in the Navy.
“I ended up taking my career and going into the Marine Corps, especially with all that was going on,” Brannan said. “I felt like I needed to serve my country at that time.”
Brannan enlisted in July 2003 and was deployed in Iraq for the first time for eight months in 2004. He was sent on a second tour of duty in September 2005, and two months later, he was seriously injured in Fallujah.
A corporal, Brannan was a squad leader in charge of 12 Marines when a flash-bang grenade exploded in his left hand.
“I was doing precombat inspection where you check your guys before you go outside camp to go into harm’s way looking for insurgents,” he explained.
“One of my younger Marines didn’t have (a grenade), so I had an extra flash-bang grenade. I reached on my left side to pull it out, and when I handed it to him, all the safeties were on it. It malfunctioned in my hand. Unfortunately, it happened, but we’re moving on from there.”
He was sent to the Naval Medical Center in San Diego for three follow-up surgeries and occupational therapy.
Doctors were able to reattach his thumb and ring finger, but his pinkie could not be saved.
His girlfriend, Lindsay, drove from Arizona to be with him in San Diego, and they were married on Jan. 20, 2006.
“I knew my wife for about eight months, and then I got hurt,” Brannan said. “She quit her job and drove to the hospital and was with me the whole time through recovery. One day, she asked me to marry her, and I thought if a woman is willing to give up all that and be by her man ... I said yes.”
In November 2006, Brannan and a friend were invited to speak about their war injuries during a radio interview marking the 231st anniversary of the Marine Corps. Alderson, a four-year Marine veteran, and San Diego manager Bud Black were in attendance, and Brannan’s friend told the two about Brannan, who played for the All-Marine team and the USA Military All-Star team.
“My buddy was egging me on to do it, but I’m not one to sit there and tell everyone I’m this good and that good,” Brannan said.
“My buddy told them I had been throwing for the Marine and Military teams and throwing real well. He told them they should give me a tryout. He was kind of playing the agent.
“They took it serious and took my e-mail information and set up a time for me to meet with a scout. The scout liked what he saw and told me that there was definitely some things mechanically that I needed to work on, but that there was something in there that had not been opened out yet.”
In addition to playing on the military teams, Brannan tried to play catch whenever possible while in Iraq.
“But when we threw, we would throw in flak jackets so we were more or less messing around,” Brannan said. “I love playing baseball and wanted to play catch. It was something to do. We didn’t have much to do outside of when we had to go on patrol.”
Brannan threw about 85 miles per hour during a tryout for San Diego scout Brendan Hause, who recommended the Padres sign him. On Feb. 13, 2007, Brannan signed a contract.
“It was unbelievable,” said Brannan, who also became a father about that time with the birth of his daughter, Brooke. “I’m finally living my dream and it’s awesome. Something I will never take for granted.”
The Padres sent him to rookie-level Peoria last year for his first season. He was rusty after the long layoff from baseball and had only about a month and a half of work with a pitching coach before the season started. Brannan went 1-3 with a 9.69 ERA in 20 relief apperances.
“Last year was like going into a battle with a knife,” he said. “I worked on nothing but mechanics and had only one solid pitch. I had a good sinker, but that was pretty much my ace pitch and what I had to stick with most of the time. Last year was good that I got to get my feet wet and I know what it is like. They put me down there to get some experience, and I got that. Now they are giving me the opportunity here, and I’m excited to hit the ground running with it.”
Brannan’s fastball hits about 90 miles per hour, and he has worked on a slider and change-up.
Brannan’s pitching coach last season was Dave Rajsich, who is now the pitching coach in Eugene. Rajsich told him what to work on in the offseason, and Brannan spent time with a pitching coach in California to work on some offspeed pitches.
“I am a totally different pitcher this year,” Brannan said. “Last year was definitely a rush trying to get me where I needed to be. I have done a complete 180 from last year to this year.”
There is also less attention on Brannan in his second year as opposed to last year, when he was selected as the Person of the Week by ABC News and had his story covered by national media outlets including USA Today and ESPN.
“There was a lot of hype with me last year,” Brannan said. “A lot of media interviews.
“I do feel this year that I have more time to focus on pitching and playing baseball.”
His wife and daughter will stay in Peoria, Ariz., this summer — “we have a lease there with an apartment and, as you know, we don’t make the greatest amount of money” — but will visit during the Ems’ eight-game homestand July 17-24.
Brannan has friends who died in Iraq, and he keeps in touch with some others who are now out of the Marines. He has dealt with post-traumatic stress disorder, but he said it does not bother him as much these days.
“Every once in a while I might get a dream here and there, but it is definitely something I can control,” he said. “I was fortunate not to suffer severe PTSD on the mental side of it. I feel great, feel healthy, and I am ready to go.”
Ready to write a happy ending for the movie.
Ellie