Mike Anthony: UConn 'treasure' Andy Baylock is still telling stories, still tossing pitches at age 87

[huskymedic]

Incredible person:



-> Andy Baylock, the world’s youngest 87-year-old, threw 300-plus pitches under the blazing summer sun last Thursday, chugging Gatorade, changing speeds, giving regional college baseball players tips on hitting and life.

Entering the elevator, he was asked about his lifetime pitch count. All those years playing, all those years coaching at UConn, all those years running clinics, all those years volunteering with Eastern Connecticut and now the Norwich Sea Unicorns. It’s added up.

“Eleven guys, 30 apiece,” Baylock said Friday morning while entering UConn’s Burton Family Football Complex, where he has an office. “It was hot. Another one today.”

“Two and a half million, something like that,” Baylock said. “I get tired now. The arm is fine. I just get tired.” <-

 

[PASTE04038!]

Incredible person:



-> Andy Baylock, the world’s youngest 87-year-old, threw 300-plus pitches under the blazing summer sun last Thursday, chugging Gatorade, changing speeds, giving regional college baseball players tips on hitting and life.

Entering the elevator, he was asked about his lifetime pitch count. All those years playing, all those years coaching at UConn, all those years running clinics, all those years volunteering with Eastern Connecticut and now the Norwich Sea Unicorns. It’s added up.

“Eleven guys, 30 apiece,” Baylock said Friday morning while entering UConn’s Burton Family Football Complex, where he has an office. “It was hot. Another one today.”

“Two and a half million, something like that,” Baylock said. “I get tired now. The arm is fine. I just get tired.” <-

IMPRESSIVE FOR SURE!!!

 

[dbmill]

Incredible person:



-> Andy Baylock, the world’s youngest 87-year-old, threw 300-plus pitches under the blazing summer sun last Thursday, chugging Gatorade, changing speeds, giving regional college baseball players tips on hitting and life.

Entering the elevator, he was asked about his lifetime pitch count. All those years playing, all those years coaching at UConn, all those years running clinics, all those years volunteering with Eastern Connecticut and now the Norwich Sea Unicorns. It’s added up.

“Eleven guys, 30 apiece,” Baylock said Friday morning while entering UConn’s Burton Family Football Complex, where he has an office. “It was hot. Another one today.”

“Two and a half million, something like that,” Baylock said. “I get tired now. The arm is fine. I just get tired.” <-

Yeah, I've seen Andy Baylock throw batting practice pitches a number of times over the years, especially at UConn and at Dodd Stadium in Norwich. These days I always look forward to seeing him either throwing batting practice or even sitting in the stands.

 

[Steve UConn72]

Copied from my post on the football thread -

He is likely the last connection to my undergrad days at UConn (1968-72). One day in the late '90's my family and I were returning to Maine from a week at the beach in Delaware. We (I, really) decided to swing through Storrs on the way home and show the kids some pictures in the hallway at the old field house of athletic teams going back to the 1940's, a few of which had pictures of their grandfather (my dad) on the football, baseball and rifle (!) teams in the early '40's before he left for West Point. I had been peripherally involved with the baseball team in 1971 and '72. Andy came out of his office, looked up the hallway and saw me and yelled "Stevie! Great to see you!" (No one but my mother ever called me "Stevie") I hadn't seen him in years but he greeted my like a long lost relative. He even took us to JO Christian field to show off the new enclosed pitching/batting cage they had installed next to the field. He even had a couple of his players who were working out there throw a few pitches to my older kids (and me, if memory serves). "Treasure," "legend" and "gem" only begin to tell the story of this guy. God bless you, Coach!

 

[PASTE04038!]

Copied from my post on the football thread -

He is likely the last connection to my undergrad days at UConn (1968-72). One day in the late '90's my family and I were returning to Maine from a week at the beach in Delaware. We (I, really) decided to swing through Storrs on the way home and show the kids some pictures in the hallway at the old field house of athletic teams going back to the 1940's, a few of which had pictures of their grandfather (my dad) on the football, baseball and rifle (!) teams in the early '40's before he left for West Point. I had been peripherally involved with the baseball team in 1971 and '72. Andy came out of his office, looked up the hallway and saw me and yelled "Stevie! Great to see you!" (No one but my mother ever called me "Stevie") I hadn't seen him in years but he greeted my like a long lost relative. He even took us to JO Christian field to show off the new enclosed pitching/batting cage they had installed next to the field. He even had a couple of his players who were working out there throw a few pitches to my older kids (and me, if memory serves). "Treasure," "legend" and "gem" only begin to tell the story of this guy. God bless you, Coach!

They need to put a statue of him on campus.

 

[dbmill]

I frequently go look at the Norwich Sea Unicorns website, and this season I don't recall seeing any mention on the website of Andy Baylock being an assistant coach for Norwich. Of course, it is possible he gets mentioned in some place on the website where I have not looked.

However, prior to Norwich Sea Unicorn home games starting up, the PA announcer at the stadium does mention the various Norwich coaches on the team. Andy Baylock does get mentioned as a volunteer assistant coach for Norwich. At tonight's game, my wife and I got to the game well before it started (we have season tickets to the Norwich home games. We wondered around the stadium well before the game started up. I noticed in the Norwich bullpen before the game a coach who I figured was Baylock. Some people were getting autographs from pitchers in the bullpen, and I asked one of the players signing autographs if the coach in the bullpen was Baylock, and was told yes. As the game went along I kept looking out to the bullpen (our seats are near the Norwich dugout). Baylock spent almost the entire game in the bullpen. I guess he has been doing this the entire season, but I have to admit that I had not noticed him there before, even though occasionally prior to other home games we have heard Baylock get mentioned as one of the Norwich assistant coaches.