Goodman: A baseball story that will live forever

This is an opinion column.

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At schools like Alabama and Auburn, a spot in the College World Series would be an all-expenses paid trip to Omaha, Nebraska.

Coaches would be in line for major bonuses to their salaries plus contract extensions.

That’s not how it works for Birmingham-Southern College, which is shutting down on the same day that the Panthers will begin playing in the championship finals of the Division III national baseball tournament.

The bittersweet story of the Birmingham-Southern baseball team has captured hearts across the country. I’m hoping that some of the Panthers’ new fans can help foot the bill for the team’s trip to Eastlake, Ohio. Someone’s gotta chip in a couple dimes because it’s certainly not going to be the school.

Birmingham-Southern was set to close at the end of the month, but the baseball team is competing in the D-III World Series beginning on May 31. The team returns to Birmingham from its super regional victory on Sunday and then flies out to Northwest Ohio on Wednesday. The Division III College World Series runs May 31 to June 6 at Classic Auto Group Park in Eastlake, Ohio.

GOODMAN: Birmingham-Southern is going down swinging

Birmingham-Southern swept its super regional series against Denison University on Saturday. The second game of the three-game series was a thrilling 7-6 victory that came down to the last out. An email from a family member of a player on the Birmingham-Southern team hit my inbox that night. It was from a grandmother. She made a great point. Here’s the message from Cathy McCain:

“Since the school will be closed as the team travels to the World Series, it seems that all travel and coaches pay will be privately funded. If that’s true, who can you shame into helping? I’m a grandmother of a team member. I took funds from IRA in an effort to keep school open. I know others sacrificed to support. Surely the state, city, county or other community members can help them make the most of the Series…Please make a last ditch appeal to the community.”

Consider it done, Cathy.

The NCAA pays for teams to travel to its championship events, but if you want to help the Birmingham-Southern baseball team have a memorable experience send an email to Birmingham-Southern coach Jan Weisberg. His email is jweisber@bsc.edu.

Grandma Cathy’s email about coaching salaries reminds me of a conversation I had with Birmingham-Southern assistant coach JD Hulse last week. I asked Hulse where he was going to work after the baseball team’s run was over. He didn’t know.

Hulse said he was devoting all of his energy into supporting the team and then would worry about his future after it was all over.

Hulse has a family to support. He’s a father to two small daughters. The inspiring story of the Birmingham-Southern baseball team is gaining national attention, but people don’t think about the assistant coaches.

Real sacrifices are being made for the Birmingham-Southern baseball team to live out this dream.

Hulse wears a lot of hats for the baseball team. He’s the third-base coach, recruiting coordinator and strength coach. He graduated from Birmingham-Southern in 2011 and was an assistant at Louisiana Tech before joining Weisberg at his alma mater. Birmingham-Southern has made the national tournament six out of seven years that Hulse has been on the staff.

Now he’s coaching in a College Baseball World Series, but doing it for the same salary as a coach in the Little League World Series.

Hulse sent me a text after the victory against Denison.

“Surreal day today!” he said.

Birmingham-Southern baseball is now a national sensation. It’s the team that refuses to die despite its school shutting down. The Panthers feel like a team destiny after winning the super regional. They took the bus to Granville, Ohio, last week and then swept No.2 Denison. A documentary crew is along for the ride at this point. It’s the same guys who produced “Two-A-Days” for MTV.

Maybe Netflix can throw in some cash to help these players and coaches.

National outlets have picked up on Birmingham-Southern, too. The Division III Baseball World Series is about to be overrun with reporters for the first time in the history of the competition. I’ve already booked my plane ticket. My flight leaves Wednesday, too.

All of this attention can’t save the school, but it can at least give Birmingham-Southern grads something to celebrate here at the end of their school’s existence.

Birmingham-Southern traces its roots back to 1858. The small school has always been one of the best liberal arts universities in the Deep South. The story of how the school fell into financial ruin has played out over the last couple years. There was hope the school could be bailed out by the state and city, but that plan fell through when politics got in the way.

Birmingham-Southern is fighting to the end thanks to this baseball team, though, and now even from beyond the grave. It’s a feel-good ghost story blanketing a tragedy and, if nothing else, maybe all this publicity will help the baseball team enjoy a story together that will live forever.

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Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of the most controversial sports book ever written, “We Want Bama: A Season of Hope and the Making of Nick Saban’s Ultimate Team.”