Hampshire pays a fitting tribute to a worthy Goebbert

How about a little baseball to warm up a cold January day?

One of the best athletes to ever compete at Hampshire High School and in the Fox Valley area was paid his due by his alma mater Saturday night when Hampshire held Jake Goebbert Night in conjunction with its Pack the Place basketball games against St. Edward.

Goebbert was not only one of the best athletes to ever come through Hampshire, he's also one of the most personable. That was on display Saturday, too, as he took up residence at the entry to the gym, signing countless autographs (free autographs, by the way) and taking even more photos with every person who asked.

He also was able to take some time to bring us up to date on his baseball career, which took off in a big way last summer when he spent 90-plus days with and played 51 games for the San Diego Padres.

Goebbert's current status is Triple-A and that's OK with him. When the Padres resigned pitcher Josh Johnson on Jan. 7, they designated Goebbert for assignment. All that really means is that, after clearing waivers Jan. 14, he's now on the Triple-A El Paso roster instead of the Padres' 40-man roster.

"It doesn't really change much," said Goebbert, who hit .218 in his 101 at-bats at the Major League level, playing first base and the outfield as well as pinch hitting for manager Bud Black's squad.

"I'm glad to be going back to the Padres and I feel like I have a good chance to make the team again. I had a strong start when I first came up and then tailed off a little with fewer at-bats. But I've been working hard with my hitting coach (legendary former Barrington coach Kirby Smith) and I want to let my hard work show. I'm off the 40-man roster for now but that can change anytime. I'll most likely start the season in Triple-A but I expected that. Being designated at this point is OK."

Once a player has had that taste of playing in "The Show" it might be disruptive to have to go back to the minors. But Goebbert, who was drafted in the 13th round of the 2009 draft by the Houston Astros, is being the eternal optimist, a glass half full kind of guy.

"I've always been one who looks for the silver lining," said Goebbert, who had 12 doubles, 3 triples, 1 home run and 10 RBI in his time in the bigs last summer. "I've worked hard and I'm looking forward to training camp."

Players aren't required to report to the Padres' spring training camp in Peoria, Ariz., until Feb. 24 but Goebbert, 27, plans to head to the desert two weeks ahead of that to get acclimated to the warm weather and playing baseball outside. And he's using the fact he's not on the Padres' 40-man roster as a motivator.

"You always wonder as an athlete what's going to motivate you to push yourself," he said. "As you get older it's easier to get lazy but this is a true motivator for me. But there's no extra pressure. It just allows me to go out and be me."

That's what Goebbert was at Hampshire Saturday - himself. And he was happy to spend the day at the Whip-Purs' gym greeting fans young and old who may or may not have seen him play football, basketball and baseball for the Whips until he graduated in 2006, the year he was the Daily Herald's Fox Valley Male Athlete of the Year before going on to play at Northwestern.

"I'm really proud to be part of this community," said Goebbert, who is married to former Hampshire female standout Heather Price and lives in Pingree Grove in the offseason. "Everyone here has been so supportive and they have all helped me to keep pushing myself to reach my dreams."

In between the varsity basketball games, Hampshire unveiled a large framed Padres jersey of Goebbert's that will hang near the entrance to the gym.

"Wow," said Goebbert, who took the microphone from Whips' baseball coach John Sarna to address the near capacity crowd with Heather at his side. "This is a very special night for both of us."

While thanking his wife, his family and his coaches Goebbert also became a bit emotional, as was to be expected. "The lessons I learned here I still apply today," he said, "and this makes it all worth it."

Goebbert closed his special evening with a dual message.

"Don't take no for an answer," he said. "Work hard every single day."

And then, the bottom line: "I've been a Northwestern Wildcat, a Houston Astro and an Oakland A," he told the crowd, "but I will always be a Whip-Pur."

And Hampshire High School couldn't ask for a better role model to say that.

Thoughts of Ernie: I became a Cub fan because of Ernie Banks. Sure, there was Williams, Santo, Jenkins, Kessinger, Beckert, Hundley and all the others but Ernie was the man. His death late last week, just a couple days after the sudden and tragic passing of the Daily Herald's Mike Spellman, conjured up some great memories.

The summer of 1969 was one I'll never forget, even though the Cubs squandered the National League East lead down the stretch and didn't make it to the postseason, something Banks never played in during his 19 years as a Cub.

But to me, that summer was a defining one in terms of my love for baseball and the Cubs. Along with countless other 11-year olds, I had Ernie's swing down. The hands constantly moving, the fingers playing the bat like a trumpet, the long sweeping swing, and yes, I hit about 40 homers that summer - in my dreams - and Ernie was there to congratulate me on each one.

Later in life I was fortunate to meet Ernie twice. Both times were at events where I was working so I never asked for an autograph but I was able to get his signature on a program at a game I attended as a fan sometime in the mid 1990s. It has now become one of my most cherished possessions.

Ernie Banks was so much more than a great baseball player. They will call him Mr. Cub forever, but Mr. Baseball would not be incorrect.

Wrigley Field will never be the same without Ernie's presence.

So in memory of No. 14, we close today with dreams of summer, sunshine, baseball and this: Let's play two!

jradtke@dailyherald.com