#33

Jesse Berg

Nickname: Bergie

Bat/Throw: L/R

Birthday: 10/25

Years Playing With The Tigers: 13 years

Position(s): P/3B/1B

High School/Graduation Year: Red Rock Central - Class of 1997

College: Rochester Community College, Iowa Lakes Community College, Minnesota West Community College, and finally...THE St. Cloud State University

Family: Married to Emily (Van Hee) for over 4 years, son Elway (2), daughter Finnley (11 months)

Job: Seed Quality Supervisor - Monsanto Company, Waco Corn Production (DeKalb Corn), Waco, NE

Best Part Of Playing Amateur Baseball: Playing with a bunch of guys who love the game of baseball and "dugout talk"

Other baseball experience (coaching, other teams): Played college ball at Iowa Lakes CC, and MW West Community College, I made the team at St. Cloud State and coach told me two weeks later that I couldn't play because my college eligibility was up (yeah imagine that seeing my long list of colleges above!!!)

Most Memorable Game, At Any Level, You've Been A Part Of :
State tourney games in 1998, the romping we gave Carlos in '07, the home game against Essig we won to clinch a state berth in '07, playing at the Metrodome for the first time as a freshman in high school.
Here's my interesting story to share. It's not nearly as god-like as Bob Fink's, but it involves arguably the best team he ever coached. The last week of the baseball season my freshmen year my team (Red Rock Central) was at the top of the conference standings and looking to continue playing well going into the playoffs. The last game on the schedule was at Springfield. Both teams had been very dominant the whole year and with tournament seeds all wrapped up the game seemed to be a tune up game for the playoffs. With that said my high school coach told me that he was planning on resting our #1 and #2 starters (Chris Pack and Pete Lyle) and starting me. As we showed up in rival Springfield's ball park I notice that there's a big left hander warming up in the outfield for Springfield, it was there senior stud hitter/pitcher/Mr. everything, Phil Clennon. Phil had thrown numerous no hitters throughout his career and also held many pitching and hitting records. So here it was... what a pitching matchup, Phil Clennon for Springfield against Jesse Berg of Red Rock Central, who no one had really even heard of...yet anyway... At the time I was 6 feet tall and weighed about 160 pounds soaking wet. Springfield ended up beating us 5-2. Phil Clennon and "Super Dave" Groebner both went 2-5 with a double and a home run each. Besides the damage provided by Clennon and Groebner I threw a pretty good ballgame. The only positives I pulled from that game was that I at least got Phil and Dave out 6 of the 10 times I faced them, and speedster centerfielder Jimmy Bauer was thrown out trying to steal for the first time all season. It was on a pitchout when he was trying to steal third base. We (RRC) ended up getting beat in the region tournament that year and Springfield got no-hit in the state tournament that ended a very successful year for the Tigers. The real ironic part of the story is that little did I know that 3 years later Dale "Lumber" Lindmeier and Steve "Davis" Helget would sign me to a contract to play amateur ball in Springfield. I since then have become lifelong friends with many of those Tiger players I faced as a freshman, and have had the honor to play with many of them on the field during my amateur baseball career.

Baseball Rule, At Any Level, You'd Like To See Changed:
Have the DH rule for MLB either thrown out completely or have the rule in effect for both the AL and NL. I feel that pitchers who have spent their whole career in the NL have skewed strikeout numbers when comparing them to pitchers who pitched their whole careers in the AL. AL pitchers don't have the opportunity to throw against hitting pitchers with career .100 BAs. The sad thing is I don't see that rule change coming any time soon.
Not necessarily a rule change, but for cripes sake put Bert Blyleven in the Hall of Fame!!!

Favorite MLB Team: Minnesota Twins and believe it or not the New York Yankees (I can explain). No I am not a bandwagon Yankees fan that started liking the team back in the mid 90's when they started winning titles. People fail to remember that the Yankees had some awful teams in the mid 80's to early 90's...do the names Alvaro Espinoza, Steve Howe, Claudell Washington, and Cecilio Guante ring a bell? No, probably not, since the Yankees really sucked during the time period I previously stated!!!

Favorite Baseball Player Of All Time: Darryl Strawberry

Thoughts On The Home Run Chris Sturm Gave Up At St. Stephen: Wow Sturmy seriously...yeah we know that you say you can "throw" and your arm "feels fine", but just like the end of a Bud Light commercial "you need to know when to say when". The best part of that traumatic experience was after the game when Sturmy, Schwabie, Davis and I went to Brent Weber's house in Sartell and Schwabie explained the atmospheric change that took place when Sturmy gave up the bomb to Brent, who mind you played minor league ball for the Atlanta Braves. For some reason, Weber told his kids to get into the house in fear that ball that was hit didn't hit the ground yet and it might kill one of his kids on impact when it lands!!! All BS aside, it's good to see Sturmy take the bull by the horns and actually want to go on the mound and throw, unlike another Sturm I know (it's getting better though)... Oh yeah, I'll get to you Ryan...

Parting Thoughts: I've got to know a lot of great people over my years of playing baseball. Marty Brandl, Steve Helget, Bob Fink just to name a few... Then there are a few that stick out above and beyond the rest of them...one of those people being Ryan Sturm... Here's a guy that I've groomed over the years and who has finally started to become man. Year after year, he's soaked in my BS stories, one liners in the dugout, and drunken stories at the Bob Fink fire pit. After all of this he chooses to repay me for aiding in his personal development by reverting to a Laffy Taffy type joke he read last week about wearing a five gallon pail for a hat?? Well I of course, once again being the more mature person, I will not stoop to those levels and make attacks based on looks, but all I have to say is one thing...some day, if you continue listening to what I say and acting like I do, you will someday possibly become have as cool as me. One more thing, you cannot make fun of the master, and if you do it has to be something better than the hat joke. It was actually kind of funny but you still have a long ways to go. Something to shoot for that will get you a long ways in life. Remember I have the ultimate slam on you to pull out of my back pocket whenever I need to, or whenever someone asks me to tell the story again!!! All BS aside I look forward to playing with you again this summer Sturmy and you have been one the best friends I've had over all of my years with the Tigers... After all, you were on the 7 year college plan like I was, so you did follow my footsteps as far as that goes, and at the same school even. It's not a question if I can lead, it's if you can follow...