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Locals recall Glenn Rogers
Many in Warren County were shocked and saddened Sunday to hear former Pioneer and Motlow baseball standout Glenn Rogers, 36, had passed away. Several friends reached out to the WCSA asking if they could share their memories of one of the biggest hitters in Warren County history.
Here are some of their stories (if you would like to add your memories of Rogers, please email wcsportsauthority@gmail.com).
Daniel Jordan: As I sit and ponder on just one fond memory out of millions on and off the ball field with Glenn, I reflect on the last game we played together in Newtown. He was coming up to bat, and not keeping up with the “hottest” bats out there, he picked up an American Flag Worth. He looked at me and said, “I’m going to hit this one for America” with a big smile on his face.
He came up to bat and hit probably the furthest hit ball I’ve ever seen. It was photographed by the newspaper with the caption “Rogers hits one to the airport."
G was great on and off the field - his smile would brighten the worst of days. I am certainly going to miss seeing my phone light up GMONEY! (You’re) Forever in my heart brother - I’ll forever cherish the time I had with you!
Until we meet again G! I’ll always remember him saying, “Don’t worry about where the daggum thang goes - just hit it hard.”
****Jordan also relayed messages from family and friends, with Glenn’s mother – Marsha Rogers – talking about how just recently Glenn was talking about the people he hit playing ball and how much he hated it. She recalled a time Glenn was playing coach-pitch and hit his coach – Jeff McGee – so hard they had to take him off the field.
The Warren County Sports Authority contacted McGee about it and he recalled it happening, “That was at a state tournament. Even at that age, he could smash it.”
Cody Young, Josh Mullins and Andrew King, recalling the times they played with Glenn while talking with Daniel, had some memories too.
Young – “I saw him hit a line drive in Morrison one night that was hit so hard the ball was flexing. Only time I ever saw anyone do that.”
Mullins – “I remember up in Beersheba he hit a first basemen in the shin with line shot - sounded like it broke his leg. Glenn about broke a bat over his knee because he was so mad he hit the guy. He went and picked this guy up and carried him to the dugout and sat with his arm around him for 20 minutes. Took an out and took himself out for the last two innings.”
King – “I’ve seen guys hit the ball hard and then I’ve seen Glenn hit the ball – (it is a) whole other level of power.”
Jimmy Walker (coached Rogers in high school): He hit some monster shots and looked like Lou Gehrig when he rounded the bases. I know he hit one foul ball as far as anybody. It landed on the other side of the bridge at Hickory Creek. The other team watched.
I can tell one on him. Pedro (Paz) was helping with the football team and turned a bunch of chickens out on the practice field for players to try to catch. They didn’t and (the chickens) came in the back of the baseball facility. Glenn went in and come out with boths hands full of chickens.
It was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. He told me, “Coach, them boys don’t know how to catch chickens.”
Lynn Gann: "I’ve got many memories of Glenn on and off the field. Glenn had the ability to be one of the best baseball/softball players this county has ever seen. He won many all -region and all-conference awards during his high school/college days. He was always the same guy no matter how much success he had.
He played on my softball team on and off over a 10-year period. We were friends off the field as well. We had a lot of fun times together, but there were serious times too. I enjoyed our talks as much as I did watching him play. We had many talks about life like health, work and family. He loved his parents very dearly and wanted to do for them as much as he could - That’s one of the things I most admired about him. He was a beast on the playing field, but was a big teddy bear at heart. I will miss him greatly."
Jordan Elkins (a fellow big lefty known for sending softballs into the darkness of night), commented on the WCSA Facebook: “There will never be another like Big G. As much as it breaks my heart he is gone, I will always cherish the memories I have of him. From classes together in high school to playing softball together after his baseball days were over, it always made for a better day when Glenn was around.”
Chris McCormick: “I remember playing against Glenn multiple times in my softball career. As an outfielder, of course you just stood at the fence hoping he doesn’t fully get a hold of the ball and maybe he gives you a chance to at least rob him of another homer. I remember that it seemed like every ball that he would hit would come at you like a rocket. One time in particular I remember I was playing against Glenn - I believe it was a tournament at the Fairgrounds - and he had hit a low line drive to center. I dove for the ball and he had hit it so hard it actually knocked the glove off of my hand.”
Jeff Simmons: "When I was 10, my dad was a commissioner for a baseball league at McMinnville Civic Center. This meant I was at games every single night, helping keep score, doing the books and eating lots of chicken sandwiches.
One night, we were wrapping up on the Hoover and Millraney Field and heard a thunderous ovation coming from the other side of the complex. Driven by a love of local baseball, my dad and I headed to the Dottie West Field to see what was happening. Once we got there, the crowd was electric. The tall tales were already growing. Everybody was clamoring —- “Did you see how far that last one went? It may have hit a house!” “Who is this kid? He’s going to be a pro.”
It took only a second to realize somebody had been dropping bombs, but we wanted to know who it was. As soon as this lanky lefty stepped to the plate, we had our answer. I heard a lady in the stands say, “that’s my baby! He’s already hit two out.” A pitch came in and just like that, he had No. 3.
He vaporized the ball, sending it sailing over the fence and over the road, leaving me stunned and my dad smiling. He just said, “That’s Glenn Rogers. He can crush it.”
Despite being right behind Glenn in school, I never got to know him. I knew he could crush a baseball - and he did for the Pioneers and Motlow. My only real interaction with him came much later, when he was done with baseball and had started sending softballs into orbit. One day at the Fairgrounds field, he came and played with a team I was on. It was incredible seeing him hit moonshots over the lights on Field One all day. At the time, I thought I was a big hitter - I found out I was merely an amateur compared to Glenn’s power.
It was tough hearing about Glenn’s passing. Anybody who has played baseball or softball locally with Glenn knows he was a giant figure on the field. And a great guy off it."