Bulldogs can learn from Cougars

MOUNT PLEASANT — It's hard to teach an old Bulldog new tricks.

But there is nothing cliche about former College of Charleston baseball players Sam Moore and Lee Curtis, honored Friday night during a Wall of Fame ceremony at Patriots Point Stadium. The classy gesture was well deserved for the pair of program-building contributors.

Clearly, there is more than one way to skin a cat, or honor a Cougar. Or Bulldog.

Given the choice between College of Charleston splash and quieter Citadel formality, the former gets the nod.

The still relatively upstart Cougars baseball program now has seven players on its Wall of Fame, located on the left field fence. Moore and Curtis join Billy Colome, Joey Foxhall, Travis Howell, Monte Lee and Scott Oliver. Each banner includes the player's name, jersey number (not officially retired) and the years he played for the Cougars.

The Citadel does not have a similar display at The Joe, where the only Bulldog individually honored is legendary former head coach Chal Port. The Citadel's Athletic Hall of Fame, however, includes esteemed former baseball players Richard Wieters, Jeff Barkley, Tim Jones, Mike Cherry, Lee Glaze, Mike Montei, Anthony Jenkins, Gettys Glaze and others. Many more baseball Bulldogs will join The Citadel Athletic Hall of Fame, at about two per year for a good while.

Yankees-type tributes

Both honor concepts are nice.

But in a town rich in American history and baseball tradition, plaques and jerseys serve as wonderful, enduring teaching tools.

Modesty has its place. Just not in a ballpark, not when it comes to saluting sluggers, closers and Friday night starters.

The Citadel Bulldogs are the New York Yankees of the Southern Conference — more regular season championships than any other current league member, the 1990 trip to the College World Series, seven SoCon Tournament titles in the last 18 years — but without Yankee Stadium-type tributes to former players.

The appreciative grins from Moore and Curtis confirmed the Wall of Fame as a swell idea.

"It's very special to me to see my number out there on the wall," said Moore, a star closer from 1992-95 who pitched in 72 games and had 23 saves before signing with the Florida Marlins as a free agent. "It represents the teams that I played for and the players that I played with, and we know we built a foundation that helped put this program where it is today."

Rich tradition

Moore, 37, works with his wife at their Mount Pleasant home lightning business, Candelabra.

Curtis, 26, works for a medical equipment company in Charleston. His .404 career batting average (2002-2003) remains atop the Cougars' list. Curtis was the SoCon's Player of the Year in 2002 as a third baseman and 2003 as a second baseman. He was an eighth-round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox.

Both players helped construct a program that qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

"This is absolutely a great honor, just a token of all the hard work," Curtis said. "It's just an honor to be recognized and to see where the program has gone since I left. The program elevates each year and Coach (John) Pawlowski and (pitching coach Scott) Foxhall have done a great job."

The Citadel has a longer tradition, a bigger and nicer ballpark, a coaching tree with roots all over college baseball and head coach Fred Jordan's famed summer camps.

But, in this case, the Bulldogs should copy the Cougars. The writing is on the Wall of Fame.

Reach Gene Sapakoff at gsapakoff@postandcourier.com.