The man usually recognized for his laser-like passes on fourth downs has been creating quite the buzz. Not for his ability to locate a wide receiver in traffic, but for his mid-90’s fastball. Jameis Winston, closing pitcher for the #2-ranked Florida State Seminoles baseball team, has been living out his dream of playing on both the diamond and the turf of Bobby Bowden field. From the looks of things, FSU’s Heisman Trophy winning quarterback has been…busy.
Case in point: last week, Winston played in four baseball games and took snaps in four Florida State football practices. Winston and his teammates (of the gridiron variety) were also honored during “Florida State Day” at the capitol building in Tallahassee. The week was capped off with the Department of Education opening an investigation into whether the university conducted a thorough investigation into assault accusations against Winston which surfaced at the end of 2012.
This week? Sunday saw a double header against Notre Dame, the Seminoles face rival Florida at Dick Howser Stadium tonight, and then a three-game series against Georgia Tech this weekend. There’s also this little matter known as the Spring Game, when rabid Seminole season ticket holders will travel back to Tallahassee in droves on Saturday, hoping to hear the steadily building drumbeat of another national title run. For Winston, that could mean Atlanta on Friday, Tallahassee on Saturday, and back to Atlanta on Sunday.
In Tallahassee, Coach Mike Martin is beloved, but football is still king, and an element of unspoken anxiety remains below the surface. Both coaches promised fans earlier in the week that preventative measures were being taken to protect the man who dons the #44 on the mound. FSU football coach Jimbo Fisher assured fans, “We’ll keep a close eye because we don’t want to injure him in any way, shape or form.”
Obviously, the logistics aren’t simple. In mid-March, Coach Fisher told reporters that Winston would only miss one spring football practice—to play in the game against the Clemson Tigers back on March 22nd. The two-sport star has managed to balance his schedule between morning football practices and evening baseball games. Where he’s managed to fit in school and sleep is anyone’s guess.
Earlier this spring, Winston told reporters, “This is the funnest part of my life right now because I’m busy. The busier I can get, the better for me. I enjoy doing both, going back and forth. Obviously it’s hard on the body, but it’s fun. I’m young and I’m pretty sure I can make it.”
Winston’s life dream has been to emulate his hometown hero, Bo Jackson, one of the greatest dual-sport athletes ever known. It makes perfect sense that he chose the home of Deion Sanders and Charlie Ward to do it; Tallahassee has historically been a breeding ground for multifaceted competitors.
If the Seminoles head to Omaha at the end of May, as it appears they will, it will be their third trip in the last five years. For a Heisman trophy winner and the proud owner of one of the last BCS National Championship rings ever issued, the glare and the pressure will be nothing new. But for the baseball lover in Winston—who was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 15th round after graduating high school—a College World Series title would be especially sweet.
Speaking to reporters after an exhibition game against the Yankees in February, Winston tried to put into words why he couldn’t bear to part with his dugout dreams: “I love both,” Winston said. “I’ve got a strong passion for both. I’ll probably have more success in football, but baseball is a passion of mine, and I want to play as long as possible.”
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