The Back Alley Archives

The biggest hit of what (at least to this point) was the biggest game of Florida's baseball season was delivered by the best story in the history of the program.

As Brandon McArthur hobbled to second base after a bases-clearing double in the third inning against Georgia just a fist pump short of looking like Kirk Gibson in the 1988 World Series, all you could do was shake your head in amazement.

“Even guys from other teams are saying things about him. They can't believe it,” said Florida baseball coach Kevin O'Sullivan. “It's hard to fathom unless you are watching it every day.”

How many times has McArthur been told he was finished? How many body blows can one player take and still keep coming back with resolve?

The answer is still ongoing with the Florida first baseman. He missed his first season after a near fatal punch that led to a pair of brain surgeries. He missed last year because of Tommy John surgery. And just as his bat began to heat up in 2008, McArthur suffered a torn ACL in his right knee while making an awkward turn at first base against North Florida.

He was done, finished. He should be up in the stands balancing crutches on an empty seat. The knee will eventually need surgery. It needs it now. But he just keeps playing.

McArthur is hitting .444 since returning to the lineup five games ago. His double down the line Sunday gave Florida a 3-0 lead in a 7-2 win.

“So many have people have told me so many times I couldn't come back,” he said. “I know one day I'm going to be able to look back and know that I gave it my all.”

For a guy who has been through so much, a torn knee ligament may have slowed him down but it hasn't stopped him. There are good days and bad ones with his knee. It can feel fine, then hurt like heck an hour later.

So that's the way he's going through the rest of the season. Hour to hour. Day to day. Base to base.

Last weekend, the knee was tight and stiff after his first game back, but he played. On Saturday, he was in a lot of pain when he woke up, but he played. On a chippy Sunday against the Bulldogs, he had a pair of hits with the cumbersome brace on his knee.

“The worst it hurt was when it happened,” he said of the injury. “But there were a couple of times in rehab when they pushed me to the limits that were pretty painful when they jarred it and it popped out.”

It makes your knees hurt to see him running the bases and the Florida coaches have had to remind McArthur that trying to leg out a hit isn't as important as keeping his bat in the lineup.

“I had to pull him aside Friday night and tell him to take it easy,” O'Sullivan said. “He's got a free pass here. Not many guys do. But we can't afford to have him tweak it.”

As a result, McArthur is under instructions not to take any bases that require extra effort. One of them was Sunday when his shot down the line on a 1-2 pitch turned into a hobbling double.

“It has to be a for-sure double,” he said. “Coach told me only to go when I know it's for sure.”

But this has been a career that has been anything but for sure.

Just the fact that he is out there is amazing. Even if all he did was sit on the bench and root for his buddies, players and coaches will tell you McArthur would be an asset to the team.

But to deliver in the clutch despite a Walter Brennan hitch in his step, well, he says it's hard to put into words and these words I'm writing can't fully describe it.

I first met McArthur when I visited him in his Seffner home in 2004 months after his second brain surgery left him with a half-moon scar on his head. Then, I couldn't believe he was going to try to play again. A year later he was starting at third for a team that was the national runner-up.

Three years and two major injuries later, the story just keeps getting more incredible.

“I've had people tell me I should write a book when it's over,” he said with a smile.
Naw. Nobody would believe it.