"Diamond Jim" Crosby was, for many years, as much a part of Florida State baseball as Dick Howser's "Animals", the clay on the pitcher's mound and the tall, skinny, college baseball icon Mike Martin, known to almost all as "11." A former broadcaster, an attentive, introspective fan, Crosby was also a good listener and a great person to share Martin's long and winding road to become college baseball's all-time winning baseball coach. For those who were around the team - I was fortunate enough to cover seven Seminole seasons - Crosby was always kind, friendly, a guy that had the respect of Martin and his players. As a coach, Martin could be demanding, precise, a stickler for details and running practice the right way.

Crosby recounts his story with affection, humor, insight and the sense of someone who was a witness to college baseball history and was darn glad about it. Martin was never able to win college baseball's big-time prize - a national championship. He got to the title game twice, last time in 1999 (I was there) and it seems so wrong that someone who brought such positivity, humor and warmth to the college game didn't get the ultimate reward. Crosby's book makes it clear that the ultimate reward for Florida State baseball fans was to have Mike Martin in the dugout for all those years, all those wins.