Barron Batch

[Silicor]

Re: Barron Batch

I was doing some fantasy football research and found an article on the most unlikely of candidates...Baron Batch. Huh? If nothing else, there are a lot of interesting facts there. Guy must be a Steeler fan, check out the first couple paragraphs where he talks about the draft coverage; my thoughts exactly!

[url="http://www.fantasyfootballmetrics.com/blog/2011/05/05/baron-batch-rookie-rb-the-pittsburgh-steelers-out-scout-everyone-as-usual/"]http://www.fantasyfootballmetrics.com/b ... -as-usual/[/url]

Baron Batch Rookie RB — the Pittsburgh Steelers “Out-Scout” Everyone…as Usual
Posted on May 5, 2011 by R.C. Fischer

When it comes to the NFL Draft coverage, there is an odd phenomena that happens seemingly every year (or maybe it is selective memory?).

The 2011 coverage was no exception:

The reporters are all wrapped up in what the Patriots are doing with all their trading back, and making some kind of comments about Bill Belichick as a “mad genius”. It seemed much of the coverage I watched was focused on trying to figure out the Patriots Draft from the draft commentator’s perspective of — “I don’t understand what the Patriots are doing, but Belichick is super-smart, so what they’re doing must be super-smart”…
Bill Polian (Colts) is the elder statesman of the draft, so you will always get as few niceties about what the Colts are doing
We always get the obligatory — whoever just won the Super Bowl (Green Bay), “doesn’t need anything” so everyone they draft is just so devastating to the rest of the league because, “the rich are getting richer“. Does anyone remember when the Packers barely made the playoffs last year? I’m sure they have some areas of “need”?
All the high selecting teams, taking the recognizable names, are always on the TV coverage to boast about how pleased they are with their draft/picks …in theory shouldn’t the be embarrassed to even be seen on camera if they are picking in the top-10 for the 3rd-4th-5th-6th…year-in-a-row?

The one thing I don’t recall seeing this year, or last year — is the Pittsburgh Steelers on air bragging about their picks…nor do I recall the draft commentators spending as much/any time patting the Steelers on the back for their draft strategy either. Usually, the draft commentators are too busy falling all over whatever the Patriots are doing. At minimum, the Steelers are right there with the Patriots as the best franchise in the NFL over the past 6 years. Why don’t they get the same fawning “genius” NFL Draft label? I’m sure the Steelers are completely fine quietly out-drafting and out-scouting the competition.

A great example (to me) of the Steelers scouting prowess in the Draft, occurred in the 7th Round of the Draft this year.

While some 20+ RBs were selected ahead of him, the Steelers used their 7th Round pick on little known (pre-draft, or post-draft) Baron Batch out of Texas Tech. If you don’t know who Baron Batch is, join the club. Batch was not invited to the NFL Combine in 2011. Reading back story in Batch, I don’t think he himself thought he would be drafted….which is a shame given his resume’. All the various NFL Draft media outlets had lists of pre-draft RBs a mile long, and I don’t recall (and can’t find now) any of them that have Batch listed as a RB prospect for this draft.

How did I miss Baron Batch?

I’m not going to advance that Batch is the best RB prospect in the 2011 NFL Draft. I would like to advance that he might be a 7th Round pick that fans or Fantasy Football players should not easily dismiss or ignore. Batch mathematically rated in our Top-3 “speed RBs” for 2011.

I would have love to have told you about this story pre-draft, except like most…we didn’t have him as a prospect either. We use several lists of prospects from various places and try to research and input every one of them into our statistical/algorithm system. Batch was nowhere to be found. After the Steelers selected him, we went back and asked ourselves…”who is Baron Batch“.

Batch’s 2010 is nothing anyone would get excited about, not that it was bad…it just looks like a hundred other good 2010 college RBs. For the season, Batch had 816 yards rushing, 32 catches, 8 TDs and an underwhelming 4.6 yards per carry…a nice season, nothing spectacular. As we input data based on his final year played last year, we noticed something — his 2009 season was a little better than his 2010, and that’s where the story starts to turn a little bit…

Baron Batch circa 2009

There is something very odd about Baron Batch’s 2009 Texas Tech season. His performance starts out slow against more lesser competition (except week-3 at Texas), but then something turns halfway through the 2009 season…Batch starts to get more carries, the Texas Tech schedule gets much tougher…and the exciting thing — Batch’s performance and workload went from mediocre, to very good and sometimes great.

Through his first 5 games of 2009 Batch was fairly quiet, but then as the Big-12 season kicked in…so did Batch.
2009 Season Rush Yds per game Rush TD per game Yds per carry Total Yds per game (rush+rec) 100 yd rush games
First 5 games 45.2 0.8 5.1 69.4 1
Last 8 games 82.5 1.2 5.3 116.8 3

Coming down the stretch of 2009, Batch has some big games against bigger teams:

58 yards rushing, 9 catches for 62 yards receiving (120 yards total) and a TD vs. Texas A&M
123 yards rushing on 17 carries and 4 rushing TDs vs. Kansas
136 yards on a season high 25 carries and 2 rushing TDs, with 7 catches for 68 yards (204 yards total) vs. Oklahoma
100 yards rushing and 2 TDs, with 6 catches for 85 yards in their Bowl Game win against Michigan State (185 yards total)

In the final 5 games of 2009 — Batch had three 100+ yard rushing games, 3 multi-TD games and over 5 catches per game average.

We do have to take into account that Texas Tech played in a gimmicky offense in 2009, but considering the level of competition and performance Batch had…we should at least take notice.

No 2011 NFL Combine invite for Baron Batch

Batch was not invited to the NFL Combine, which is a major snub. However, he did workout at the Texas Tech pro-day and caught attention…or at least Pittsburgh’s attention. Pro-Day results can be sketchy, but taking them at face value — Batch should have caught more teams eye. A solid 4.50 in the 40-yard dash, with an excellent 1.50 in the 10-yard dash. An upper tier 39 inch vertical jump, along with an upper tier 10’6? Broad Jump are all very nice numbers, where it really all comes together is — Batch bench pressed 24 reps, which is upper level for his size and speed. Physically speaking, Baron Batch has matches with very good NFL RBs, with some physical measurables of the future elite NFL RB’s. Something definitely worth a look in the 7th Round.

The NFL RB that is the best match of Baron batch in our system:

We looked through the system for “speed RBs” that were smaller in height with good speed and agility, and higher rated results in overall physical measurables and high strength metrics — as well as good/solid ratings in on-field performance metrics. Tashard Choice and Brandon Jackson were the closest matches in our system. Choice and Jackson may not get you ultra-excited for Batch, but for a 7th Round pick — it would be great productivity/value for the Steelers…and we haven’t ruled out Choice as having a some good/great seasons coming up. The big takeaway is, Batch might not be your typical forgotten/waived 7th Round RB…at least be aware of him.

LEGEND FOR RATINGS:

SPEED = a combination of speed measurements from the NFL Combine/Pro-Days, measured against our database on similar WRs
AGILITY = a combination of agility test measurements from the NFL Combine/Pro-Days, measured against our database on similar WRs
POWER = a combination of various physical measurements, measured against our database on similar RBs
HANDS = a combination of performance metrics and physical metrics to grade “hands” — not only an ability to catch the ball as a receiver, but for fumble potential as well. A unique/private metric of ours. We gave hands a “grade”, but receiving wasn’t a huge part of the analysis — rushing/running ability is what we focused on.

*school grade system, A+ being the best in class historically all the way to F- as historically the worst combination of metrics — all based on what WRs with those measurements did (or didn’t do) in the NFL.
Name College Yr 40-Yard Speed Agility Power Hands
Batch, Baron Texas Tech 2011 4.50 B B A A-
Choice, Tashard Georgia Tech 2008 4.48 B+ A- B+ D+
Jackson, Brandon Nebraska 2007 4.54 B A- B C



2011 Outlook for Baron Batch

Obviously, Rashard Mendenhall is #1 on the depth chart…although that seems a little more tenuous this week than last due to Twitter. Mendenhall will obviously be the #1 in 2011, but I can see Batch making this team as a 3rd-4th RB by bumping some more recent Steelers RB pickups out the door. There is also the possibility that Batch could be the heir apparent 3rd down RB now that Mewelde Moore is a free-agent (if I have his contract status correct). Batch caught 45-57-32 passes in the past 3 seasons at Texas Tech.

Batch is an interesting prospect and an interesting person, doing research on him — Batch grew up poor, mother dies at age 15, and Dad was away a lot. Batch overcame family obstacles and had a great academic performance in High School leading to offers from Duke, Northwestern, etc. Batch is famous for his online Blog, in which he has used to raise money for to pay for several kids education in Haiti. His character is notorious around Texas.

Great character, good/great physical measurables, and intriguing on-field performances make Baron Batch one to watch as coming out of this 2011 RB class better than most would expect. The Steelers have done it again, great scouting and a smart draft pick that many weren’t even aware of pre-draft…including me. I know him now…

[NJ-STEELER]

Re: Barron Batch

i know he's not nearly the finished prodeuct ray rice was. but from that highlight package, thats who he reminded me of.

i'll be happy if he even gets close to level of play.

[AngryAsian]

Re: Barron Batch

One thing that got me excited right away from viewing his highlight reel, it seems he has the knack and the speed to hit the holes quick then hit a second tier speed once he found space. Maybe he might be this year's Arian Foster (Foster coming up from 3rd on his team's depth chart). I know, maybe too hopeful, but after seeing his videos, how could you not pull for a kid of this caliber. If he makes the team and stays healthy, I see him quickly becoming a crowd favorite.

[hawaiiansteel]

Re: Barron Batch

Monday, May 16, 2011

Some Weekend Steelers Notes, Thoughts and Musings

* 7th round draft pick Baron Batch will have rock star status by the time training camp rolls around. There is no way you can not root for this kid and it seems that every man, woman and child in Steeler Nation are well aware of who he is by now.

The 3rd down running back job is already within in his reach and he has yet to even take a snap in any organized practice. That said, spots are earned in training camp and he must pick things up quickly despite the crucial time he might miss because of the lockout.

[url="http://www.steelersdepot.com/2011/05/some-weekend-steelers-notes-thoughts-and-musings/"]http://www.steelersdepot.com/2011/05/so ... d-musings/[/url]

[Oviedo]

Re: Barron Batch

I hope karma means something and this kid becomes a star. This is the player who every parent who has a son who plays football should hold up as an example.

[hawaiiansteel]

Re: Barron Batch

SUNDAY, MAY 15, 2011

Diary 29 (A marked man) - from Baron Batch's blog:

THE LIFE AND HAPPENINGS OF ME. ENJOY.


Pride is a child of Success. Humility is Prides sibling. They are all family.

Pride is perilous. It can potently poison, and pompously pollute sincere intentions, quickly suffocating Humility if not put check. Pride terrifies me because I know where its lair lies. It lurks in the deepest shadows my inadequacies, and feeds off Success. Pride is my greatest fear. It is a dancing demon that demands a partner. The music is ready, but I must not hit play. I know how dangerous this dance could be. I know how treacherous pride is. It methodically marches murderously masked with good intentions, making its way towards marked men.

I am a marked man.

Everything is changing for me now. This new chapter will be a tricky one, filled with tantalizing temptations I never could have imagined I would face. I can see the tempting treats that tease my ego, and they are all too close for comfort. Part of me wants to sprint in the other direction while my weaker half begs to have a taste of the tainted treats. I have to be much more cautious now. I have to watch every step, and most importantly must respect my dancing demon called Pride.

I’d like to say that Pride is my adversary, but it is so much more than that. Pride is part or me, just waiting for me to take its hand, waiting to share a long awaited embrace, waiting to get reacquainted with a long lost friend. The music is ready. It wants me to hit play and join it for a dance. I would be lying if I said I haven’t recently entertained that thought.

When everyone I see tells me how great I am every single day it is hard to not believe it. As egotistical and narcissistic sounding that last sentence was, it is the truth.

Last week a grown man came up to me in a sports bar as I was watching the NBA playoffs. The way he placed his hands on both of my shoulders and looked me straight in the eye before he spoke was in a fatherlike manner. I awaited some sort of profound life advice from the older stranger, but quickly my expectations were destroyed the moment he spoke.

"Bro.....dude.....Batch! Black n' Yellow bro! You are my hero man. I freaking love you."

I'm not good at taking compliments because I know what they are truly food for. It is so tempting to throw compliments into Prides lair where they are quickly devoured.

So I simply say "thanks" and try to move on before Pride smells the scent of compliments and overpowers me.

The slightly drunk man did however pass at least some of his wisdom on before walking away. Turning back to face me, he left me with his true wisdom.

"Batch...dude....bro....one more thing! This is really important man and I think you should know this. I don't know if anyone has ever told you this."

My ears perked awaiting the advice.

"Ok bro, make sure you get a nice jacket once you get to Pittsburgh. I don't know if you have heard, but it can get pretty cold up there. Yes! Baron Batch! Freaking love you dude. Black n' Yellow bro!"

Luckily I will not be found frozen to death this winter wearing only a t-shirt because of the mans profound advice.

When you feel like your flying it’s hard to stay grounded.When people tell me how great I am, I have to remind myself whats true. For me to respect Pride I must acknowledge the power that it possesses, I have to be honest and give credit where credit is due. Anyone that is successful has the demon called Pride lurking watching their every move, listening to every compliment, waiting to be thrown a scrap and be fed. Waiting to grow strong enough to take its thrown, waiting to steal a crown. Ignoring Pride is foolish but failing to respect its existence and potential is pure ignorance. Pride is powerful, and even more addicting. Pride is my biggest weakness, greatest fear, and best friend. My best friend knows me all too well. My best friend has wanted to dance lately.

The music is ready …… but I must not hit play.

I am a marked man.

I remember what happened last time I joined Pride for a waltz 5 years ago. It would be foolish to make the same mistake again.

I have never told anyone this story, mainly because I have been to prideful to admit it. I guess Pride resides in secrets as well; it’s time for me to give this secret away.

I have told my testimony hundreds of times. My injury/comeback story has been well documented, but I have always left out a piece that no one has heard until now.

October 18th is an important date to me. It is the day that I broke my ankle my freshman year resulting in multiple surgeries almost ending my athletic career. It is the day that changed me as a person. It is a date that I have used as my proverbial rebirth. It is a date that could have been avoided.

October 18th is the last time I danced with my best friend. The music was ready. I hit play. I danced with my demon that day.

I wasn’t supposed to be in on the play that I broke my ankle, that’s not the secret though. The secret is WHY I was in on that particular play and to understand that we will have to take a trip. Lets go back to October 18th 2006.

It’s really hot now. Practice is a scorching inferno and we are in the middle of our offensive team period. An upperclassman running back and I are competing for playing time. I am a true freshman and am as cocky and prideful as they come. I feel like I should be starting and am willing to do anything to prove to the coaches that I am right about that assumption, even if its stealing reps from my teammates. I am standing right beside Coach Leach on the sideline as he is calling plays, trying to get a sneak peek at what plays are coming up next by looking at the tiny wrinkled play sheet that he held.

30! The next play is 30!

30 was the name of one of our few running plays that existed at the time. It was a play that I was very good at. I wanted this play, but it wasn’t my turn to rotate in.

This is where the secret lies. This is where Pride resides.

Every part of me warned myself against stealing that play. It wasn’t the first time that I had done it though, so I was caught off guard at this overwhelming gut wrenching feeling to not go in on that play. I have never had such a strong feeling to NOT do something than I did at that moment. I ignored it. I sprinted out onto the field waving for my teammate to come out of the huddle as if the coaches were substituting me in even though that wasn’t the case. I wanted to get the ball. I wanted show that I was the better running back. Pride is powerful thing if you feed it, and I fed it well.

I’m lining up to run the play now. I start scanning over the defense imagining what I am going to do once I get the ball. I can hardly wait to show what I can do. The gut wrenching feeling to escape the play that was about to happen still overwhelmed me. I ignored it. I thought about how angry my fellow running back had to be when he realized that I had stole his precious run play. I laughed to myself knowing that I had successfully stolen an opportunity from him. The play is about to happen and my heart is beating faster.

Just before the ball is snapped I see Graham (our quarterback at the time) step up to the line and start to change the play. “Crap! He’s changing the play,” I thought to myself. The precious run play that I had stolen was going to be changed to a pass.

"No! Absolutely not! Don't do it! "

My hijacked play is useless now! I am going to have to pass protect!

The ball is snapped and the linebacker blitzes that I am responsible for. I step up into the line of scrimmage to meet him. We collide with a loud thud and crack.

Wait….what was that cracking sound?

Before I could answer that question I was on the ground wailing. I lay there screaming for help. My ankle was broken. Pride almost stole my whole career from me.

I guess its true that pride comes before a fall. Or in my case pride came right before a broken ankle.

October 18th 2006 was the last time that I danced with my demon. I have been afraid to since, but lately the insurmountable urge to meet my long lost friend for a secret rendezvous is overwhelmingly enticing.

The music is ready.

I won’t hit play this time though. I know better.

I know what I am.

Everything is changing now and this new chapter will be a tricky one. The more everything changes the more I have to remain the same. I must respect Pride for what it is. Pride is a child of Success. However, it can only grow and mature if I feed and nurture it, it can only dance if I take its hand and let the music play. The only way to recognize Pride is by meeting its family. If you have never shook hands with Prides father Success, you have never truly met Pride, because Success proudly introduces you to his child. If you have never met Pride itself you can never recognize its sibling called Humility. Success does not introduce Humility as a family member because it cant be proud of how humble Humility is. Pride also refuses to introduce its sibling Humility, because it recognizes that it is the only thing that can stunt its growth. Humility is not introduced by its family. It is found when the true colors of Pride and dangers of Success are realized. Once Humility is found it will forever warn against its sibling and father, but will still love them because they are family; they are all connected. Humility will speak out against Pride and let its siblings dangerous appetite be known. "Don't feed it." Success will sit back and smile, knowing that it can grow no matter which child is fed. Only the host pays the price.

Pride is my greatest fear, biggest struggle, and best friend. It will want to dance frequently in this next chapter of my life. The higher life tries to sweep me into the clouds, the deeper I must dig my toes into the dirt to stay grounded. I have to remember the cold nights I spent sleeping on the floor of a trailer house in front of a space heater. I have to remember that a man that sleeps on the floor can never fall out of bed.

I have to fight to stay humble.

I know what I am.

I am a marked man.

God Bless.

POSTED BY BARON BATCH ON SUNDAY, MAY 15, 2011

[url="http://baronbatch.blogspot.com/2011/05/diary-29-marked-man.html"]http://baronbatch.blogspot.com/2011/05/ ... d-man.html[/url]

[Captain Lemming]

Re: Barron Batch

Looks like Batch wont be pulling one of these:

[birtikidis]

Re: Barron Batch

I emailed him about an hour ago to tell him how much I liked the blog. He responded within 20 minutes. Very cool dude.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Re: Barron Batch

Dude sure enjoys alliteration:

Pride is perilous. It can potently poison, and pompously pollute sincere intentions, quickly suffocating Humility if not put check. Pride terrifies me because I know where its lair lies. It lurks in the deepest shadows my inadequacies, and feeds off Success. Pride is my greatest fear. It is a dancing demon that demands a partner. The music is ready, but I must not hit play. I know how dangerous this dance could be. I know how treacherous pride is. It methodically marches murderously masked with good intentions, making its way towards marked men.

[Shawn]

Re: Barron Batch

Batch obviously gets it. Generally speaking, people who understand that pride is a poison are the ones who have been humbled. Insight usually comes from a painful experience which brings humility and clarity. I already really like this guy.

[Captain Lemming]

Re: Barron Batch

Batch obviously gets it. Generally speaking, people who understand that pride is a poison are the ones who have been humbled. Insight usually comes from a painful experience which brings humility and clarity. I already really like this guy.

Let me tell you Batch may be humble but NOBODY is more humble than I am!!!!!

If he can reach half my level of humbleness, he will be extraordinary among common men.

Especially in view of my uncanny intelligence (only surpassed by my wisdom and good looks) the degree of my modestly becomes even more pronounced. When "losers" act humble they are not humble they are just inferior.

I routinely lower myself to "pretend" to respect common folk (no matter how stupid they are).

That is a level of humility that the rest of you do well to imitate!

Of course you will fail. I've set the bar far too high.

Nevertheless you will be a better person for "trying" to be humble like me.

[hawaiiansteel]

Re: Barron Batch

Steelers Lounge Chats With Baron Batch

Posted on May 21, 2011 by adam


It’s not often that a seventh-round pick generates a lot of interest on draft day, but the Steelers selection of Baron Batch last month proved to be a rather large exception. Almost immediately Steelers fans (us included) found themselves intrigued by his journey to the NFL and marveled at how easily accessible he was through his personal blog (an enjoyable read) and Twitter account.

He seems to be a fascinating person off the field and a quality prospect on it. On Saturday he was kind enough to spend about 20 minutes on the phone with me to talk about his charity (2ndhandimages), his communication with fans and what the Steelers can expect from him on and off the field. His first look at the city of Pittsburgh was also pretty interesting, though not entirely uncommon: he expected it to be a smoke-filled steel town.

Me: I can’t remember who it was off the top of my head, but a couple of weeks ago one of the Steelers mentioned on Twitter that football is what he does, and it’s not who he is. I think sometimes we lose sight of that and forget that football players, regardless of how good they are or how successful they are, are still regular people and that what they do on the field is just a small part of who they are. Based on what I’ve read about you, and read from you, that seems to be an accurate way to describe you: there’s a lot more to you than just football.

Baron Batch: I agree with that. Football is what we do and it’s not who we are just like anybody else that has their job. I think sometimes it gets overlooked for us that it is a job, just like someone goes and works at a bank, that’s their job, and they have a life outside of that, or a teacher, or whatever somebody does. For me, football is my job, I take it seriously, and I love what I do, but it’s not really who I am or what I am. For me it’s almost kind of a platform to share the other parts of me, the off the field stuff, through my blog, through 2ndhandimages and all the other stuff I do.

Me: You suffered a pretty significant ankle injury in college that kind of snowballed on you and led to some other problems, and from what I understand, almost ended your career. Did that change your perspective on football and where it all fits?

Batch: My injury had a lot do with it. Just understanding how quickly football can be over and can be taken away from you. Most people, when you go into your profession, you have more control over when that’s over, unless you get fired or something like that. In football so much is out of your control, like injuries and having it just yanked out from under you and having to suddenly do something else. It’s kind of a crazy profession. You can’t really control how long you do it. When I got hurt and went through the whole injury thing it kind of opened my eyes that this isn’t everything and I can’t make it everything.

Me: You’ve started your own charity, 2ndhandimages. Can you tell us a little bit about what you guys do and how it all came to be?

Batch: 2ndhandimages is a non-profit charity that I created. We just had our first event this past week and it went really well. It came from me joining one of my passions, which is photography, with something else that I love to do, traveling, and helping people that are less fortunate. It came about right after my last college football game when I was invited to photograph a group of medical missionary students in Haiti. While I was there I felt guilty for being there and just taking pictures, and then coming back and not really changing anything that I saw. I had the idea that I could use the images to raise awareness and allow people to see what’s going on, and by simply buying a print to support that cause directly. We do that with various causes and places, and it just allows people, through a creative way, to buy a print they can hang on their wall and be proud to say that by buying that piece of art they support that cause and contributed to fixing it.

When we had our first event we did a silent auction gallery type of deal, and the images will eventually be up online. Right now we’re still getting all of the kinks worked out of the website and making sure it’s up and ready to go before we release all of that, but it will be on the website: 2ndhandimages.com

Once that is up people will be able to get on there, click on whichever project and cause they would like to support.

Me: After you were drafted one of the first things I found was your personal blog, and my initial reaction was, hey, this is pretty good and enjoyable. Is writing something you’ve always had an interest in?

Batch: Not really. I was kind of nudged into doing it. My friend Garrett, a couple of years ago, kind of urged me to start a blog because it might be cool to interact with fans and allow them to see a different part of me, so I started it and just kind of played around with it, just as a hobby. Right before this past year at Texas Tech I approached the newspaper from back home in Midland and in Lubbock about being able to post my blog and be printed in the paper, and they jumped at it and thought it was a cool idea. That’s when I started getting serious about writing and doing it on a consistent weekly basis. Since then it’s kind of taken off and turned into something I never imagined that it would.

It’s been really cool to get the positive feedback that I get from it, and how it helps people in different areas just by being transparent with with what I struggle with and what I’m going through at the time. It kind of shows people I’m just like them. I’m just a regular person.

Me: Along with your blog you’re also very active on Twitter, which has really changed the way players and fans interact with each other. Since you’re out there doing it I’m assuming you enjoy it, and there’s a lot of positives to that. But I’m guessing there can be some negative to it as well.

Batch: I think it’s something that’s important. For me, I see the business aspect of it. From a purely business standpoint it’s good to do if you do it correctly and if you interact and say the right things, it’s a really good tool to use. And also having the fans feel like they personally know you and are connected to you. When they’re cheering for you, even though they’ve never met you, they feel like they know you, and I want that. I want people to feel like that if they see me they can come up to me and say, hey, you’re a regular guy just like me and I just wanted to say what’s up.

I don’t ever want people to feel like I’m above them or anything like that. I think social media is a good way to do that. Whether you like it or not, being an NFL player, you’re in the spotlight and people put you on a pedestal, and if you treat it like that, by acting a certain way and you cut that off from people to see, it’ll come out. Things you don’t want people to know will eventually come out, and it’ll really suck when that happens, and you see that a lot with high profile athletes. Things you might think you can keep hidden forever will come out. For me, I’d rather just be open and let people know that I struggle just like they do, I screw up just like they do. First of all it keeps me humble. It keeps me grounded and it keeps me accountable to people, but also you’re gonna struggle and you have to go out there and try to get better everyday.

Me: I think that’s part of what has drawn fans to you. Did you expect to get welcomed by Steeler fans the way you’ve been? It’s been pretty incredible from what I’ve seen.

No, not really. I think a lot of people that didn’t know who I was, when they googled me the first thing that came up was my blog, so if you read anything I’ve written there you feel like, and people tell me this all the time, you feel like you might know me already because it’s so personal. So when people searched me and found that they instantly felt connected and felt like they know me, and they do. I felt it was really cool. The warm welcome I’m still getting from all the Steeler fans, I didn’t expect it being a 7th round draft pick, very late in the draft, not a high profile guy, just a guy that works hard and hopefully can make the team and somehow be able to help out. I’ve had a lot of fans tell me I’m their favorite player already, and for me that is just so humbling because I haven’t even done anything yet.

Me: I’m sure that, because of the lockout, you’re still kind of in the dark about what sort of role the Steelers might be looking at for you, but based on what I know about the team and what running backs they have coming back I’m guessing more of a third-down role. A guy that can catch the ball out of the backfield and pick up the blitz. I would imagine that, coming from the wide open offense you played in at Texas Tech, those would be areas you might excel at. I mean, if you’re going to play running back in that system you better be able to catch, and you be better be able to pick up the blitz.

Batch: Yeah, absolutely. Our offense at Texas Tech, every down was like a third down as far as a translation to the NFL. We spread it out so you have to be aware of the blitz every play, every game and from anywhere on the field, so you have to be able to pass protect. You also have to be able to get out of the backfield, get into your routes and make some plays in space, and I think that’s going to be able to help me at the next level. Just being able to be feel comfortable after doing that for four years at Texas Tech.

Me: That’s been a pretty successful program in recent years, which game stands out for you? If I had to guess I’d imagine the game against Texas when MIchael Crabtree scored the winning touchdown on the last play would be up there.

It’s funny, everybody would assume that is the game, but it’s not the case for me. For me, my most memorable game, it was the first game I came back from after my ankle injury, against Eastern Washington, and was able to play after being away from football for a year. I didn’t start, I didn’t play a ton, I had to work my way into the rotation throughout the year, but just being able to get back out there and play in a game, and getting the feeling of getting something back I never thought I’d get back, that was very special.

Me: Let’s wrap it up with this: Have you ever been to Pittsburgh, and what, if anything, do you know about the city?

Batch: I came up on a visit before the draft. I can’t say that I got to see much because it all happened within 24 hours so it was pretty jam packed, but it definitely wasn’t what I expected. I expected what they show on TV before the game with the coal stacks and steel mills everywhere, and it was nothing like that. It was a really cool place from what I saw. I don’t know a ton about it, fans have been filling me in on a lot of stuff over the past few weeks, places I have to go and look at it, good places to eat, but I’m excited to get there and meet the people and see the city and allow people to see I’m just like them, and if they want to e-mail, I’ll read it, so I’m really excited about getting up there and getting my new career started.

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[hawaiiansteel]

Re: Barron Batch

Steelers' Batch more than just football player

By Scott Brown, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, June 24, 2011




Disillusioned after the Ohio State scandal that further eroded the amateur ideal of college football? Fed up with NFL owners and players still divided over how to share more than $9 billion in annual revenue?

Well, meet Baron Batch.

The newest addition to the Steelers' offensive backfield is a writer, photographer and humanitarian. Last week, Batch, who's not related to Steelers backup quarterback Charlie Batch, wandered into a news-writing class at Texas Tech, even though he graduated this past December with a degree in communications studies. Batch, who has been working out at Tech during the NFL lockout, plans to drop in on summer Spanish classes just to brush up on the subject he nearly minored.

Such behavior may not be the norm for 23-year-olds or professional athletes, and particularly not 23-year-old professional athletes. Yet it is the essence of Batch, who ranks in the top 10 of Texas Tech's rushing leaders but considers it an insult of the highest order should someone label the 5-foot-10, 210-pounder as "just a football player."

"I want to do everything. I tell people that and they say, 'Baron, you can't do everything,' " said Batch, the Steelers' seventh-round draft choice this past April. "I want to write. I want to travel. Whatever else I feel passionate about. I want to help people. I want to speak. I want to do a lot of things."



Batch traveled to Haiti in early January, spending time with orphaned children and documenting the mission for "Operation Hope," a non-profit group. He sells portraits from the pictures he took, with proceeds paying for the impoverished children to attend school in the Caribbean country.

Batch has helped closer to home, too.

He penned a column for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal last year about not giving up after a trying Texas Tech loss. A man later introduced himself to Batch in a supermarket and told him he had seen the column. He had seen the column while covering the floor at home in newsprint, readying to shoot himself.

Batch's message resonated with the man so much that he decided against ending his life. And he left the normally loquacious Batch virtually speechless following their chance encounter.

"I never would have imagined some words would have made such an impact," Batch said. "It really encouraged me to keep doing it."

THE ULTIMATE SURVIVOR

Batch is uniquely qualified to write about persevering. His life is a tableau for such a tale.

His mother battled multiple sclerosis, and money was so tight while Batch was growing up in Odessa that heat during the cold nights on the wind-swept west Texas plains qualified as a luxury. He sometimes slept next to a space heater just to stay warm.

Batch's mother died when he was a freshman in high school, forcing him to stay with a friend. The adversity didn't stop Batch from excelling at football and track — and the classroom — at Midland High School.

During track season, Batch, an accomplished sprinter, would lift at night. Sometimes Craig Yenzer, Midland's football coach, would have to chase Batch out of the weight room just so Yenzer could go home and see his wife.

Of course, Yenzer could arrive home well after dark and not so much as receive a cold stare if he explained that he had been spotting Batch in the weight room.

"My wife thinks he's about the greatest thing in the world," Yenzer said. "He had a lot of reasons to get down on life and he would not let that happen."

Nor would he get down on life after breaking his ankle during his freshman season at Texas Tech. A staph infection and other complications followed, requiring six additional surgeries and nearly derailing his football career.

Batch emerged from the ordeal spiritually stronger, and after a redshirt season, he returned to football in 2008 and scored eight touchdowns while averaging 6.7 yards per carry.

But football was far from Batch's only pursuit in Lubbock.

He started a blog that led to writing regularly for the Lubbock newspaper, as well as the Midland Reporter-Telegram.

His writing is deeply personal and poignant. Any number of passages from his blog — "Sometimes a lie can be dressed so properly that it can even deceive the tongue from which it was conceived," he wrote in one entry — offers proof that writing is anything but a whim for Batch.

"He really likes the craft part of it," said Lubbock Journal-Avalanche sports editor Courtney Linehan, who worked with Batch. "If you read some of his stuff from beginning to end, he has themes and motifs. Pretty impressive."

Batch impressed on the football field as well but never had that breakout season. That tends to happen in an offense where the quarterback attempts more passes than a NASCAR driver. He bulked up his senior season and played anywhere between 220 and 225 pounds. But his coaches said he carried too much weight. That caused a dip in production after Batch averaged better than five yards a carry and rushed for 14 touchdowns as a junior.

"He's a much, much better player at 210," Texas Tech offensive coordinator Neal Brown said. "He's extremely good at picking up the blitz. He's very good at catching the ball out of the backfield. He finishes runs. He's not a guy that's going to make a ton of guys miss in the second level, but he understands who he is and plays to his strengths."

The Steelers were intrigued enough by Batch — the slimmed-down version ran a 4.4 in the 40-yard dash at Texas Tech Pro Day — that they hosted him for a pre-draft visit in April. A couple of weeks later, they made him their final pick of the draft, No. 232 overall.

And as memorable as it is to be drafted by an NFL franchise, Batch won't soon forget the Saturday the Steelers selected him for an entirely different reason.

It's the same weekend he reconciled with his father.

NO HURDLE TOO TALL

The blog post is entitled "860 miles to forgiveness."

It is the distance Batch drove to New Orleans from Texas to spend the weekend of the draft with his father. It is also symbolic of how far apart the two had grown following a divorce that kept Juan Batch from playing much of a role in Baron's life.

The younger Batch made the trip to New Orleans after some serious soul searching and a concession to forgive, and the walls between father and son came crumbling down thereafter.

They went fishing. When the Steelers drafted Batch, they hugged.

The two talk or text each other on a regular basis, and their story seems destined for a happy ending.

"It's actually going really well," Batch said last week of his relationship with his father. "It's really pretty cool that it all worked out that way."

The feel-good story that Batch has authored will recede into the background when the time comes to play his way onto the Steelers' 53-man roster. The team is not particularly deep at running back, but Batch is in the subset of players most adversely affected by the lockout.

He did not have the benefit of offseason practices to learn the offense. And, like other low-round draft choices, he may not get as much leeway with the coaches. Teams make much more of an investment in high-round picks.

"It's just another hurdle," said Batch, who had to pass on a recent mission trip to Haiti in the event the lockout ends. "I can only control how hard I work, and I'm going to work hard. If that's not enough and I don't make the team, then I guarantee you I won't look back and say I could have done any more.

"I know I can play in the NFL."

Steelers rookie running back Baron Batch has blogged for three years. Check out his thoughts at Baronbatch.blogspot.com

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[RuthlessBurgher]

Re: Barron Batch

He penned a column for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal last year about not giving up after a trying Texas Tech loss. A man later introduced himself to Batch in a supermarket and told him he had seen the column. He had seen the column while covering the floor at home in newsprint, readying to shoot himself.

Batch's message resonated with the man so much that he decided against ending his life. And he left the normally loquacious Batch virtually speechless following their chance encounter.

"I never would have imagined some words would have made such an impact," Batch said. "It really encouraged me to keep doing it."

Holy crap, that's an awesome story. I read his blog entry about driving to reconnect with his father on draft weekend, but I hadn't heard about the guy deciding against suicide after noticing Batch's article when laying newspaper down on the floor before he planned to shoot himself.