Second guessing coaches’ decisions is a favorite past-time of sports fans everywhere.

I remember my dad and uncle sitting around the television set loudly bemoaning every call Don Zimmer made as manager of the Cubs.

Last October at the Cardinal and Black World Series, NIU baseball coach Ed Mathey was gracious enough to give me a taste of what coaching at the collegiate level is like.

It was a virtual all-access backstage pass that allowed unfettered access to the team.

My assignment was to coach first base in the Cardinal and Black World Series, sit in the dugouts and roam the field however I saw fit.

As first base coach, you give the runner a fist pound, tell them how many outs there are, to get dirty on a ground ball, make sure the liner goes through, and most importantly, scream “back!” for all pick-off moves from the pitcher.

The best part of the day was conversing with Mathey as he resided in a golf chair planted in shallow center field. In other words, the best view in the house.

Clearly visible are all kinds of nuances that are a coach’s treat.

If you want to see if your pitcher is driving his leg or pulling his head down in an effort to overthrow, it is the prime-time location.

You can also keep an eye on all your fielders, base runners and hitters as the orchestrated chess match that is a baseball game evolves.

Our conversations ran the gamut of topics. The fifth-year coach and I went over games from last year, new impact players and various baseball tips.

My brain soaks it up. One of my life goals is to win a state title as a high school baseball coach, so for me, that was a free education from someone who has reached the pinnacle of his profession.

I’ve coached high school baseball for several years, and the size and speed of the players at the NCAA level is amazing. But the game is the same. The situational plays and the strategies all right in front of you, it is just bigger and stronger players all capable of executing the next chess move a coach wants to employ.

There were several bright spots on that perfect fall day, namely starting pitching.

Junior left-handed starter Matt Jernstad dealt some serious pitches, and junior right-handed starter Brian Smith displayed an array of pitches to keep hitters off balance and it looks like he’ll be a contributor on offense as well. Then, junior right-handed starter Trevor Feeney throws what everyone on the bench labels “a filthy slider that moves ten feet.”

This spring, NIU will line up a formidable weekend rotation.

“I’m real happy with the way we came back from break,” Mathey told me Tuesday. “We are in as good of shape as any team that I’ve been around.”

The strength of last year’s team, the bullpen, looks intact. Junior Dave Nykiel, sophomore Andy Deain and reliable senior closer Matt German are all back and throwing well.

“Matt German increased his stamina,” Mathey said about his closer who has been tabbed by Collegiate Baseball as the preseason MAC Pitcher of the Year. “His internal drive to get better and improve his pitches is incredible.”

Mathey was pleased with the effort his squad put forth back in October, and with practices in full swing, the one-month countdown to his team leaving for a season-opening series at Texas Tech has begun.

“Our guys got good experience last year,” Mathey said. “Our guys know their shortcoming and what to work on. We’ve given them the tools, now it’s up to them, but I think we’ve got enough tools in the bag.”