Mason’s Musings: Memorial Day

In 2003, I arrived at Ft. Meade, Maryland to attend the Defense Information School (DINFOS) for Journalism. I had originally been an ammunition specialist and tried to reclassify to a linguist but failed the entry exam (a story for a different day) and ended up choosing journalism as my backup plan. I was pretty embarrassed and not very excited for my new career path in the Army. After arriving at my barracks, I was shown to my room and introduced to my bunkmate, Private Hunter. 

Hunter was a skinny kid from Ohio. He and I could not have been more different. He was what we called a “super soldier.” He loved PT. He had the shiniest boots in the company. He had a passion for the military and knew that it was his calling. I had joined the Army shortly after 9/11. I came from a family of men who had served in every major American war and felt that this was my turn to do my duty. I didn’t think about whether I wanted a career in the Army. I was just there. 

At first, Hunter annoyed the hell out of me. He was squared away and a perfectionist. I was a mess. He spent most Friday and Saturday nights shining his shoes and in the gym. I was out at the bar. As we got to know each other though, we began to connect. He was a massive Cleveland sports fan and we connected over the love of sports. He helped train me for the two mile run and I helped him in the weight room. He got me more squared away and I forced him to become more social outside of studies and responsibilities. We became friends. 

We finished at DINFOS in 2004 and he left for Airborne School and I headed home after being discharged. We would speak occasionally via facebook and text, mostly to talk trash about how bad our football teams were. We never completely lost touch, but we drifted apart. I wish we hadn’t. 

On June 18th, 2010, Staff Sergeant James Patrick Hunter was killed in action in Kandahar, Afghanistan. He was 25. He was the first military journalist killed in the conflict in Afghanistan and was a highly respected soldier in his field. He was my friend and a hero. 

This weekend is Memorial Day, which is a holiday meant for us to remember those that gave up their lives while serving our country. Most of us will be spending it with our families and watching baseball. When I am watching these games this weekend and I see the camouflage on the uniforms and hats, I will think of James and the other people I know that lost their lives while in uniform. 

Here are some of the other things I will be watching this weekend.

Dylan Crews – Crews was a surprise demotion prior to the start of the season. The former top prospect struggled in 2025, hitting .208/.280/.352 with 10 home runs and 17 stolen bases in an injury plagued season. While in the minors, he was working on making better swing decisions and mechanical issues. I want to see if the work in the minors translates to better at bats in the Majors and where he is hitting in the lineup. 

Shota Imanaga – Prior to last start, Imanaga had a 2.32 ERA and .90 WHIP, but then he got torched at home by the Brewers and raised his ERA over a full run. It was clear he wasn’t going to maintain a sub-3 ERA the rest of the way, but I want to watch whether the last start was a sign of things to come or a bump in the road. 

Zebby Matthews – Zebby has had good results so far in his return to the Majors, but the stuff hasn’t looked as dominant as it did last season and the velocity is a little down as well. The homer he gave up in the last start was a poorly placed pitch that could have been crushed by anyone and is indicative of the issues we saw with command last season. 

Bryce Miller/Luis Castillo – With the return of Miller to the Mariners rotation, it appears that Castillo is moving more to a reliever/sixth starter role. Last outing we saw Castillo come in to relieve Miller. I want to see if that is the plan moving forward or just a one time thing. 

Nolan McLean vs Chase Burns – There are few things in baseball that I love to watch more than two talented pitchers go head to head. Not much has gone right for the Mets and the Reds this year, but these two young aces have been the bright spots for their teams. It is easily the best pitching matchup to watch this weekend.