NY Yanks and Bandits share common foe
In May of 1999, the Bandits traveled to play in the Gator Invitational Tournament at Lubbock Texas. At the completion of pool play the Bandits were 4-0 including a win over the host Lubbock Gators. The two teams met again in the semi-finals. This time the Bandits would face the much heralded 11 year old Brett Anderson on the mound for the Gators. Anderson is the son of Frank Anderson who was then the pitching coach at Texas Tech University. Coach Anderson would later recruit Bandit Omar Quintanilla first to Tech and eventually to his new job at the University of Texas. The Bandits with Robert Gallegos, Justin and Jason Luna, Adam Lopez, Jesse Bustamante, Willie Rueda, Tommy Heck, Miles Esparza, Vince Ocegueda and others pummeled Anderson and his Gators 15-1. They would go on to capture the championship later that afternoon on the rain drenched fields.
On September 1, 2010, Brett pitched against the New York Yankees and lost 4-3. Anderson followed his Dad from Lubbock to Austin to Stillwater where Frank Anderson is now the Head Baseball Coach for Oklahoma State University. Brett pitched for his Dad at Oklahoma State and is now a mainstay in the starting rotation for the Oakland A’s even though he is only 22 years old.
