Ultimate show and tell my uncle, Jeff Locke

Matthew Frechette brought the ultimate to show and tell for his second-grade class at the John Fuller School on Thursday his uncle, Jeff Locke, the "Redstone Rocket," who just one day earlier became the first athlete in Granite State high school baseball history to be named the New Hampshire Player of the Year for the second straight year in a row. Locke, a second-round pick of the Atlanta Braves, will head to Florida to start his professional baseball career in the Rookie League Monday, spent an hour in Patty Allen's classroom, answering student questions and then signing baseballs for every student and a number of faculty members. For the talented left-handed pitcher who can throw a baseball 95 miles per hour, John Fuller School was a homecoming, it's where he attended grammar school and hit his first home run, pitched his game and learned how to read.Locke, 37-2 in his high school career, compiled some impressive numbers this season, going 9-0 through 68 innings, with an earned-run average of 0.40, eight complete games, 129 strikeouts, 22 hits and 12 walks.Thursday, with his nephew by his side soaking up every word, Locke fielded a wide range of questions from the enthusiastic youngsters.How fast can you pitch?"Consistently between 90-92 miles per hour, but sometimes I can jump it up to 95 miles per hour." "That's faster than our boat," one youngster said.Are you a good hitter?"I'm OK, but I probably won't see a bat for the next three or four years (in the minor leagues)."Do you drink Gatorade or do you have a favorite sports drink?"I drink Gatorade, it doesn't have to be any special flavor."How old are you?"I'm 18."How long have you wanted to be a baseball player?"It's been a dream come true. I started this all when I was your age."How old were you when you hit your first home run?"Eight, and it was right out here on that field (pointing behind the school)."When did you first start playing baseball?"I think I was five. I know I was pretty young."Did you ever get into trouble when you were in school."(Laughing) No, of course not in this school."Do you like playing baseball?"I love it. I've been playing longer than you have been alive. I hope to be able to do it for another 20 years."How do you deal with a tough loss?"You have to accept it. Try to deal with it and try to do better next time."What's your favorite team to play against?"Probably Plymouth and Kingswood. They're big rivals, but not very competitive anymore. Go ahead, put that in the paper."Who are your role models?"My family growing up. I always liked Ken Griffey Jr. while I was growing up, now it's anyone in the Major Leagues."What's your favorite team?"I have to watch what I say, probably the Braves, but I'll always be a Red Sox fan at heart."Are you nervous (about playing professional baseball)?"Yeah. I'm not nervous about playing but about being on my own for the first time. I've got to learn how to do laundry by Monday."Was your family excited when you got drafted?"Yes. I think they would have liked the Red Sox to step up and take me, but the Braves were our second choice. It's all worked out great so far."Can you remember your first glove, do you still have it?"Winfield Jones gave it to me. I played with glove on the wrong hand for three years because I didn't know they made right and left handed gloves. ... I actually signed it and gave it back to him a couple of days ago."Fellow teacher Barbara Friedman asked if Locke had any words of wisdom for the students. "I know where you're going," he said, laughing. "I knew it was going to be reading. Reading is the most important thing you can do."Locke then signed a baseball for each youngster, and Frechette passed them out to each of his classmates."Don't play with this ball," Friedman said. "You want to keep and one day it's going to be worth lots.""This is unbelievable," one student said with a big grin and then held up a sign he made which read "Jeff Locke rocks.""This is unbelievable," Locke said as all of the students presented him with their art work, wishing him good luck. Locke is slated to play in the Rookie League for two months, return home for four weeks and then return to Florida for another month and then will be home for the winter before heading to spring training next February.Sports and education editor Lloyd Jones can be contacted at lloyd@conwaydailysun.com.