If you open any standard dictionary and look up the word change you will find many different definitions.

    The word change came to mind Wednesday afternoon as I learned of Chris Rose leaving Meridian Community College to become the new head baseball coach at East Mississippi Community College. I know that the word change is such an obvious word to think of at a time such as this when Meridian Community College will be making another change in its baseball program. I looked deeper into the meaning of the word and one part of the definition that really caught my eye included the words: to lay aside, abandon or leave for another.

    I have thought about those words for the past 48 hours and that meaning of change is true and untrue in this very unique situation. I thought about change and it happens all around us in our ever day life and people that follow baseball at Meridian Community College have come to know change very well.

    The Eagles have had five different head coaches in the past ten years and another change will be coming to the Meridian program. The only word that I can’t associate with coach Rose, in the words mentioned earlier in this article, is the word abandon.

    I know that coach Rose thought about this decision for a very long time and Chris is laying aside his duties as head coach at MCC to leave to lead another great team. The word abandon doesn’t even fit into the equation because the program will always be there and another great man will take his place to lead the Eagles into the future.

    I was a little shocked when I learned that Chris was leaving MCC for EMCC to lead the Lion baseball program, but this was a decision that was not taken lightly. I know the love that coach Rose has for Meridian and the players that have had an opportunity to play for him.        MCC has enjoyed many years of success and in the five years that Rose led the program the success continued. I know that you are thinking that the Eagles haven’t enjoyed that much success over the past few years because an appearance in the JUCO World Series hasn’t happened in a long time. I still consider the years that Rose led the Eagles as a huge success and we will never forget his contributions to the program. Chris won at least 30 games in every season as head coach, captured a Region 23 Championship last season and won a pair of MACJC Championships at Meridian.

    I know it would have been fun to go to at least one JUCO World Series while Rose was head coach, but the competition is very good across the region.

    I had the chance to meet coach Rose for the first time when he was named head coach at MCC in 2005 and our friendship started when I returned to Meridian to be the public address announcer. We have built a wonderful friendship over the past five years and I hope that continues for the next 25 years or more. I know that many people around this area may have a different opinion about Chris after this recent decision, but I will always consider him a very dear friend. I have had the chance to watch some great games that coach Rose has been a part of over the past five years and those have been some great moments at Scaggs Field. The memories will last forever and even the memories of when I was scratching my head wondering why Rose took that pitcher out of the game or what was he thinking? The difficult decisions that coaches have to make comes with the territory and Coach Rose always handled himself with class in victory or even in the bitter taste of defeat.

    I wish coach Rose the best of luck in the future and this new chapter in his coaching career. I want to take this opportunity to thank coach Rose for all of this hard work and time away from his family to coach the team I grew up loving, the Meridian Community College Eagles. I want you to know Chris that you are always going to be a member of an elite group of great coaches at Meridian and we will never forget the special things you have done for our program. I also want to thank Dana, coach Rose’s wife., for her patience and support of MCC. Chris always said while he was at Meridian that coaches wife’s are very special people and she was definitely in that category. I will always miss their wonderful children Peyton, Madeline, and Cy. I just wanted to take these few moments to thank you for your hard work and time that you put into the program at MCC and your mark will always be remembered in my book.

    It will be very difficult to look down in the dugout in 2011 and not see Chris pacing from one end of the dugout to the other, but from the entire MCC family we wish all the best in your future and we love you.