verdugo288

So we had our Roster “filled” for the ’92 campaign (with 14 players) and I gotta admit I was WORRIED about alot of things.  What if 5 guys didn’t show up?  What if someone got injured?  Cowsill had basketball commitments that summer, and Moreno had football commitments, and I had let Canale talk me into going with only thirteen guys on the Roster!  I was kinda thinking “What the hell am I doing here?”

But I was looking at this Roster we had.  And if everybody was there, it was a pretty impressive lineup we were going to have.  As the season approached….Me, The General, Hank and The Weapon were spending quite a bit of time at “The Dome” plotting for the season.

One of the questions that kept coming up was “Who’s gonna lead-off?”

I know, I know, I know.  Everybody has in their head what a lead-off hitter should be.  Quick, can steal bases, a guy who makes a lotta contact at the plate and then runs like a demon after he puts it in play.  Yeah, Yeah, Yeah…..

I took a look at all the bats we had in the lineup and it was absolutely SICK.  I knew we were going to put some runs on the board.  I knew there were going to be some innings where we “batted around”….

I always felt that the only time a leadoff guy leads off is in the top or bottom of the first inning.  That’s it.  Once the game gets going….ANYBODY may lead off an inning.

I also knew the bottom part of the order was going to reach base quite a bit for us.  I didn’t need a “Leadoff hitter” per se….I needed a cleanup hitter leading off for us who could run a little bit.  Shit….anyone in the WHOLE starting lineup (with the exception of Yves) could have hit cleanup for us (but sorry, that job was already reserved by a guy named Canale).  I felt that once the game got going, our “leadoff hitter” was going to have a shitload of plate appearances with runners in scoring position.  As I thought about it, I knew it was kind of crazy….but the choice to me was a no-brainer.

We were there at “The Dome”….Me, General, Hank, and Weapon.  We were talking about “HACK”….

Finally, I blurted it out.

“I’m leading him off” I said.

It got silent for a bit.  Not long.  Just long enough for people to kind of let it soak in.  And one after another, everybody in the room started smiling.  Or laughing.  Just seeing everybody’s reaction to this had me laughing.

Henry broke the silence.  He said “Can you imagine THE MESSAGE we’ll be sending to whoever we’re playing with by sending that guy up to the plate to lead-off?”

“Oh my God” said the Weapon in a Heavy-Metal-Style narrative voice. 

More laughter.  HACK…with his BIG SWING was going to lead-off for Verdugo.  And he didn’t even know it yet.  He pitched his Senior season at St. Francis High and they had completely taken the bat out of his hands.  They had DH’d for him all year.  But I didn’t care.  We had caught a glimpse of HACK in ’91.  And by the end of the season, we were using him as a position player when he wasn’t pitching just to have his BAT….and his energy….in the lineup.  We saw in ’91 that there was just a different vibe on the field when he was out there for us.  He hadn’t swung a bat more than a few times all year.  But I didn’t care….he was the guy.  We loved him, and he was itching to do what he does best….to HACK!!!!

Six-foot, three-inches tall.  And a swing that would put the fear of God into any pitcher.  Yeah, he struck out a few too many times….but I didn’t care.  He was the guy.

It was a pretty ballsy move to lead him off.  But damn if it didn’t pay off.  Sometimes you gotta take chances.  Sometimes….you just gotta BE YOURSELF when you make decisions if you know what I mean (or if you read the last post).

21 years later….and I’m still patting myself on the back for that decision.

I didn’t really know how it was going to turn out when we made this decision, but I knew this much….1992 was going to be different.  Win, lose, or (with only 13 horses in the stable) forfeit….All I wanted to do was put the fear of God into every Team that played us.  

Take a close look at this lineup:

1.)  Workman 2.) Turner 3.) Evans 4.) Canale 5.) Moreno 6.) Cowsill 7.) Hagge or Fielder 8.) Hagge or Fielder 9.) Brancheau

Just looking at that lineup, you can see why the official Verdugo song that summer was “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC!!!!

DAMN!!!!

The story I’m about to tell is probably the most important conversation that took place prior to the ’92 season.  It came from a very unlikely source.  And it was something I needed to hear.  I will never forget what was said to me that night.  I am not bullshitting about what was said to me.  Because it was encouraging, it set me on the right path, and it (most importantly) made me feel for the first time in my life that MY WAY of Managing a Ballclub worked. 

I was sitting in “The Barru” about 11pm one night.  It was about a month before opening day.  My friend and I were pretty hammered.  There was about 20 people in the bar.  In walks this older guy.  He sits down at the far end of the bar.  I was facing East.  The bar had a “U” shape to it.  He sat down on the stool that was closest to the door.  Everyone else was bunched up in the middle where I was.  He sat far away from the crowd.   He was facing north.  The way the lights were set up there no one could see his face.  It was just a silhouette we could see.

And as he took his seat, this silhouette pointed right at me and barked out “That guy is an ASSHOLE!”

This certainly wasn’t the first time anyone had said this to me.  So I didn’t think much of it.  Although some of the people now were straining their eyes to check out the face that was attached to this silhouette at the far end of the bar.

“Yeah”…he said to himself, but loud enough for everyone to hear. “That guy’s an asshole.”

I was kind of chuckling now. 

“In fact”….he said….”buy that asshole a beer!”

The bartender jumped on it….and set down another beer in front of me.  I still couldn’t tell who the hell this guy was.

I figured the beer he had bought for me was somewhat of a “peace offering”….so I did my best Robert Deniro impression.  I hoisted the beer this mystery guy had bought for me in his direction, smiled, raised my eyebrows and said “from one asshole to another” as I took the first gulp.

He didn’t say much for the next five minutes.  I still didn’t know who he was, and my friend was like “who IS that guy?”

So I decided to buy the mystery guy a beer.  That was when my friend said to him “so what’s the problem here?”

“I hate that guy” the silhouette said.

“Why?” my friend asked.

“Because I’ve coached against him, and I’ve umpired games where he managed.  And I’ve never seen anyone who could get his players to run through brick walls for him like that asshole could.  I always resented him for it.  He was always able to do with his Teams what I dreamed about doing with mine, but I could never do it.  I could never connect with my players like he could.  And while I respect him for it, I’ve always hated him for that, too.”

He walked over to where we sat.  I could see his face now.  He smiled, shook my hand and said “I’m really looking forward to following what your Team does this summer.  You guys are gonna probably win the whole thing.”

I was floored.  Speechless.  And indeed it was a guy who had coached against me.  He never beat me.  He came from the CSA.  He was a very knowledgeable guy.  He absolutely LOVED the game.  But it was true.  I had listened to this guy coach his teams and while he was always saying all the right things….he just couldn’t connect with his players.  I didn’t know how to react to what he said.  I had never really been given a compliment like that before.

Maybe he was drunk.  Maybe it was the beer doing the talking for him that night.  But what he said opened the door to what he was ABOUT to say.

He knew what a hard-headed guy I was.  And he was wise enough to open for what he REALLY wanted to say to me with an “attention-getter” like the one he had just used.  It turns out, he was about to give me a little ADVICE.

“Can I tell you something?” he asked.

“Sure” I said.

“The BEST thing that happened for this Legion Team is you leaving the High School.  You could be a College coach if you wanted.  It’s just not YOU.  I’ve seen ’em all.  And the WORST thing that happened to you as a coach was becoming a High School coach.  I know you belonged there.  But you changed your style!!!!  Yeah, I watched you coach at the High School level, you did well, but you weren’t being YOURSELF”

He was right. 

“I’ve been following you as a coach for many, many years.  I’ve seen both styles of coaching.  Just be yourself!  Just do what you do!  You don’t have anything to prove to anybody.  You’re one of the most gifted coaches I’ve ever seen.”

Like I said a couple of Posts ago….I didn’t really know how many fans Verdugo had.  And I certainly had no idea that I had a fan.  Someone who had been watching me all of these years.  It was pretty humbling indeed.  And to hear it from a guy who loved the game as much as he did, and for him to say these things to me with a bar full of people listening….it really meant a LOT to me.

He smiled, and said “Just be yourself….and you guys are gonna win the whole damn thing!!!!  Good luck this summer.”

And he left.

He ended up coming to just about every home game we had that summer, and all of the playoff games.  I knew when he was there.  But there were only a couple of times where him and I made eye contact that summer.  This would happen when I was on the field, in the heat of the battle, and he was in the stands, watching Verdugo.  And every time our eyes locked that summer, he did the same thing.  He nodded, smiled, and he gave me a wink.

Because he knew that this hard-headed guy named “Gee” ….who never really listened to much of what anybody had to say….had taken his advice.

By the time 1992 rolled around, “The General” and I had coached together for SIX seasons.  “Wait a minute!!!” you say…”92 was our third year, Gee.”  Yes, you’re right….easy does it….it’s just that “The General” and I had coached for three seasons in Colt League before we took the Legion Team.  So we had six seasons together.  And one thing for sure had been missing all of those years.

Yes-sir-ree, The General and I had coached together for quite a few seasons.  And we would always complain about ONE thing.  EVERY SEASON we would say it, sometimes even in games.  Sometimes even in front of players.  And it had gotten to the point that we no longer cared who heard our cries….our unanswered prayers.  You know what we were always bitching about?

The fact that we NEVER had a fucking shortstop!!!!

Never!  Not one time did any of the Teams we coached up until ’92 EVER have a bona fide shortstop.  We would drive home after games and I would ask rhetorically to the Gods out loud “when am I EVER going to get a god-damned shortstop?!???!?!?!”

In would chime  General as he looked up towards the Heavens in jest….”Yeah, what’s up with that?”

We were pissed about it and we wanted some answers!!!!  WHEN??????????  When will we EVER get a shortstop!!!!!

I’m not taking anything away from the guys we had before.  Chili was pretty close in ’90 to being a legitimate shortstop.  In fact, he was damn good.  But….he didn’t play but about 5-6 games for us that season at short.  He came back in ’91 and all he did for us was pitch.

Hell, the first Team I managed in ’85 WON the whole thing.  And we played the entire first-half of the season with a left-handed shortstop!!!!  WTF?!?!?!?

Something always went wrong with Me, General, and shortstops!!!!  We’d get a guy, he’d quit.  We’d WANT to get rid of a guy….and that guy would become our shortstop!!!!

And we had GREAT Teams through the years.  But we never had what I would consider to be a dominating shortstop.  It seemed as though it was never going to happen.  And we had proven we could win without one.  But we always dreamed that it sure would be nice, just for ONE season, to actually have a shortstop.

Sure, we always had someone who could PLAY shortstop.  But we never had a dominant shortstop.  The kind of guy who had a gun for an arm, the kind of guy who could go into the hole and fire a guy out, the kind of guy who could make every routine play look….well, ROUTINE!!!!   We just couldn’t find that guy to save our souls.  And we knew it.  And we were starting to become very vocal about it.  The cries were getting louder as each season went on.  It had almost become a joke.

Every ground ball hit towards our shortstop for the last six years of our lives had been a fricking adventure.  We never knew what the hell was gonna happen.

We even nicknamed Cal Frost “Clank!” in 1990 because I could have SWORN his glove had teflon coating on it!!!!  We loved the guy, too. By 1990, The General and I had pretty much resigned ourselves to the fact that we would NEVER have a shortstop.  So we never got too upset with whoever was playing that position for us.  We had actually grown pretty accustomed through the years that anytime a ground ball was hit to our shortstop….it was time to hold your breath and wait and see what happened!!!!  Really….it had gotten SO BAD that we were actually almost kind of OK with it.

Until 1992 came around. 

And our prayers were finally answered.  And we didn’t get just ONE….we got TWO!!!!

In fact, the entire 1992 and 1993 seasons had one thing in common.  We never had to worry about what was going to happen if a ball got hit to our shortstop ever again.

By the time the 1992 season came around, believe it or not, we had developed quite a following.  We had a hell of a lot more fans than most people realize.  Where were all these fans?  Well, many tales have been told about the incredible amounts of alcohol consumed by Gee.  During the time I coached our Legion Team from 1990-93,  I was pounding away like there was no tomorrow.  And I did most of my pounding at the local bars in Montrose, California.  This is where we had an INCREDIBLE fan base.  If anyone was looking for me between 1990-93 after 6PM, I was pretty easy to find.  Where?  “The Barru”…..”Mike’s Verdugo Room”…”Lady Jane’s”….or “My Way.”   No joke….

Looking back on it all, I’m certainly not proud of all of this.  But it is what it is.  And if there’s one thing this Blog WILL be….is HONEST.

And the fact of the matter is as follows:  I ENJOYED being the rebellious, hard-drinking, chain-smoking, controversial, former-musician who coached Baseball Team(s) that were usually at the top or near the top of the standings!  Every Damn Season!  It was WHO I WAS at that time in my life.  I loved beating people.  I lived for it.

I am not recommending that anyone reading this “try this at home.”  Eventually, all of the “errors of my ways” caught up with me.  But let’s face it, it certainly was WHO I WAS at that time in my life.  And I truly believe if I had conducted myself in any other manner….that whatever I was selling to the players, NO ONE would have bought it.  So I have no regrets.  And there have been incredible changes in my life since then.  On October 19th, 2012….”Gee” had his 16th birthday completely free of alcohol and drugs.   Yes….16 years!!!!  Not one sip!!!!

There was a huge following of fans we had who were “regulars” at these local bars.  I don’t know if they took an interest in our Team or me.  It didn’t matter.  They followed all the stories about our ballclub in the local paper “The Foothill Leader” or “The Glendale News Press.”  Since there was nothing going on in High School sports over the summer, Legion Ball got quite a bit of ink from the “Los Angeles Times” as well.  And they took it all in just to find out what was happening with “Verdugo.”

I loved going into a bar and having everyone saying “WTF happened?” if we lost, and the pandemonium that would erupt upon my entry if we won.  Just hanging out, having a few tall cool ones, and shooting the s*** about all-things-baseball.  I enjoyed the people.  And as difficult as it was to get any of these people off their barstool to come see a game,  MANY of them actually did come out and watch us in action.

Obviously, our biggest fans were at the Legion Post.  The came out to many games as well.  We all remember Dave Haskell, Art Napiwocki, Ken Zeutell, and Jess Rogers.  In ’90 and ’91 they came to quite a few ball games.  And dragged along with them quite a few other members of The Post and some of their friends to see us play.

Let’s not forget the great parents of our players who were always there for us.  Just incredible support we had from them as well.

I had direct contact with a lot of people in our Community that were following us.  They saw how close we came in ’90 and ’91.  Everyone in the Community knew I was no longer coaching at the High School.  And as we closed in on the beginning of the ’92 Season, everyone was talking about KICKING ASS in ’92.  Even some of the players!  I’ll get to that in the next couple of posts.

It was kind of strange.  Our first two seasons, all I talked about was KICKING ASS.  Now….everybody else was.  I had grown pretty cynical.  We did well our first couple of seasons but I didn’t feel we reached our potential.  I guess you could say I was going to need a little convincing from the players, AND the fans.

So why am I writing about this?

Because ’92 was our year.  The most magical summer we had.  And as we closed in on opening day ’92….I sensed something different was in the air.  Everybody was looking forward to ’92.  For me, it was just another Season.  But the winds of change seemed to be blowing a little bit.

There were a few interesting exchanges I had with both players and fans that kind of set the tone for ’92.  And I want to write about them before I get into writing about the magical summer that took place.

We had quite a following indeed.  GREAT FANS.  They were still great fans of our ballclub because they had seen a glimpse of our potential the first two seasons.  But they were tired (as I was as well) of our “flashes-of-brilliance” mixed in with underachievement.

Some interesting things happened before the season began, and I’m going to be going over it all in the next few posts.

Yes indeed, quite a following we had.  And I had NO IDEA how much our following was about to grow….and what was about to take place that summer.