Official Coaching Thread -- Latest: 9 Questions, Don Money

[Mass Haas]

All the Brewerfan.net staff and I'm sure all of Brewer Nation sends its sincere regards to West Virginia Pitching Coach John Curtis on a speedy recovery -- scary story here:

 

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.news-record.com/apps/...EWSREC0205

 

Coach struck by line drive to need rehab

Bill Hass, Greensboro News-Record

 

GREENSBORO -- John Curtis woke up this morning in Moses Cone Hospital hoping for some feeling in his left arm, perhaps a little movement in his left hand.

 

"I feel like I'm without my best friend," Curtis said Monday, referring to the arm he relied on to pitch 15 years in the major leagues and, more recently, to be a minor-league pitching coach.

 

Curtis works for the Milwaukee Brewers and has spent this season with the West Virginia Power, their farm club in the South Atlantic League.

 

But his season likely was ended Saturday when he was hit in the back of the head by a line drive during batting practice at First Horizon Park.

 

The outcome left him with a bruise on his brain, causing numbness from his left elbow down and a loss of motor functions in that hand.

 

Dr. Randy Kritzer, who treated Curtis, said the hemorrhage occurred on the right side of the brain, which controls the motor functions of the left side of the body.

 

"It's almost like a stroke," Kritzer said. "It's a situation where he'll have to undergo stroke rehabilitation. And with stroke victims, you don't really know how much (function) they'll get back."

 

Curtis said he felt fine otherwise, with no more of the headaches that bothered him Saturday night and Sunday. If he is discharged today, which Kritzer said was likely, Curtis was unsure if he would go to Milwaukee to treated by team doctors, or return to his home in Long Beach, Calif.

 

"It's aggressive therapy," he said of his immediate future. "Or -- I don't know what."

 

A fluke accident put Curtis, 57, in the hospital, underscoring the danger players and coaches face of being struck by a baseball.

 

Curtis was hitting fungoes -- high fly balls with a special bat -- to the Power outfielders while their hitters were taking batting practice. He was standing behind the "shag screen" set up in shallow center field, the place where outfielders throw the batting practice balls they retrieve to another player.

 

Curtis wandered a little bit to the right of the screen, which is 8 feet high and 10 feet wide. Shortstop Alcides Escobar hit a hard line drive that cleared the screen. The ball, apparently loaded with topspin, dove and nailed Curtis.

 

"I knew I was taking a chance (by moving away from the screen)," Curtis said. "I was facing the outfield and I never saw it. It felt like a mortar shell hitting my head."

 

He dropped to the ground as if he had been hit by one. Everyone on the field sprinted to where he lay.

 

"We yelled 'heads up!' but he never had a chance," pitcher Greg Kloosterman said. "As soon as we said 'up' it hit him and he went down immediately. The first thing you feel is panic, then you think the worst."

 

Curtis didn't lose consciousness, but the "bumble bee feeling in my brain" told him he had been hit hard. Power trainer Alan Diamond got to him within 15 seconds and was quickly joined by Hoppers trainer Will Morin.

 

They kept him still until the paramedics team arrived and went through the careful procedure of fitting him with a neck collar, strapping him to a board and putting him in the ambulance.

 

Diamond said Curtis was fully aware of his surroundings and "couldn't believe he had just gotten hit like that." The players were relieved their coach was talking but Escobar, 18, was visibly shaken.

 

"He's OK now," Power manager Ramon Aviles said of Escobar, "but Saturday he was in shock. I told him not to worry, that it wasn't his fault. It's just one of those unfortunate things that happen."

 

While Curtis was transported to the hospital, the Power players had to regroup and play a game. They believed he would want them to go out and play hard, which they did in a 4-3 loss to the Hoppers. They recovered enough to win Sunday, 7-5.

 

The Hoppers' staff pitched in. Donald Moore Jr., son of team president Donald Moore, rode in the ambulance to the hospital. Moore visited Curtis on Sunday and talked to him on the phone Monday.

 

Curtis now faces rehab and an uncertain future.

 

"I hope it's just a matter of the swelling going down," Curtis said. "But the longer it waits, the chances of regeneration are reduced."

 

Curtis, who played at Clemson, pitched for five major-league teams from 1970-84, winning 89 games and losing 97 while compiling a 3.96 ERA. This is his third year in the Brewers' system as a coach.

 

While he doesn't want to look too far ahead, he realizes his coaching career might be over.

 

"I won't be at a loss," he said. "I've written for newspapers, done some free-lance writing and I might try a book. I'd like to describe the experience of pitching, what it's like to be out there. It's what I'm trying to translate for my kids (players)."

 

That's one upside. Another is that it could have been worse.

 

"We're going to look back on this one day and see that John was lucky," Diamond said. "The ball could have hit him and caused a high cervical neck fracture, and that can be life-threatening."

[Mass Haas]

Charleston Daily Mail:

 

Power pitching coach remains in hospital

 

The West Virginia Power finished its road trip Tuesday without pitching coach John Curtis, and is likely to complete the South Atlantic League baseball season without the 15-year Major Leaguer.

 

Curtis, 57, remained in a Greensboro, N.C., hospital on Tuesday night, after being injured by a batted line drive during the Power's batting practice Saturday at First Horizon Park.

 

Team spokesman and radio broadcaster Andy Barch said Curtis suffered a fractured skull and was diagnosed with some internal bleeding after being hit in the back of the head.

 

The coach had been standing behind a screen at the edge of the outfield grass when hit.

 

Barch said Curtis isn't likely to rejoin the team. Jim Rooney, the roving pitching instructor for the Power's parent Milwaukee Brewers, has joined the Class A club as a fill-in.

 

Curtis had an 89-97 career Major League record with Boston, St. Louis, San Francisco, San Diego and California from 1970-84.

[Mass Haas]

Charleston Daily Mail:

 

Power pitching coach remains in N.C. hospital

 

West Virginia Power pitching coach John Curtis remained hospitalized Wednesday at Moses Cone Hospital in Greensboro, N.C., and faces outpatient physical therapy after he's released.

 

Alan Diamond, the trainer for the South Atlantic League baseball team, said Curtis has been experiencing "some of the same symptoms of some stroke victims. His left hand, wrist and lower arm are paralyzed. He will need to go through stroke rehabilitation."

 

Dr. Randy Kritzer, a Greensboro specialist who treated Curtis after he was hit by a batting practice line drive Saturday night, told the (Greensboro) News & Record that Curtis suffered a bruise to the brain, with a hemorrhage on the right side. That controls the motor skills of the left side of the body.

 

Curtis, 57, was hit in the back of the head during Power batting practice before Saturday night's game at First Horizon Park. Diamond said the West Virginia coach was hit by a liner off the bat of Alcides Escobar as Curtis was standing about 10 feet behind the protective "shag screen" at the edge of the outfield grass behind second base, hitting fly balls to outfielders.

 

"John had some bleeding and swelling of the brain," Diamond said. "He underwent a CAT scan and an EEG (electroencephalogram), which tests brain waves. He's been awake and alert, and he's no longer having headaches."

 

The parent Milwaukee Brewers named Jim Rooney, the club's roving minor league pitching instructor, to finish the season as the Power pitching coach on Wednesday.

 

Diamond said Curtis isn't expected to return to Charleston, and could have the outpatient therapy in Greensboro before going home to Long Beach, Calif.

 

Curtis never lost consciousness after he was hit. About his left-arm paralysis, the 15-year Major League southpaw told the Greensboro newspaper, "I feel like I'm without my best friend."

 

Curtis, in his third season with the Brewers, knows his future as a coach is up in the air.

 

"I hope it's just a matter of the swelling going down," Curtis said. "But the longer it waits, the chances of regeneration are reduced."

 

Curtis was scheduled to spend the 2005 summer as the pitching coach at short-season Helena, until former Major Leaguer Mark Littell had bypass surgery before spring training, and couldn't work his Brewers' assignment in West Virginia.

 

The Power also changed hitting coaches this season. In early May, Johnny Narron came to West Virginia as the hitting coach, trading places with Tony Diggs, who moved to high Class A Brevard County in the Florida State League.

[Mass Haas]

Is it just me, or is this rather compelling story getting absolutely no play on the Brewers' official site (where I don't believe it's even been mentioned) or the Journal-Sentinel? I mean, John Curtis is a member of the 2005 Brewers' family, and the circumstances and seriousness of this injury deserve discussion -- not sure as to whether it's been reviewed on-air at all (radio or TV). Baseball America posted a note based on our heads-up to them -- wouldn't mind seeing this get some national pub so that all John's old buddies could come out of the woodwork.

 

And I'm not saying the Brewers aren't doing right by John, I'm sure they're monitoring things and working to assist him best they can.

 

Perhaps Peter Gammons mentions this soon. Curtis and Gammons were great friends and drinking buddies when they were breaking in to the game together in the early 1970s, or so I'm told.

 

And to read Gammons you now need ESPN Insider? Wow, it's amazing how ESPN has become such an afterthought in my life, both on-air and online....

 

Oh well, until someone else cares to follow up, we've got you covered:

 

GREENSBORO NEWS-RECORD -- John Curtis' stay in Greensboro turned out to be longer than he expected.

 

Curtis, the pitching coach for the West Virginia Power, was hit in the back of the head by a line drive during batting practice Aug. 6 at First Horizon Park before his team's game against the Greensboro Grasshoppers. He was taken to Moses Cone Hospital, where he stayed through Tuesday.

 

Because of bleeding in the brain where he was struck, Curtis lost the motor functions in his left hand. When he was released, he decided to stay in town and begin rehab.

 

Since then he has been staying at the Marriott downtown.

 

"I've been fitted with a hand cast to prevent the tendons in my fingers and wrist from shortening," Curtis said Friday. "Things are about the same; I have a tingly feeling, but no function in my hand."

 

Curtis said he has been told the rehab process could take anywhere from two to three months to six months or a year. The sooner he begins to regain motor function, the better the chances for a full recovery.

 

"I'm still optimistic," Curtis said. "I've learned in my athletic career that the body is an amazing thing. So I won't rule out a speedy comeback. If it takes longer, I can accept that."

 

Mary Ann Petino, Curtis' wife, was scheduled to fly to Greensboro on Friday night. The plan is for him to continue rehab here until Tuesday or Wednesday.

 

The two will then drive to Charleston, W.Va., stay there for a few days, then drive home to Long Beach, Calif.

 

Curtis has been told not to fly for three to four weeks because a change in cabin pressure could cause a convulsion.

 

The former major league pitcher said he has been overwhelmed by "the kindness of strangers" during his ordeal. Hoppers president Donald Moore has paid Curtis several visits, and former Wake Forest baseball coach George Greer has been around to lend a hand.

 

Greer was a teammate of Curtis on the U.S. team at the 1968 Pan Am Games.

 

"George has been a savior, my transportation and inspiration," Curtis said. "Everyone has been so nice and that's helped, being in a strange place by yourself."

 

Curtis has heard from some old friends and teammates, including Phil Nastu, who played with him in 1978 and '79 with the San Francisco Giants.

 

"It's nice to be remembered," Curtis said, "although I wish it was for a no-hitter."

[Mass Haas]

Link for Gary Pettis photo while active, text follows:

 

tennessean.com/apps/pbcs....328/SPORTS

 

Sounds coach Pettis gets managing gig

AFL experience helped others

By MAURICE PATTON

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

Since its inception in 1992, the Arizona Fall League hasn't just been a developmental program for players. Seven current major league managers and 11 minor league managers have served in the AFL. One day, Gary Pettis may join that list.

 

The Nashville Sounds hitting coach received word recently that he'll be managing the Peoria Javelinas in the six-team AFL when play starts in October.

 

"It's something I actually never really thought I'd be doing," Pettis said. "But I think it's going to be a lot of fun."

 

Pettis will be one of six former major leaguers in a managerial role in the AFL, joining former Cardinals and Braves infielder ? and current Norfolk skipper ? Ken Oberkfell. The two are going against a historic trend in that many big league managers were fringe players, at best, at that level.

 

"There can be any number of reasons for that," Pettis said. "Personalities, ego, the era in which they played.

 

"It's probably a combination of all that. To put a finger on any one reason, I'm not sure you can."

 

Pettis played 11 seasons in the major leagues, spending time with the Angels, Tigers, Rangers and Padres. He hit .236, stole 354 bases and won five Gold Gloves. He retired as a player in 1992.

 

Being caught up in his own success won't be Pettis' downfall, he said.

 

"My ego is left at the door as soon as I walk in. I have no ego," he said.

 

"I'm just like one of the guys, until something goes wrong. Then we have to talk about it. If you make a mistake, I'll talk you through it and try to get you to understand how maybe you can do something different next time."

 

Though he didn't see himself pursuing a managerial path after his retirement as a player, Pettis has stayed in the game as a coach at both the major league and minor league levels in the Angels, White Sox and Mets systems.

 

"That says you love the game, but it also says you want to help the guys that aren't there yet, which isn't an easy thing to do," said Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas, a career minor league player. "It can be frustrating. But I think he enjoys the ups and downs and trying to teach them how to deal with that."

 

Pettis played for two of the winningest managers in baseball history in Sparky Anderson and Gene Mauch, and credits them both for shaping him as a player and as a future coach/manager.

 

"I thought I knew a lot about baseball until I was on their teams, and then I realized there were a lot of little things I was missing," he said.

 

"That's the good thing about being able to come back with major league experience and sharing with other

players.

 

"Even though they play a lot of games in the minor leagues, there are still some things that they may not have seen."

 

Nashville outfielder Ryan Knox thinks the highs and lows Pettis experienced as a player will allow him to be a successful manager.

 

"He was a very defensively talented guy, but he also struggled offensively somewhat during his big league career," Knox said. "I think that's very important to being a quality manager, to be able to understand what it's like to not play well."

 

The competitive level of players he'll have at his disposal this fall won't be an issue. The AFL is usually made up of the cream of the crop of up-and-coming prospects.

 

For instance, Milwaukee ? the parent club for the Sounds ? is expected to send Prince Fielder and J.J. Hardy to Arizona this fall.

 

"The first thing you have to get guys to do is respect the game," Pettis said. "If you respect the game, you don't have to worry about trying to get them to do something. If you have people that don't respect the game and they try to cut corners, you're probably not going to have a whole lot of success."

 

Pettis believes it is the right formula.

 

"I don't know if it will be successful, but anytime I put the uniform on, I want to have success. If I have success ... or even if I don't have as much success as I'd like, if I show the capability to run a ballclub, maybe somebody might look at that.

 

"Will they look at me to manage a major league team in a year or two? Probably not. But stranger things have happened."

 

Maurice Patton covers the Nashville Sounds for The Tennessean. He can be reached at mopatton@tennessean.com.

[Mass Haas]

Gotta love Don's final response...

 

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1

 

Nine Questions for a Star

Mark McCarter, Huntsville Times

 

Don Money, a former major league all-star, is wrapping up his first season as Huntsville's manager. On Friday, two hours before game time, he was at his desk, signing baseball cards that collectors had sent to him. That seemed like a good start for the first of Nine Questions with Don Money.

 

1. You're signing autographs for all these people who have mailed in requests. Whose autographs do you have?

 

When I went to games (as a kid), you didn't get down to the field the way they do today. And it wasn't that big a deal. When I was a player, I got Mrs. Babe Ruth on a ball when she was at Milwaukee one year. I got some Hall of Famers I played with and against, Rollie Fingers, Robin (Yount) and (Paul) Molitor. But not a lot of them.

 

2. What do you think fans most misunderstand about your job?

 

The pitching side of it. Because you can see guys hit. You look at the board and see their averages.

 

We know who is available to pitch, and for how long, that night. They come to the park aned see five or six guys sitting down there in the bullpen, they're thinking they can pitch.

 

A guy walks two in a row and gives up a base hit, they're saying, "Let's get somebody else up." "Take this guy out. He can't get the ball over the plate." I wish I could. In the majors, they can. They carry two more pitchers and don't have guys on a pitch count. But I don't have that (luxury).

 

3. What about away from the field?

 

How much time we spend at the ballpark. I come here every day at 12:30. I know that's a lot earlier than if we have to be on the field. But I have to be ready for early work at 2:30 or 3 o'clock.

 

I sit here and get my lineups made out. People say how long can that take, but sometimes I have to find out who's healthy, who's pitching for the other team, things like that.

 

It's not just showing up at 5 for a 7 o'clock game. When the game's over, I have the computer work I have to put in (filing game reports on each player to Milwaukee) and if I rush to get it done, I can probably get out in an hour, but not usually.

 

4. What are you going to do this winter?

 

Nothing.

 

Get away from ball. That's what you usually do. I get home, I'm a homebody. We don't go a lot of places. I'm not a guy who says let's take a week's vacation here or there.

 

My vacation is to go down to Maryland for a weekend and go crabbing. My brother and his family are down there. My wife's (Sharon) family is down there. We make a weekend of it, three or four days. Go crabbing on a Friday morning and eat 'em on Saturday.

 

5. You're a big TV guy. In the off-season, what teams will you follow?

 

When I go home, I don't watch a lot of baseball. I'll watch golf. If the Brewers are on I'll watch.

 

I'm a Redskins fan, because I grew up in Washington. I followed them when they were good and bad. I followed them back when they had that big white feather down the middle of their helmets. I couldn't name anybody on the team right now, but I could when the Hawgs were there. But I still follow them.

 

6. When you think back on the season, what are the good things you'll reflect on?

 

We had guys move up, guys who played well enough to move up. Hopefully we had some part of that. (Dana) Eveland moved up. (Mitch) Stetter moved up. We had both of those guys last year in low-A and one guy is in the big leagues and one's in Triple-A.

 

That's our job, to get guys to the next level. Hopefully we've done a decent job in that respect.

 

7. What about the negative side?

 

Not winning more games. It's a combination. Sometimes pitching was good, hitting wasn't. Sometimes the hitting was good and pitching wasn't.

 

8. We know nothing is set yet, but would you be OK with a return to Huntsville next season?

 

Yep.

 

9. So, what will the 2006 Stars be like?

 

We don't know if some of those guys (at Class A ball) are ready to come here. Some of these guys here will definitely be back. They might need two years, three years in Double-A.

 

Next year, I know I'm going to change some things. This year, you live and learn. The young men down in the other end of the clubhouse say "Treat us like men and we'll get our work done." I tried that. Next year, we're going to do it my way.

 

You always have guys that want to push the rules right to the end. You tell them "Don't walk to within a foot of the edge,'' and they're 12 and a quarter inches away. Sometimes, you overlook that. We're going to drop the hammer on them, be a little tougher.