Blind luck or good eye for talent?
- From: "BlindNews Mailing List" <BlindNews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <BlindNews@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2007 21:05:38 -0400
Denver Post, Colorado USA
Monday, October 22, 2007
Blind luck or good eye for talent?
By Jim Armstrong
Article Last Updated: 10/22/2007 12:19:46 AM MDT
Two former Long Beach State shortstops compare notes Sunday at Coors Field. The
school's first player at the position, Jerry Clinkscales, meets Rockies rookie
Troy Tulowitzki. (Post / Helen H. Richardson)Let it note, let it note, let it
note ...
This is a story of blind faith.
No, not that kind of blind faith. Literally blind faith.
Jerry Clinkscales is legally blind, a victim of macular degeneration that has
left him with 20-200 vision. At 75, he listens more than he sees. His
wristwatch tells him what time it is. His CD player reads him books. He can
check out the newspaper and surf the Net, but only with the help of
magnification devices that turn ordinary words into headlines.
He still bowls and plays golf, but not like he used to. His 8-handicap days are
long gone.
"It's amazing I can make contact with the ball," he said. "But I don't know
where the heck it's going. I've got to ride with someone so they can find it
for me."
As he sits in his home office in Arvada, his connections to the world include a
TV set, a computer and a device that magnifies The Post sports section, which
he reads religiously every morning.
Seems he can't get enough of these Rockies. And no, he isn't a newcomer to the
bandwagon. He had faith in the early days of the season, so much so that he bet
50 bucks that they would win the National League pennant. At 40-1 odds, The
Orleans casino in Las Vegas is about to reward him with $2,050.
"I looked at the ticket yesterday," said Clinkscales. "When I got home, I put
it in an envelope and sealed it. I was afraid to open it until they clinched."
Clinkscales' story is typical of many baseball fans from his generation. The
lengthy season, with its hot streaks and cold, provides a continuing story line
for elderly people and shut-ins to follow. Now for the part of his story that
is anything but typical: He has a historic connection to a Rockies player.
That would be rookie shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who played at Long Beach State
before being selected by the Rockies in the first round of the 2005 draft. The
first-ever shortstop at the school? Jerry Clinkscales.
"I was on the first team in '54," he said. "We didn't play UCLA or USC like
they do now. We played Occidental or Cal Poly or the Marines at Camp Pendleton.
A few of us had gotten out of the service and we'd drive our coach nuts. We
were old enough to drink, so we'd stop at a bar on the way home from the
games."
Clinkscales is a long-time fan of the Long Beach State program, which has
produced several big leaguers, including Tulowitzki, Bobby Crosby, Jered Weaver
and the Giambi brothers. As if the Rockies drafting a fellow Dirtbag - that's
the unofficial nickname of the LBS baseball team - weren't a big enough thrill,
he got to meet Tulo on Sunday at Coors Field. Not only that, Clinkscales' home
office has a new addition: An autographed picture of the possible rookie of the
year.
Like many others who meet Tulo- witzki, Clinkscales was amazed by how big he
is.
"Shortstops don't look like they did in my day," he said. "I was about 5-9 and
140 pounds soaking wet. I hit .270 or .280, a little speed, no power. I was
nothing like this kid. He's a star." ...
That bloop two-run double that pinch-hitter Seth Smith produced in the Rockies'
Game 4 win over the Diamondbacks? It came against the organization that drafted
him out of high school in the 48th round. And what did the D-backs offer him to
sign? "A jersey, I guess," cracked Smith. ...
Rox pitching coach Bob Apodaca, on being forced to go with rookie pitchers
Ubaldo Jimenez and Franklin Morales based on reports from the minor leagues:
"And they weren't sparkling reports, either. It's not as if they were blowing
away their leagues. But sometimes funny things happen where guys pitch much
more effectively and efficiently when they reach the big leagues ... I don't
think Wade Boggs hit .300 in the minor leagues and you know what he's done in
the big leagues." ...
So now it's on to the World Series, where the Rockies again find themselves
underdogs. Is the American League that much better than the N.L. that a team on
a 21-1 run shouldn't be favored? "In terms of the All-Star Game, yeah, the
American League is dominating," said Rox reliever Matt Herges. "But good
pitching beats good hitting and good defense will win games and we have that.
We know the American League is the big-boy league. We know they hit. But look
at our lineup. We have some boppers and we have speed. What you want in a
lineup, we have."
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.denverpost.com/rockies/ci_7244666
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