Search

ARCHIVES
CONTACT US
WORLD NEWS

New start in the Old Pueblo

Arizona Summer Wildcat

Mashore seeking second chance with Sidewinders

Baseball can be a funny game.

One day, Damon Mashore was playing outfield for the Anaheim Angels. Seemingly a minute later, he was patrolling the outfield for Tabasco of the Mexican league.

It was 1999 and Mashore, an Arizona alum and major league veteran, had taken his talents south of the border, hoping to revive a fledgling baseball career.

The language and cultural barriers he faced as one of the team's few Americans seemingly turned his stay in the tiny Mexican town sour.

"Gosh, it's rough down there," Mashore said. "It's tough when you don't know Spanish and are a foreigner."

As one of the team's foreign players, the 5-foot-8 Mashore was expected to be a superstar.

"It's mentally tough," he said. "They expect you to go 4 for 4 with a home run every night just because you are an American guy. They think you're supposed to be better than them - and they're good."

While in Mexico, the 31-year-old Mashore suffered a lung infection and was sent home.

"It wasn't good - I wasn't getting hits," he said. "I told them to let me take a few days off or send me home. They sent me home."

So Mashore, who was drafted in the ninth round of the 1991 draft by the Oakland Athletics, found himself back in the United States trying to find a job after spending seven years in the A's system.

While looking for employment, Mashore was asked to participate in UA's All-Pro Alumni Game alongside such accomplished big leaguers as Trevor Hoffman of the San Diego Padres and J.T. Snow of the San Francisco Giants. While in Tucson, Mashore caught up with old friends at a local bar.

"It's becoming a new tradition," Mashore said of the game. "We all decide to meet at a bar and just decide to catch up. It's nice."

While Mashore was trying to find a new team, Tucson Sidewinders manager Tom Franklin was looking for a little publicity. The first-year manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks triple-A team came to the All-Pro Alumni Game seeking to drum up a fan base for his organization.

Mashore, wearing an old UA uniform while his friends wore the home whites and road grays of their professional teams, talked to Franklin about his future in baseball and made an impression on the first-year skipper.

"We talked about (signing him) at the alumni game and I gave his name to our minor league director," Franklin said. "He's a pretty big name and a good player."

Little was said between the two parties for four months until Mashore signed with the Sidewinders in early June.

"For some reason or another, his name stayed on the back burner for awhile," Franklin said. "I told him that it took awhile, but we finally got him in here."

Mashore, whose in-laws reside in Tucson, was happy to have an opportunity to play baseball in the same place he spent his college days.

"(Tucson) brings back a bunch of good memories," he said. "My wife's family is here, so it's nice to come home for a while."

Franklin, a native Tucsonan, agrees.

"Staying in Tucson helps with peace of mind," he said. "It won't help you get hits, but familiarity definitely helps."

If he wishes to return to the major leagues, though, Mashore will have to beat out a variety of competent outfielders - Chip Sell, David Delucci and Turner Ward - all of whom are among the organization's most highly-touted players.

"We almost (had) a major league outfield on the disabled list," Franklin said of the injuries that have landed Sell, Delucci and Ward at the triple-A level. "But I play the hot hand. It's an opportunity for Damon to turn some heads."

Mashore, currently on the disabled list himself, owes much of his success to his alma mater

"The program put a lot of us on the map for the first time. We got to learn from talented coaches," he said. "They've put out some quality players in the past few years."

For now, however, the center fielder is happy with his chance to compete within the Diamondbacks organization and looks forward to a return to the major leagues.

"I love this organization," he said. "It's first-class. (It's) no secret that this is one of the great organizations around."

An injury here, a demotion there, and Mashore just might find himself in the big leagues sooner than expected. Not that it would surprise him, though.

"Baseball's funny like that," he said. "Timing's everything."

Ryan Finley can be reached at sports@wildcat.arizona.edu.