Former UA star takes Sidewinders' reins
It had been awhile since Chip Hale played on the same field as the Wildcat baseball team.
Hale, the former UA slugger-turned-manager of the Tucson Sidewinders, said he was excited yesterday to be facing the team he starred on from 1984-1987.
Last night's exhibition game between the Sidewinders and Wildcats at Tucson Electric Park marked the first game of the 2004 season for the Arizona Diamondbacks' Triple-A affiliate.
It also marked Arizona's first meeting with a Triple-A Tucson franchise in 10 years. The Wildcats played an exhibition game against the now-defunct Tucson Toros in 1991.
In his debut contest as the Sidewinders' skipper, Hale, who led the Wildcats to an NCAA championship, got to match up against the university that inducted him into its Hall of Fame 10 years ago.
"I'm very excited for the UA kids to come over here and get to use the visiting clubhouse, get to have a day of being a Triple-A guy and see what it's like. Because I know, from man to man, they all eventually want to play in pro ball, and I hope everyone gets a chance," Hale said. "So this is one of their chances to kind of get a look at it."
Hale played sparingly in the majors from 1989-1997, spending all but one of those seasons with the Minnesota Twins. He accumulated a .277 batting average and hit seven home runs in 333 pro ballgames.
But Hale's heart has stayed with the Wildcats, and in Tucson. He knows the current UA squad well.
"They're all young. This is a very young Arizona team," Hale said. "(Junior catcher) Richard Mercado and (junior infielder John) Hardy are guys that will have the chance to play at the next level. (Junior outfielder Jeff) Van Houten has kind of had an off year this year, but everybody knows he's a pretty good hitter."
Hale says that in baseball, unlike basketball, it's prudent for kids to stay in college before attempting the leap to the pros.
"If you look at our draft last year, I think we drafted one or two high school kids in the top 20, 30 rounds," Hale said. "So basically what's happened is our scouts have decided that we are going to use the college systems as a helper to us.
"If you look at our top picks, (they've come from) big schools," Hale said, citing Diamondback signees from Stanford, California and Wake Forest.
"If we had the opportunity, we would have drafted (former Wildcat center fielder) Brian Anderson number one out of the UA (last season)," Hale added. "So it's really advantageous for those kids to at least get three years of college in."
Hale said he expected the UA guys to be a little nervous going into last night's game.
"It's a good opportunity for those guys to shine. Because when I get a call come draft time, and they say, ÎWhat do you think of this guy, should we take him here or there?,' I could give them my opinion.
"I hope they're a little nervous; they're supposed to be. Let's hope they're excited to play," Hale said.
But even though this one didn't count, Hale wasn't planning on being merciful to his alma mater.
"Anytime, as a competitive person ÷ coach or athlete ÷ I mean, when you play ping-pong, you want to win. So of course we want to win," Hale said.