Friday, July 7, 2006

"He was a yeller."

That was a vivid memory of Oregon State University baseball manager Pat Casey by one of his former players--Clark County commissioner Steve Stuart.

Stuart played for Casey while a student at George Fox University in Forest Grove, OR, during the 1992 baseball season.

Casey reached the pinnacle of college coaching last week when his Oregon State Beavers won the national College World Series.

"Pat was a great coach," said Stuart. "He was very intense. He worked very hard and prepared us for games."

Stuart can recall several times when Casey would raise his voice to make a point, including giving Stuart ideas on playing better.

"I don't know if he mellowed out now, but he was a yeller then," said Stuart.

Stuart described Casey, who left George Fox for Oregon State two years after Stuart moved on in 1992, as a man with a good baseball IQ. "He was a good teacher of the game."

Stuart was a star, left-handed pitcher at Prairie High School. Under legendary coach Don Freeman, the Prairie Falcons won the state championship in 1989, Stuart's senior year.

In the state tournament, Stuart pitched the semi-final game, striking out 14 of the 21 batters he faced. He also played first base.

Also on that victorious Prairie team was Alan Embree, who is now pitching in the big leagues for the San Diego Padres.

Stuart signed a letter of intent to play football at the University of Montana, but was then drafted by the Minnesota Twins. He decided to pursue baseball, but under college rules, could not do so at the same college level having signed the letter with Montana.

During the 1990 and 1991 seasons, Stuart attended Yavapai Junior College in Arizona, an area of good weather where he could play year-round.

Stuart married right after high school and moved to Arizona. While moving and carrying boxes in the fall of his sophomore year, Stuart accidentally severed a tendon in his left wrist. He spent a year in rehabilitation.

During his comeback, Stuart compensated for the wrist injury by throwing harder. That eventually led to arm and shoulder injuries.

Casey recruited Stuart to George Fox where he played in 1992.

"I remember Pat and his wife and me and my wife (Jennifer) having dinner at a Mongolian barbecue in Tigard," recalled Stuart of his encounter with Casey.

"He was a young coach, with a lot of good ideas," said Stuart of Casey.

With scholarship help, Stuart played at George Fox. He praised Casey as a good manager, "but not much of a pitching coach."

After one year at George Fox, Stuart moved on to Linfield College in McMinnville, OR, where he played both football and baseball. He played defense end on the Linfield team that lost a national title game.

At Linfield, Stuart's defensive end coach was Pat Casey's brother, Chris Casey.

"He was my favorite coach," said Stuart of Chris Casey. "Both (Chris and Pat) were very intense."

Stuart recalls Chris Casey telling stories about all of the Casey brothers--and there were several of them--as rambunctious youngsters. "They were a pack of hoodlums," joked Stuart.

After law school, Stuart had surgery to remove bone spurs from his shoulder.

Stuart continues to play baseball, now on a 28-and-over team in the Portland Amateur Baseball League. Games are on Sundays, usually double-headers.

Last week, Stuart pitched all seven innings of the first game of a double-header, and had four hits during six at-bats on the day, including a home run and a triple.

At age xx, Stuart isn't ready to hang it up yet. Besides, he likes winning.