Grip on Sports: Don Baylor could really hit – and be hit – but was also a hit with those younger than him

A GRIP ON SPORTS • There are some days we feel a bit like Forrest Gump. Today is one of those days. Read on.

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• Yesterday, actually. When we read about the death of Don Baylor.

See, we had a brief, Gump-like encounter with Baylor back in the day.

And it led to a conversation about hitting.

Baylor was the first great free agent signing by Gene Autry and the California Angels (as they were known as back then). He was worth every penny, mainly because he was not only a great hitter, but he was a tough-as-a-Doberman competitor. And the Angels needed that.

He showed up one day at UC Irvine with Angel pitcher Paul Hartzell. You may recall I occasionally caught Hartzell in the offseason, doing my main college athletics job – bullpen catcher – as a (small) moneymaker on the side.

Anyhow, this day, Baylor was there to hit. I do believe he usually did that elsewhere when he was in Orange County in the offseason, but that wasn’t an option.

We took turns taking batting practice and, while Hartzell was doing his running, Baylor and I chatted about hitting. A good major league hitter spending time with a college benchwarmer. Why they heck would Baylor do that?

Because he liked to teach is my guess. And argue, which is what we proceeded to do.

Yes, we argued. OK, call it “discussed” hitting. I was a recently converted Charlie Lau acolyte. (For more on the most famous of Lau’s followers, see Rob Curley’s story about George Brett in the Indians’ section below.) Baylor was the opposite of that.

The conversation finally got around the courage it took to crowd the plate, as Baylor did, when a major league pitcher was willing to put a 95-miles-per-hour fastball in your rib.

Pitchers are taught the inner part of the plate is the hitter’s. The outer part is theirs. If the hitter starts to encroach on their territory, they had to make them pay. If not, the pitcher wouldn’t last in the bigs too long.

Baylor understood this. He just didn’t care. He felt he had to dominate both halves of the plate. It was the way he stayed in the bigs. If that meant he was going to get plunked more often, so be it.

And he was. Two hundred and sixty seven times. Fourth most in baseball history. He led the American League in that stat eight times. And let me be clear here, it’s not a stat in which you really want to set records.

Unless you feel it is the only way you can survive as a hitter. It takes toughness. It takes courage. It takes heart.

That was Baylor’s way. But it wasn’t mine. Guess what? He understood that. He watched my swing, he knew how limited my abilities were and he suggested a couple ways to improve. Not to hit like him, but to make me better.

He was player, sure, but his future path, as a manager and a hitting instructor, was already peaking through. As was his true character.

• Golf is poised to make a major change in 2019. The powers that be in the sport are going to move the PGA Championship – which will be held this weekend in North Carolina – to May, giving the sport four consecutive months with major tournaments. The Masters in April, the PGA in May, the U.S. Open in June and the British Open in July. The Players Championship will move to March and August will be given over to the PGA Tour’s FexEx Cup championships.

It makes a lot of sense, which is why many thought it would never happen.

This is a good thing for golf fans.

The Masters gets us all excited for majors. And yet it occurs about 10 weeks before the next major. That stretch is too long. But in a couple years there will be a major every four weeks or so until the end of July. Perfect.

• One last note. If you like watching tennis but don’t know much about its history, this piece by the Oregonian’s Douglas Perry is for you. Actually, it’s for everyone.

There is always more nuance in a sport’s history than most people know.

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WSU: Every season a new Cougar explodes onto the scene, giving WSU fans someone new on whom to attach their hopes. This year probably won’t be any different. Theo Lawson has five candidates for that role. … Theo also has a summary of Monday’s practice, including Mike Leach’s disappointment in the performance of the backup offensive linemen. … Do the Cougars have too much depth at running back? … One of George Raveling’s former players is struggling with his health. … Around the Pac-12, the conference of champions is once again the conference of quarterbacks. And a conference full of best case/worst case scenarios. … Washington will have a new kicker this season. So will Utah. … Oregon State is looking for a new attitude on the offensive line. … There isn’t a new attitude yet in Eugene when it comes to tickets. … A former Duck officially has a new school. … The new safeties in Colorado are in the midst of a tough competition. … There is also competition at cornerback in Salt Lake City. … California has lost an offensive lineman to injury. … Stanford is trying to replace its most irreplaceable player. … UCLA is trying to improve at a variety of positions. … Sam Darnold is USC’s starter. Who is the backup quarterback? … Arizona State is still looking for its next great tight end. … Size matters to an Arizona offensive lineman.

Gonzaga: If you attend GU sporting events, you will see new video boards next season.

EWU: It was a busy Monday in Cheney, despite the heat. Jim Allen was there and covered football practice for the fifth-ranked Eagles. … Jim also has a story on a Coaches vs. Cancer event this weekend. … The women’s soccer team is expected to win the Big Sky title this season. … Around the conference in football, some important Idaho State boosters want a change in leadership. … The Bengals are looking for a backup quarterback. … Southern Utah is still trying to figure out who its No. 1 guy is. … Montana State continues to prep for the opener at Washington State.

Indians: We mentioned this above, but Hall of Fame third baseman George Brett was in Spokane to visit his brother and see their minor league team play. Rob Curley, a die-hard Royals fan, has this feature on Brett’s visit. … The Indians didn’t disappoint, defeating Eugene 6-5 with a run in the bottom of the ninth. Johnathan Curley has the particulars and Whitney Ogden has more coverage. … Around the Northwest League, Everett held off host Salem-Keizer while visiting Vancouver handled Hillsboro.

Mariners: The M’s have used 15 different starting pitchers this season. That’s three full rotations.

Seahawks: The Hawks held a mock game yesterday with the star of the day probably being Earl Thomas, back for a gruesome injury. He even earned a Richard Sherman bow. … Russell Wilson also starred. … Pete Carroll is being tested by Frank Clark. … Eddie Lacy isn’t light but he’s lighter than he was. … Could there be a rookie as part of the Legion of Boom?

Sounders: Lamar Neagle is back in Seattle.

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• I know what some of you thought when you read the lead-in to today’s column – and I’m offended. My I.Q. is a bit higher than Forrest Gump’s. Maybe not a lot, but higher. Until later …