Friday, July 23, 1999
Buddy Bell leads U.S. minor-leaguers in Pan-Am Games
USA Today
STONEWALL, Manitoba — It's back-to-the basics baseball under a hot Manitoba sun, nearly 20 miles north of Winnipeg. Forget the batting cage, there isn't one. A small screen where the umpire usually stands will have to do during pregame drills.
The atmosphere is so relaxed, the weather so sticky, the Canadian team is taking batting practice in T-shirts and shorts.
And if players are afraid of a growling stomach, they do something about it.
With an exhibition game against Canada a mere 45 minutes away, several members of the U.S. baseball team, in their practice uniforms, wait in a long line at a concession stand for sandwiches and drinks — just like the fans who are asking them for autographs.
Quarry Park is a picturesque, friendly and well-manicured secondary venue for the baseball competition at the Pan Am Games that will determine two spots for the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
The trek out of Winnipeg is over scenic highways straighter than an airport runway. The final 500 yards are down a gravel road and through a campground of trailers whose inhabitants are busy with their barbecues.
Quarry, with several diamonds used by local teams, is downright homey. It's far removed. It's a long way from today's modern stadiums. And it's where the U.S. team must play its fourth and final opening-round game, following three at the modern CanWest Global Park on the fringe of Winnipeg's bustling, traffic-heavy downtown. Then comes single-elimination play, beginning with the quarterfinals.
“I'm sure there are some guys who are grumbling. But 95 percent of them are enjoying this and understand it. I think this gives us an opportunity to go back to our roots,” said U.S. manager Buddy Bell said, the Reds' minor-league field coordinator.
“It's a baseball field, and we're playing baseball, and that's all that matters,” said former major-leaguer Craig Paquette, the cleanup hitter.
For the first time, the United States is using professional players in international baseball competition. They are minor-leaguers — most in Triple-A, some in Double-A, a couple from Single-A — not on a ma jor-league team's 40-man roster. The players were selected from an original pool of about 275 players by a committee headed by former major-league general managers Pat Gillick and Bob Watson.
The minor-leaguers are seasoned veterans like Paquette, Shawn Gilbert and Reds prospect Jason Hardtke, trying to get back on 40-man rosters, and younger players, like Seattle's 6-foot-10 pitcher, Ryan Anderson — “The Little Unit” — waiting to be added to them. Some jumped at a chance to play for their country. Others hope a good showing might enhance or prolong their careers.
“We're not playing for mon ey or exposure or anything like that,” said Bell, an 18-year major-league veteran and former manager of the Detroit Tigers.
“We are playing for two real important reasons — to play the game well and to represent our country with class.”
Cuba, winner of seven straight Pan American baseball gold medals, is here.
The pressure is here, too, especially for the United States, seeking its first Pan Am gold since the last time Winnipeg was host in 1967. Now a trip to the Olympics rests on its performance.
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