Newspaper Page Text
♦ SATURDAY, AUGUST 26, 2006
2B
Braves pair do best to
learn from the best
ByR. TRAVIS HANEY
Morris News Service
ATLANTA - They’re fun
to watch on this lazy, hot
summer afternoon as they
Banter back and forth while
overseeing batting practice
at Turner Field.
They pick on each other.
They pick on those stand
ing around them, feeding off
one another. And then they
pick on each other a little
more.
• Atlanta Braves assistant
coaches Fredi Gonzalez and
Terry Pendleton have a good
time doing their jobs. Seems
like they’re pretty good at
them, too.
That’s probably why a
handful of major league
teams have come calling
about “Gonzo” and “TP” in
regard to their open manage
rial jobs. And why they’ll do
so again in the near future.
Both Gonzalez, in his
fourth year as Atlanta’s
third base coach, and
Pendleton, in his fifth as its
hitting coach, are somewhat
reserved when it comes to
talking about their career
aspirations.
They don’t want to offend
their current employer, they
say.
But both admit being the
skipper of a big league club
is something they’d like to
do one day. Perhaps they
will relatively soon.
Pendleton, 46, talked with
Philadelphia a couple of sea
sons ago about taking over
for Larry Bowa (the Phillies
hired Charlie Manuel). He
interviewed, too, for the Los
Angeles Dodgers position
that went to Grady Little.
Gonzalez, 42, interviewed
and was thought to be in
the running for the Florida
Marlins job this past off-sea
son, but they went with first
time manager Joe Girardi.
The Chicago Cubs have
also been reportedly inter
ested in Gonzalez if Dusty
Baker is fired, as expected,
at the end of this season.
“Absolutely, they’d be
great. Both of them,” said
Atlanta manager Bobby Cox,
a lock for the Hall of Fame.
“They’ve got great qualities
to go into that profession.
Both of them are great com
municators, know the game,
love the game.”
That’s a pretty good
endorsement from one of
the best endorsers in the
game regarding that partic
ular job.
Consider this: In a survey
of 470 major league players
released this week by Sports
Illustrated, 30 percent voted
Cox baseball’s best manager.
Detroit’s Jim Leyland was
second, with 18 percent.
So, Gonzalez and
Pendleton are learning from
the best, according to the
players. And whose opinions
should count more concern
ing being managed?
“Some of us may go into
managing, and if we do,
we’re going where Bobby’s
been many, many years,”
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He said it ...
“At the end of the day
when the race is done
and your adrenaline
wears off, you’re worn
out. But when you’re in
the car and the adrena
line 's pumping, you don’t
get in that smooth, calm
rhythm that you do at a
place like Michigan or
California where you’ve
got big, sweeping cor
ners and long straight
aways. ”
- Tony Stewart, on Bristol
Pendleton said of Cox, whose
managerial career began
in the minors in 1971, the
majors in ‘7B. “So, we have
to take some of that knowl
edge and run with it if we
get the opportunity to.”
Since the Phillies inter
view in 2004, Pendleton said
he’s found himself becoming
more and more observant of
Cox’s style, both on and off
the field. Gonzalez, who has
long known he wanted to be
a big league manager, said
he’s done the same since he
arrived in Atlanta in 2003.
Pendleton said he’ll some
times ease down toward
Cox’s end of the bench to
watch how the manager
works the final innings of
games.
“His success, it speaks
for itself,” said Pendleton, a
Brave him
self during
the 19905.
“I’ve
played for
him, I’ve
coached
under him
and I see
what he’s
capable of
and what
he does. I
PENDLETON
try to soak it in.”
Further, Gonzalez said
he’s tried to watch Cox’s
manner off the field - how
he deals daily with players,
coaches, the media and oth
ers.
“It’s the way he handles
people and situations,”
Gonzalez said.
“When things arise over
the course of a season in
most places, it blows up. But
he takes care of it, nips it in
the bud and you never hear
about it.”
Also, Gonzalez said he’s
come to appreciate what Cox
offers in the way of consis
tency.
The media members that
cover the team on a daily
basis know what to expect
when questions about the
current struggles are thrown
out. Cox typically responds
with a shrug and says the
season isn’t over and the
team will simply try to win
tomorrow.
Gonzalez relayed a way of
saying that through a tale
that’s often used concern
ing Cox. He said someone
could go stay in the woods
for three months, come back
with no knowledge of the
Braves, talk to Cox and still
have no clue where the team
is in the standings.
“You’d have no idea if we’re
up by 50 games or down by
50 games,” Gonzalez said.
“It’s the even keel. That’s
the one way I’d love to be
like, the same guy every
day.”
Even though both are con
sidered hot managing com
modities in baseball, their
resumes and pedigrees are
decidedly different.
Pendleton gets punch
from the respect he earned
in a major league playing
career that stretched from
slicing indicates
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1984 to 1998.
He hit .319 in 1991, his
first year in Atlanta, to earn
the batting title and National
League MVP honors on the
Braves’ worst-to-first team
that began the franchise’s
run of division titles.
“TP’s got the major league
experience and brings
instant credibility because he
was an MVR” said Chipper
Jones, who took over for
Pendleton at third base in
the mid-’9os.
Gonzalez said he thinks,
too, that Pendleton’s inten
sity will suit him well as a
manager.
“He definitely doesn’t like
to lose,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez, who never
advanced out of the Yankees
minor league system as a
catcher, is more of a natu-
GONZALEZ
manager of the year.
He led Atlanta’s Class
AAA club in Richmond, Va.,
to a 75-67 record in 2002
before jumping up to take
over as the Braves’ third
base coach.
Pendleton said he sees
Gonzalez as “a big thinker,”
a guy always interested in
breaking down and ana
lyzing situations. Chipper
Jones called Gonzalez “a
sponge.”
“He soaks up everything,”
Jones said. “He’s been on
the field a bunch of years
coaching third, in the battle.
He knows all the moves, in
and out.”
To provide confidence,
there is precedent for
managerial success from
the Braves’ fertile training
ground. Milwaukee’s Ned
Yost was a longtime Atlanta
assistant before taking over
the Brewers in 2003.
Yost’s club won 81 games
last year for the franchise’s
first .500 season since 1992.
Like Gonzalez and
Pendleton, Yost said he
watched Cox fervently and
tried to emulate his blue
print once he was given the
reins.
“Oh, I paid attention,”
Yost said earlier this month
at Turner Field as his team
took the season series from
his mentor. “He’s one of the
best.”
Yost’s Brewers are in the
hunt for the NL wild card
this season, a couple of
games ahead of the Braves,
actually. Stories such as
that - and ones like Ozzie
Guillen’s White Sox win
ning the World Series and
Girardi’s young Marlins
overachieving - bode well
for Gonzalez, Pendleton and
other young managers look
ing to break in.
I
SPORTS
Tech's secondary shaping up
ATLANTA - Georgia Tech
opened preseason football
practice with three proven
defensive backs and hopes of
finding a fourth in time for
the season opener against
Notre Dame.
Defensive coordinator Jon
Tenuta has found his fourth
... and a fifth and a sixth.
Pat Clark, Jahi Word-
Daniels and Avery Roberson
will play plenty versus the
Irish on Sept. 2. Clark and
Daniels have shared practice
snaps at comerback in the
Yellow Jackets’ base defense,
and Clark and Roberson are
versatile enough to play mul
tiple spots when the Jackets
employ extra defensive backs
in passing situations.
“With those three, every
thing has equaled itself out,”
Tenuta said. “One guy does
one thing better, another
guy does another thing bet
ter and we just have to play
that out. I just have to move
guys around to match up
against what Notre Dame is
doing.”
The trio has earned the
confidence of the lone
returning starter in the
Yellow Jacket secondary,
comerback Kenny Scott. He
can relate to their situation:
He was thrown into a start
ing role two years ago when
Dennis Davis suffered a sea
son-ending shoulder injury
ral coach.
He’s man
aged seven
different
teams
in the
minors.
Three
times
he’s been
Baseball
America’s
league
Joe T., Cox get all QB reps
When Georgia held its
final preseason scrimmage
on Thursday, starter Joe
Tereshinski and backup
Joe Cox got all the quarter
back work against a scout
team simulating the defense
of opening game opponent
Western Kentucky.
Quarterbacks coach Mike
Bobo said Georgia is set on
those two playing in the sea
son-opener and indicated
that Georgia probably won’t
use a third quarterback in
the Sept. 2 game.
“I wouldn’t expect to but
you never know,” offensive
coordinator Neil Callaway
said.
Highly-touted freshman
Matthew Stafford and soph
omore Blake Barnes worked
as scout team quarterbacks.
Coach Mark Richt had said
previously that Stafford
and Barnes had a chance to
overtake Cox as the backup
before the first game.
Bobo was pleased with
how Tereshinski, a fifth-year
senior, directed the offense
in a dress rehearsal where
substitutions and sideline
organization could be fine
tuned.
“My recollection is he
might have missed two pass
es not by much, but other
than that he was pretty
accurate,” Bobo said. “He
looked real sharp managing
the game out there, getting
the team lined up and call
ing the correct play. That’s
where he’s really ahead right
how.” Tereshinski said he
took the first three drives,
all at least 80 yards. He did
not throw a touchdown pass
but the offense scored touch
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in the second game.
“Those guys are young,
but they’re veterans in their
minds,” Scott said. “ This
is their time in history and
they want to step up and
make plays.”
NEW ROLE, SAME
GRIND FOR GAILEY:
Game planning for Notre
Dame began this week,
and for the first time in
NOTEBOOK
By ADAM VAN
BRIMMER
Morris News
Service
“It’s amazing, noW that
I’m not in the meetings, I
wonder how I ever did meet
ings,” Gailey said. “I’m doing
so much other stuff.”
That still includes game
planning with his coach
ing staff. They meet every
morning. Gailey watches
hours of Notre Damte game
film - offense, defense and
special teams - on his own
each day.
And he is impressed with
what he sees of the Irish,
ranked No. 2 in both the
coaches and Associated
downs on all of his posses
sions.
“When I was out there I
felt like I managed the team
well,” Tereshinski said.
“Every series I was in on
we scored on. You cah’t ask
for more than that. There
were some things that you
can smooth out. There were
a couple of reads here and
there that looked Confus
ing but ended up in posi
tive plays.” Callaway said
Cox looked good except one
la
NOTEBOOK
By MARC
WEISZER
Morris News
Service
being finalized: Georgia
and Oregon State are work
ing out the final contract
details for a three-game deal
that would bring the Beavers
to Sanford Stadium to open
the 2007 season on Sept. 1.
“Hopefully we cah get
the financial pieces worked
out,” associate athletic
director Arthur Johnson
said Thursday. “I feel good
about them being the team
but I get a little nervous
until I have the coritracts
signed.” Georgia would trav
el to Corvallis in 2011 and
Oregon State would return
to Athens in 2017. The Pac
-10 program had an opening
on its schedule after New
Mexico State pulled out of a
scheduled game to get a larg
er paycheck from Auburn,
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Press polls.
“They deserve to be ranked
No. 1, 2 or 3,” he said.
PRACTICE SLOWS
DOWN AS GAME NEARS:
The Yellow Jackets don’t
have an NFL-style train
ing camp per se, but their
practice approach made a
dramatic shift at the start of
this week.
The Jackets devoted the
first two-and-a-half weeks of
preseason to honing their
own schemes with players
competing for starting jobs
and playing time.
his Georgia
Tech ten
ure, head
coach Chan
Gailey is
not spend
ing his days
in meetings
with the
offense.
He is no
less busy,
though.
Attention shifted to the
season-opening opponent,
Notre Dame, on Monday,
though. The Yellow Jackets
still work on their own
schemes but practice them
against scout teamers simu
lating the Irish schemes.
Back-up quarterback
Taylor Bennett said there is
quite a contrast between the
two practice approaches.
“Everything moves a lot
slower right now,” he said.
“In camp, everybody’s mov
ing 100 mph competing and
stuff. Now that we’re in our
game-plan mode it’s more
mental than physical. I like
both really. The intensity of
camp is nice and gives you a
good idea of what’s to come
from everybody, but it’s nice
to have some slow-down
stuff too.”
according to the Eugene
(Ore.) Register-Guard.
“Imagine getting Georgia,”
Oregon State coach Mike
Riley said at media day this
month, according to the
newspaper. “I’ve looked all
the way back into the 1960 s
and there’s never been a
team of that notoriety play
here. It would be the biggest
nonleague game we’ve had
here.”
Georgia’s 2007 schedule
already includes nonconfer
ence games with Western
Carolina, Troy State and
Georgia Tech. ESPN is
involved in setting up the
Oregon State game for air
ing on one of its networks.
Oliver at it again: Senior
comerback’Paul Oliver con
tinues to pile up the pre
season interceptions.
Oliver had two more in the
scrimmage, including one for
a touchdown that defensive
coordinator Willie Martinez
said he returned for nearly
100 yards.
“He’s got exceptional ball
skills,” Martinez said. “When
the ball is in the air he just
has a knack of it. He’ll make
an awkward interception or
the easy ones.”
intercep
tion bn an
out route,
but Bobo'
said it prob
ably came
because he
made a bad
play call.
Oregon
State
series
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