Scot Shields & My “Bagger Vance” Evening

February 22nd, 2009

February 22, 2009 — Remember a few years ago, the movie The Legend of Bagger Vance? The two main characters are a no-name golfer and the mysterious stranger who helps him find his “authentic swing.”

Before I continue, I should clarify that I’m not comparing Scot Shields to a town drunk or emotional basket-case. However it would certainly be fair to say that getting drafted in 1997 by the Angels in the 38th round, 1,137th pick overall placed Shields in the role of underdog through the early years of his career.

Shields worked his way up to Triple-A Salt Lake in the spring of 2001. Arriving in Salt Lake a year later was Mickey Callaway, whom the Angels picked up from the Devil Rays over the winter.

Callaway, a hard-throwing right-hander, caught people’s eye every time he stepped onto the mound. Including that of a man who sat next to me on a warm evening in early summer. We exchanged small talk. . .he was in town for business, I was a long-time ticketholder. The guy didn’t say much, although when he did, he seemed to know a LOT about baseball. Pitching in particular.

Callaway started the game that night. Somewhere around the 3rd or 4th inning, a gentle remark floated over from my right, “That kid is going to hurt his arm.”

I turned to him with surprise, “How can you tell? Can you explain?”

He said, “Watch him pitch. He throws hard, but he doesn’t do a good job of conserving himself. He’ll probably throw his arm out sometime this season.”

A couple innings later, Scotty came in for middle-relief.

My neighbor watched him throw to a couple batters, “Now this kid. Watch his motion. That’s a nice, easy throwing motion. He doesn’t throw particularly hard, but he’s compact and hides the ball well*. He’s going to do just fine.”

*In baseball speak this usually means the pitcher holds his fielding glove up and in front of his throwing hand during his windup, blocking the batter’s view of the ball for as long as possible before he releases it.

All too soon, the last out was in the books. Just as Will Smith does at the movie’s finale, the mysterious man walked into the darkness and I never saw him again. I wish I’d have remembered to ask his name or what business he was in.

The last part of his assessment sort of haunted me, “He’s going to do just fine.” What the h*ll was that supposed to mean? I would have understood “contender,” “major-leaguer,” “flame-thrower” or any of those macho sports metaphors. But “just fine?” He sounded like he was referring to a son leaving home for college.

After going 9-2 with an amazing ERA of 1.68, Callaway got his call-up in late summer and sparkled in his MLB debut. The following spring he was back in Salt Lake where he inexplicably struggled. The Angels released him that winter. By 2005, he was out of MLB ball. After playing in Asia for a few years, he played and coached in the independent United Baseball League last season and just recently signed up for another stint in Asia.

As for Shields, 2002 turned out to be his breakthrough year. He got called up to the Angels mid-season, pitched in the World Series and as the old proverb goes, never looked back. Another thing the rest of the world came to learn, he was a nice guy. Funny, candid, thoughtful, polite—he treated fans and media like, well, like people. Back in Triple-A he had a habit of addressing older fans with, “Yes sir/ma’am,” as if he were speaking to an uncle or aunt.

In the spring of 2007, Shields agreed to a contract extension with the Angels that will pay $18 million through 2010 and openly expressed his happiness over the deal.

Whatever happens, he feels he has secured the futures of daughters Kayla and Ella. Shields and the former Jaimie McGovern were married on Oct. 20, 2000.

“My two daughters will be set for life—that was the main thing,” Shields said.

[source: Angels News: March 29, 2007, Los Angeles Angels MLB website]

Finally, I understood what had been predicted years ago, on a magical evening Salt Lake. Whenever I hear of Scotty’s successes on the mound, I also remember the soft-spoken stranger who taught me about the “authentic pitch.” Bye for now!

Entry Filed under: Game of Life,Major League Baseball,Salt Lake Bees