AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2006 > July > 01 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USMazzone like a buddha in orange
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Furman Bisher
Leo Mazzone was back in town and you wouldn’t have believed the scene. Cameras, mikes, tape recorders, flashes, pads and pens for those less advanced, like a swarm around the departed Braves pitching coach, poised in the visitors dugout like a buddha in orange. Nothing like it since the Beatles press conference in the old stadium in 1965.
Well, maybe not that much of a stretch. But strong.
And yeah, in the visitors dugout. “I had to come in through the visitors parking lot. I never knew where it was before. I didn’t know which entrance to take to get to the visitors clubhouse. You think I don’t feel awkward sitting here?”
Awkward, maybe, but it wasn’t coming through. Mazzone is a showman. He may have felt awkward as a Baltimore Oriole, but he’s a resident of Atlanta. This will be home out of season. “Georgia is my home now. This is where I should be living and we’re building here,” he said, though he didn’t say where, or clarify “we.” It’s OK, we welcome all taxpayers.
Nobody gets more credit when things are going well and the earned run average is low, and nobody takes more guff than a pitching coach. Here is Mazzone, who never threw a pitch above the minor leagues as a player and becomes the pitching coach rage for the Braves, elevated to such a commodity that the Orioles are willing to pay him $500,000, twice his salary here, to coach their pitchers.
There was another consideration. The Orioles manager is a quite gentlemanly man named Sam Perlozzo, who played in exactly a dozen major league games. Sam and Leo grew up together in western Maryland, played kids’ ball with and against each other, each coached by his own father. May be “closest friends,” as advertised, but that’s sometimes exaggerated by circumstances. Now, here’s Mazzone, who never made more than $900 a month in the minor leagues elevated to star status coaching pitchers during those 14 seasons of Braves championships. Rocking in the dugout, on camera.
He was caught in a mild rocking motion Friday night, but there wasn’t much to rock about. He was caught later ripping off his cap and rubbing his baldness in disgust. Marcus Giles had just struck a two-base hit that won the game for the Braves, 5-3.
In his first full season as Braves pitching coach, the team ERA was 3.49. Of course, he was dealing with a hot hand of Smoltz, Glavine, Avery, et al. This season in Baltimore, the Orioles’ ERA stands at 5.15, but of course, he’s dealing with Kris Benson, (not to be sneezed at), then drops off. For awhile there, another starter was Chen, Bruce Chen, and that brings up an interesting coincidence.
Chen was one of the Braves’ promising prospects when Mazzone was here, sure to have a hot hand in the season of ‘99. It never worked out, he was traded, and is now with his eighth team. But last season Chen won 13 games as a starter. This season he is 0-6, and has been exiled to the bullpen.
Mazzone now gets a reprieve with a second former Brave, Russ Ortiz, cut loose by Arizona, obligated to him for a king’s ransom in salary. He was a study in curiosity as he went to the mound for the Orioles Saturday night against a team for which he once won 21 games. Leo’s mission: re-charge Ortiz’s battery and help him find his way back.
A pitching coach can sometimes be a combination of snake oil salesman, coddler, tough guy, instructor, taunter and cheerleader. Mazzone is all of those, sometimes harsh, crusty, foul-mouthed and on occasion, patient. It’s his decision only on which of his moods to address to which pitcher. If that suggests psychologist, he would hardly fit that category.
He is quite honest, when asked to define his success as a coach of pitchers when he was with the Braves.
“Well, I’d say Maddux, Smoltz, Glavine and all those Cy Young winners we had,” he said, in one of his rare moments of self-effacement.
Surrounded by a cadre of news pursuers, he looked around Turner Field and spoke cheerfully. “I never realized what a beautiful place this is,” and as he said it, his eyes were scanning that string of division championship flags above the left field bleachers. “But, there’s a right time for everything,” and this was his time to go. I can’t say that Oriole orange does much for him as a color.
Permalink | Comments (4) | Post your comment | Categories: Braves / MLB, Furman Bisher
Comments
By Ray
July 1, 2006 11:27 PM | Link to this
God, it’s great being a Yankee fan!
By George
July 2, 2006 04:05 PM | Link to this
Mr. Bisher, Nice article about a man who was a very important part of Atlant’s historic run. Good Luck to Leo.
By Brian, Sandy Springs
July 2, 2006 08:53 PM | Link to this
What I find most amusing about Braves fans is that they are critical of Leo for leaving, but if they were offered double their salary, they would do the same as he did and take the dollars.
The problem with the Braves IS NOT the pitching coach, it is the PITCHERS.
By GermanBravesFan
July 2, 2006 09:35 PM | Link to this
Something unrelated: I am watching Sunday Night Baseball and Joe Morgan is commentating. I guess after predicting for the past five years or so that the Braves will not win the NL East, he FINALLY got it right. Way to go, “Met-Joe”! Can’t they find someone else to do those games?