Tales spring to life for baseball author
Week spent with Cats lets Dallas writer see ballplayers as more than just characters09:40 PM CDT on Sunday, August 9, 2009
When he created Clutch Thompson, a fictional character in his self-published baseball trilogy, Brad Bauer thought of his protagonist as "a young, arrogant kid on the cusp of greatness," which is not how his then-girlfriend read him.
"This guy is really an [expletive]," she said.
Apparently, she hadn't been around any pro clubhouses.
Of course, neither had Bauer, which is a pen name. In real life, he's a Baylor graduate and Dallas police officer moonlighting as a writer and wants to keep the two lives separate, a wish granted here.
He based his characters on what he knew as a baseball player growing up in West, Texas, just north of Waco. The rest was just a guess.
But last month he was afforded some valuable insight into the subject with "the best Christmas present ever," courtesy of his in-laws and an online offer from the Fort Worth Cats: a week on the road and at home with the minor league team.
Bauer rode the team bus, stayed in the team hotel, shagged fly balls and sat in the dugout.
Even did a stint in the first base coaching box.
His take on the experience? The players are better than you'd think. Just catching batting practice rockets proved difficult. They also proved a little less zany than he'd hoped.
Twenty minutes into the bus ride to Shreveport, they were sound asleep.
Bauer didn't realize how much down time the job entails. Every morning the players were up at 11 to work out. But they didn't report to the park until 4 p.m.
"What do y'all do all day?" he asked one player.
"Watch TV."
"OK."
Bauer, 28, also noted a disconnect between himself and some of the younger players. When he made a joke about NBA Jam, a video game from the early '90s, no one got it. Imagine if he'd brought up, say, Pac Man. Or World War II.
Still, Bauer says everyone was "absolutely wonderful," especially the Cats' resident legend and mascot, Wayne Terwilliger.
Twig has covered a lot of ground in 61 years of baseball, and friends wanted to know what Bauer had learned from him.
"Once you've seen an 84-year-old man naked six days in a row," Bauer said, "you get to know him pretty well."
Strangest moment: A Grand Prairie player got in an argument over a called third strike, yanked up the first base bag and threw it into the seats behind third. Guess it didn't occur to him to use the first-base seats.
All in all, Bauer had a great time and came home with a Cats jersey and new material, not that the latter will do any good now.
He's done with Clutch Thompson. Three books were enough.
As the author put it, "There's only so much potty humor people can take."
Brad Bauer would like you to check out his baseball trilogy at clutchthompson.com, or buy the books at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.
■ If Mike Jenkins, who was dinged Saturday, and Orlando Scandrick prove to be as good at cornerback as early camp returns indicate, trading Anthony Henry for backup QB Jon Kitna wasn't nearly as foolish as it looked. ...
■ Jarrod Saltalamacchia says a bum shoulder was the reason for the bad throw back to Tommy Hunter on Thursday, allowing an Oakland runner to score. But that's twice he's done it this season, and his return throws in general are sloppy. Something needs to be fixed, and I'm not sure it's his shoulder. ...
■ Next time Prince Fielder charges the opponent's clubhouse door, as the Brewers' first baseman did the other day looking for the pitcher who hit him, here's what they should do: Let him in. Alone. ...
■ Orlando Magic's Rashard Lewis appears to be telling the truth about taking an over-the-counter supplement last season that caused him to flunk a drug test. But when will players learn to ask first? ...
Lots of finger-pointing going on over Edinson Volquez's need for Tommy John surgery. Among the charges: Rangers increased his workload by 58 innings from '06 to '07, too much, too soon for a young pitcher. Other theories have been advanced, too, and Lord knows what's right. But this much is sure: You can never have enough pitchers. ...
■ Don't know where Michael Vick ends up, but if he's not the best candidate to play the Wildcat position, I don't know who is. ...
■ Former Pitt and NFL great Hugh Green missed his induction into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. He apologized and says it was a "miscommunication" with his driver. That's what I would have said, too. . . . If Jets rookie Mark Sanchez really is the front-runner to start at QB, his old coach, Pete Carroll, might want to reconsider the unfortunate remarks he made at Sanchez's coming-out news conference. ...
■ Question: Other than a pitcher or Elvis Andrus, what Ranger has most exceeded expectations this year? Hank Blalock. Funny what a contract year does for your numbers. ...
■ In the Rangers' broadcast debate, put me down for less talk, more action. Feel free to use it as a personal philosophy as well.