Ron Calloway story

Here's an early draft of the story I'm writing based on an interview I
had tonight with Ron Calloway. Since my small Redwood City magazine
doesn't have a website, you guys get to see the unedited copy:

By John Baker
Staff Writer

SAN FRANCISCO ‹ It¹s a Monday afternoon in late August, and Ron Calloway
is doing the same thing a lot of folks are this day: watching the
Olympics on television.

But for the San Jose-born Calloway, it¹s where he¹s watching that¹s
unique ‹ the visiting clubhouse at SBC Park.

The Montréal Expos outfielder was hanging out with his teammates before
that night¹s game against the San Francisco Giants, but if not for a
stretch at Redwood City¹s Cañada College, Calloway probably wouldn¹t
have been there.

It turns out that the 28-year-old is an rarity among ballplayers today,
most of whom live and breathe the game every day for years. After
starring in little league, Calloway didn¹t play an inning between the
time he was 14 and when ‹ upon the advice of a friend ‹ he re-joined the
game when got to college.

Against the odds, Calloway was able to rebuild his skills, getting
drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 1997 despite only two seasons of
action since youth baseball..

³You can¹t get a pick-up baseball game,² Calloway said. ³I was blessed
by God; it¹s not like riding a bike; you can lose it. I guess I wasn¹t
away from the game long enough to completely lose it.

Calloway had begun playing ball again at DeAnza College in 1995, but
left that school after the season, looking for more stability. He chose
Cañada College ‹ the alma mater of such big league stars as Harold
Reynolds and Moises Alou (son of Giants manager Felipe Alou) ‹ for its
tradition, and the tutorship of then head coach Mike Garcia.

³Cañada College was the key to my success; If I had stayed at DeAnza for
my sophomore year, I probably wouldn¹t be sitting here now,² said
Calloway. ³Just getting connected with Mike Garcia, who I owe a lot of
my success in baseball to ... has done great things for me.²

Calloway excelled at Cañada, coming in when the Colts were in the midst
of 12 straight state playoff tournament appearances. He redshirted for a
year on a team led by current Cañada coach Tony Lucca, who saw what kind
of player Calloway could be.

³As far as covering ground in the outfield, he¹s got that covered,² said
Lucca, who managed in the Florida Marlins¹ minor league system. ³In
order to stay in the big leagues, he¹s got to hit. It¹s more realizing
what type of ballplayer he¹s going to be as he matures; is he going to
hit for contact or is he going to hit for power?²

Calloway came back to the Farm Hill Road campus this past off season to
work on a tight shoulder that hampered him in 2003. Lucca worked
one-on-one with Calloway, throwing him soft toss and talking hitting.
³You don¹t get where he is without being driven,² Lucca said. ³At the
same time, he¹s a down-to-earth type of guy. He¹s a role model for my
kids.²

Speaking of role models, Calloway gets to play for one every day:
Hall-of-Famer (and former Giants manager) Frank Robinson, the Expos¹
skipper. ³It¹s a good feeling; I guess you can¹t play for anybody
better,² Calloway said. ³We know that¹s he¹s done it and he¹s from the
Bay Area.²

In 2003, Calloway played 126 games for the Expos, hitting .238 with nine
home runs, but has seen only limited use in 2004, being a left-handed
outfielder on a team with a plethora of southpaws. With Endy Chavez,
Brad Wilkerson and rookie Termel Sledge (all lefties) the usual
outfield, Calloway¹s been warming the bench a lot more than he¹d like ‹
not that he feels particularly slighted.

³Any player wants to play, but for me, my whole career in baseball has
been an uphill battle, so this is nothing new,² Calloway said. ³So I
just take it in stride, enjoy the time in the big leagues, try to get
better and wait for my opportunities.²

While waiting for those opportunities, Calloway indulges in hobbies
ranging from playing video games to fishing at San Luis Reservoir, not
far from his home in Los Banos, Calif. Tying to hook striped bass and
catfish is relaxing, according to Calloway.

Not as soothing was the recent tear that the Expos have been on.
Montréal had gone 16-6 in its previous 22 games ‹ an unexpected pace for
a squad that started out 2-11.

³In the beginning of the season, we were getting great pitching, but we
weren¹t hitting anything. The last couple weeks, our hitting, pitching
and defense have all been clicking at the same time,² Calloway said. ³I
just think a lot of the young players are now playing on a more
consistent basis ... and we¹ve been playing better together.²

It¹s a good sign for a team that doesn¹t know where it will play in
2005. Attendance in Montréal, which was once in the top half of the
National League, has been in severe decline the past decade ‹ since just
after a devastating players strike stopped a season in which the Expos
were expected to win the World Series. Major League Baseball has been
threatening to move to team to another city, and Calloway is unsure
whether a commitment to Montréal would bring the fans back.

³That¹s a tough question ... The fan base was destroyed before I got
there,² he said. ³It seems to me there are a lot of fans in Montréal
that love baseball, but for one reason or another they won¹t come to the
field because maybe they feel they¹ve been betrayed or burned. That¹s
the perception I have.²

Wherever Calloway ends up playing next season, it¹s always nice to come
home.

³Getting to the Big Leagues, you want to play in the stadiums that you
watched games in yourself. To me, that was Oakland and Candlestick
(Park, old home of the Giants). It¹s definitely a dream.²

A dream that¹s come true at least in part because of time spent at
Cañada. ³To me Redwood City was a great place. It was mellow, calm,
clean and I always felt safe there,² Calloway said. ³Those days I had at
Cañada were some of the best I had as a player.²

Notes that didn¹t get in the story:

Calloway:
³I never played baseball in high school, so (junior college) gave me an
opportunity to freshen up and polish my skills. That¹s the reason I went
to three years of junior college ‹ I redshirted for one ‹to get me
ready.²
played basketball at Lick High
³I can¹t really say (what turned the team around) because I haven¹t been
here the whole year.²

on new turf at the Big O:
³It has a little give. Underneath that old carpet was a thick slab of
concrete -- you fall on it and it¹s going to hurt.²

 

On Tue, 17 Aug 2004 01:44:49 -0700, "John C. Baker" <jcb10 RemoveThis @axe.humboldt.edu>
spewed forth these words of wisdom:

>Here's an early draft of the story I'm writing based on an interview I
>had tonight with Ron Calloway. Since my small Redwood City magazine
>doesn't have a website, you guys get to see the unedited copy:
>
>By John Baker
>Staff Writer
>

Interesting, thanks.

--
"I'm not a cool person in real life, but I play one on the Internet"
Galley