Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 14, 1994 TAG: 9404140218
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-14 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By BRIAN DeVIDO STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DALEVILLE LENGTH: Medium
How about "tough"? Webster's gives us: "So strong and resilient as to withstand great strain without tearing or breaking."
That's fitting but maybe a bit too complex for Arthur, Lord Botetourt High School's ace pitcher.
How about "distressing"? "Causing misery, suffering or pain."
That may be closer to accurate. It was quite a distressing season for Arthur, who gave up five or fewer hits in three games last year - all losses. He lost a five-hitter to William Byrd, a four-hitter to Alleghany and, finally, a three-hitter to Byrd in a Blue Ridge District tournament semifinal.
Losing on three hits? When you pitch a three-hitter, you're supposed to be carried off the field by teammates and adoring fans.
Maybe "tough" does fit Arthur better, after all. Withstand great strain without tearing or breaking? Arthur didn't strain. The right-hander didn't say a word to his teammates about the lack of offensive and defensive support.
"You never saw any of that frustration," says Chuck Pound, Lord Botetourt's coach. "He never said anything to the guys who made errors and didn't get hits."
Why not?
"There's nothing you can really do about it," a reflective Arthur says. "If I don't pitch good, I don't want them coming up and saying something to me."
If Arthur's first pitching performance this season is any indication, the only thing his teammates will be saying is "Congratulations." Against Radford on March 25, Arthur threw a one-hitter in a 5-1 victory.
"He came up to me after he let up his first hit and told me the curve ball slipped out of his hand," Pound says.
Arthur, who is in his fourth season with the Cavaliers' varsity, says his pitching improved in American Legion ball last summer. He played for Roanoke North, a team that had former major league pitcher Al Holland as one of its coaches. Holland earned the National League's Fireman of the Year award in 1983, helping the Philadelphia Phillies reach the World Series.
"He just helped me with the fundamentals of pitching," Arthur says. "I learned how to use my legs more."
It's not that Arthur throws hard; he doesn't. At best, his pitches occasionally reach 80 mph. He's a breaking-ball pitcher who keeps hitters off-balance. When Pound first saw him, he compared him to Virginia Military Institute basketball player Bobby Prince, who pitched for Botetourt when Arthur was an underclassman.
"It's bad to compare, but at the time, Bobby Prince was our ace. He threw breaking balls, too," Pound says. "I thought right then he was another Bobby Prince. His work ethic has always been exceptional. I knew he was going to be good."
As a sophomore, Arthur went 3-0 with a 4.46 earned-run average. Last year, he was 4-4 with a 2.85 ERA and had 58 strikeouts in 46 innings. This year, he's hoping to keep the consistency of last year's efforts.
Arthur, unlike some high school hurlers, calls his own pitches. That's the way he likes it.
"If I call a pitch and throw a home run, it's my mistake," he says. "I have to live with it."
Pound visited the mound to talk to Arthur after the pitcher gave up a three-run homer in the district tournament loss to Byrd last year.
"I walked out to the mound and asked him what he thought," Pound says. "He told me, `I got myself into this mess. I'm going to finish it.' "
Pound pauses. Having Arthur around is kind of like Linus having his security blanket. He's dependable. Always there.
But like all high school athletes, Arthur gets only four years to play. Soon, his time will be up and he'll just be another fond memory on the baseball field, one of many who played hard and ran fast with youthful energy. It's a hard thing for players to accept, but sometimes it's tougher for the coaches who watched them grow as players and people.
"It's bad when the season's just starting and you're worrying about next year because he'll be gone," Pound says of Arthur. "You know he's going to be there and going to start, and you get used to it."
by CNB