Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 16, 1995 TAG: 9504180073
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: E1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARK BULLOCK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
\ It is the goal of every pitcher on the Salem Avalanche roster to pitch at Coors Field, the home of the parent Colorado Rockies.
Barry Goldman wants to pitch there, too - again. But even if he doesn't, he has lived his dream, a dream relatively few baseball players at the Class A level will realize.
The fact that his dream was played out in his home state, 15 minutes from his house, before 50,000 of his closest friends, makes everything that much more gratifying. And all because he refused to give up. Because he wouldn't take no for an answer.
``It's something I'll never forget,'' Goldman said Friday after running wind sprints in the outfield at Salem Municipal Field. ``There was one out, the bases were loaded, in the top of the fourth. I jogged to the mound and [Rockies manager] Don Baylor handed me the ball. He said, `You know what to do, don't you? Get it done. Just take a deep breath and throw strikes.'
``I think I was fine until then. Then it hit me.''
Fifty thousand fans. The second game ever played at the new facility. Who cares if he was pitching to the replacement Yankees instead of Don Mattingly and Wade Boggs?
``I grew up going to Broncos games with 80,000 people,'' Goldman said. ``You never think you'd be on a field like that in front of all those people.''
And yet, there he was. A stone's throw from where he grew up in Englewood, Colo., and starred at Cherry Creek High School. Pitching in front of his family and friends, in a major-league stadium. Who cares if he was a replacement player? Not Goldman.
``It's hard to explain the feeling,'' the Avalanche reliever said. ``I'm just glad I never gave up the opportunity to play. It was an opportunity I couldn't afford to let pass by me.''
It was an opportunity that almost never came. Despite winning 30 games in his career at the University of Wyoming, Goldman was ignored in baseball's annual draft following his senior season in 1992. The Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves interviewed him, told him to stay in shape, said they'd get back to him. Nobody ever did.
``I just couldn't catch on,'' Goldman said. ``Finally, I just packed my car and moved to Arizona, hoping somebody would give me a tryout.''
Goldman got a job at a freight line company, loading trucks from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m.
``Then I'd go home and take a nap, and then work a double shift,'' he said. ``I did that for about six months.''
He was staying in shape, working out regularly. The company offered him a job as a sales representative, which paid what he considered ``good money.'' He started working days and bought a new truck. Everything was falling into place. Except he still wanted to play baseball.
So Goldman signed up for a city league and played nights. Then he heard about a tryout camp for the independent Northern League in Malibu, Calif. He went there and threw, and was invited back the next day to pitch in a scrimmage game. Finally he had caught somebody's eye.
``I was told there were 300 guys at that camp and that they drafted 10 guys,'' Goldman said. ``The Sioux City [Iowa] Explorers said they'd give me $700 a month to pitch for them, and I didn't think twice about it. I sold my truck, put my stuff in storage and headed out there.''
After a successful season, Goldman was invited to play winter ball in an independent league in Hawaii ``because they said I deserved a chance.'' There were four teams in the league made up of players from various organizations. It was invaluable experience and gave Goldman the break he needed.
The Rockies purchased the right-hander from the Honolulu Sharks in December.
``I learned a lot and learned it quick,'' Goldman said of playing winter ball. ``All the guys there are experienced players. I grew up a lot and learned to throw a good cut fastball that I didn't have before. That's my `out' pitch now.''
Baseball's labor unrest gave Goldman the opportunity in spring training that it gave all the replacement players: a chance to be seen.
``This was an opportunity to play before the major-league manager and pitching coach,'' Goldman said. ``You know, spring training seems like a long time, but you've got to do a lot in a short amount of time. I wasn't drafted. This gave the organization a chance to see me pitch.''
Goldman saw no stigma attached to being a replacement player and didn't hesitate when he was offered a chance to become one.
``They asked me to play and I said, `Of course.' That's what I wanted anyway. This is a childhood dream I've had all my life, and they're giving me the opportunity to prove what I'm capable of. They gave me a chance, and I'll be busting my [butt] to show them I belong.''
Through Friday, Goldman had pitched three innings in three Avalanche games, giving up no runs, two hits and striking out three. He is one of the team's closers and relishes the role, although his playing time has been limited because Salem has not had many close games.
``I prefer to come in during pressure situations,'' he said. ``But whatever they decide is best for me, I'll give 100 percent. I want to make it to the top, and I'll do anything I have to to get there. If they want me to pitch when we're 10 runs ahead or 10 runs behind, I'll do it.''
As willing as he is, Goldman realizes the one negative in his story is his age. At 25, he likely has less time to make it to the major leagues than do some of his 19- and 20-year-old teammates. Someday, he knows, he'll have to go back to a regular job. But that doesn't diminish his enthusiasm.
``You can always work for a living,'' he said. ``This is something you can't always do. I know what it's like to have a job, and I think that helps me appreciate baseball a lot more. I've always dreamed of this, and I plan to take advantage of it.''
That day at Coors Field, when Baylor handed him the ball with the bases loaded, Goldman did indeed know what to do. He had rehearsed the scenario countless times.
``I took a big, deep breath,'' Goldman said. Then he proceeded to make the dream a reality.
His first pitch was a fastball for a strike. The next one was a ball. The third pitch was a fastball, down and in, and the batter swung and missed. The fourth pitch was a little too good and was lined back through the box, ``right by my head'' and into center field, Goldman said. Two runs scored. The next batter grounded out to second, another batter walked to load the bases again, and Goldman got out of the inning by getting a fly ball to the outfield. He was lifted for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the inning.
His trip to the mound at Coors Field wasn't spectacular. It wasn't a storybook ending. But it certainly was exciting. And memorable.
``It was pretty neat,'' he said, grinning. ``Especially in front of your hometown. It's really hard to explain the feeling.''
Not really.
Keywords:
PROFILE
by CNB