ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, November 17, 1996 TAG: 9611180107
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: BASEBALL
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
Brad Clontz is one local guy who didn't get a warm fuzzy feeling when the New York Yankees came from behind to win the World Series in dramatic fashion.
That's because he's the only local guy who happened to play for the losing side from Atlanta.
The former Virginia Tech pitcher from Patrick County made two appearances in the World Series and didn't figure into any outcomes (although he did offer a pitch to Charlie Hayes that resulted in the soft liner Ryan Klesko dropped in the fateful 10th inning of Game 4). Still, that didn't make it any easier to watch.
``Everybody tried to make it out like they deserved it and we didn't,'' said Clontz, who wasn't charged with a run in 2 1/3 innings of World Series work. ``It was so hard watching the guys. I didn't feel like I had any effect on the games. It was frustrating not being able to help win.
``I stressed out for a while. We were so close to winning it. If we had won Game 4, I believe we'd have come out and easily could've won the whole thing. We'd never have gone back to New York'' for Game 6. But after the Braves wasted a six-run lead in Game 4,`` the momentum left us and never came back,'' Clontz said.
Losing the Series in New York was a disappointment to Clontz, but pitching at Yankee Stadium in Game 1 fulfilled a boyhood dream.
``When I was a kid, I used to tell my parents that I was going to play for the New York Yankees,'' said Clontz, who will be spending much of the off-season in Blacksburg. ``There was never any doubt that was what I was going to do. It turned out for the better by playing for the Braves and winning the World Series in my first year'' in 1995.
Clontz had one of the best and worst seats in the House That Ruth Built. He saw all the action from the bullpen, but he received much of the venom from the Yankees fans sitting just above him.
``It was worse than you heard'' on TV, he said. ``They're the greatest fans in the world for the home club. For opposing teams, it's a nightmare. In the bullpen, they razzed you the whole game. Fifty or 60 people would be screaming their lungs out. For our part, we started saying things to them. I even started throwing baseballs to them. They thought I was cool after that.''
The Series provided a bitter ending to a season in which Clontz went 6-3 with a 5.69 ERA while leading the National League with 81 appearances.
``This is the first year in a while I haven't won anything,'' said Clontz. ``We won the International League championship when the big-leaguers were on strike [in 1994 with Class AAA Richmond], then you go back to last year when we won it all. It's the first time I've lost in years.''
WILLIAMS WAITING: Former Virginia Tech pitcher and Giles County resident Mike Williams is waiting to hear if the Philadelphia Phillies are going to offer him salary arbitration.
Williams' numbers (6-14 with a 5.44 ERA, 103 strikeouts and 66 walks) weren't very impressive for the last-place team in the National League East Division, but he set career highs in appearances (32), starts (29) and innings pitched (167).
``I didn't have that great a year,'' said Williams, however, ``I pitched some innings and stayed healthy. That's one plus for me. It depends on what they want to do - rebuild or go out and sign some big-name players.''
AVALANCHE NOTES: Dick Balderson, the Colorado Rockies' minor-league chief, said it's likely several pitchers from the 1996 Salem Avalanche will return next season, including Luther Hackman, Chandler Martin, Mike Vavrek, Steve Shoemaker and David Lee. Hackman, who tossed a no-hitter last season, still is high on Colorado's prospects list, but he needs to show more consistency and throw more strikes. ``Hackman showed signs of what he can do,'' said Balderson. ``But he also showed signs of what we didn't want to see. Luther's got to get with it a little bit.''
Balderson said catcher Blake Barthol, outfielder John Giudice, first baseman Nate Holdren and third baseman Tal Light will get a chance to stick with the Class AA New Haven (Conn.) Ravens next season. Giudice and Holdren finished the '96 season with New Haven. Shortstop Kyle Houser, second baseman Elvis Pena, center fielder Garrett Neubart, right fielder Chad Gambill and utility players Link Jarrett and Chan Mayber most likely will return to Salem.
Several players from the South Atlantic League's Asheville (N.C.) Tourists are expected to make an impact with the Avalanche next season, including third baseman Clint Bryant (.246, five homers, 30 RBI in 68 games), shortstop Brett Elam (.243, five homers, 37 RBI), catcher Ben Petrick (.235, 14 homers, 52 RBI) and pitcher Scott Randall (14-4, 2.74 ERA, 136 strikeouts in 154 1/3 innings). Former Alleghany High School and VMI star David Groseclose may get a chance with Salem after batting .244 as the Tourists' second baseman. Luis Colmenares, who began the season as Salem's closer before being converted into a starter with Asheville, probably will move back to the bullpen, Balderson said. Former big-leaguer Bryn Smith will be Salem's pitching coach next season. Bill Champion, who had coached Salem pitchers for two years, no longer is with the organization.
CAROLINA LEAGUE NOTES: Carolina League attendance was down 5 percent in 1996, from a record 1,816,193 fans in 1995 to 1,722,580. Salem and Kinston were the only clubs reporting an attendance increase. Much of the decline was blamed on poor weather early in the season and the fact that several teams broke franchise records in 1995. The Chicago White Sox moved their Carolina League affiliation from Prince William to Winston-Salem, N.C. Prince William will be a farm club of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1997, its fourth big-league parent club in the past 11 years.
WE KNEW 'EM WHEN: Former Virginia Tech slugger Kevin Barker made a smooth transition to pro ball with the Ogden (Utah) Raptors of the short-season Pioneer League. Barker, considered to be the finest power-hitting prospect in the Milwaukee Brewers' system, batted .317 with nine homers, 56 RBI, 19 doubles and four triples in 70 games. Radford University alumnus Duane Filchner hit .264 with seven homers, 82 RBI, 24 doubles and three triples in 477 at-bats with the Western Michigan Whitecaps of the Class A Midwest League. Phil Leftwich, the hard-throwing Radford alumnus from Lynchburg, pitched at three levels of the California Angels' organization during his disappointing season. He made two big-league starts before ending the season with Class AA Midland (Texas). He is considering pitching in Japan next season.
Former Hokie Bo Durkac had a solid season with the Visalia (Calif.) Oaks co-op team in the California League, batting .298 with 29 doubles and 81 RBI. Durkac is property of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Roanoke's Dee Dalton hit .238 with 17 doubles, six homers and 42 RBI for the Class AA Arkansas Travelers. Former Tech reliever Charlie Gillian led the Class A Fort Wayne (Ind.) Wizards with five saves.
LENGTH: Long : 116 linesby CNB