December 28, 2023

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

Former Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Reggie Smith and ex-umpire Dale Scott will highlight the group of speakers at the Prostock BC Coaches Convention Feb. 2-4.

Scott worked the plate for exactly 1,000 games in the majors from 1995 to 2017 when he retired.

Besides discussing rules there is little doubt as to the most questions coaches and fans will ask Scott about when they gather at the Langley Event Centre. He had the plate Oct. 14 at the Rogers Centre for Game 5 of the American League Championship Series as the Blue Jays hosted the Texas Rangers.

In the top of the seventh Jays C Russell Martin (Montreal, Que.) went to one knee as he tossed the ball back to RHP Aaron Sanchez. Except ... Martin’s throw hit the bat of Rangers outfielder Shin-Soo Choo and careened into no-man’s land, allowing 2B Rougned Odor to score the tie-breaking run with two out.

What ensued was the completion of a 56-minute inning ... which had police riot squads marshalling at Queen’s Park ... an E-6, an E-3, an E5 and a misplayed pop up which resulted in a run-scoring fielder’s choice ... and Jose Bautista’s three-run homer off Sam Dyson and triumphant bat flip. The bat toss was outrageous for the day and common place now.

* * *

Smith had 2,020 hits, playing a total of 17 years with the Boston Red Sox, the Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants. He may have played more games with the Red Sox, but my favourtie Smith story was when he was wearing Dodger blue.

The day the 1977 Dodgers opened their season-ending home stand -- three against the San Francisco Giants and four facing the Houston Astros -- the Dodgers P.R. machine kicked into high gear. A picture was taken of Steve Garvey, Ron Cey, Dusty Baker and Smith. The idea was all four would be 30-homer men. Each had already reached 30 homers, except for Baker, who was sitting on 29.

After Game 161 -- a game which Smith had taken Joaquin Andujar deep twice -- he entered the foyer and bumped into Astros ace J.R. Richard leaving the park. According to Baker, Smith told the 6-foot-8 Richard, “You should hear Dusty in our clubhouse, bragging on himself, how he’s going to hit his 30th tomorrow -- off you.”

“Thanks for the help, Reggie,’’ Baker remembered saying. “I had not been bragging but the pressure was on -- the Dodgers had already taken a picture of the four of us for publicity.”

Baker told manager Tommy Lasorda after his second at-bat: “I’m not going to get it.” Lasorda replied: “The Lord is testing you. He wouldn’t bring you this close to let you fail.”

Baker homered to centre field in the sixth inning with two out in the sixth to even the score at 2-2. He was replaced by Joe Simpson, now the excellent Atlanta Braves broadcaster.

Garvey finished with 33 homers, while Smith and Cey had 32 each. And with his homer in his final at-bat of the regular season, Baker hit the 30-home run mark.

Then, the Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies and went on to face the New York Yankees in the World Series. In Game 6 Reggie Jackson swung the bat three times and went deep to right off Burt Hooton in the fourth, went deep to right in the fifth facing Elias Sosa and in the eighth he took Charlie Hough out to deep, deep centre.

It was my first game at Yankee Stadium, but that’s a story for another day.

* * *

About 10 years ago we were in BC for the same popular convention. Returning from a clinic in Ladner, BC we were stuck in traffic. The convention director Mike Kelly was driving with Reggie Smith beside him in the front seat.

I was in the back with two American college coaches. Eventually someone came up with the idea to pass the time playing trivia.

About 10 minutes in, Smith asked, “Can anyone name the four Los Angeles Dodgers who hit 30 homers in the same season?”

Now, Baker had told me the story about Smith, Richard and his final at-bat homer when he was managing the Giants.

I blurted out … “I got it … Garvey, Cey, Dusty Baker, who almost didn’t get it because the guy in the passenger seat was teasing J.R. Richard … and the guy in the front seat.”

Smith asked, “Who told you that?”

* * *

The other featured speakers are:

_ Andre Lachance, former Baseball Canada business and sport development director as well as women’s team coach, who now hangs out with clowns as Cirque du Soleil as Human Performance Services director;

_ Brent Lavallee (North Delta, BC), manager, class-A Vancouver Canadians.

_ Brad Robinson (Coquitlam, BC), coach, Douglas College.

_ Paul Mrazek (Vancouver, BC) Cranbrook Bandits head coach and Northeastern Colorado Junior College strength and conditioning coach.

_ Michael Dagg (Cloverdale, BC), coach 15U Bantam AAA in Cloverdale.

_ Ron Maestri, former head of University of New Orleans Privateers (1972–1984, 2014–2015) athletic director (1979–2000).

_ Joe White, coach, Thunder Ridge High School, Denver, host of The People Progressing Podcast and author of ‘The 3 Ps: Finding Your Purpose, Perspective, & Passion!’

_ Ryan Harrison, co-founder of both SlowTheGameDown and Neurodynamic Vision, has worked with major-league teams.