March 20, 2020

By J.P. Antonacci

Canadian Baseball Network

Plenty of major league draft picks have come out of British Columbia. Mike House was one of the first.*

The Toronto Blue Jays took the promising 18-year-old in the seventh round of the 1985 January Draft, which also made House the first Canadian drafted by a Canadian team.

“I was a celebrity for a week,” House said of the reaction in his hometown of Victoria. “It was a pretty big deal back then.”

His getting drafted was part of a growing awareness in baseball circles that there was talent to be found north of the border.

“Hey, Canadians could play,” he said.

Anyone who had seen the slugging first baseman House launch baseballs out of Little League parks already knew that.

“When you hit the ball just right, you get this brief moment of euphoria,” House said. “It’s very primal. It’s hard to compare to anything else.”

A cross-border team trip to the Kingdome in Seattle turned a boy’s love for the game into single-minded determination to succeed.

“As luck would have it, I was up in the left field concourse during batting practice. A guy hit a ball up there and I caught it,” House said. “I was a quasi-hero among my group.”

Back home in Victoria, he dedicated himself to one day playing in the major leagues himself.

“That became my first recollection of (thinking) ‘this is my life – this is what I’m doing,’” he said.

House’s passion sometimes spilled over into anger. A strikeout could lead to a hurled helmet or a bat snapped over his knee. Miles Webster, his coach in the Victoria Senior Babe Ruth Baseball League, smoothed out the talented teenager’s rough edges.

“Probably more than anything was the mental part of the game,” House said of Webster’s influence. “I was a bit of a hothead, and I don’t know if he tempered me too much, but he did enough to get me looked at in college and the pros.”

When he wasn’t shutting opposing batters down as a left-handed pitcher, House patrolled first base – with a smattering of shortstop and outfield – and developed his fearsome power stroke.

“I played amateur ball with Larry Walker,” he said. “One summer we played a tournament in Grand Forks, BC. In a game against the NAIA champion Lewis-Clark State Warriors – imagine us being a bunch of 17, 18-year-old kids against a college powerhouse – Larry hit two home runs that still haven't landed and I threw a two-hit shutout.”

A few months after the 1984 Grand Forks International, House was pitching in a gym at Bellevue Community College in Washington State in front of a Blue Jays scout.

“I was throwing 85 with a lot of movement, as a left-hander, in a gym in December, and they drafted me based on that,” he said.

“That’s what made me the bar trivia answer that I am to this day – first Canadian drafted from BC drafted by a Canadian team.”

House didn’t sign with the Blue Jays, instead transferring from Bellevue to Lewis-Clark as a first baseman.

“My heart was in hitting,” he said. “I wanted to play every day.”

The late Steve Hodges, a future Baseball Canada alumnus then at Lewis-Clark, convinced House that he was talented enough to make the jump to a more competitive collegiate level.

“You talk stepping it up,” House said, describing showdowns against John Olerud’s alma mater, Washington State, and other top baseball programs.

“There was a tremendous amount of competition internally,” House said.

After two seasons – the first as a hitter, the second as a pitcher – it became clear to coach Ed Cheff that despite House’s exemplary work ethic, he wasn’t going to see much playing time as a senior.

“In all honesty, I struggled both years,” said House, who jumped at Cheff’s offer to connect him with Pat Kuniyoshi, head coach at Hawaii Pacific. Two days later, he was on a plane to Honolulu with a full scholarship in tow.

A SLEEPER PROSPECT

Everything clicked for House in Hawaii. He was the school’s Male Scholar Athlete of the Year and an NAIA All American. Over one 10-game stretch he hit .529 with a couple of homers. That was enough for Minnesota Twins area scout Jay Robertson, who drafted House in the 18th round (477th overall) of the 1989 MLB Draft.

“That was an amazing draft,” House said of group that included future stars Frank Thomas, Jim Thome, Jeff Bagwell, Trevor Hoffman and Olerud.

“I thought going in the 18th round was an honour. I was pretty happy with that.”

Though the $2,500 signing bonus wasn’t life-changing, House was on his way to living out his childhood dream. He soon found himself sitting across from Robertson and Twins manager Tom Kelly, signing his first professional contract.

“Coolest thing ever,” he said.

His first assignment was to the Elizabethton Twins of the Rookie-class Appalachian League, and the 21-year-old came to play.

“It sounds like bragging, but I dominated that league,” said House, who wasted little time in making his presence felt.

He’d ended his college career with a home run and started his pro career the same way, drawing two walks before blasting a 3-1 pitch far over the left-field fence in Johnson City.

“That one swing put me on the Twins’ radar,” he said. “I became known as a sleeper.”

House’s prospect status was cemented after he won the league batting title by hitting .376 over 63 games, vying for the Triple Crown with 12 homers and 68 RBIs.

Displaying a keen batting eye, he drew 42 walks against 43 strikeouts.

His performance at Elizabethton earned him a trophy from Louisville Slugger for winning the batting title and an invite to Minnesota’s instructional league games, which House called “the most amazing baseball I’ve ever played in my life.”

Suiting up alongside the likes of Gary Gaetti, Chili Davis and Kevin Tapani, he squared off against top players from Atlanta and Montreal, including future Hall of Famers Tim Raines and Walker.

“Everybody watched him hit and said ‘this guy’s a big-league player.’ It was unreal,” House said of Walker. “It was just really cool to be in this environment, playing on the same field with these big names.”

It had been a gamble to go back to school after being drafted by Toronto, but House was thrilled with how things had turned out.

“I knew when I signed (with Minnesota) and started playing that I’d made the right decision,” he said. “I would’ve kicked myself if I’d never got that second opportunity.”

House garnered some media attention as one of three Minnesota batting champions in 1989, along with Scott Leius in double-A and all-star outfielder Kirby Puckett, whose .339 average led the majors.

He was riding a wave of confidence as he moved up to class A-Advanced Visalia the following spring. But injuries cut into his playing time and hampered his batting average. Then his brain turned against him.

“I began to put a lot of artificial pressure on myself to pick it up,” House said. “Nobody else on the team seemed to have a problem with my production, but I did. So I began to do stupid things that made it worse.”

House’s hotheaded streak resurfaced, resulting in more slammed helmets, snapped bats and angry words.

“My aggressive nature worked against me at the end of my career,” he said, recalling one spring training incident that raised the ire of Twins manager Tom Kelly.

“I went to the dugout and kind of threw my helmet on the ground a little harder than I should have. He said, ‘What’s the matter, House? Did your helmet strike out?’”

House didn’t win another batting title with Visalia, but he slashed a respectable .266/.354/.744 in 88 games, knocking 10 balls over the fence and driving in 42. His batting eye slipped a bit, as he walked 38 times against 83 strikeouts.

Combining his two minor league seasons, he hit .312 over 151 total games (627 plate appearances), getting on base at a .407 clip and recording an OPS of .898, with solid power numbers.

“I’d put my stats from my first two minor league seasons against anybody’s. I was good,” House said. “But when you’re not psychologically there every night, that weeds you out.”

PLAYING CHICKEN

While in the California League, House experienced the most memorable moment of his career, one that sparked a most unlikely friendship.

The Twins were in Riverside playing the Red Wave, and there wasn’t an empty seat to be found.

“I’m not going to tell you that there were 20,000 people in the stands, but it felt like it,” House said. “The energy was thick.”

The sold-out crowd was there to see a ballgame, certainly. But they were also there to see the Chicken. San Diego’s famous mascot had made the trip to give the Padres’ minor league fans a treat, and everyone was swept up in his act.

House started the game strong, with two singles. Before his third at-bat, the Chicken – portrayed for over 40 years by Ted Giannoulas of London, Ont. – recruited House for the “Rocky” routine. The gimmick was that the Chicken knocked down a few opposing players and then set his sights on his real target. At six foot five and nearly 250 pounds, with towels stuffed down his shirtsleeves to further accentuate his muscles, House made for an imposing foe.

As the leadoff hitter dug in, House found himself toe to toe with the mascot. The Chicken mock-punched him in the gut, and while he was doubled over, the mascot whirled around a few times before landing an uppercut that sent House flying. The crowd went bananas.

The only problem was that the batter had grounded out on the first pitch. House was up. He sprang to his feet, pulling out the towels as he hurried to the plate.

“I went to 3-1 and then hit the longest home run of my career,” House said.

The ball sailed over the netting in the outfield and disappeared into the night.

“My manager looked at me like, ‘Are you kidding me?’” he said.

As he rounded the bases, he caught opposing manager Bruce Bochy’s bemused eye in the Riverside dugout.

“And the Chicken’s standing at the plate, tapping his foot and looking at me with attitude, sort of a ‘how dare you’ look,” House said. “It was the most amazing thing that ever happened to me on a baseball field.”

Back in the dugout, he got the silent treatment for a few seconds before being mobbed by his teammates.

“It was quite a moment,” said House.

Years later he emailed Giannoulas, who remembered House’s home run. The two have been in touch ever since and make a point of meeting for dinner when House is in San Diego.

THE REAPER CALLS

After House’s eventful summer in Visalia, the Twins inked him to a double-A contract for the 1991 season, with an invite to spring training.

“So that should have told me that I was still a contender. But I was one of those guys who just didn’t believe it,” he said.

To make matters worse, he hurt his shoulder while body surfing in Hawaii over the winter. It was a Grade 4 separation – to this day, his clavicle sticks up at an odd angle – and surgery didn’t go well. So House had the screw that had been holding his shoulder together taken out and he tried to rehab the injury. Most of his strength came back, but his twitch muscles remained sluggish. And that showed once he stood in against major league pitching in Fort Myers.

“I was late on the fastball, ahead of the curveball. Kind of making a jackass of myself,” he said.

House’s day of reckoning came that spring. The Twins sent a split squad to play the White Sox in Port Charlotte and House had the start at first. He was scheduled to have two at-bats.

“In my second at-bat, I swung at a high fastball and missed it. And my arm just exploded,” he said. “I cannot even describe the pain my shoulder felt. But, being a competitor, you stay in the at-bat.”

He hit the next pitch, a slider, weakly to shortstop and then headed to the batting cage, his face betraying no sign of the excruciating pain.

“My shoulder hurt so bad that I couldn’t pick up a ball and put it on the tee,” House said. “I took two swings and knew I was screwed.”

House said little on the bus ride back to Fort Myers. The next few days were filled with consultations with various doctors, all of whom delivered the same pessimistic message. Finally, Minnesota farm director Jim Rantz, whom the players nicknamed “The Grim Reaper,” beckoned House over.

“He says to me as I come in, ‘Mike, come see me after your shower.’ Which is code for ‘you’re done,’” House said.

It was a medical release, and House quietly left the park after bidding his coaches farewell.

“I was given every opportunity to succeed,” he said. “I can’t blame the Twins at all.”

ONE LAST SHOT

That might have been the end of House’s baseball story. But stubborn ballplayers don’t say die that easily. After another shoulder surgery, House latched on with a semipro team in southern California, intent on showing the baseball world – and himself – that he had more hits in him.

“I still felt I was worthy,” he said.

He raked in the independent league and then sent inch-thick binders with all his news clippings to every major league team, along with a cover letter that declared: “You’re all on notice. I’m back. Sign me now.”

Most teams ignored the package. A few sent House invites to a mini-camp. And then Cincinnati Reds farm director Jim Bowden called offering a minor-league contract and a plane ticket to spring training.

House was optimistic, but whatever confidence he had regained by teeing off against semipro pitching vanished after standing in against Reds starters like 1990 World Series MVP Jose Rijo.

“What I learned was that I was still good in batting practice, but I still had the same problem. The twitch muscles never came back,” House said.

“I wasn’t the same player. I was damaged goods. That was the end of my career.”

His comeback attempt was aborted, but House had no regrets about giving his dream another shot.

“Baseball really does tell you (when you’re through),” he said. “I’m always grateful to the Reds for giving me the opportunity. I kind of felt like I had unfinished business with the Twins.”

Still only in his mid-20s, House suddenly needed a job. He had a management degree from Hawaii Pacific and found work in the insurance business.

“I would joke that people used to want my autograph. After I became an insurance adjuster, the only people who wanted my autograph were on a cheque,” he chuckled.

He and his wife Kathy settled in Nevada to raise their son Jake, now 22. Eventually House went into business for himself, opening a construction company that now employs close to 80 people. He says he routinely applies the wisdom he learned as a ballplayer to running his business.

“It’s all about the mentality – trying to pick yourself up when you fall down,” he said. “I try to use those mistakes I made as a ballplayer in similar situations to be better in my problem solving.”

House is proud to be one the first of many talented players to be drafted out of British Columbia. He cheered from afar when his former teammate Walker was chosen to be enshrined at Cooperstown at about the same time that Patrick Mahomes, son of House’s former Twins teammate Pat Mahomes, was leading the Kansas City Chiefs to a Super Bowl win.

“And I’m here on my couch,” House said with a laugh. “At least you can say you know these guys.”

It’s been close to 30 years since he last put on a professional baseball uniform, but to his amazement House still hears from fans who remember his career.

“It’s bizarre. I get between two to six letters a year looking for an autograph,” he said.

“It’s pretty cool.”

*The first BC player ever drafted was INF Jim Chapman (Victoria, BC). He went in the third round, 57th overall, by the California Angels in the January draft from Columbia Basin in 1970. He didn’t sign, went to Washington State and was signed the next year by the Montreal Expos as a free agent. Chapman played four seasons in the minors, peaking in 1974 with the triple-A Peninsula Whips.