Looking for that rare gem
Copyright © 2003 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
There are days when Dick Small is the center of attention, especially when he pulls out his gun.
Those would be the 70-degree days in late spring and summer when kicking back in the bleachers and watching a baseball game seems like the perfect way to spend an afternoon. Sometime around the third inning Small breaks his radar gun out of its case and points it at the kid on the mound. Questions usually follow.
"How fast is he throwing, mister? Is he up to 90?"
But there are other days when no one wants to know about pitching, hitting or anything else. Those are the 35 degree days in April when the stands are deserted except for a parent or two and Small.
"I remember going to a USM (University of Southern Maine) game and it was unbelievably cold," Small said. "I was dressed for it, though. USM was beating Western Connecticut 35-2 and I looked around and said. "Oh my God, I'm the only one here."
Small sees about 200 baseball games a year in Maine between early April and mid-October, putting nearly 40,000 miles in the process on his Honda Civic. He's been working for the Major League Scouting Bureau for 25 years, searching for hitters, pitchers and fielders at high school, college and American Legion games.
If you're a player, there's a good chance he's seen you or he's going to see you. His recommendation is shared with teams throughout the majors and brings scouts to the ball park.
"What we're looking for is a gem," Small said.
Gems are rare in Maine but they pop up every now and then, certainly at the University of Maine and USM, but also at high schools. Bangor High School's Matt Kinney broke 90 mph on Small's radar gun and today is pitching for the Milwaukee Brewers. Others, like Lisbon High's Jeremy Shorey and Jeremy Tardif of South Paris, signed minor league contracts but never made it to the big leagues. Small knows how long the odds are.
"It's like trying to get into Harvard, Yale and Princeton at the same time," he said.
Small, 61, played baseball growing up and was named an All-America quarterback at Augusta's Cony High School in 1959. He retired from teaching math and science at Jay High six years ago. In the winter, Small watches plenty of basketball. But baseball is definitely his game from Little League to the bigs.
"I'm a baseball fan," Small said. "I like to watch these kids grow. It's fun."
Small judges players on the five basic tools of the game — hitting, hitting for power, throwing, running and fielding. There are also variables, like character, poise and hustle. Go to enough games, talk to enough people and you learn quickly about a kid's character. Watch him play and other traits show up.
"You're looking for someone who's bold and brassy with no fear," Small said. "Someone who thinks they're good and knows they're good. We're not looking for the meek."
Because there are so few good players on one or two particular teams he's watching, Small says it's tough to match up good pitchers with good hitters, making it hard to accurately gauge talent. The radar gun and the stop watch help, although they don't reveal everything.
"My boss, Lennie Merulo, said based on what we do, Pete Rose never should have made it," Small said.
The majors are filled with guys too small or too slow who find ways to get the job done, just as there are thousands of can't-miss prospects who never made it out of Single A. That's why Small keeps looking.
"Sometimes, I'm pleasantly surprised," he said. "Some of them just come right out of the woodwork. All of a sudden they just blossom."
He also just likes to look.
"How can you beat going to the ball park?" he said.
Gary Hawkins — 621-5638
ghawkins@centralmaine.com