Sports Radio Service


		ETWN visits the Cactus League; Bud bids farewell to Kuhn By Daniel Dullum March 12, 2007

	PHOENIX, Ariz. – Media attire at spring training is decidedly casual to begin with, but Father Francis Mary Stone took it to a new level without really trying. It wasn’t hard to miss Father Francis and his video crew set up outside the batting cage at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. He was wearing a traditional, Catholic habit and sandals while conducting interviews of Oakland Athletics players and employees for his cable television show, “Life on the Rock,” which appears weekly on Birmingham, Ala.-based EWTN. His habit is brown, and though it was St. Patrick’s Day, there was no green to be found – traditional all the way. “It’s Franciscan habit. It’s basically sackcloth. I wouldn’t say comfortable is the operative word. It’s not uncomfortable, but it works,” Father Francis explained on a 100-degree afternoon. “As they say, ‘No pain, no gain. No cross, no crown. You get used to it, like so many things in life.” Father Francis explained that the habit is designed like those worn by St. Francis, the founder of their community, back in the 13th Century. “He wanted to give everything to Jesus Christ,” he said. “He wanted nothing on earth. So he lived radically in poverty. “Obviously, we don’t live as radically in poverty as he did, but we wear a habit that gives witness to who we are as Catholic priests,” he continued. “All of us in the community wear this. I’m one of the oldest at 46, but our average age is in the mid-20s. There’s a real renewal of young men really wanting to live a radical call to the Gospel. We’re trying to get that word out, and what better way to do it than somehow in the media.” Father Francis said “Life on the Rock” is targeted for a younger audience, and feels that exposing their audience to the spiritual ideas expressed by major leaguers can only help spread their message. “That’s why we’re here,” he said. “What better way than to show guys who have fame, fortune, money, power, all these kinds of things and pointing out that God is No. 1 in their lives. People are into sports, and there are a lot of good Catholic players coming out of the closet, as I say, talking about their Catholic faith. “We want to show that ‘Hey, young men, young women, it’s cool to be Catholic, and it’s cool to live out the Gospel as best you can. Religion isn’t for wimps. It’s tough to live in this culture and you have to have God as No. 1.” Last spring, Father Francis made the rounds of the Grapefruit League in Florida, and chose to do the same this spring at three Phoenix-area training sites in the Cactus League. So far, Father Francis has scored interviews with A’s DH Mike Piazza, Mike Sweeney of Kansas City and Jeff Suppan of Milwaukee. “They’re more than willing to come out and talk about the role of the Lord in their lives, and what a gift their Catholic faith is in their life if you just ask them.” Along that angle, Father Francis was on hand before the Athletics faced Milwaukee in a Cactus League contest, looking for A’s players, coaches, broadcasters, behind-the-scenes employees, anyone willing to discuss their Catholic faith on camera. After interviewing Steve Vucinich, the Oakland equipment manager, someone from the A’s dugout yelled, “You didn’t lie about what you gave up for Lent, did you?” But Father Francis was having good luck with his project, and clearly enjoyed speaking to a succession of Oakland personnel ranging from Piazza to A’s broadcaster (and former catcher) Ray Fosse to post game radio host Robert Baun. “We’re fans, too. We’re human,” he said. “We need to have good recreation in our lives. I love all sports, and for me, it’s a natural fit to be with these guys. We naturally click, almost. I never made it to the pros; obviously, God had other plans for me. But it’s a great thing being out here, being a part of it.” Father Francis admits “it’s a big kick” for him to interview major league players for his show, adding, “You see the humanity of them. It’s not unlike where people look at priests and think we’re unapproachable, and it’s the same with these athletes. When you get to know them, talk with them and hang with them a little bit, you realize, ‘They’re people.’ “It’s always dangerous when we hold anybody besides Christ up as an icon who’s unapproachable. Even Christ himself was very approachable.” One of the camera crew experienced a level of positive approachability herself while having a friendly chat with Piazza near the Athletics’ dugout. When she asked Piazza about the biggest home run he ever hit, the veteran catcher smiled and told her, “They’re all big home runs to me. To this day, when I hit one, my feet don’t touch the ground.” After taking time to sign autographs for a group of small kids (along with teammate Dan Johnson), Piazza gave Father Francis an enthusiastic interview on a subject that’s generally far afield from those he used to be quizzed on from the New York tabloid media. “It’s not really that far removed,” Piazza said. “I love my faith, I’m proud to be Catholic, and I grew up in a strong Catholic household. It’s who I am, it’s a part of me and I enjoy it. It gives me strength and has allowed me to achieve a lot in baseball.” After achieving all-star status and the lifetime record for home runs hit by a catcher as a National Leaguer, Piazza is adjusting to the newest chapter of his career – serving as a designated hitter in his first American League season. So far, Piazza is hitting .520 as the Oakland DH. He hit a home run in the A’s 11-4 loss to Milwaukee. “It’s been comfortable so far,” Piazza said. “It’s not going to be easy because I’m so used to being in the game. But you know what, it’s something I’m enjoying. Obviously it’s not as physical as catching. I just want to be consistent at the plate and hit the ball hard, blend into this lineup and hopefully, do my job.” At the same time, Piazza admits that he’ll miss catching “a little bit, sure.” He explained, “I’ll always be a catcher at heart, so I’ll still enjoy watching catching and being part of the meetings and stuff. I know what my job is now, and it’s a big responsibility.” After playing most of his career for high-profile franchises like the Dodgers and Mets, Piazza left San Diego after one year with the Padres to join Oakland. He’s finding the positive vibe of the A’s locker room to his liking. “It’s a great clubhouse,” Piazza said. “Guys are laid back, they’re a lot of fun and I just really enjoy being around them. So you can see why they win here. Their attitude is to have a lot of fun with the game. They expect to win now.” Words to which both Oakland general manager Billy Beane and manager Bob Geren can say, “Amen to that.” The Commissioner salutes Bowie Kuhn MLB Commissioner Bud Selig was among those in attendance for Saturday’s Milwaukee-Oakland exhibition game. Selig, a former owner of the Brewers, said he would be flying to Florida Tuesday for the funeral of former commissioner Bowie Kuhn, who died last Thursday at age 80. “It was a tough week for me,” Selig said, remembering one of his first encounters with Kuhn. “Bowie called me about three days into the season and said, ‘We have a Major League meeting in New York.’ I was so excited I didn’t ask what it was about. “I got there, and he put me right between Gussie Busch and Phil Wrigley. I was 35 years old. The meeting was all about labor. Gussie had broken his ankle and I’ll never forget this if I live to 100 – he was pounding his cane and I thought I was going to get caned before the day was over! It was all about the pension fund. I remember John Fetzer, who was my mentor; I always flew back to Detroit with him. We’d gotten to know each other pretty well and he was going to explain what was happening at each meeting to me. He said, ‘Young man, you look stunned.’ Then later, when I got back to Milwaukee, I asked my dad, ‘What the hell did I get myself into?’ “Things never got better for about 25 to 28 years.” Selig first met Kuhn during the 1965 anti-trust trial in which the National League was defending the Milwaukee Braves’ move to Atlanta. A group of Milwaukee businessmen led by Selig tried unsuccessfully to block the move. “It was the first time I was ever in a courtroom. It was 1965, I was 31 years old. Bowie was a big, imposing figure and had me on the stand – he was cross-examining me. But we became friends, and once we got the team, Bowie really had a soft spot for Milwaukee. He came there a lot, and came to many of our spring trainings. I always felt that Bowie felt badly about what happened [with the Braves], and that was his way of atoning.” Selig pointed out that Kuhn was commissioner during one of the most volatile 15 year periods in baseball history – 1969 to 1984. “The upheaval was tremendous,” Selig said. “Nobody could love the game more than he did. Nobody had more integrity. I thought some of the press accounts of his commissionership were kind of tough. Bowie really cared about the game. He had a lot of political problems, and being the commissioner when Charles Oscar Finley was running wild was not easy. “But I meant what I said in my statement,” he continued. “The sport had been stuck in neutral for a long time. Pete Rozelle took the NFL in the 1960s and really built it up. In baseball, there were certain things that happened and didn’t happen. It was resistant to change. Now change started, and people didn’t know how to handle it. Bowie was the commissioner through all of it. “I think many of the seeds for what we have now were planted during the Kuhn era and he will never get credit for it. But he should.” “My wife and I spent a lot of time with the Kuhns over the years. In fact, we used to rent a house right out here [in Phoenix], with the Kuhns and [former Giants owner] Bob Lurie for two to three weeks. I talked to one of his kids the other day, now I’m going to Florida. I’m saddened.” Asked if Kuhn’s passing made him wonder about his own legacy, Selig said, “I don’t think about it. As you know, I’m a history buff – right now I’m reading Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “The Kennedys & The Fitzgeralds” – I’m kind of concerned, but once I’m done, I’ll let historians decide that. I’m proud of where we are today, I know we had to go through a lot of hell to get there. “I think everybody who was in the sport in the ‘90s is stunned – including me – that we’ve had 16 years of labor peace. I’ve had professors call and talk to me about it. I’ll let the historians analyze things.” The commissioner noted that he was “happy” that the Athletics worked out a stadium deal to remain in the Bay Area, and that he’d been talking with Lew Wolff and the A’s management about the new stadium plans. “Every stadium deal is heartache and really difficult. But they seem to be making good progress, so I’m hopeful.” Giants win 12th spring game, Lowry roughed up by KC San Francisco is 12-9 in Cactus League action following a 6-5 win Sunday over Kansas City in Scottsdale. The Giants pushed the winning run across in the bottom of the ninth when Frederick Lewis singled, went to second on a throwing error, and, when Jason Ellison bunt singled to third base, scored on another throwing error. Barry Bonds, who has hit four home runs this spring, was given a three-day break from training and is scheduled to return Tuesday. Giants starting pitcher Noah Lowry had his worst outing of the spring, lasting 3 1/3 innings, and throwing 83 pitches. Going into Sunday’s games, Giants OF Jason Ellison leads the Cactus League with a .486 average and .558 on-base percentage. OF Todd Linden is tied for Cactus League lead with 18 hits and 28 total bases. SS Omar Vizquel is 10-for-19 in his last seven games. Spring Training Quiz: Q: If you’re the Oakland Athletics, how do you cash in on St. Patrick’s Day merchandise when you team colors already include green? A: Attach a while clover leaf to an adjustable cap and sell it for $20 as “limited edition.” Daniel Dullum writes a weekly column on MLB for Sports Radio Service, and appears on Sports Talk.