During the long days and longer nights in the hospital, when he closed his eyes, Jeff Banister saw diamonds and baseballs. For the moment, Banister is indoors, in the visiting manager’s office at Dodger Stadium. Banister was hired in October after 29 years in the Pirates’ organization, during which time he did nearly everything but rip tickets at the box office. “He had held every position in the minor leagues that there is to offer,” Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. Eventually, he rose to bench coach, and Hurdle groomed him to become a manager. With the Rangers, Banister has married a new-school statistical approach with the touch of a baseball lifer. First baseman Prince Fielder says Banister trusts his players — a mix of older players with a gaggle of rookies — to be themselves. Fielder got up and pointed at the imaginary sniper he claimed took him down. Few know better than Banister of baseball’s joy, and the fissure it leaves when it is wrenched away. Doctors found cancer, and cysts led to an infection that ate at the bone marrow. The night before surgery was scheduled, he told his father he’d rather die than lose the leg. “You’re not going to take my leg,” Banister said to the surgeon. A stream of visitors and friends kept Banister positive, and after he’d recovered fully, his game was still sharp enough to make the team at Lee Junior College in Baytown, Texas. The fifth inning rolled around with a runner on third and less than two outs. There was a shallow flyball to right field, and the outfielder caught it flat-footed. Banister stationed himself in the baseline and anchored himself with his knee, thinking the runner would curl around him. When he came to, a coach was cradling his head, and blood was streaming down his face. In the hospital, his mother cut off his bloody uniform, and doctors put him in traction. After the initial worry that a wrong movement or a sneeze could lead to full paralysis or death, they removed bone from his hip to graft onto his spine. Apparently, the Pirates did not have much use for a light-hitting, defensive-minded catcher, but in his sixth season in the organization, the big-league club needed a temporary backup.
Comment on Manager’s long, dangerous journey to Texas
Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle: Sports
Sun, 07/05/2015 - 5:04pm
Welcome to Wopular
Wopular is an
online newspaper rack,
giving you a summary view of the top headlines from the top news sites.
Senh Duong (Founder)
Wopular,
MWB,
RottenTomatoes
MoviesWithButter : Our Sister Site
- "Expendables 4" Starts Shooting This Fall, Says Randy Couture at the Arnold Sports Festival more
- “Expendables 4” Gets Funding Interest from “Ip Man 3” Financier more
- "Ip Man 3" Distributor Suspected of Box Office Fraud, Parent Company Loses $200M in Market Cap more
- Yen Targets "Ip Man 4" for 2018 Release; Discusses Film with Director, Producer more
- "Ip Man 3" Shatters Expectations with $72M Opening [China Box Office] more