The scene resembled a city rec softball practice - minus the beer bellies and casual conversation. One prospect sported khaki-colored jeans and others opted for baggy sweat pants, but this was no informal gathering.
The occasion was Missoula's first pro baseball tryout in nine years, hosted by the Arizona Diamondbacks and their Rookie League affiliate, the hometown Osprey. A line from the movie “Invincible” came to mind: Even if you're down there for an hour, you're down there.
Throws from shortstop to first often sailed high and wide or skipped in the dirt. A hard-luck volunteer at first appeared helpless without a ladder and Gumby arms. A sportswriter was spotted moving to a different seat to avoid a shot to the skull.
Florence's Tony Isbell, the area's unofficial “Crash” Davis of tryouts, took timeout from his warm-up to recall his favorite rib-tickler on a pro proving ground.
“I actually saw a guy trip and fall when he was running a 60 (-yard dash),” said the Dickinson State hurler on the subject of an all-too-familiar tryout test. “It's pretty embarrassing. Do you keep running? He didn't know what to do.
“This is my sixth tryout in the last two years, and I wouldn't necessarily say that's a good thing. You learn you can't hump up and try to overpower, doing things you don't normally do. Stay within yourself.”
Some say the Diamondbacks' 1999 tryout in Missoula was more of a publicity stunt. Wednesday's was limited to players ages 16-21 (with a few exceptions).
Two scouts made the trek to Garden City in hopes of signing a ringer. Montana is not exactly a hotbed for baseball prospects, but there are needles in the haystacks, according to Jim Dedrick, Northwest area scout for the Diamondbacks.
“This is one of the great areas in the country to still find them because the area is so big,” said Dedrick, who drove over from Seattle. “Southern California, you're not going to hide anybody.
“There's some interesting kids here.”
One of those was power pitcher Doug Lefler. Yes, the same Lefler from Frenchtown who threw the javelin in the Olympic trials earlier this month.
Others had their moments, including former Missoula Maverick and minor leaguer Blake Honey.
“Realistically, are we going to sign anybody? No. Probably not,” said Osprey vice president/general manager Matt Ellis, whose words proved prophetic. “But we might get some kids into the system who might get drafted someday.
“There's probably some kids here that are over their head in terms of the level, but it's still fun doing something they always felt they could do. Maybe we'll help a 16-year-old five years down the road.”
Times have changed in major league baseball. With a glut of showcase events, scouts can scour an entire region in a weekend.
“But we do try to do a few of these spots where there's no baseball in rural areas,” Dedrick said.
Thirty-five players participated in the tryout. The manageable number enabled scouts to give everyone a chance to pitch, hit and field - even if their 60-yard sprint time was nowhere near the target of 6.6 seconds.
Anyone who has ever sported stirrups dreams of the day he'll catch the eye of a pro scout. Those dreams die hard for many, including 20-year-old Danny Belet, who took a break from Marine officer candidate school to attend the tryout.
“You just try to dig in the old claws and bring back all the things you learned in the last couple of years and see what you've got,” said the leadoff hitter for Whitworth College. “If they don't talk to you, at least you tried.”
And you've got a great story to embellish for your grandchildren.
Sports columnist Bill Speltz can be reached at 523-5255 or bill.speltz@lee.net.
Watch a video about the Arizona Diamondbacks July 23 open tryout in Missoula.
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