The annual alumni day gives the UCLA baseball program a chance
to celebrate the tradition of Bruin alumni success in baseball and
other post-UCLA ventures, but Saturday’s festivities turned
into a more singular celebration ““ one of coach Gary
Adams.
Just having begun his 30th and last season at the helm, the
whole year will more or less be a celebration of Adams’
career. Saturday’s game emphasized this, as a
greater-than-usual turnout came to see old friends and pay their
respects to Adams.
“Gary always gave his all to the program and genuinely
cared about players’ development. It’s sad to see him
go, but it’s great to see everyone come back. It’s
going to be different next year,” said alumnus Jeff
Hirsh.
“There definitely is a bigger turnout with this year being
his last year,” alumnus Dave Penniall said.
The day started with a home run derby that wasn’t quite
what its name suggested. With the wind blowing in strongly, alumnus
Chase Utley of the Philadelphia Phillies captured the title in the
last at-bat, with the derby’s lone home run.
Following this were the “Old-Timers Game” and the
“New-Timers Game,” featuring alumni from the 1930s
through ’79 playing against those from 1980 through
’03. Both games ended in ties, 6-6 and 3-3.
Throughout these laid-back games, Adams narrated the action over
the loudspeakers, occasionally breaking into anecdotes about
players or pointing out friends in the stands.
The action broke for Adams to introduce the six new members of
the UCLA Baseball Hall of Fame, Ted Bashore, Floyd Chiffer, who is
second all-time in UCLA innings pitched, Pat Dodson, a former Red
Sox first baseman, Sam Lovullo, part of the first father-son Hall
combo, Ryan McGuire, first all-time in UCLA RBIs, and Tim
O’Neill, the only pitcher to pitch a shutout against USC.
“It’s just such a huge honor,” Chiffer said.
“I can’t express it in words, especially when I look at
the elite group of guys already in it. It’s
humbling.”
Then, the day’s highlight, the UCLA pros vs. the 2004 team
commenced.
Current major leaguers Eric Brynes, Todd Zeile, Dave Roberts and
Utley all played, while Eric Karros and Troy Glaus showed up, but
did not choose to participate in the game.
Like the previous games, this one also ended in a draw, 2-2,
after five innings.
Senior co-captain Brandon Averill and sophomore Hector Ambriz
drove in the two runs for the current Bruins, while Utley doubled
in both runs for the alumni team.
In Adams’ last alumni day as head coach, the three
games’ ties seemed fitting, as everyone went to the
night’s Hall of Fame banquet happy.