A storied rivalry will lose a lot of its luster after this
weekend.
UCLA baseball coach Gary Adams, who is retiring at the end of
the season, will coach his final UCLA-USC series, which begins
today.
He isn’t exactly too emotional about it.
“Honestly, I never even thought about it,” Adams
said. “I didn’t realize it until you told me.
“The way the standings are right now, I’m more
worried about getting ready for the weekend. I would like to beat
them again, but not because it’s the last time.”
Adams will go down as a legend in the UCLA-USC baseball rivalry.
He has coached the Bruins for the last 30 years, on top of playing
for four years at UCLA and being an assistant coach for another
two.
Granted, the Trojans dominated the rivalry at times during their
heyday (they have won 11 NCAA championships during Adams’
tenure).
But Adams’ Bruins usually hold their own in the rivalry,
in more ways than one.
Adams’ teams have produced as many professionals annually
as USC.
And for you naysayers out there, that doesn’t mean UCLA
should have been as good as USC.
Adams had to develop his talent. Long-time pros like Eric
Karros, Dave Roberts and Mike Magnante, among others, came to UCLA
as walk-ons.
UCLA holds the single-season record for most alumni in the
majors (20 in 1991) and only six were drafted out of high school
(almost all top collegiate players are drafted by a major league
team out of high school).
Adams has seen it all in the rivalry.
He has witnessed the legends come and go ““ Karros, Troy
Glaus and Tim Leary for UCLA and Mark McGwire, Randy Johnson and
Barry Zito for USC.
He has also seen plenty of classic games.
Take for instance one in 1976. The conference title came down to
the final day of the season. UCLA and USC were tied for first and
were set to play each other at Sawtelle Field (which later was
rebuilt as Jackie Robinson Stadium).
The Trojans took a 6-4 lead into the ninth inning with two outs,
but UCLA rallied to win.
“It was the miracle of Sawtelle field,” Adams said.
“Even the gophers were popping up out of the ground jumping
up and down, and we were partying on the field and in our homes
through the night.”
Adams was upbeat and emotional then, just as he is now. When you
talk to him in a non-game situation, he strikes you as the nicest
person in the world.
But he has been known to be loud at umpires and go crazy in the
dugout when his team wins or one of his players does something
remarkable.
An example was the classic 2001 game between phenom Mark Prior
and UCLA great Josh Karp, two of the highest-rated pitching
prospects in the country.
It was a pitchers’ duel that ended with Bruin Adam
Berry’s walk-off home run.
This year, the series is huge for both teams. With a month left,
the two rivals are tied for third in the Pac-10 standings, and a
series win could go a long way to ensure a NCAA regionals berth for
either team.
“This series is a lot bigger than normal,” Adams
said. “It can be a big momentum builder for our team.
It’s not do-or-die, but it can help us stay ahead of them
during the conference race.”
But what Adams won’t acknowledge is far greater than
anything that happens this season. This series means the end of an
era in UCLA sports history.
This weekend will be the last time the man behind countless
classic UCLA baseball moments and numerous successful pros may jump
up and down after a big win against his crosstown rivals.
Part of the rivalry dies this weekend.
E-mail Quiñonez at gquinonez@media.ucla.edu.