New UCLA baseball coach John Savage hired his second assistant
coach July 27 when he named Brian Green to the position. Green, who
previously was an assistant coach at Hawai’i for 11 years,
will serve as the team’s infield coach and may also focus on
the Bruins’ running skills. “Brian is a great addition
to the UCLA program,” Savage said in a statement. “His
knowledge of infield play, hitting and recruiting will benefit us
immediately.” Before coaching at Hawai’i, Green also
had brief coaching stints with Oregon State, Chapman, Cal Poly
Pomona, Riverside Community College and the Kenai Peninsula Oilers
of the Alaskan Baseball Summer League. “I am very excited to
have the opportunity to coach at a university with such a respected
academic and athletic tradition,” Green said in a statement.
“I am very much looking forward to working with John Savage,
Pat Shine (the other UCLA assistant coach) and all of our players
in the coming months.”
THAYER, KUNES BECOME ALL-STARS: Former Bruins
Matt Thayer, who finished his UCLA career in June, and Mike Kunes,
who played at UCLA from 2000 to 2003, were named to the Northwest
League’s Western Conference All-Star Team. The Northwest
League is an A-level minor league, and the league’s all-star
game will be played Tuesday. Thayer, playing for the Eugene
Emeralds, a San Diego Padres affiliate, has hit .304 with 17 RBI in
115 at bats. Kunes, pitching for the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, a San
Francisco Giants affiliate, has compiled a 1.83 ERA in relief.
KARROS RELEASED:Â Former Bruin and longtime
major leaguer Eric Karros was released by the Oakland A’s on
Thursday. The release came two days after the A’s designated
him for assignment, which means they had 10 days to either release
him, trade him, or send him to the minor leagues if he cleared
waivers. “The organization has been very accommodating with
me,” Karros told MLB.com. “You knew nobody was going to
try to trade for me, because then they’d have to take on the
rest of my contract (with the A’s).” Karros played for
UCLA from 1985 to 1988 and was famous locally during his stint as
the Los Angeles Dodgers’ first baseman from 1991 to 2002.
While Karros is currently without a team, the New York Yankees are
considering signing him, according to many New York newspapers.
Karros’ playing time diminished because Oakland first baseman
Scott Hatteberg was hitting well against lefties, a role Karros was
originally signed to fill.
VALENT HITS FOR CYCLE: Former Bruin Eric Valent
hit for the cycle ““ a single, double, triple and home run in
the same game ““ for the New York Mets in a 10-1 win over the
Montreal Expos on Thursday. Valent got the cycle on his final
at-bat, when he hit a triple down the right-field line. “A
triple is probably the hardest one to come by,” Valent told
NewYorkMets.com. “But when I hit the ball in the corner like
that, I knew I was going to third. I just wanted to hit the ball
hard. It was cool.” There aren’t a lot of guys who can
say they hit for the cycle, no matter how long they play.
It’s a lot of luck.” It was only the eighth cycle in
Mets history. Valent was an outfielder at UCLA from 1996 to
1998.