Knudson: Reminiscing

By Mark Knudson, The Mtn. Insider
April 4, 2011

In a lot of interview situations, be it print, TV, radio, or whatever, the best discussion often comes when the microphones have been turned off. That’s what happened on Opening Day when I renewed acquaintances with a former college adversary, Kevin Towers, at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado.

Towers is in his first season as the general manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks, a team that already has a World Series title in its short history but whose recent play hasn’t been much to speak of. Prior to moving to the desert, Towers was the long-time GM of the San Diego Padres. A lot of water has gone under the bridge for both of us since we played college baseball against each other back in the early 1980s.

During my playing days at Colorado State – and yes, we did used to have a baseball program in Fort Collins – Kevin was a right-handed pitcher at BYU. Back then, the Cougars were to the WAC what TCU is to the Mountain West today. We were all chasing BYU before the first conference game was played, it seemed. Even after I threw a shutout in Provo during my sophomore season, we could never overcome BYU for the division title.

Kevin was an All-WAC performer and was later drafted in the first round by the Padres. He ended up playing seven seasons in the Padres farm system before injuries ended his playing career. After that, it was into coaching and scouting before starting his climb up the front office ladder. You don’t work your way up those steps and become a successful big league GM by not being able to remember important stuff from the past. In Towers’ case, he remembers everything, even the stuff that wasn’t so important.

I started our conversation with, “I don’t know if you remember this…” before Kevin responded, “I have a great memory…”

And he proved it.

After we’d finished our short TV interview for The Mtn.,I asked if he stayed in touch with some of the guys from his old college teams. Of course, he shot right back and he amazed me with his recollections.

Gary Pullins was the BYU baseball coach in those days and the program produced a lot of big leaguers - including current Cougar coach Vance Law. During the time Towers and I were suiting up for our schools, BYU was rolling out future MLB standouts like Wally Joyner, Cory Snyder and Rick Aguilera.

“I remember when Aggie (Rick Aguilera) was drafted in the second round by the Mets. It was like, ‘Holy Cow…,” Towers recalled. “He didn’t even pitch that much at BYU and then he becomes an All-Star.”

Some of the guys that didn’t make it big were an even bigger surprise to both of us as we reminisced, like left handed pitcher Peter Kendrick, who once beat Hawaii in the WAC playoffs by pitching both ends of a doubleheader - 16 total innings in the same day. While Kevin played with Kendrick in college, I was a minor league teammate of the crafty lefthander, and we both recalled he had the best pick off move either of us had - or have - ever seen.

Before we wrapped it up, Kevin remembered a guy who tried out more than once for the BYU baseball team, but, “was an awful baseball player” and never made the team. Good thing he could play a little football. His name? Jim McMahon.

“He tried out every year. Jim loved baseball. He came to all the games,” Towers recalled. “He just couldn’t play the game.”

Remembering that sort of information becomes sort of important when you’re in the talent evaluation business.

See all of Mark Knudson's blog entries HERE.