April 16, 2001

There is something magical about writing about baseball. The game has so many facets that run deep down into the heart of what it means to be a human being that the words just seem to flow from some author's pens right onto the page and into the minds of people who read them. I am not one of those writers.

This collection of articles has always been about the oddities that a Seinfeld like thinker picks up on while moving through the baseball world.

When I sit down to write however, I wish I could communicate the range of emotions, the demons and the joys of the game of the game I now play for a living. The problem with writing about the daily challenges and improvements is what I call the hydraulic theory.

In a steam engine, there is only so much water that can be used to provide the engine with steam. Once all the water leaks out, there is no running engine. I have come to find that writing about, or even talking about the daily mental grind is exhausting in and of itself. The worries, misconceptions, and new ideas that pop into mind everyday would be enough to write thousands and thousands of words per day. But the end result would be less energy to actually move through the day and move closer to the goal.

There should be no worry though to those faithful readers who check-in from time to time to see what the rambler has to say next, I am full of ideas and observations that can't possible drain any worthwhile energy, because the ideas are so inherently pointless. But that is the point, their lack of direction provides for a good outlet to expend mental energy without actually causing any harm.

One such idea, the entourage, has kept me busy off and on for the last year. The entourage is prevalent throughout Hollywood, pro athletics, and politics. Have you ever seen a politician walk through the hallway on TV with about 10 people following him? Those people are the entourage.

The idea of strength in numbers helps provide some reassurance to people who rely on their own self-confidence to accomplish success in their field. At times the most difficult aspect of their careers is continued belief in themselves and what they are doing. Everyone needs to hear how great they are every once in awhile in order to combat the constant nitpicking and ego trampling that goes on in the real world. The entourage can help to keep egos balanced and fully functioning.

I am positive that there is a direct correlation between the number and type of people in an entourage and the level of success one has experienced. For example, everyone can identify the typical one person entourage exhibited in kids sports, the ever-encouraging and enlightened football dad who can see no fault in his son's game represents the first in hopefully a long line of entourages.

Generally, the group gets bigger as the athlete enjoys more and more success, people like to be around people who are successful. In high school, I would expect the entourage to grow to a pitching or hitting coach, a parent, a high school coach, an agent, and probably a girlfriend. All of these people will hopefully share in the duties of keeping the superstar's ego high and his performance on track.

While the number of people seem a little outlandish for just a high school; imagine the amount of detractors an athlete could have in a given day. There are teachers who don't understand the demands of playing sports, administrators who don't like the attention, coaches from other sports who are jealous, other students who haven't accomplished anything, scouts who are convinced of the talent, siblings and the list goes on and on. So in a sense, the entourage does indeed balance out the cruel world even in high school.

College however, changes the dynamic of the entourage and forces players to reform their support system. Girlfriends, agents, coaches and other players all change. In fact, the location frequently changes as well so parents and private coaches can't have the same effect.

College changes everything, but in some ways makes relationships stronger. It is different for everyone I am sure, but I would have never made it through without the strong support of my family and personal pitching coach. Some guys have strong girlfriends, others have agents and others have strong coaching staffs behind them. I think that all of the dynamics can work, but they all have pitfalls.

Agents are only interested in players with big league futures and their support wavers when your numbers go down. Family is strong, but sometimes you need to hear positive talk from someone other than your mom or dad. Girlfriends can be pillars of support, but also be the most dangerous. Players have to find girls who know the difference between the subtle and mysterious behavior that leads to intrigue and wonder in a relationship and the girls who are completely self-centered and rude for the sake of being rude. The ins and outs of a relationship wreak havoc on players or send them to new levels of success or both.

In my short introduction into professional baseball last year, I saw the fully actualized entourage alive and breathing with some of the best players in the game.

You can tell what kind of player you are by the number of people who watch you throw a bullpen. Based on that little piece of wisdom, Randy Johnson and Todd Stottlemyre are two of the best pitchers in baseball.

The best entourage I have ever seen was Todd Stottlemyre's. He showed everyone in the minor leagues what it meant to be a big leaguer. He was down for a rehab assignment to pitch in two games and then go to the big leagues. While he was there he bought lunch for the players everyday and made sure everyone he talked to felt important.

Stottlemyre did travel with quite an entourage on his way out to warm-up for his first rehab assignment. At least eight people walked with him. Well not walk--they had to catch up as he rode in a golf cart.

As people begin to form around and watch the pitcher throw, the most important guy in the group has to be the guy who stands behind the plate with all the other onlookers and tells everyone how "dirty" or "nasty" the pitcher is after every pitch he throws. Most people can't really see a nasty breaking ball or a hanging breaking ball, so they all agree with the propaganda and public proof is established.

The other members of the entourage look up game times, acquire towels or Gatorade or talk to the pitching coach about the opposing team. If this is pulled off correctly it really is a thing of beauty. The pitcher can concentrate on what he does best and leave all the other smaller things to other people.

When you are being paid millions of dollars a year to pitch, or getting paid at all, your sole concern should be your performance.

So the next time you watch a press conference, or go to a game watch the entourage a little more carefully and see if you can guess what each guy's duty really entails.

You can contact Will Rosellini at Rumi54@aol.com.