Davis Relishes Special Season
by Doug Krikorian, Long Beach Press-Telegram
May 6, 2004 There was no one who had a closer glimpse of the greatness of Sandy Koufax than John Roseboro, who, after all, served as his catcher when Koufax was dispensing his memorable magic for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Tim McCarver had a similar experience in his career, since he caught Bob Gibson when he was with the St. Louis Cardinals and then Steve Carlton when he was with the Philadelphia Phillies.
A catcher, of course, has the most thankless, grueling task on a ball field, as he must crouch on every pitch, as he continually gets struck on various parts of his anatomy by foul balls, as he so often gets bowled over at home plate by charging baserunners.
But a catcher is vital to the success of a baseball team, and seldom does one emerge victorious in the World Series without having a quality one, as certainly was the case last fall when Ivan (Pudge) Rodriguez triggered the Florida Marlins to their stunning upset of the New York Yankees.
What enhances the profile of a catcher even more is if he's fortunate enough to work with a dominant pitcher, as Rodriguez did with Josh Beckett and as Roseboro and McCarver did with Koufax, Gibson and Carlton.
Well, the Long Beach State 49ers, aka the Dirtbags, have an impressive 31-12 record this season, and, by the sheerest coincidence, they happen to have an extraordinary catcher, Mr. Brad Davis, to go with their storied pitcher, Jered Weaver.
Davis has been overlooked in the hysteria surrounding Weaver, but he's been performing at such a high level that he's a serious candidate to win the Johnny Bench Award, a honor bestowed on the top collegiate catcher.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound junior from Mission Viejo is leading the 49ers in hits (55), and is second in batting average (.344), second in runs (33), third in RBI (27) and even tied for first in stolen bases (four).
Catchers are invaluable commodities, and you'd think one of Davis' caliber he also has three home runs and six doubles would be receiving widespread recognition.
But on this 49er team, in the Spring of Jered Weaver when the right-handed phenomenon has a 12-0 record, a 1.42 ERA and 145 strikeouts in 95 innings, Brad Davis has become one of the spear carriers, much like the Dirtbags' brilliant shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, or slugging first baseman Mike Hofius, or hard-hitting outfielder John Bowker, or pitcher-designated hitter deluxe Jason Vargas, or other people like Cesar Ramos, Josh Buhagiar, and Danny Mocny.
Brad Davis doesn't mind being kept in the shadows by Weaver's immense achievements.
In fact, he's savoring every moment he gets to catch Weaver.
"It's just been a great experience.' he says. "Jered brings terrific energy to the field when he pitches. It makes playing the game a lot of fun. The publicity that has surrounded him this season has been tremendous. We kid him about it all the time, but he hasn't changed one bit since he arrived here three years ago. Oh, I guess you can say he's changed a little as a pitcher. He's definitely now more dominant.'
So what makes Jered Weaver so unique?
"He has an unorthodox delivery, and he has tremendous velocity on his fastball,' says Davis. "He also has terrific control, and knows how to change speeds. He's just a complete pitcher.'
Davis and Weaver have become close friends, and are roommates at an off-campus apartment.
He senses when Weaver is set to have one of his overwhelming outings, like the ones he had earlier this season when he able to strike out 10 consecutive batters.
"The tipoff for Jered having his best stuff is when there is a swagger about him before the start of the game,' says Davis. "When I see that swagger, I think to myself, 'This is going to be one of those dominant games.' And it usually is.'
Brad Davis has started 42 games at catcher this season, but last season injuries to teammates resulted in his fulfilling a utilityman role, as he also played first base and in the outfield.
"Didn't mind it a bit,' says Davis. "I'll do anything to help the team.'
When he isn't playing baseball or pursuing his studies he's majoring in communications Davis will repair to Seal Beach, or Huntington Beach and do some bodyboarding.
"A lot of fun,' he says.
But he admits nothing matches the fun he's been having catching Jered Weaver the past few months.
"It's been pretty amazing ... a once in a lifetime opportunity,' says Davis, who figures to be an early round pick in the upcoming amateur draft. "The Friday nights always have been exciting here at Long Beach, but this spring they've really been pretty special because of Jered. He's just had some incredible games. I'm sure one day I'll look back on this with great fondness. Actually, I'm appreciating it right now. I'm enjoying every moment of it.' |
