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Bentz Just One of the Guys
by Brian Bennett, Louisville Courier-Journal
August 2, 2006
Chad Bentz doesn't like being seen as any different from his Louisville
Bats teammates or any other left-handed pitcher.
In fact, it's not a difference but a similarity that actually sets Bentz
apart. The 26-year-old reliever was born with a misshapen right
hand much like his idol, former major league pitcher Jim Abbott. He also
employs the same glove-switching technique Abbott used on the mound.
Bentz has grown accustomed to media attention in every new city in which
he plays. He patiently answers the same questions about his
disability in every town, though he'd prefer talking more about his pitching
ability.
"I don't want to be known as the guy who switches gloves," he
said. "When my team sees me come in, I want them to be confident
I can get the job done. I don't want to be any different than any other
pitchers on the team."
Bentz has been treated like any other player since joining the Bats as
a free agent on July20. He said teammates haven't even asked him about
his right hand, and manager Rick Sweet doesn't view him any differently.
"He fields his position well," Sweet said. "He's going
to help us."
Still, it's the different nature of Bentz's background that makes his
story interesting and, in many ways, inspirational.
Bentz played baseball when he was 7 years old but decided to quit when
other kids made fun of his hand. He preferred playing hockey, with its
large gloves that conveniently concealed his deformity. About a year later,
though, his family moved from Seward, Alaska, to Juneau, Alaska, where
there was no youth hockey. Around the same time, Bentz first saw Abbott
pitch for the California Angels on TV. Suddenly, baseball seemed like
an option again.
"That gave me a lot of confidence," he said. "He was a
great person to look up to."
Abbott pitched 10 years in the big leagues, throwing a no-hitter in 1993
with the New York Yankees. He would cradle his glove with his right arm
and switch the leather onto his right hand as soon as he delivered a pitch.
Bentz copied that motion and practiced it until it became second nature.
"I don't even think about it now," Bentz said. "I think
it would be boring to just play regular catch."
Bentz signed up for just about every sport he could throughout school
and usually excelled. Kids who once called him names quickly accepted
the star athlete.
"Sports helped a lot," he said. "I think it broke the tension."
He was named the Alaska Player of the Year in 1999 and earned a scholarship
to Long Beach State. While in college, he finally met his hero when Abbott
spoke to the team and pulled Bentz aside for a one-on-one chat.
When Bentz made his major league debut in 2004, Abbott called to congratulate
him. The two still speak occasionally on the phone.
"He is everything I expected him to be and more," Bentz said.
"It's neat to be able to call him a friend."
The birth defect rarely hinders Bentz on the field. He has not been asked
to bat yet for Louisville, but he can; he hit 23 home runs in high school.
He has no problems scooping up bunts. Catchers throw the ball back to
the mound like they would with any other pitcher.
"If I can't get my glove on by the time the catcher throws the ball
back, then I'm going to get killed out there," he said.
So he's no different than any other pitcher. Except of course he is, and
those with similar disabilities take notice. Bentz receives dozens
of fan letters each year and often takes time to speak to children who
have deformities.
"That's the best part about being born like this," he said.
"If you can influence somebody like Jim Abbott did for me, then I
don't think
there's a better feeling you can get as a person or a player."
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