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Gallo: Snow Days Ahead
by Bob Keisser, Long Beach Press-Telegram
January 23, 2007
The forecast in Mike Gallo's life calls for Snow.
The former Dirtbag and blithe spirit is no longer in Houston, where he
helped the Astros advance to the 2005 World Series, and this is a good
thing considering how mis-used he was by manager Phil Garner.
Now he's in Colorado, where there's an occasional Opening Day snowfall.
But that's not the Snow we're talking about.
Gallo wound up with the Rockies because one of the club's chief scouts
is former Long Beach State coach Dave Snow, who helped turn Gallo from
a scrawny left-hander out of Millikan High into the Dirtbags' ace in 1998
and 1999 and, subsequently, a major leaguer.
When the Astros released Gallo after four seasons, Snow advised Rockies
management that Gallo could be an asset. After all, he's left-handed,
and if Mark Hendriksen can still earn a $2.9 million salary, so can Gallo.
The club agreed and signed him to a minor-league contract, and after playing
in the Dirtbag Alumni game Saturday at Blair Field, he'll head to spring
training.
Since signing, Gallo has been working with his former coach to iron out
some mechanics and prepare for a new and potentially better situation.
"I've been working off a mound since early
November and in December coach and I began working together, tweaking
my mechanics, changing my arm position," Gallo said. "I'm throwing
more three-quarters now so I look like a different pitcher."
There was nothing particularly wrong with the old one. Gallo was a victim
of his left-handedness, the strange bullpen philosophy of Garner and his
manager's lack of faith. As a rookie in 2003, Gallo had a 3.00 ERA over
32 appearances and 30 innings of work while playing for Jimy Williams,
and he looked like he had secured a spot in the majors.
A year later, now playing for Garner, he was sent to the minors to start
the season. When he returned, he became a designated left-handed specialist
and his ERA ballooned to 4.74. Even though he finished strong, not allowing
a run in 15 of his last 17 appearances, he began 2005 in the minors again.
When he was recalled in June, he was sharper than ever, but in teeny-tiny
increments. He pitched less than an inning in 29 of his last 33 appearances
and had only 20 1/3 innings of work in 36 games. But his 2.66 ERA was
a career best and he allowed just one home run.
All that did was make him the last man in the bullpen for 2006, and after
shaky start he was sent to the minors in June and released at the end
of the season.
"I got a taste of the business side of the game," Gallo said.
"It was weird at the end of the season. It was like I never even
played for them. I didn't even get a `good luck with your career.' They
sent me down last year. A year before I did my job well and played in
the World Series, and all of a sudden it's `who are you?'
"I was certainly struggling in May, but the whole team was struggling."
Gallo said confidence - not his - was always an issue. Example: In a game
in May last year, he was told he was coming in to face the next batter,
a left-hander, then Garner changed his mind and stayed with the guy on
the mound.
That recalled Game 2 of the 2005 World Series against Chicago. Gallo had
just retired two batters to end the eighth and was told he would stay
in for the ninth to face No. 9 hitter Juan Uribe and then left-handed
leadoff man Scott Podsednik.
The Astros tied the game in the top of the ninth and Garner decided instead
to bring in closer Brad Lidge. He got Uribe out but Podsednik proceeded
to hit his first home run of the season to win the game and send the Sox
on their way to a sweep.
"Jimy Williams was a percentage guy. Garner goes by his gut, and
there was always a lack of confidence," Gallo said. "He's a
great man, but he always had me on a short leash, and after I had two
bad outings in May, I was done."
Always in tune with the positive, Gallo considers it a blessing now. Several
teams approached him in the offseason but he quickly chose Colorado. He's
with a team that has a role for him in their bullpen, and a manager (Clint
Hurdle) and pitching coach (Bob Apodaca) who have done well handling their
pitchers in what used to be baseball's graveyard of arms. The humidor
used to store baseballs in Colorado has helped negate the altitude issue,
too.
Then there's Snow. There's nothing better than having someone on your
side that knows you, trusts you and is willing to put in the time to make
you better.
"Pepe has a chance to help us," Snow said. "We know what
he's capable of doing and he's working hard to get better. I'm excited
for him."
"They (the Rockies) said they don't necessarily see me as a left-handed
specialist, but a guy who can give them two or three innings an outing,"
Gallo said. "Getting left-handers out is still my bread and butter,
but if I can dominate the left side, I can get some other opportunities."
In Colorado, he'll be a teammate of another Dirtbag alum, Troy Tulowitzki,
and he's played in the minors and winter leagues with several other Rockies.
"Coach (Snow) said there is no bullcrap in the organization, that
they'll always tell you the way it is," Gallo said.
After four years of constantly guessing what someone thinks of you, he
can't ask for anything more.
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