GaryMrMets
10-15-2005, 01:50 AM
Astros fan going to the Hall of Fame after catching two home runs
By STEPHEN HAWKINS
.c The Associated Press
HOUSTON (AP) - Shaun Dean only remembers facing one major league pitcher in his life, back in Little League when he walked against Josh Beckett and stole second base.
Now, the lifelong Houston Astros fan is going into the Baseball Hall of Fame after catching two home run balls during a playoff game.
Dean was in the second row of the left-field stands for the Astros' 18-inning victory that ended the NL division series against Atlanta. He caught Lance Berkman's grand slam in the eighth inning, then 10 innings later snagged Chris Burke's homer that ended the longest game in postseason history.
On Friday, Dean returned as a guest of the Astros and gave both balls to the Hall of Fame. The balls, along with a picture of Dean and his family, will be part of an exhibit that will be set up at Cooperstown after this year's postseason is completed.
``As a baseball fan, you hope to catch a foul ball, get something once in your life,'' Dean said. ``To be an Astros fan, be at the playoffs and catch both balls, it was an unreal experience.''
Dean never considered selling the balls. He had planned to display them on a shelf in his 3-year-old son's room decorated with sports memorabilia, including a signed picture of Don Larsen and Yogi Berra.
``They would have just gone to his collection,'' Dean said.
Instead, 3-year-old Tyler - who initially appeared frightened - and his dad got to meet Roger Clemens. They got their No. 22 jerseys signed by the star pitcher, who eventually got a high-five from the young boy, and spent a few minutes with Berkman and Burke.
``It's a pretty cool story,'' Burke said. ``What are the odds of Lance and I hitting the ball in the same spot. ... It's a cool thing he's giving the balls back.''
The Astros gave Dean's family tickets for Game 3 of the NL championship series Saturday against St. Louis. Instead of in the outfield, they will be sitting behind home plate.
Hall of Fame representative Jeff Idelson, who was in Houston on Friday to accept the balls, said more than 111 million people attended major and minor league baseball games this season.
``Think about trying to find anybody who caught two home run balls in the same game, and I don't think you can find anybody,'' Idelson said. ``Put it in the context of the historic game played here, and it's really amazing. Shaun's gesture is the ultimate act of selflessness.''
Idelson also gave the family lifetime passes to the Hall of Fame, and said they would be flown there next summer to see the balls exhibited.
Dean, a comptroller for his father-in-law's construction company, caught the balls with a worn-out glove that his high school coach used to call ``a trash can lid.''
``I never dreamed of anything like this,'' said Dean, 25. ``It's beyond words.''
FATHER AND SON:@ Roger Clemens was thrilled to see his son get an opportunity to play pro ball in the Houston Astros' organization this summer, but he's not sure they'll ever be teammates.
``I'm sure at one point I'll be on the field with him,'' Clemens said Friday. ``He'll probably be competing and I won't, but it was a joy.''
Koby Clemens was drafted in the eighth round in June and signed with the Astros, turning down a scholarship at the University of Texas, his father's alma mater.
He played 33 games of rookie ball with Greeneville (Tenn.) in the Appalachian League, hitting .297 with four homers and 17 RBIs. A third baseman, Clemens was promoted to short-season Class-A Tri-City, where he went 9-for-32 (.281) with six RBIs.
``I know how hard it is, but I know that it's been a dream of his to have the opportunity and thank goodness he got it. I think he'll take advantage of it,'' the 43-year-old Clemens said.
The Rocket is slated to start Game 3 of the NL championship series Saturday for Houston against the St. Louis Cardinals.
``His childhood basically came to a quick end, which I explained to him. If he goes to college, he'll still be able to have a little fun and do that, not that he's not going to have fun now, but you've got to grow up extremely quick,'' Clemens said. ``He found that out when he went to the next level, being 18, he was playing with 22- and 25-year-olds. Great experience and the sky is the limit. I just hope the best for him.''
PHONE CALL:@ On Monday, it'll be a year since Cardinals reliever Julian Tavarez broke his left hand in two places punching a dugout phone in Game 4 of the NLCS in Houston. He carries a daily reminder, the somewhat twisted fingers the result of his decision to get an injection and keep pitching rather than put the hand in a cast and sit out the rest of the postseason.
``It was my choice. I wanted to be able to pitch,'' Tavarez said. ``They said they could give you shots to numb it and you'll be able to pitch and I said OK. The hand is fine, I still have five fingers, I just don't think about it.''
To get the hand to heal properly, Tavarez said it would have to be broken again and he's not inclined to do that.
``It's pushing me to go out there and try harder,'' he said.
Tavarez broke the left ring finger and the fifth metacarpal after giving up a home run to Carlos Beltran, walking two and hitting a batter in a seventh-inning meltdown that helped the Astros win Game 4. Now he looks back fondly on that misadventure because he rebounded in Game 6 when he retired all six batters and got the victory in a 12-inning game, helping the Cardinals get to the World Series.
``It's a good memory,'' he said, ``because I came back and did well.''
AP Sports Writers Mike Fitzpatrick and R.B. Fallstrom contributed to this report.
10/14/05 21:02 EDT
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
By STEPHEN HAWKINS
.c The Associated Press
HOUSTON (AP) - Shaun Dean only remembers facing one major league pitcher in his life, back in Little League when he walked against Josh Beckett and stole second base.
Now, the lifelong Houston Astros fan is going into the Baseball Hall of Fame after catching two home run balls during a playoff game.
Dean was in the second row of the left-field stands for the Astros' 18-inning victory that ended the NL division series against Atlanta. He caught Lance Berkman's grand slam in the eighth inning, then 10 innings later snagged Chris Burke's homer that ended the longest game in postseason history.
On Friday, Dean returned as a guest of the Astros and gave both balls to the Hall of Fame. The balls, along with a picture of Dean and his family, will be part of an exhibit that will be set up at Cooperstown after this year's postseason is completed.
``As a baseball fan, you hope to catch a foul ball, get something once in your life,'' Dean said. ``To be an Astros fan, be at the playoffs and catch both balls, it was an unreal experience.''
Dean never considered selling the balls. He had planned to display them on a shelf in his 3-year-old son's room decorated with sports memorabilia, including a signed picture of Don Larsen and Yogi Berra.
``They would have just gone to his collection,'' Dean said.
Instead, 3-year-old Tyler - who initially appeared frightened - and his dad got to meet Roger Clemens. They got their No. 22 jerseys signed by the star pitcher, who eventually got a high-five from the young boy, and spent a few minutes with Berkman and Burke.
``It's a pretty cool story,'' Burke said. ``What are the odds of Lance and I hitting the ball in the same spot. ... It's a cool thing he's giving the balls back.''
The Astros gave Dean's family tickets for Game 3 of the NL championship series Saturday against St. Louis. Instead of in the outfield, they will be sitting behind home plate.
Hall of Fame representative Jeff Idelson, who was in Houston on Friday to accept the balls, said more than 111 million people attended major and minor league baseball games this season.
``Think about trying to find anybody who caught two home run balls in the same game, and I don't think you can find anybody,'' Idelson said. ``Put it in the context of the historic game played here, and it's really amazing. Shaun's gesture is the ultimate act of selflessness.''
Idelson also gave the family lifetime passes to the Hall of Fame, and said they would be flown there next summer to see the balls exhibited.
Dean, a comptroller for his father-in-law's construction company, caught the balls with a worn-out glove that his high school coach used to call ``a trash can lid.''
``I never dreamed of anything like this,'' said Dean, 25. ``It's beyond words.''
FATHER AND SON:@ Roger Clemens was thrilled to see his son get an opportunity to play pro ball in the Houston Astros' organization this summer, but he's not sure they'll ever be teammates.
``I'm sure at one point I'll be on the field with him,'' Clemens said Friday. ``He'll probably be competing and I won't, but it was a joy.''
Koby Clemens was drafted in the eighth round in June and signed with the Astros, turning down a scholarship at the University of Texas, his father's alma mater.
He played 33 games of rookie ball with Greeneville (Tenn.) in the Appalachian League, hitting .297 with four homers and 17 RBIs. A third baseman, Clemens was promoted to short-season Class-A Tri-City, where he went 9-for-32 (.281) with six RBIs.
``I know how hard it is, but I know that it's been a dream of his to have the opportunity and thank goodness he got it. I think he'll take advantage of it,'' the 43-year-old Clemens said.
The Rocket is slated to start Game 3 of the NL championship series Saturday for Houston against the St. Louis Cardinals.
``His childhood basically came to a quick end, which I explained to him. If he goes to college, he'll still be able to have a little fun and do that, not that he's not going to have fun now, but you've got to grow up extremely quick,'' Clemens said. ``He found that out when he went to the next level, being 18, he was playing with 22- and 25-year-olds. Great experience and the sky is the limit. I just hope the best for him.''
PHONE CALL:@ On Monday, it'll be a year since Cardinals reliever Julian Tavarez broke his left hand in two places punching a dugout phone in Game 4 of the NLCS in Houston. He carries a daily reminder, the somewhat twisted fingers the result of his decision to get an injection and keep pitching rather than put the hand in a cast and sit out the rest of the postseason.
``It was my choice. I wanted to be able to pitch,'' Tavarez said. ``They said they could give you shots to numb it and you'll be able to pitch and I said OK. The hand is fine, I still have five fingers, I just don't think about it.''
To get the hand to heal properly, Tavarez said it would have to be broken again and he's not inclined to do that.
``It's pushing me to go out there and try harder,'' he said.
Tavarez broke the left ring finger and the fifth metacarpal after giving up a home run to Carlos Beltran, walking two and hitting a batter in a seventh-inning meltdown that helped the Astros win Game 4. Now he looks back fondly on that misadventure because he rebounded in Game 6 when he retired all six batters and got the victory in a 12-inning game, helping the Cardinals get to the World Series.
``It's a good memory,'' he said, ``because I came back and did well.''
AP Sports Writers Mike Fitzpatrick and R.B. Fallstrom contributed to this report.
10/14/05 21:02 EDT
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.