ADAMS FAMILY BREAKING UP? AFTER 29 SEASONS, BASEBALL COACH MIGHT BE COMING UP FOR FINAL AT-BAT.

Byline: Rich Hammond  Staff Writer

About noon today, in front of a few hundred fans in a sleepy town in Eastern Washington, a UCLA icon will begin coaching what might be his final game.

Gary Adams concludes his 29th season in charge of the Bruins' baseball program with today's game at Washington State, amid yearlong rumors he soon will be fired by athletic director Dan Guerrero.

``We need to complete our season, and when we do that, we'll sit down and talk to Gary and make determinations from that standpoint,'' Guerrero said Wednesday.

``But let me say this. There isn't a coach in this program who's had more a positive impact, in terms of creating a feeling of family and the feeling of pride in a program, than Gary Adams, and that stands for a lot as far as I'm concerned.''

But the bottom line is winning, and no matter what happens today, Adams' Bruins will finish under .500 for the second consecutive season and will not advance to a College World Series regional for the third consecutive spring.

That leaves Guerrero in a tough spot. Adams is beloved by his former players, 37 of whom have reached the major leagues, including the Dodgers' Dave Roberts and the Angels' Troy Glaus, and at age 63, Adams remains a spirited leader.

Adams isn't ready to leave but knows he might not have a choice in the matter.

``I'm a realist,'' Adams said. ``I've never been fired, but I know it comes with the territory. As a coach, you're hired to be fired. In 44 years of coaching, I've been fortunate enough to never be fired. How I will react to something like that if it should happen, I really don't know what my feelings would be.

``I've chosen this whole season, until the last game is over, to focus on now and what is happening to my team. I'm not going to dwell on what will happen to me. I've slept peacefully every night, because I did not want this to be a distraction. But at the same time I have to be realistic; I can't put my head in the sand like an ostrich.''

Adams' record is mixed. He took a stellar 948-792-7 record into this weekend's series but never has won a national championship despite perennially strong recruiting classes, and he has made only one trip to the College World Series, in 1997.

Meanwhile, Adams' counterpart at USC, Mike Gillespie, has coached the Trojans to one national championship (1998) and four College World Series appearances in 17 years, even though the Bruins have major advantages in awarding partial scholarships.

``I try to accomplish three things,'' Adams said. ``To get my guys closer to their degrees, to get them closer to professional baseball and, though I mention this last, it's equal to the other two, to get our team to the World Series and win a championship.

``That's what I set out to do every year. I'm sorry we've fallen short on the third item, but the other two I feel very proud about, and I don't know too many people who can top those records. That's what I look for. Whether Dan Guerrero is the AD or my mom is the AD, I'm going to work just as hard at trying to accomplish those goals.''

Guerrero's presence complicates the situation. He played second base at UCLA and graduated a year before Adams arrived as head coach in 1975. Guerrero was inducted into the UCLA baseball Hall of Fame in 1996.

The question Guerrero must answer is: How important is winning to a ``minor'' sport, one that isn't a huge financial earner such as men's basketball or football, especially if it means disposing one of the most popular coaches on campus?

``He has a sphere of influence that's sort of his philosophy,'' said current UCLA center fielder Matt Thayer, who played at Harvard-Westlake of Studio City. ``Baseball is in there, but family and spirituality are right in the middle of that. (The ideas of) building character and becoming a good person, he's out there teaching those along with baseball.''

This year's Bruins have been inconsistent, but UCLA regularly starts two juniors and five sophomores and could be a contender for the Pacific-10 Conference title next season. This week, Adams could find out whether that 2004 team will include him.

``I'm most proud that baseball at UCLA has been kind of a family affair,'' Adams said. ``With our players, their teammates are like their brothers. I used to be like their father substitute, now I'm old enough to be their substitute grandfather.

``I'm proud of the feeling that runs through, from the stars like Troy Glaus to the players who are now teachers, coaches, doctors and lawyers. I like to think my players would say, `I always knew `Skip' cared about me more than just as a baseball player, but as a student and a person as well.' If that's how they think, I'd be very proud.''

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UCLA baseball coach Gary Adams should learn this week from athletic director Dan Guerrero whether he'll be back for a 30th season.

Phil McCarten/Staff Photographer