BECK'S BACK; STRUGGLE MADE EX-GRANT HIGH STAR STRONGER BECK RETURNS TO EXCELLENCE.Byline: Kevin Acee Daily News Staff Writer Being a closer had come so easily to Rod Beck In 1993, his first year on the job with the San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California that currently play in the National League West Division. New York Giants history Early days and the John McGraw era , Beck saved 48 games. The next season, he set a major-league record by saving 28 games in 28 chances. Then came 1995. After walking 13 batters in both 1993 and '94, he had 21 bases on balls, a big jump in his line of work. The rest of the National League figured out he was obsessed ob·sess v. ob·sessed, ob·sess·ing, ob·sess·es v.tr. To preoccupy the mind of excessively. v.intr. with control and not very smart about it. ``They were swinging at the first pitch,'' Giants manager Dusty Baker And that fastball wasn't what it used to be. Beck saved 33 games that year, third-most in the league. Problem was, he did it in 43 chances. The 10 blown saves were most in the league, far worse than his 0-9 record. ``Once you start doing something that is wrong, you can't change it for some reason,'' Beck said. ``I was doing everything completely wrong.'' It wasn't until the next spring, after a few months off, that he was able to correct his mechanics. ``It came back naturally,'' he said. Now it all seems right, the whole process - good to bad and back. Through Thursday, he led the National League with 19 saves in 21 opportunities. He has walked just three batters. Beck, a 1986 graduate of Grant High School and the featured speaker at Saturday's Bernie Milligan All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game played by the best players in their sports league. The players are often chosen by a popular vote of fans of the sport and the game often occurs at the halfway point of the regular season, although this is not the case for some all-star games banquet, feels stronger than ever. ``Struggling taught me more than any of the success I've had,'' said Beck, whose 144 saves the past four seasons were most in the majors. ``I'm a better pitcher now. The only people who haven't failed in the big leagues haven't been around long enough.'' Beck learned to use his entire repertoire of pitches, including the cutter and slider A block of material that holds the read/write head of a magnetic disk. See flying head. he used as a starter in the minor leagues. He also learned when to use them by studying scouting reports. ``I had to go back and remember how to pitch,'' he said. ``The first four years of closing I didn't have to make any adjustments. I used to not care who came to the plate. It didn't matter. Now I not only care, I need to know.'' He also beefed up. Or beefed back up. The Giants have been on him, just as every coach he's ever had, to keep his weight down. As he looks back, Beck, now comfortable at 240 pounds, was the lightest he'd ever been as a professional, about 225, in 1995. ``I've always been fat,'' Beck said. ``But in the minors I started 99 games, and I had 22 complete games. And I was bigger and heavier. I honestly feel I pitch better with more weight.'' Beck's success is one of the major reasons the Giants have led the NL West most of the season. Beck says the Giants leading the NL West most of the season is why he is so effective. Beck is one of the few holdovers from the Giants' back-to-back last place finishes that led to a roster overhaul. Injuries last season to Shawon Dunston He played his entire career with the San Francisco Giants of the National League. and Matt Williams Matt Williams can refer to different people:
The pitching staff had a 4.71 ERA, ranked 13th in the 14-team league. It allowed 194 home runs. The lack of quality middle relief forced Baker to use Beck 11 times in the eighth inning. Closing is traditionally a ninth-inning kind of job. ``I had to use him too often in the eighth inning,'' Baker said. ``I had to use him to get somebody else out of trouble. That's not what you want to do, but he was the best I had.'' Beck wondered aloud why a team that used him just 42 times in save situations needed a high-priced closer. Most thought Beck would be traded to a contender before the September deadline for postseason eligibility. When the deadline passed, everyone, including Beck was surprised. Assistant general manager Brian Sabean Brian Sabean is the Senior Vice President and General Manager of the San Francisco Giants, a Major League Baseball franchise. He has held the job since 1997, when he replaced former General Manager Bob Quinn. , now the team's GM, saw Beck a while later and joked, ``What are you still doing here?'' Beck, looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. some stability, asked about a contract extension during spring training and was told the team couldn't do it. ``That's saying to me they didn't know what type of team they were going to have, and why spend a bunch of money on a closer if they don't need one,'' Beck said. But the Giants are surprise leaders of the NL West. ``Now, as long as we're in contention, I'm going to stick around,'' Beck said. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo illustration: no caption (Beck pitching) Associated Press Daily News |
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