Cal Baseball Foundation

January 2014 Newsletter

Cal Baseball Foundation Golden Bear News & Notes

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Baseball Foundation 2 Papa Bears at Evans Diamond - Annual Alumni Game T The Cal "Papa Bears" from 1972-1975 gather for the 2014 Alumni Game festivities at Evans Diamond. hirty-six former Cal Bears players gathered at Evans Diamond for the Annual Alumni Game on Sunday, October 20. The double-header event included the morning "Papa Bear" showdown followed by the afternoon game with young(er) player alumni facing off against the 2014 Golden Bears. The event was a memorable reunion for many, including Dan Ahern (1972-75) who, in a letter of appreciation to the event organizers, John Hughes and Jesse Ingram, wrote, "Today was a day not about rewinding the clock; rather, it was about looking at that clock and saying 'we were really fortunate to play Cal Baseball, weren't we?' Shaking the hand of each and every current player touched my heart. I met several really nice young men, and I was impressed by their enthusiasm and pride. That alone made me feel even more proud to be a Bear." Alumni News BOB MELVIN AND BRYAN PRICE Former Bears at the Top of Their Game T he Cal Baseball program has seen a good number of its players move from the Cal campus into professional baseball with many having long, successful playing careers. In fact, the Bears currently have the distinction of having the most active MLB players of any college program in the country. But it is even more extraordinary that a single college program sees two of its former players achieve the very highest level in the game. In October 2013, former Golden Bear Bryan Price (1981-84) joined Bob Melvin (1980) as a major league manager. While the two traveled different paths in their early careers, they shared the dugout along the way with the Seattle Mariners (2003 and 2004) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (2006-2009). Above: Oakland A's Manager Bob Melvin Below: Cincinnati Reds Manager Bryan Price Although Melvin and Price both hail from the Bay Area and played ball at MenloAtherton and Tamalpais High Schools, respectively, they just missed each other at Berkeley and it was nearly two decades before they finally met. Once they did, it was clear that their Cal experiences would help form a lasting bond between the two. As a freshman catcher, Melvin helped Cal to a 44-23-1 record and a thirdplace finish at the College World Series. After his single year with the Bears, Melvin was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 1981 and played 11 seasons for seven different teams, including the San Francisco Giants. He managed the Seattle Mariners in 2003 and 2004. In 2005, he was selected to manage the Arizona Diamondbacks and led his team to the National League West title in 2007, a year in which he was selected Manager of the Year. In 2011, Melvin was named manager of the Oakland A's and took just one year to lead his team to consecutive American League Western Division championships in 2012 and 2013. He was again named Manager of the Year in 2012, one of only six individuals to earn this distinction in both the National and American Leagues. One of the top pitchers in Cal history, Price owns the Bears' record in innings pitched (374.2) and is third all-time in career victories (25). In 1983, he received the Clint Evans Award as team MVP, and in 2011, he was inducted into the Cal Athletics Hall of Fame. After six years in the minor leagues, Price turned to coaching as the pitching coach for the Seattle Mariners from 2000-2005, including two years for Bob Melvin, before moving to Arizona as pitching coach for Melvin's Diamondbacks from 2006-2009. In 2007, Price was named the Major League Coach of the Year by Baseball America. He was named pitching coach for the Cincinnati Reds in 2009 until he was named Reds Manager this past October. We fully expect to see these two Golden Bears face each other from opposing dugouts in the 2014 World Series!

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