Baseball legends return to the field

By Ken Jackson

Sports Writer

With the Houston Astros coming out of the All-Star break in last place in the National League Central, team General Manager Ed Wade might have found some talent that could help the club. Right now.

But, he would have to have been scouting Wednesday’s Kissimmee Legends Game at Osceola County Stadium.

Former Astro Shane Reynolds, who played 11 of his 13 seasons for Houston, was the star of the inaugural game of retired pros presented by the Major League Baseball Alumni Association and benefitting the Osceola County Council on Aging. He pitched three innings of shutout ball and had two hits — batting cleanup for the first time since “probably back in school” — to lead the National squad over the American squad, 6-0, in seven innings. in front of 1,099 spectators.

The teams were made up of former major leaguers, with players representing Mexico, Peru, France and Great Britain from the USSSA World Series, taking place concurrently on the complex’s back fields, filling in the holes.

The game was the first alumni game for Reynolds, who played for the Astros from 1992-2003.

“Hey, I’m a rookie again!” he beamed as he checked out the crystal trinket he received as the game’s MVP. “I throw batting practice for my kids’ under-13 elite team, but this is the first time I pitched against adults since I retired.”

He said the highlight of the event was a three-hour baseball clinic for kids held early in the day.

“That was awesome, I loved it,” he said.

But, he also liked toeing the rubber again. He was effective with an assortment of hittable fastballs, but he struck out three.

“I threw one curveball. It missed (the strike zone) but I think it scared him,” he said of the unsuspecting batter.

Former Detroit Tigers Mike Heath opened the scoring with a RBI single past a diving Dickie Thon in the second inning, then Reynolds led of the third with a solid double over the head of John Rocker (yes, that John Rocker) to left field and came home on a single by former Tampa Bay Ray and Milwaukee Brewer Travis Phelps.

The game was represented by every era of the Astros organization, Jimmy Wynn, “The Toy Cannon”, managed the National squad wearing a Colt ‘45s jersey (the team name before becoming the Astros in 1965).

Five-time Gold Glove Award winner Cesar Cedeño, a current member of the Gulf Coast League Astros coaching staff, played center field with the Astros from 1970-81 and was at second base on Wednesday.

Jack Billingham played three years for the Astros (1969-71) before becoming part of the Big Red Machine in Cincinnati and winning World Series with the Reds in 1975-76. The longtime pitching coach for the Osceola Astros and Kissimmee Cobras minor-league clubs showed some skills at age 68, legging out a single to right-center.

The 1980s “Rainbow Era” of the Astros was represented by Thon and Glenn Davis, who hit 30 home runs in a season three times and was the 1986 Silver Slugger award winner.

That seemed like long, long ago watching him at the plate Wednesday, although he made two nice catches in right field.

“It was the first time I’ve swung a bat in 20 years, could ya’ tell,” he beamed after the game. “It took a couple of at-bats to get locked in. If we went nine innings, I’d have been  a threat.”

Davis, now a city councilman in Columbus, Ga., seemed impressed with the renovation of the stadium.

“When did they build that?” he asked, pointing at the major-league office and clubhouse building down the left field line.

The event coincided with USSSA national 8 and 10-year-old national tournaments going on at the complex.

Other former big-leaguers participating included Greg Blosser, Rusty Meacham, Mark Whiten, Anthony Telford and John Frascatore.

DERBY’S LOCAL CONNECTION: Robinson Cano won the Home Run Derby as part of the All-Star Game festivities this week in Phoenix, thanks in part to his father, Jose Cano.

The elder Cano, who was a Florida State League All-Star with the Osceola Astros in 1987 (15-3, 1.94 ERA), pitched to his son (and David Ortiz) in the Derby.

The Derby runner-up, Boston’s Adrian Gonzalez, also had a Kissimmee connection. Manny Acta, current Cleveland Indians manager and skipper of the Kissimmee Cobras from 1998-2000, pitched to Gonzalez in Monday’s derby.