ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, August 18, 1996 TAG: 9608190140
SECTION: SPORTS EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: BASEBALL
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR.
When Keith Mayhew left for West Palm Beach, Fla., in February, he took his big-league dreams along for the ride.
He had a respectable first season of pro ball the year before, working mostly as a middle reliever for the Eugene (Ore.) Emeralds of the Class A Northwest League. He was 0-1, but made 24 appearances and struck out 35 in 39 2/3 innings. The former Ferrum College ace went into spring training with the Atlanta Braves expecting an assignment to Class A ball, possibly to Durham, whose Carolina League schedule included dates in Salem where he could pitch before family and friends.
Instead, he got his walking papers.
``I shed more than a few tears,'' he said.
His hopes had withered in the hot Florida sun. One March morning, Rod Gilbreath, the Braves' director of minor leagues, told Mayhew the organization had made a decision. His fastball just didn't seem to have the pop it once did. The organization thought it would be best to part company.
He was released.
As dazed and confused as if he had just taken a line drive off the dome, Mayhew wandered homeward. It was days, weeks, before he began trying to sort out the reasons why his baseball career had ended so abruptly.
``They said I lost velocity,'' said Mayhew, a 31st-round draft pick in 1995. ``But I threw 88 to 90 [mph] all spring. What did I lose? I think [the reason I was released] was because it's just tough for a middle-round college guy to make it in that organization. They let 25 to 30 people go that day.''
Mayhew wasn't ready to go into forced retirement at age 24. That's why he's pitching for the Chillicothe (Ohio) Paints of the independent Frontier League, hoping he'll get another chance with another organization.
Nearly five months later, Mayhew's voice still is tinged with bewilderment and a trace of bitterness over his unkindest cut of all.
``I don't know all the reasons behind it,'' he said. ``But it opened my eyes. The thing about pitching here [in the Frontier League] is that everybody seems to be playing for themselves. It's tough to get a team feel. I've always played for the team first. It's been a hard adjustment.''
Mayhew has been used as a starter, middle reliever and now as a closer for the Paints, who won the first-half championship. He was 4-3 with a 3.76 ERA, seven saves and 39 strikeouts in 402/3 innings heading into the weekend.
``I know I can still pitch,'' he said. ``I just didn't think it was time for me to give up baseball. I know it's a business.''
GROSECLOSE, BUT NO CIGAR: Even after Covington native David Groseclose knocked in the eventual winning run in the top of the 19th inning to give the Asheville (N.C.) Tourists a 2-1 victory over the Augusta (Ga.) Greenjackets on Wednesday night in a South Atlantic League game, he wasn't the biggest hero of the night.
That honor went to Tourists pitcher Scott Randall, who pitched 11 no-hit innings before leaving a 0-0 game.
Randall, who threw 101 pitches, took a perfect game into the ninth before exiting without even so much as a decision. It was a performance reminiscent of Pittsburgh's Harvey Haddix, who pitched 12 perfect innings before losing the no-hitter and the game 1-0 in the 13th to the Milwaukee Braves on May 26, 1956.
Randall's line: 11 innings, no hits, one walk, 11 strikeouts.
Asheville scored a run in the top of the 16th, and Augusta countered in the bottom of the inning. Groseclose, a VMI alumnus, got the winning hit in the 19th to complete his 2-for-9 night.
Other fun facts from the game: Asheville pitchers struck out 20; most batters had nine plate appearances; the Tourists were caught stealing nine times; Augusta attempted only one steal - and was thrown out - in 19 innings.
Of course, when a guy's throwing a no-hitter at you for 11 innings, you don't get that many chances to run.
HAIR TOMORROW, GONE TODAY: Even though Salem Avalanche left-hander Mike Vavrek has been going with the shaved-head look for about a month and plans to keep his shiny side up for the remainder of the season, he can't wait for the day when he can start using a comb again.
``When it grows back, I'll never do this again,'' said Vavrek, who went five innings to get the decision in a 6-3 victory Wednesday, his first triumph since July 15. ``It's going to look bad when it starts growing back. I'll have to wear a hat everywhere. I'll look like a Chia pet for three months.''
NEW HAVEN AVALANCHE: Several former Salem players are having solid seasons for the Class AA New Haven (Conn.) Ravens, none more solid than former Avalanche center fielder Edgard Velazquez. Velazquez leads the Ravens in batting average (.285), homers (16), doubles (23) and triples (four) and is tied with Derrick Gibson for the team lead with 53 RBI.
Steve Bernhardt has played well in 31 games since his midseason call-up, hitting .280 and playing mostly at third base. John Giudice, who was called up 21/2 weeks ago, is batting .271 with three homers in 16 games. Among other former Avalanche players, outfielder Forry Wells is batting .235 with 17 doubles, shortstop Chris Sexton is batting .228, infielder/DH Keith Grunewald
Among the pitchers, Doug Million is 3-2 with a 3.03 ERA in seven starts, but has walked 29 and fanned 28 in 352/3 innings. Mike Saipe is 7-7, 3.60 and co-leads the team in victories, and Brent Crowther is 3-5 with a 6.20 ERA.
TEAMS CAN APPLY: The Appalachian League needs a team. Desperately. This nine-team business has wreaked havoc on the schedule-makers and has made it nearly impossible to make up rainouts. Because of the odd-numbered lineup, Appy League teams have played mostly two-game series this season.
``We need a 10th team,'' said Lee Landers, the league president. ``This season has been really tough. When the schedule was being made with all those two-game series, I said, `Wait 'till you get rain. Then you'll have a tripleheader.'''
Landers said there are few localities with the resources to field a franchise next season. The league has waited for three years for Beckley, W.Va., to build a ballpark, but the project hasn't gotten off the ground. Efforts to drum up support in Boone, N.C., and Greenville, Tenn., also have withered. Staunton is a possibility.
A representative of Pulaski, which lost its Appy League team in 1992 when the Atlanta Braves moved its rookie club to Danville, contacted Landers, but it appears professional baseball will not be returning to the New River Valley.
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