THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 28, 1995 TAG: 9507280563
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines
As he went under the anesthesia in a Los Angeles operating room prior to elbow surgery, Reid Cornelius wondered whether he would awaken to find his dream of playing major league baseball shattered.
Cornelius woke up with his dream - and his elbow - intact. Three years later, he is perhaps the hottest pitcher in the International League.
Since joining the Norfolk Tides last month in what manager Toby Harrah describes as ``a great, great trade,'' Cornelius is 6-0 with an 0.73 ERA.
Before his surgery, Cornelius was a rising star in the Montreal organization for four years, a pitcher from rural Alabama with a solid right arm, an iron will and a 1950s work ethic.
Yet his progress was marred by elbow trouble, which had sidelined him for parts of three consecutive seasons. Surgery, the Expos decided, was the only answer.
They sent him to Frank Jobe, the famed surgeon and team doctor for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jobe told Cornelius he might have to replace the ligament in his elbow - a radical and risky surgical procedure made famous when it was performed on Tommy John.
``There was every indication I might need the same thing,'' Cornelius said. ``It would have meant 18 months of recovery time. He (Jobe) told me that lots of times guys have to learn a different pitch after surgery.
``He did the surgery on Tom Candiotti when he was 19 and a real hard thrower. Candiotti became a knuckleball pitcher.''
But not Cornelius. His elbow needed only minor repairs, and now the Tides are blessed with their third pitching sensation of the season. The other two - Bill Pulsipher and Jason Isringhausen - were so overpowering for Norfolk that were called up by the parent New York Mets.
Cornelius, 25, began the season in the Montreal Expos' bullpen, where had an 8.00 ERA in eight appearances.
``I'd never been in the bullpen before, and I struggled,'' said Cornelius, who will start Saturday against Toledo at Harbor Park. ``I pitched back-to-back days, which is something I've never done.''
After the trade to Norfolk, Tides pitching coach Bob Apodaca immediately refined Cornelius' delivery. A less-than-overpowering pitcher who throws in the mid-80s, Cornelius must be precise.
``Dac (Apodaca) and I worked hard on opening up my delivery, trying to keep me from throwing across my body,'' Cornelius said. ``I've been able to throw my curveball for strikes, and that's a pitch I've struggled with in the past.''
Apodaca concedes that Cornelius ``doesn't have great stuff. He has good stuff, not great, so he has to be a complete pitcher. He was struggling to get the down-and-away pitch to righthanders. Now he's pitching to both sides of the plate.''
Harrah says Cornelius' most valuable asset might be his old-fashioned determination.
``I love his attitude,'' Harrah said. ``He's like an old-time ballplayer. He's a `yes, sir,' `no, sir' type of young man. He shows a lot of respect for authority.
``He's a great kid, but a tough kid. Even with men on base, he has the same demeanor on the mound as he does with nobody on. He's tough when there's adversity.''
Cornelius' toughness comes from being raised in Thomasville, Ala., a blue-collar town of about 5,000 that depends on pulp mills for its existence. It's Bear Bryant country, where everybody plays football.
Cornelius was a star quarterback and safety as a junior, but he quit just prior to his senior year.
``I played baseball with a friend of mine in the summer,'' he said. ``He was throwing 85 mph on the gun. But he separated his shoulder (playing football) and he didn't get drafted. I learned from that.''
Cornelius was taken in the 11th round by the Expos in 1988 shortly after he'd signed to play at Mississippi State.
After 7 1/2 years in the Montreal system, Cornelius said he was happy when the Expos traded him for David Segui.
``When I wasn't in the starting rotation for Montreal, I sort of figured I wasn't in their future plans, that I would be traded,'' he said.
``It's worked out well. I like the players here. I like the organization. It helps, of course, that we're winning.''
And that he's winning. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
MARK MITCHELL/Staff
Three years after elbow surgery, Reid Cornelius is the Tides'
hottest pitcher.
by CNB