Class-A Opportunity

SAN BERNARDINO —  It was another long night for the San Bernardino Stampede in what has been a long season.

The opponent, the visiting High Desert Mavericks, cruised to a 7-0 victory. San Bernardino could only muster six hits, five of them singles.

So why is Tim Wallach smiling? He’s the guy who was recently chosen-- unexpectedly-- to manage this California League Class-A team in the Dodgers’ farm system.

Wallach is merely a pebble in the avalanche of events that has defined the Dodgers’ 1998 season. After they promoted Mickey Hatcher from San Bernardino manager to hitting coach with the big club, the Dodgers offered his managerial position to recently deposed bullpen coach Mark Cresse, who turned it down.

Charlie Blaney, the Dodger vice president of minor league operations, planned to offer the batting coach job at San Bernardino when he called Wallach at his Yorba Linda home on June 26. After all, Wallach had spent the last month of the ’97 season as the Stampede’s batting coach. But after the whirlwind of coaching changes, Blaney offered the manager’s job instead.

Wallach snapped it up.

“I was definitely more interested in the managerial part then the coaching part,” Wallach said. “I enjoyed coaching last year. . . . But managing is what I wanted to do. I can teach them the game, and I can learn managing for myself.”

Hatcher, who piloted the Stampede to a 29-48 first-half record in his first managerial assignment, said Wallach could do well if he doesn’t get too caught up in wins and losses.

“Although they aren’t winning this year, that team does have some talent,” Hatcher said. “At that level your major goal is to evaluate kids and make sure they do everything possible to be a pro.”

If Wallach, 40, has found his second career, his timing is good. The average age of a big-league manager is 49.6 years, with the oldest being Montreal’s Felipe Alou at 63. Also, 25 of the 30 current managers played in the big leagues.

Dodger interim General Manager Tom Lasorda said Wallach could make it too.

“You can see certain traits in a guy that make you think he can do the job,” Lasorda said. “You could see it in Bobby Valentine, Johnny Oates, Dusty Baker. I believe Mike Scioscia, one day, will make an outstanding manager. And I think Tim Wallach, one day, will manage in the major leagues.”

The California League season ends Aug. 30, giving Wallach plenty of time to decide if he likes managing. Since taking over June 29, his record with the Stampede is 16-28.

“He played here [in 1995] on a rehabilitation assignment,” said Blake Inman, San Bernardino’s assistant general manager. “The fans got to know him then. That helps us, because the fans tend to be a bit more personally involved with the players and managers at this level. Tim’s always been easy to talk to.”

The Stampede players, many in their first or second year of professional ball, said Wallach is more relaxed in his approach than the effervescent Hatcher.

“He said in the beginning he wants to see how we played first and take it from there,” said outfielder Luke Allen, who leads the team in hits. “I really looked up to Mickey. If you did something wrong he’d let you know, but he wouldn’t wear you down with criticism. Tim is still getting to know everyone, but the guys are pretty comfortable with him.”

Outfielder Wynter Phoenix, who leads the team with six home runs, said Wallach has already helped him correct a flaw in his batting stroke. “I was having trouble at the plate and asked him to look at my swing,” Phoenix said. “He made a couple of suggestions and things immediately felt better.”

Wallach said he hasn’t many rules or a “system.” He also doesn’t think his players must automatically do everything the way he did if they want to reach the majors.

What he does have, however, are expectations.

“What I believe is, you prepare to play the game everyday,” he said. “If you’re not prepared to play, you won’t play well. It’s about knowing who you’re facing, knowing what the other teams are going to do to you, and taking your practice seriously.

“I didn’t have the greatest athletic ability. I know how hard I had to work to be the player I was. So I expect a lot of hard work out of them. If you do have a lot of talent and you don’t want to use it, then you’ll have a problem with me.”

Wallach graduated from Irvine’s University High and attended Saddleback College, but he gained baseball prominence at Cal State Fullerton, where he led the Titans to their first College World Series title in 1979.

He was named the Sporting News college player of the year and received the Golden Spikes Award, presented by the U.S. Baseball Federation to the year’s top amateur player.

Montreal selected Wallach in the 10th round of the 1979 free-agent draft. He reached the majors for good in 1981.

He was a five-time All-Star for the Expos but also played with the Dodgers and Angels toward the end of his 16-year career.

San Diego pitcher Mark Langston, who was a teammate of Wallach’s on the Expos and Angels, called him “one of the most respected players in Montreal when I was there. He was a quiet leader, but on the field one of the most intense guys I ever played with.”

When he retired after the 1996 season, Wallach was offered a position in the Dodger organization, but he wanted to spend more time with his wife Lori and their sons, Matthew, Brett and Chad.

Eventually Wallach and some ex-Titan teammates formed an 11-and-under traveling youth baseball team that Wallach managed and Matt played for. Last year, the Yorba Linda Aztecs went 30-2 and reached the final of a national AAU tournament.

But Wallach missed the pro game.

“I discovered I needed something to do,” he said. “I’m a baseball guy. That’s what I’ve done and this is what I get satisfaction doing.”

He said his biggest influences as managers were Lasorda in Los Angeles and Buck Rodgers in Montreal.

“Tommy was a great motivator,” Wallach said. “You have to get guys ready to play every night and he could do that. Buck loved to make things happen every second. That’s kind of what we have to do here to be successful.”

Rodgers, who manages the Mission Viejo Vigilantes in the independent Western Baseball League, said he was not surprised to see Wallach become a manager.

“He was like a coach on the field [at Montreal],” Rodgers said. “All our defensive plays were called by him.

“If he’s going to have trouble early, it will be handling the pitchers and catchers. That takes time if you’ve never played the positions.”

Wallach said he won’t try to manage every aspect of the game. Even if he wanted to, he doesn’t yet have the knowledge or experience.

“I never realized how many little things you have to pay attention to, like the signs for the catchers, what the pitchers are doing, where the outfielders are playing --everything,” Wallach said.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Wallach in the Majors

How Tim Wallach fared during his 16 seasons in the major leagues:

*--*

Team AB H Avg. Montreal 6,518 1,692 .260 (1981-1992; 1,762 games) Dodgers 1,380 346 .251 (1993-1996; 388 games) Angels 190 45 .237 (1996; 57 games) Total* 8,088 2,083 .258

*--*

*excludes 1980 season, when Wallach played five games with Montreal