The Wolfpacker

48 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY BRUCE WINKWORTH D oug Strange is the first to ad- mit that his career will never land him in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. Still, shouldn't a two-time All-ACC second baseman for NC State, a nine-year big-league infielder and a 14-years running MLB front office executive be remembered for something a little less trivial than an error and a walk? "The story of my life," Strange said with a rueful, self-deprecating chuckle. The error occurred on March 13, 1983, at Doak Field during the first game of a Sunday doubleheader against UNC Char- lotte. Strange was NC State's freshman shortstop. Another future big leaguer, left- hander Dan Plesac, was on the mound. As per prearrangement, the games were seven innings apiece, and Plesac entered the top of the seventh of game one cruising with a 7-2 lead. With two on and two out in the seventh, Plesac got 49ers catcher Chuck McGee to hit what should have been a routine game- ending grounder to Strange. At that very moment, however, the championship game of the ACC basketball tournament ended, with Jim Valvano's infamous Cardiac Wolfpack escaping with an 81-78 upset of top-seeded Virginia, the Pack's third heart- stopping victory in as many days. Just as McGee's grounder reached Strange's glove, a huge roar erupted from central campus, almost a sonic boom in in- tensity, and a clearly stunned Strange re- acted by throwing the ball away for an er- ror. What should have been the game's final out instead unlocked the door to disaster. Plesac promptly sur- rendered a two-run double and a three-run homer to tie the game at 7-7. The 49ers won in extra innings. "That loss crushed me," said Strange, now a special assistant to the general manager with the Pittsburgh Pirates. "Here I am a freshman with Plesac pitching in front of a bunch of scouts, and I commit a huge error to cost us the game. Plesac was mad at me, and Coach Esposito wasn't real thrilled with me either." This was hardly what Strange had in mind when he signed with the Wolfpack the previous June. A standout at Wade Hampton High School in Greenville, S.C., Strange had committed to play at Georgia Southern when he got word late in his se- nior year that NC State was looking for a shortstop, and Wolfpack coach Sam Es- posito wanted to see him play. "It was our high school's beach week- end, and most of my teammates weren't even in town," Strange said. "My coaches arranged a workout just for me on our high school field. Coach Esposito watched me take some ground balls and hit a couple of rounds of batting practice, and then he left. That was it." Strange figured his chances of playing for the Wolfpack were over. A few weeks later, though, a letter arrived from Esposito informing Strange that while he understood Strange's commitment to Georgia South- ern, if he wished to attend NC State, a full scholarship awaited him in Raleigh. Despite the throwing error against UNCC, Strange enjoyed a solid freshman season. The following year, though, Es- posito brought in another shortstop, Alex Wallace, to compete with Strange for the starting job. In the end, Esposito moved Strange to second base and made Wal- lace the shortstop. The decision worked out beautifully, but Strange did not take the news well. Later that week, Esposito brought the team together af- ter practice and an- nounced the move to Strange's teammates. That was the moment, Strange said, when Esposito went from being just a coach to being the most influential person in Strange's baseball life. "Coach Espo told the team, 'Fellas, I just want you to know that Doug has vol- unteered to move to second base because he believes it will make us a better club,'" Strange recalled. "He saved me some pride by not saying Alex had beaten me out of the job, and my teammates thought I'd sacrificed my position for the good of the team. "He didn't have to say that. It made ev- erything so much easier. After that, I was all in with anything Coach Espo ever did or said." An old-school coach who suffered noth- ing gladly, Esposito could blow out a way- ward player with the greatest of ease, and often did. Unlike some, Strange loved Es- posito's direct approach and expressed that sentiment in a letter, written to Esposito in the mid-1990s. Esposito treasured that let- A Memorable Career Former Pack All-Conference Infielder Doug Strange's Lengthy Baseball Life Continues With Pirates Strange was the Pack's starting shortstop as a freshman, and he then became a two-time All-ACC second baseman before being drafted in the seventh round of the 1985 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers. PHOTOS COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS "He did more to prepare me for playing Major League Baseball than anything else I ever experienced in the game. I wanted him to know that. I meant every word of it." ■ Strange on a letter he sent to Sam Esposito, his coach at NC State WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Doug Strange Age: 51 Living: Pittsburgh, Pa. Occupation: Special assistant to the general manager for the Pittsburgh Pirates Did you know? Strange's .368 career batting average from 1983-85 ranks eighth all-time in NC State school history. ? WHERE ARE THEY NOW

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