BANKING/FINANCE : Sutton to Try Different Kind of Pitch as Director of PNB Financial Group

Without a blazing fastball, Don Sutton relied on an assortment of pitches and a crafty mind to outsmart hitters and win 321 games during his major league career.

Released by the California Angels last week, Sutton will be crafting a new kind of pitch--as a member of the PNB Financial Group’s board of directors.

Sutton, 42, of Laguna Hills, was recently elected to the board of PNB, the holding company for Pacific National Bank in Newport Beach. As a director, he will be pitching the bank’s capabilities to area businesses.

A sure bet for the Baseball Hall of Fame, Sutton hasn’t decided yet if he’ll retire or try to sign on with the San Diego Padres or the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team where he began his baseball career in 1965.

Either way, he’ll continue overseeing the operations of SuttCor International, the Laguna Hills investment consulting and planning firm he founded in 1976. He also is involved in a variety of radio and television projects.