Baseball Coach Has Change of Heart

Like all competitive athletes, Kirk Bates had been through his share of slumps. But this one was different.

It had nothing to do with hitting or fielding or any other technical aspect of baseball. It had to do with baseball, period.

He didn’t love it anymore. He didn’t even like it. He had to get out.

The decision by Bates--a standout first and second baseman while at Katella High School (1979-81), Fullerton College (1982-83) and Cal State Fullerton (1984)--to quit the sport he once cherished was not an easy one.

But he made it. At 30,000 feet.

Bates was on a flight to Florida for minor league spring training in 1986 when the realization sunk in that his baseball career was sunk. As a player, his strength was his heart. But now, there was a gaping hole in his field of dreams. His passion was passe.

Somewhere between takeoff and landing, the sign began to flash before Bates’ eyes.

EXIT . . . EXIT . . . EXIT . . . He waited until the plane landed.

Then he walked away from baseball for good. Or so he thought.

Today, Bates is the baseball coach at Newport Harbor High. Hired by the school 1 1/2 years ago to teach math, Bates says he never expected to coach. But fate has a funny way of turning expectations topsy-turvy.

After graduating from Katella in 1981, Bates went on to Chapman College and Fullerton College--where after batting .429 in 1983 he was named most valuable player in the South Coast Conference--before going to Cal State Fullerton.

He batted .339 at Fullerton, helping the Titans win the 1984 College World Series. Bates says it was his finest hour.

His worst came soon after.

Drafted by the Rangers in the 11th round, Bates was assigned to Class-A Burlington, Iowa. Cal State Fullerton to Burlington--it was as if he had gone from prime rib to shredded Spam on toast.

He heard minor league life wasn’t easy, but at 21, Bates wasn’t mentally prepared for baseball’s dungeon. Burlington was the worst team in the Midwest League. Worse, losing games didn’t seem to matter to his teammates. Individual statistics were all that counted; team spirit, he was told, was for high school kids.

Bates was sent to Class-A Salem in 1985, but a torn pectoral muscle hurt his swing. A year later, he was flying through clouds of indecision.

“During the flight, I was just going, ‘God, this isn’t right anymore,’ ” Bates said. “I think what got me as far as I went in baseball was heart and desire and I knew I lost some of that. So I thought, ‘Hey, it’s time to get a real career. It’s time to get out.’ ”

He called his parents after he got off the plane and told them he was getting on the next flight home.

The next flight wasn’t for eight hours.

“Yeah,” Bates says, “It was one long day.”

Although many people have said he could have gone far in pro ball, Bates says he has no regrets. Watching him coach, it’s obvious he has found what makes him happiest.

Newport Harbor lost its season opener to Mission Viejo, 6-3, Monday, but Bates rarely lost his smile. Even after a few Sailor errors, Bates kept his composure, and his team in turn stayed relaxed.

The players love him. He welcomes their concerns and listens to their ideas. He stresses team pursuits. He puts on Led Zeppelin music during warm-ups.

“He’s one of those guys you meet, and you instantly respect,” junior Branon Coluccio said. “It’s kind of like captain , like you’re meeting someone who’s in control. You don’t doubt him for a minute, but he’s also easy to talk to. I’ve never really met anyone like him.”

Branon’s father, Bob Coluccio, a former outfielder with the Brewers, White Sox and Cardinals, is assisting Bates this season. He says even in his first year as a head coach, Bates has qualities similar to those of one of Coluccio’s former minor-league teammates--Oakland A’s Manager Tony La Russa.

“Kirk knows baseball, and he knows how to communicate how it’s played,” Bob Coluccio said. “To do that to kids, you can’t be a dictator, the one who’s continually right. You have to have compassion and understanding and Kirk does. He has complete respect of the players.”

And of the administration.

Newport Harbor hasn’t had a strong baseball program in more than 10 years, and Bates is now seen as the savior. Or at least a very hard-working good guy.

Bates put on hit-a-thons to raise money for new uniforms, and spent hours repairing the infield, dugouts and batting cages.

Most of all, Athletic Director Eric Tweit said, Bates has restored pride and added a touch of class.

“I look out on the field,” Tweit says, “and for the first time in 12 years, it looks like we have a whole program out there.”

And as its guide, a whole-hearted coach.