Attitude Helps Catcher Grab a Starting Spot

You need to spend only a minute or two with Irvine catcher David Hongslo before you start to wonder. Is today the first day of summer vacation? Does Christmas come tomorrow? Did his parents just promise him a hot new sports car?

The smile on this kid’s face could put the Cheshire Cat out of business. His attitude is so positive, he’s like Dale Carnegie meeting The Little Engine That Could. His outlook is that of a boy on a polliwog hunt or a child running through sprinklers. He seems delighted by everyday things.

The fact that Hongslo is a sophomore might have something to do with it. But the main reason, he says, is that he’s living out a dream. Last year, he was a frosh-soph third baseman with Himalayan-sized hopes. His vision was to play varsity. Hey, be realistic, he reminded himself. It could take two more years, maybe three. But then Irvine Coach Bob Flint called his name.

It’s certainly not a rarity to see a sophomore playing varsity, but Hongslo’s case is a bit different. Before this season, he had never played catcher. Now he’s the masked man for the county’s third-ranked team. He’s squatting in the spot made famous by a string of talented catchers (Jason Minici, Scott Vollmer, etc.) far more well-known than he.

So what is it that put him there? A keen eye? A powerful arm? A batting average gone ballistic? Well . . . no. After hearing of his tendency earlier this season to overthrow, opponents were stealing on Hongslo faster than you can say fish sticks. And his batting? He went 0 for 5 against Simi Valley--the nation’s second-ranked team--in the final of the Upper Deck tournament last month. Other than that, he has been replaced by a designated hitter.

Still, his coach and teammates are with him all the way. Hongslo--one of four candidates for the catcher’s position at season’s beginning--works his butt off, they say. He’s got the tools, he’s simply learning how to use them. He’s a smart kid, a talented kid. He’s improving every day.

The reason Hongslo isn’t batting, they say, is because the Vaqueros are stocked with hitters. The reason he doesn’t throw out more runners is because that’s not his primary role. Job No. 1 simply is to block the ball. Judging by his appearance after games (picture Pig Pen on an especially dusty day) Hongslo doesn’t think twice about sacrificing his uniform, or body, to get the job done.

“The one thing everybody said earlier this year was (the catcher position) was our weak spot,” senior Scott Seal says. “But it’s not. . . . Dave’s shown good leadership out there.”

Not that he didn’t have his troubles. Hongslo said he was so nervous in his first game, he could not throw the ball back to the pitcher. His arm felt like it was covered in concrete. He was literally scared stiff. The best he could do was flick the ball with his wrist.

“It was like psychological or something,” says Hongslo, who recites the rosary before every game. “I had to flip it, like lollipop it back to the pitcher. After the game that night, I (dreamed) that that’s all I could do--lollipop it back. And for the next few games after, that’s what I did. I just couldn’t throw it.”

Flint eventually cut in.

“I was running back into the dugout,” Hongslo says, “and Coach Flint said, ‘Dave, it’s a mind thing. In the next inning, I want you to throw that ball back to the pitcher. I don’t care if you overthrow it 1,000 times. Just throw it.’ And you know what? I just started throwing it. It’s almost like the words he said gave me the ability to do it!”

Hongslo describes the situation as a young boy might describe his first airplane ride or first trip to Disneyland. You half expect him to toss in a “gee whiz!” or two. His is a wide-eyed, happy-go-lucky nature you don’t see much among high school students anymore. His attitude is the most refreshing thing to come along since frozen yogurt. Coal miners aren’t this down to earth.

Ask Hongslo about the high point of his season so far; he doesn’t need even a split-second to decide. It’s his teammates, he said. They’re the high point for him. “They’ve supported me so much. They’ve really given me a dream come true.” His voice almost cracks when he says it.

And a low point? Hongslo has trouble coming up with one. Not that he is shy about discussing his failures. He tells about grounding into a double play with two outs in the ninth inning of a 7-6 loss to Simi Valley. He doesn’t seem haunted by mistakes. He shrugs things off with a smile, not in arrogance but in the simple acceptance that nobody’s perfect. In these days of temperamental, me-first athletes, that’s a pretty special trait.

Sure, Hongslo says, he would have felt better if he had had a game-tying hit against Simi Valley instead of grounding out to end the game. But that’s not what counts.

“For me, the most important thing is coming off the field with your head up,” Hongslo says. “That’s the most important thing of all.”

He says it. He means it. No wonder he keeps on smiling.