Naulty Not One to Fold So Easily

Dan Naulty may never play solitaire again. The game can wear on you after six hours of it.

Naulty was 8-4 with a 2.95 earned-run average at Ft. Myers, a Class A team for the Minnesota Twins. Those numbers were good enough for a promotion to Nashville, a double-A team.

But Naulty found getting to Nashville was easier than getting to Nashville.

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Naulty, who played at Ocean View High School and Cal State Fullerton, got word of his promotion last Sunday. He was even scheduled to pitch for Nashville Monday night. No problem. Ft. Myers is a measly two-hour flight from Nashville, so Naulty would just pop in and pitch.

Then things got sticky. The first leg of the flight went smooth. He landed in Atlanta at midnight, just a stopover. Then trouble started. Mechanical problems grounded the airplane and, an hour later, the flight was canceled.

Out came the cards.

“I must have played 1,000 games of solitaire,” Naulty said. “I played cards, listened to music and waited. That’s all I could do.”

Naulty finally got to Nashville at noon Monday. By game time, he had been without sleep for nearly 40 hours.

Still, he pitched six innings, giving up four hits and two runs. Naulty struck out three and walked three. He took the loss, but was just happy to have survived.

“I walked a few guys, which got me in trouble,” Naulty said. “But overall, I think it was a good outing. Especially considering I had been up since 5:30 a.m. the previous day. I was a little anxious.”

But Naulty will take the stress.

This is his third season in professional baseball and by far his best. Naulty went 13-4 for Fullerton in 1992, helping the Titans reach the championship game of the College World Series. He was drafted in the 14th round by the Twins, but he didn’t exactly open any eyes last season.

Naulty started at Ft. Myers, where he went 0-3 with a 5.70 ERA. He was demoted to Ft. Wayne, a lower Class A team. Naulty had a 3.26 ERA, but his record was 6-8.

“I felt I pitched pretty good, but I couldn’t string any wins together,” Naulty said. “Sometimes winning isn’t the top priority here. They are looking for development.”

So Naulty came to a simple conclusion.

“To move up, you have to dominate a level,” he said.

Naulty came close to that this season. He was among the leaders in the Florida State League in victories and strikeouts (83).

His best outing, though, was a loss. He pitched a two-hitter, striking out 14 against Tampa. One of the hits was a home run, which gave Tampa a 1-0 victory.

Still, it only impressed Twins’ officials.

“I don’t know if I was dominating, but I was doing good enough,” Naulty said. “I was ready to move up.”

Yes, it was in the cards.

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If ever there were a player prepared for the rigors of professional baseball, it’s Aaron Boone. He has plenty of tutors, no doubt about it.

--Ray Boone, his grandfather, was an infielder in the major leagues for 13 years.

--Bob Boone, his father, was a catcher for 19 years in the major leagues.

--Bret Boone, his brother, is currently the second baseman for the Cincinnati Reds.

“There’s nothing I haven’t expected,” said Aaron Boone, who played at Villa Park High School and USC. “You never really know until you get there, but everything they told me has been true.”

Boone is a third baseman for Billings, a Class A team for the Reds. The organization not only employs his older brother, but his father. Bob Boone is a coach with the Reds.

“I call them or they call me almost every night just to find out how everybody did,” Boone said.

Aaron, the middle of three sons, may have had the biggest news so far this season. His first professional hit was a grand slam, against Yakima. As far as he knows, none of his relatives made such a big entrance into pro ball.

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Home cookin’: Aaron Boone’s first season has been a bit easier than the rest of the Boone clan had it.

When Billings is home, Boone lives with a local family, who are friends of some friends. He pays no rent, gets the use of a car and the food is a little better than what his teammates are getting.

“Home-cooked meals every night when we’re home,” Boone said. “That’s the best thing.”

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Mike Schooler, one of the top closers in baseball four years ago, was released by the Wichita Wranglers after attempting to resurrect his career as a starter.

He was 0-8 at the time of his release.

Schooler, a graduate of Garden Grove High School, led the Seattle Mariners in saves in four of the past five seasons. He had 33 saves in 1989 and 30 in 1990.