Ruling the Roost

On a cold, blustery, winter-like spring day in the Antelope Valley, Rick Burleson bundled up--as much as one can in a baseball uniform--and headed out with a determined look.

“I’ve got to make sure the field is just right for this practice,” the JetHawks’ first-year manager said before a workout at the Hangar.

Burleson, nicknamed “Rooster” in his playing days, trotted outside the clubhouse, clipboard in hand, and directed the grounds crew in detail how he wanted each piece of equipment to be positioned on the field.

“He’s very intense,” said JetHawk pitching coach Jim Slaton. “He likes to be organized. When things aren’t right he gets a little upset. That’s the way he was as a player. I remember him from when we played together with the Angels.”

Burleson, 45, a former all-star infielder with the Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles and Angels, has been in just about every non-playing job in baseball since he retired in 1987, from scouting amateurs to teaching baserunning in the minors to coaching third base in the majors.

But tonight will be a new experience. Burleson will manage his first official game at any level when the JetHawks open their California League season at 7:15 against the High Desert Mavericks at the Hangar.

At a November press conference in which the JetHawks announced the Seattle Mariners had selected Burleson to manage in Lancaster--replacing Dave Brundage, who was promoted to double A--Burleson said he wanted to manage for several years and was looking forward to finding out if he liked it and would be good at it.

“Right now I like it fine,” Burleson said, having completed a month of spring training, including a handful of exhibition games. “I’ll let you know later how I like the grind of it.”

Said Slaton: “He’s been very good so far. He’s going to make a good manager.”

The only criticism comes in a joking manner from 22-year-old center fielder Joe Mathis.

“I get on him every day about not smiling,” Mathis said. “He just doesn’t smile.”

The wide smile Burleson flashed in November has been replaced by a look of concentration. In the harried final days before the season, Burleson seemed almost overwhelmed.

Baseball wasn’t the problem. It was everything else: reporters, the JetHawks’ front office. Everyone wanted a piece of his time, all while he was trying to make sure he hadn’t missed anything on the field.

“He’s got a lot of stuff on his mind,” Slaton said. “The longer he does this, the easier it’s going to become. Right now he’s trying to feel his way through.”

Added Burleson: “There’s a lot that goes into [managing]. More than people think. More than I even really thought.”

Burleson said he has been surprised with the time he’s had to spend off the field, planning and organizing.

The games, although none have counted so far, have also been different from Burleson’s most recent job: third-base coach for the Angels.

“You are into every pitch,” he said. “As a [third-base] coach, you can kind of look away and your concentration can be off. Or when your team is on defense, you can kick back.

“As a manager, you are in charge of how you are set up, making sure the players are in the positions you want. As soon as [the team at bat] gets a runner, you are making calls as far as holding the runner and throwing over.

“You are just into the game for nine innings.”

Such nine-inning intensity has been a pleasure for Burleson, who had made only suggestions, rather than decisions, for most of his coaching career.

“Making all the calls is something I hadn’t really done,” he said. “At this point, I like it. We’ll see in a few months how it goes.”

Perhaps the most comfortable time for Burleson is hours before the game, when he’s working with a runner on reading a pitcher and getting a good lead, or when he’s showing an infielder how to pick the right hop on a ground ball.

Hitting, infield play and baserunning are what he teaches best. Those were the areas Burleson excelled in during a 13-year major league career that included four all-star selections and a Gold Glove.

JetHawk players insist they respect any manager, no matter what he did as a player, but it’s human nature that instruction from someone with Burleson’s background may carry a little more weight than coming from another coach.

“I respect him not only because he played in the big leagues, but because of the experience that he has,” said Mathis, a speedy leadoff hitter expected to steal bases. “He can help me with some things that I’ve been lacking the last couple of years and he can help me get to the big leagues someday.

“I love to listen to him, because he’s been there. He’s been where I’ve got to go.”