October 20, 2007

Gillespie embraces the Anteater

RANDY YOUNGMAN
Register columnist

IRVINE -- After Mike Gillespie was gently coaxed into retirement in 2006, ending his distinguished and highly decorated 20-year tenure as USC baseball coach, it didn't take him long to figure out he wasn't yet ready for fairways and fishing holes.

He still wanted to coach.

"After about three days of (watching) 'Oprah,' I knew," Gillespie said, laughing. "I was regretting I hadn't been able to develop my skills as a golfer, fisherman or hang glider or something ...

"So there I was, sitting at home, which my wife could not stand, and we made a joint decision I probably should get a job of some kind."

With his impressive resume and 40 years of baseball contacts, it wasn't surprising he quickly landed a job as a professional scout for the New York Yankees and a dual role as manager of the Staten Island Yankees, the storied franchise's short-season Class-A affiliate in the New York-Penn League.

Interestingly, two of the players sent to Gillespie's Staten Island team this past July were 2007 Yankees draft picks Taylor Holiday and Matt Morris, UC Irvine stars who had helped propel the upstart Anteaters to a third-place finish in the College World Series a month before in Omaha.

"Two of our best players, too," Gillespie said.

And two players who kept Gillespie informed on a daily basis of the grapevine gossip they were hearing about the college baseball coaching carousel in Southern California.

One week UCI coach Dave Serrano was talking to the University of Oregon about its coaching vacancy, the next week he was staying, and the next week Cal State Fullerton's George Horton was being wooed by Oregon.

And a week after Horton surprisingly accepted the Oregon job, Serrano surprisingly left UCI to succeed Horton at Cal State Fullerton.

Gillespie immediately faxed his resume to UCI, highlighting his 15 NCAA Tournament appearances, four CWS appearances and the 1998 national championship in his two decades at USC.

At age 67, he didn't know what his chances were of being seriously considered, but he was seriously interested in returning to Southern California to resume his college coaching career.

And two weeks ago, his hiring became official, Gillespie agreeing to a three-year contract and new associate head coach Pat Shine presumably being brought in as his heir-apparent.

Suddenly, Gillespie is an Anteater. Yes, he sheepishly concedes he once told John Savage, his USC pitching coach who left to become the UCI coach six years ago, that he "shouldn't go anywhere you would be an anteater."

And now?

"I embrace the Anteater!" Gillespie said, smiling. "I'm one of the guys who remember the BC comic strip. I remember Zot! ... OK, I somewhat remember when the Anteater was born (at UCI). I think I probably chuckled at the time. C'mon, it's not a wolverine. It doesn't smack of ferociousness ...

"But I have to say, I'm a very politically savvy person, and I happened to see President Bush's press conference (in June, when UCI's national championship volleyball team was honored at the White House), where he said, 'Go, Anteaters!' And if the president can say, 'Go, Eaters!', I'm on board with that."

Gillespie also is smart enough to know his new arch-rival is Cal State Fullerton, especially with so many people at UCI upset that Serrano left one week after saying he wasn't interested in the Fullerton job.

So I asked him if he was told when he was hired that he is required to beat the Titans.

"I actually just saw my contract today, and there is fine print," he said, chuckling. "I might have to get my magnifying glass ... there might be something in there."