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Show Monday June 16, 2008 • - : - . • v. ' ^ ,*/ orts . Wolverines legend Steve Gardner takes his last walk through UVU dugout .„-!,*.•*•-: Griffey becomes sixth to hit home run 600 Jack Waters | | Editor-in-chief Jack Waters / UVU Review Former UVSC baseball coach - Steve Gardner with his wife at his retirement ceremony on May 5, 2008. Veteran baseball coach hangs up the cleats after 18 years By Matt Beaudin - Sports editor he crack of the bat hadn't even imagined when he took that with his team's recent wins over" Oklahoma State and BYU, maybe and the pop of the ball the reins in the early 90s. After successfully leading his team he's doing something right and should pounding the catcher's mitt are sounds that at the junior college level for a num- stick around. While Gardner prepares have become all too fa- ber of years, amassing three SWAC for the life retirement has to offer, as miliar to Steve Gardner, Southern Division titles and two Re- he looks back on his successful caUVSC's baseball coach of the past 18 gion 18 championships, UVSC made reer, he gives credit to his players and years. After a coaching run with the the jump to Division.I in 2004. In the assistant coaches. "To be successful, not only do you Wolverines that lasted nearly two school's inaugural season, Gardner led his team to an impressive 19-17 have to have good players, but good decades, Gardner decided to pursue other endeavors and announced his record with a win over Oregon State, assistant coaches," Gardner said. as well as split- "And that's what I've had." retirement bethink of Utah Taking over the program for Gardfore the 2008 ting a six-game "When you ner will be his assistant of the last season. series with the From his Valley baseball for the last 18 University of five years: Eric Madsen. Madsen was named as Gardner's successor last days as a player years, his name represents Utah. at Spanish Fork the program. All of our guys G a r d n e r ' s December and will take over on July High School, most prolific 1, the same day UVSC officially beare too young to remember where he was season came in comes UVU. "I think coach Madsen is going to named All- Utah Valley any other way." 1998 when his do a great job," Gardner said. "Eric's State, to his batsquad sprinted Coach Eric Madsen ting title in the to a 42-15 record a great guy and he has a lot of insight Houston Astros at the junior col- as to what to do." When the season begins again next Minor League system, Gardner knew lege level. The landmark season saw he wanted to be a coach. Having pri- the Wolverines collect the most wins spring and the players and coaches marily taught himself how to swing a in team history. They also dominated feel the absence of Gardner in the dugout, coach Madsen concedes that, bat and pick up a groundball, he felt conference play with a 26-4 record. he had something to offer his playBeing a small school still trying to while the former skipper's baseball ers. establish its baseball reputation, the knowledge and drive to win will be After four years in the Minor Wolverines don't always land the big missed, it will be his personality they Leagues, the family-oriented Gardner recruit, but Gardner prefers to get the miss most. "Coach is such a personable guy. decided it wasn't the life for him and guys with a good work ethic who beHe gets along with everybody," Madcashed in his glove for the lineup card lieve in the program. to become head coach at a junior high "We call it the Wolverine way," sen said. "When you think of Utah school. Steadily moving up the coach- Gardner says. "Believe in the Wol- Valley baseball for the last 18 years, ing ladder, he made stops at Bonnev- verine way and what we're trying to his name represents the program. All of our guys are too young to rememille High School and Snow College do." beforefindinghis home in 1991 as the As Gardner's final season has ber Utah Valley any other way." coach at what was then Utah Valley come to an end, he jokingly admits Community College. The veteran baseball coach has had his share of success at Utah Valley. Taking over the team while it was competing at the junior college level, Gardner saw them advance to the Division I program and coached them to an impressive May 2005 win over 16th-ranked Arizona State out of the Pac Ten. "It was a one game shot, and we played really well," Gardner said. "You almost have to be perfect when you play those games, and that's what we were." Gardner also led the Wolverines to their first win over BYU, and his team recently knocked off the ninthranked Oklahoma State Cowboys and Jack Warns/ UVU Review the defending national champion OrUVSC/BYU game immediately following Coach Gardner's retirement cermony. egon State Beavers. All wins Gardner T Ken Griffey Jr. just moved into hallowed company with the swing of his bat. In front of only a few thousand fans at Dolphin Stadium in Miami, Griffey hit home run number 600. Only five others have hit as many souvenir shots as Griffey. He joins Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Sammy Sosa as the only players to do so. Junior connected off a Mark Hendrickson curveball in the first inning of the Cincinatti Reds' 9-4 victory over the Florida Marlins. The 38-year-old slugger hit a 3-1 pitch 413 feet into the rightfield seats with a man on and one out. "The Kid"... stands among the elite, only to have the accomplishment clouded by the controversy following baseball.: The ball landed among a cluster of fans in the sparse crowd in Miami. The thing with historic home runs now is that the ball gains more attention than the player who hit it. Sure enough, there is a lawsuit brewing over the owner of Griffey's number 600. Arguably the greatest player of our generation, Griffey has a picturesque swing that makes any hitting instructor salivate. Unfortunately, every major accompl ishment in baseball is looked at in a different light nowadays. In Griffey, you can't find a better role model in all of baseball. "The Kid" came into the league swinging, inching toward greatness. Now he stands among the elite, only to have the accomplishment clouded by the controversy following baseball. He was always expected to challenge the all-time home run records, until Griffey became the only person affected by the Y2K scare. Griffey was traded from the Seattle Mariners to the Cincinnati Reds before the 2000 season. He suffered a torn left hamstring in 2001. He followed that in 2002 with a torn knee tendon and torn right hamstring. 2003 wasn't any luckier for the slugger, as he dislocated his right shoulder and tore his ankle tendon. There was a second* torn hamstring in 2004. The muscle had to be reattached to the bone with screws through an innovative surgery. Injuries killed the major league star. Griffey started the 2008 season with 593 home runs despite missing more than 450 games the past seven seasons. It seems there will always be speculation over how many home runs So© GRIFFEY • A8 1 |