Great article on Tino and USF baseball

[MatRatUSF]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/local/orl-tino2407apr24,0,6969806.story?coll=orl-sports-headlines

TAMPA -- Tino Martinez signed a $20 million free-agent deal with the New York Yankees in 1996. Over the next six seasons, he won four World Series rings and hit 175 home runs. Only five players in the history of America's most storied sports franchise topped that six-year run of homers.

Their names were Ruth, Mantle, DiMaggio, Gehrig and Maris.

Think about that tonight when Martinez climbs off a bus that traveled 90 minutes up Interstate 4 -- if traffic is not a problem, of course -- from Tampa to Jay Bergman Field, where the USF Bulls will take on the UCF Knights in a college baseball game at 6:30.

Martinez, one of the most respected and classiest players of his era, hopes to do his part for the visitors.

What more can be asked of a volunteer assistant coach?

"I'm hooked on this," Martinez said last week. "I'd forgotten how much fun baseball was at this level. I'm really having a great time."

Martinez, 39, loves the game. He also loves his brother-in-law, Lelo Prado, in his first season as USF's coach after leaving the same position at Louisville. Martinez and Prado grew up in the baseball hotbed of west Tampa, shared a dugout (Prado as coach, Martinez as an All-America first baseman) at Division II Tampa and eventually stood side by side when Martinez married Prado's sister, Marie, in 1991.

When Prado, 43, was set to begin workouts in January, he approached Martinez about joining his staff as an unpaid hitting coach. Given the choice of putting on a uniform and working with young players versus the grind of his studio job last season on ESPN's Baseball Tonight and analyst for the network's college baseball coverage, Martinez liked the idea of keeping busy just 12 miles from his home in downtown Tampa.

"He's out here all the time," Prado said.

"My sister is always saying, 'He spends more time with you than he does with me.' That's OK. I think he likes it. I know he likes it."

The USF players are fired up about it, too.

Martinez played for four teams in his 16 seasons in the majors, hit .271 for his career, collected 1,925 hits, placed second in American League MVP voting in 1997 and won the Home Run Derby at the all-star game that year.

That's called "street cred."

"To be honest, I tried to be cool that first day and the first time he was working with me, but come on," said sophomore outfielder Mike Consolmagno, a devout Yankees fan from Staten Island, N.Y. "Tino Martinez as my hitting coach? Are you kidding me?"

Imagine the reaction when a couple of Martinez's buddies, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada, showed for a couple of practices while the Yankees were in Tampa for spring training.

"Were they [the USF players] in awe?" Prado asked. "I was in awe."

Prado has to be fairly awestruck in the program's improvement at the plate. He inherited a team that went 23-25 last season and hit a collective .268. They'll bring a 27-15 record into tonight's game, with a team batting average of .298.

"You start to see improvement, and you really get excited," Martinez said. "To me, this was just a great opportunity, not only to help Lelo build this program into a national power, but because I remember when I was in college just how much I learned, how much better I got as a player and how much I matured.

"To have a chance to pass some of that on has been worth it."

For the season's first 20 games, Martinez coached first base, but he found there wasn't enough time to provide feedback to players after an at-bat. Now he stays in the dugout where input can be immediate.

That also means Martinez sightings are less frequent for fans, especially the ones who went to Big East games at Connecticut, only to be stunned to see a former Yankees star in the USF first-base box. Martinez accommodated all autograph and picture requests.

"That part's still fun," he said.

Apparently, everything about baseball is fun for Martinez. So fun, he does it for free.

"If it were me, I'd be out on my boat -- and he's got a sweet one -- every day sunning myself," Prado said. "But he's out here every day instead. And he loves it."

Chris Harry can be reached at charry@orlandosentinel.com.

[flsportsfan83]

hopefully he stay on board...... what a great recruiting tool.

[bulls96go]

good luck tino...

some big league team will come sniffing next year...stay home, please.

[Bulls 8_va]

Can this please stay like this for all eternity?!?!!? There are good times coming for USF Baseball...

So awesome...I like it when our fans heckle him to see his rings.  LMAO

"TINO...SHOW ME THE RINGS, TINO!!!"

[SeaBull]

Tino is a Mariner to me. I admit that I was pretty bitter that he donned the pin stripes but I forgive him now. I can't think of a better mentor for our players to have.

TINO! NEVER FORGET SEATTLE!!

[Herman_Momart]

What a class act this guy is.  Still cant believe he volunteers his time.  Who wouldnt want to learn how to hit from Tino Martinez.  I wish i could get interested in college baseball.  

Tino was loved by yankee fans and women in NY like they love Jeter today.  Only difference is, Jeter loves all the women back.  Sleezeball  ;D  

[MikeG]

I'm watching the last game of the Rutgers series on brighthosue right now-- don't bother flipping over t it-- were down to our last out and down huge (yeah-- I know we lost)

ugly series

[smazza]

this crew will recruit some great players