<sobbing>USC lost. They had a 12 point lead with six minutes left but then, then they lost. So so sad. The 34 straight wins for naught. That was just awful.</sobbing>

What is this game that uses the ball of the foot?

Definitely a great. And a loss to all who follow college baseball. RIP.

Don't know much about the man, but obviously a shame to hear of anyone's death, espcially someone who seemed to love baseball with the same passion most of us do.

Nearly 60 USC players under Dedeaux went on to big league careers, including...Randy Johnson.

The Unit must've been an absolute terror in college ball, all arms and legs and fastballs and sliders and no idea where they were going. Scary

Strangely the list on USC's website omits Randy Johnson even though Dedeaux coached him.

Bill Lee said he was the best manager he ever had...

I never knew Dedeaux, but I've had the pleasure over the past several years of getting to know a little bit Dan Ardell, who played for Dedeaux at USC. Dan and his wife, who came to know Dedeaux as well, cannot possibly say enough good things about him. He was apparently one of those combinations of great coach and wonderful man.

Is there any argument with the notion that he's the greatest coach in college baseball history?

Bill Lee said he was the best manager he ever had...
Bruce Gardner could not be reached for comment.

"Is there any argument with the notion that he's the greatest coach in college baseball history? "

No. Not Even the very good coaches today (Polk, Garrido, Stephenson, gillespie, laval, some others im blanking on) can really hold a candle to Dedeaux in either accomplishments or respect

USC has had four baseball coaches since 1924: Sam Crawford, Sam Barry (who coached the basketball team), Dedeaux, and Mike Gillespie.

Arizona State has had three since 1959. I have to believe that would be runner-up to the Trojans.

Rod Dedeaux is a legendary figure at USC and in college baseball. Without question, he is the most successful college baseball coach ever. My sympathies go out to the Dedeaux family.

Arizona State has had three since 1959. I have to believe that would be runner-up to the Trojans.

Texas = 3 coaches since 1946, 5 since 1911

Bob: I'm assuming that's THE Sam Crawford?

When was the last time, if ever, a college manager has directly moved from the college ranks to the pro ranks as a manager? Can you think of any instances of where MLB managers had college managerial experience?

Didn't you read "The Glory of Their Times"?

When was the last time, if ever, a college manager has directly moved from the college ranks to the pro ranks as a manager?

Bobby Winkles.

I believe Bobby Winkles went from ASU to the Angels.

Bob: About 80 bazillion times. I don't remember anything about USC in it, though.

I bet it got annoying for his players to keep having to track him down at a laundromat in the middle of nowhere.

I guess Crawford doesn't mention his USC tenure to Ritter. I listened to the CD too and he didn't bring it up. I guess it's just better known in Southern California.

I guess Crawford doesn't mention his USC tenure to Ritter. I listened to the CD too and he didn't bring it up. I guess it's just better known in Southern California.

There's a reason he lived in California during his golden years. ;)

"The Unit must've been an absolute terror in college ball, all arms and legs and fastballs and sliders and no idea where they were going. Scary"

When I was an undergraduate at UC Santa Barbara in the mid 1980s -- the game was in 1984 -- I had the chance to see Randy Johnson pitch against the Gauchos at Dedeaux Field (yes, even when he was coaching, the ballpark was named after their famous coach). My roommate, who went on to an inglorious minor league career in the Giants' system pitched for UCSB that night.

I don't have any specific memories of the Unit's performance. We won the game. But I do remember that USC, despite having Mark McGwire and Randy Johnson and some other name prospects, was not really a very good team in those years. I don't know if it was because Dedeaux had declined as a coach by then, or there was some other reason.

The really great team that I saw in those years -- in terms of having future major leaguers -- was Arizona State. The Sun Devils' 1984 club had a remarkable outfield: Barry Bonds in center, Mike Devereaux in right, and Oddibe McDowell in left. They also had Luis Medina, Shawn Gilbert, Doug Henry, Don Wakamatsu and Chris Beasley.

Stanford has had 5 head coaches since '23, including Marquess, who is entering his 30th year and is still young enough to go 10 or 15 more. I presume he's one of the guys Mordecai blanked on in No. 10.

Just imagine how many pitchers' arms Marquess could wreck in the next 15 years!

Johnson C. Smith University (previously Biddle University) has had one head coach since at least 1946.

The Sun Devils' 1984 club had a remarkable outfield: Barry Bonds in center, Mike Devereaux in right, and Oddibe McDowell in left.
And Bonds wasn't the star - McDowell was. Bill James loved McDowell back in the day. Yet we now can file Oddibe next to Mike Kelly among hyped Sun Devils who never panned out. (Bump Wills, son of Maury, also may belong on that list.)

Rich Rifkin!!! Stop the presses!!!

Very wonderful to hear from you, Rich.

91 years, most of them on a ball field...we should all be so lucky.

"And Bonds wasn't the star - McDowell was. Bill James loved McDowell back in the day."

Because he was Bobby Bonds's son, and because our catcher, Joe Kmak, was a high school teammate of his, the guy we had heard about beforehand was Bonds. But the player in that particular game who was most impressive was Mike Devereaux. He hit the longest homerun with a wooden bat that day one could possibly imagine.

Devereaux had good power, and he hit right-handed. My roommate, Steve Connolly, was pitching, and Steve didn't have great stuff, but he was, as they say, "a crafty left-hander." Unfortunately for Steve, Devereaux owned crafty lefties.

I'm not sure who was announcing the game for UCSB -- it might have been Jim Rome -- but I recall the radio call when Mike Devereaux hit that blast. There were two guys in the booth, and this is a rough approximation of what each said:

"Connoly winds and delivers and... oh... my... god!"

"That is WAY over the left-field wall! Way over."

"It's still going. I think it's going to clear the Parkway."

"No, it's going to clear the River."

"I think it's cleared the River and now it's flying over the Highway."

"I hope nobody gets killed when that thing lands."

Steve Treder, thanks for the nice words. I haven't posted in here in a long time. It's good to share some thoughts.