Local man finally hits 'The Show' Wesley Chapel resident Gary Denbo is getting the full major-league experience in his first season as hitting coach of the New York Yankees. By JASON VETTER Tribune correspondent ST. PETERSBURG A look New reveals at York a the collection coaches Yankees' of in dugout ma- the jor-league lifers. Entering this season, Manager Joe Torre, bench coach Don Zimmer, pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre, bullpen coach Tony Cloninger and base coaches Willie Randolph and Lee Mazzilli had combined for 177 seasons in the majors as either a player, coach or manager. That fact is never more evident than Friday afternoon, several hours before a road game against the Devil Rays. A calm rests within the group as Mazzilli chats with a friend in front of his locker and Torre jokes with players in the clubhouse. There is a sixth Yankee coach. He doesn't stop moving. From the clubhouse to the dugout and back, he scrambles like he's three hours late. However, that is never the case. He always is the first one at the ballpark. He prepares for this rather meaningless game against baseball's worst team like he would Game 7 in October. You can forgive Gary Denbo if he is a little too serious about his job. It took him 12 years to get to the major leagues. If he doesn't stick around, it won't be for a lack of effort. His peers just hope he stops long enough to enjoy his achievement. "He's a very serious-natured person. A lot of times when you kid with him he's not sure if you're kidding with him," Torre said. "I respect him a great deal, but he needs to have a little bit more fun. I think 1 he will eventually.' Denbo, a Wesley Chapel resident in his first season as hitting coach of one of the world's most recognized sporting teams, is the only Yankee coach who didn't enjoy a prolonged playing career in the majors. He never came close, spending four years in the minors, never getting above Double-A. When the Yankees arrive at visiting ballparks, many of which Denbo has never seen, he is as wide -eyed as recent rookie callups. "It's exciting walking out of the tunnel and into the clubhouses and fields of each stadium," Denbo said. "That's one of the great things about being here is the facilities are so nice, the batting cages and the fields, where in the minor leagues you're playing in front of 2,000 people. You go to Yankee Stadium where its 55,000. It makes the game a lot more exciting." GARY DENBO AND his wife, Penny, moved to the Tampa Bay area in 1987. Denbo was coaching his second season in Cincinnati's minor -league system. His playing career done, he began to find his niche instructing hitters. In 1989, M 47 farms Y DAVID KADLUBOWSKI/Tribune photo Yankees hitting coach Gary Denbo, right, talks to Shane Spencer during batting practice at Tropicana done a great job so far." Some might disagree with Martinez. The Yankees, winners of three consecutive World Series, have struggled at the plate, a big reason for the club's 41-32 record and second-place standing entering Monday night's game against Cleveland. While a big reason for the slow start is the aging of right fielder Paul O'Neill, a spring injury to Jeter and the illness and death of center fielder Bernie Williams' father, Denbo has taken heat because of his title. "I think it's tough because you have a new hitting coach come in and the team's not hitting and that reflects on the hitting coach," Martinez said. "We have just struggled as a team. We've struggled under 6 That's one of the great things about being here is the facilities are so nice, the batting cages and the fields, where in the minor leagues you're playing in front of 2,000 people. You go to Yankee Stadium where its 55,000. It makes the game a lot more exciting. Gary Denbo Yankees hitting coach he earned his first managerial job with Class A Greensboro in the Yankees' system. It started a 12-year rise to the majors which included four seasons as a manager, four seasons as the organization's hitting coordinator and four World Series rings. All the while his family, which includes 8-year-old Emily and 12-year-old Andy, has lived in the Tampa area. They moved to Wesley Chapel three years ago. Andy and Emily attend Sand Pine Elementary, where Penny is a teacher's aide. "It's a nice area, a booming area," Denbo said. "I like the newness of the area. It's not a bad commute to make in the morning as early as I go in during the winter. It's good for all of us, including the kids. "Tampa Bay is a great area to live in, especially in the wintertime. I think I get the best of both worlds. I get my winters down here and during the summertime I get to go up to New York and other areas of the country where it's not as hot and humid during the summertime." Born in Princetor., Ind., Denbo is adjusting to life in New York City. He has never lived in a big city, not that he has time to see this one. He has seen a Broadway play "Beauty and the Beast". but not much else. "I'm either at home sleeping or at the ballpark," Denbo said. "I don't get out much." He isn't exaggerating. The first thing any of the Yankees comment on about Denbo is his work ethic. He won't say what time he gets to work, only acknowledging that it is "early, early." "He works hard. He puts a lot of time and effort into what he's doing," said Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter, who had Denbo as a coach or manager for three years in the minors. "He really pays attention to detail. He works with video a lot. He likes to work extra." First baseman Tino Martinez, like Jeter a Tampa resident, has worked with Denbo in the off-season since arriving in New York in 1996. "He's great. He works hard," Martinez said. "He's not afraid to take you to the cage and work with you for hours if he has to. But he's learning along with us as we go along. It's a learning process. He's a K Denbo is at Field on Friday. other hitting coaches but I guess when you get a new hitting coach in, the emphasis goes to him all of a sudden and that's not fair, but that's not the way it is." DENBO SHRUGS OFF criticism, knowing that coaching for George Steinbrenner's team is anything but peaceful. Chris Chambliss, the Yankees' hitting coach for five seasons, was fired at the end of last season, which culminated with the team's fourth championship during the span. "It comes with the job. We've got a bunch of professional hitters here," Denbo said. "As all hitters do they go through periods where they're not swinging the bat as well as you'd like. My job is simply to make those periods where they're not swinging well as short as possible, so we try to make adjustments. "We try to grind it out every day and stay consistent." Torre remains happy with his newest coach. "It's a new adjustment for him to come to the major-league level," he said. "There's a lot more pressure involved. You're under the microscope all the time. If they don't hit, they look to the hitting coach. If you don't win, they look to the manager. What can I tell you? But, as far as I'm concerned, he beats me to the ballpark every day. He's very organized. He knows what he's talking about" is >