Clarion-Ledger from Jackson, Mississippi • Page 21

Wednesday, May 30, 1990 The Clarion-Ledger 3C Tallest players in professional bcscbdl Name Randy Johnson Terry Bross Dave Masters Team Seattle Jackson Iowa Height 6-10 6-9 6-9 League American Texas Amer. Assoc. Position pitcher pitcher pitcher Wramglers 2a 11 ninth Note: The three are also the tallest in pro baseball history. There have been at least ten 6-8 pitchers, including the New York Yankees' Lee Guetterman and seven current minor leaguers. Past 6-8 players include Houston Astros pitcher James Rodney Richard, Milwaukee Braves and Boston Red Sox pitcher Gene Conley and Houston organization first baseman Larry Mansfield.

By Jo Powell CIrton-Ldgr SUN Writer JaxMets at home Bross From 1C Today: Wichita (Hernandez 3-2) at Jackson (Nivens 2-2), 7 p.m., WJDX-AM, 620, Peter Pan Family Night. Thursday: Wichita at Jackson, 7 p.m., Car Quest Night. First 200 Fans Get Caps. ct j' File photo Several years ago, Terry Bross was a Big Man on campus at St. John's.

The rampage of pitcher Terry Bross turned into a rhubarb Tuesday night at Smith-Wills Stadium. The Jackson Mets' incredible 6-foot-9 hulk extended his scoreless streak to 14 games and gained his first Texas League victory in the process. The Mets rallied for a run in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat Wichita 2-1 but not before both benches emptied in the top of the inning. Bross, who lowered his earned run average to 1.59, faced down, perhaps literally, Wichita shortstop Juan Villanueva with two outs and runners on second and third base. Bross, known for his aggressive style of pitching, threw a ball up and in to Villanueva on 1-2 and struck him out on 2-2.

"I didn't mind being pitched inside, but it was the way hejiooked at me," said Villanueva, a former Met. "He said something, and I asked him what he said. I want to play baseball, not fight." The inning was over, but the serious action had just begun. Villanueva and Bross started walking toward each other, and they were quickly joined by teammates. "Bross was looking at him and back.

It was like spontaneous combustion," Mets manager Clint Hurdle said. Bross left the dressing room before he could be interviewed. The brawl featured several shoving matches before order could be restored. Villanueva and Mets second baseman Rudy Hernandez were ejected. Don Brown, who took Hernandez' place, drew the first walk off Wranglers starter Pedro Martinez with one out in the Mets' ninth.

After Jaime Roseboro flied out to center field, Alex Jimenez chopped a ball between third and the mound. "The pitch was in my kitchen (inside). I should have laid off," Jime- "I told him it's nice to be 6-9 but not a 6-9 pussycat," Hurdle said. "When he started his new thing all the guys laughed at him, but now they know he's on a mission." Bross' nickname, "Big Man," isn't terribly creative or deceptive, and neither is his pitching. He comes right at the hitters with 90-93 mph fastballs and hard sliders.

"I'm not trying to develop another pitch. With my job you don't have time to set the hitters up anyway," said the former St. John's basketball player. "It's down to 'let's find out who's better, you or So far, the answer can be found in his league-best nine saves and 1.59 earned run average. He has 14 consecutive scoreless appearances, last allowing a run on April 29.

In 28 1 3 innings, the 24-year-old righthander has allowed 13 hits, struck out 16 and walked 15. "He's a combination of confidence and ability," Mets pitching coach Bob Apodaca said. "We're going to ride the big horse while he's hot, and if he ever cools off he's still going to get the ball. "A man of his stature can be intimidating. You see a lot of elbows and knees, and that can cause the batter trouble trying to pick up the ball.

He has tremendous leverage, and he's just wild enough to put a little fear in their minds." Bross, who weighs 235 pounds, says his "king of the hill" approach only accounts for part of his success. "I don't worry about stats anymore. I used to look at them every day," he said. "When you think about it, the only stats that benefit you are the opposing hitters. "My goal is to be the best at this level and not worry about moving up.

I owe (New York pitcher) Bob Ojeda and (teammate) Ron Gideon for setting me straight this spring." Bross was bom in El Paso, Texas. He moved to California when he 10 and to his present home, Bridgewa-ter, N.J., when he was in the ninth grade. He became a high school basketball star and received more than 100 scholarship offers. He chose St. John's, which is located in nearby Jamaica, N.Y., and coached by the legendary Lou Carnesecca.

The center-forward played with such present NBA players as Mark Jackson, Walter Berry and Chris Mullin and against such players as DePaul's Dallas Comegys, Pittsburgh's Charles Smith and Georgetown's Patrick Ewing. "In my freshman year, we were No. 1 in the nation when Georgetown came into Madison Square Garden for a showdwown," Bross said. "Bill Wennington got into foul trouble with 11 minutes left. I took his place and he said 'you've got Ewing" as he walked past me.

"They went into a four corners and got Patrick against me one-on-one. He was going to dunk, and I decided to block it. He stuck the ball in the hole and me in the fourth row." Later that year, Bross played against the Hoyas in The Final Four. He became a starting center his junior year. His senior year was limited to four games when he broke both ankles in a span of two months.

"I had the tools for basketball. I could run and jump," Bross said. "But I just didn't love the game. I wasn't the kind of guy who liked to spend hours in the gym." Baseball, which he hadn't pursued since junior high school, got nez said. Martinez had to hurry and turn his back to field the ball.

His throw sailed over first baseman Guillermo Velasquez' head, and Brown scored from first base. Martinez, who gave up six hits and struck out nine, fell to 1-5. "I feel sorry for Pedro. He threw his best," Wranglers manager Steve Lubratich said of his 21-year-old left-hander. "It's sad the guy had to lose," Hurdle said.

"He had all the pitches, including a great change-up." Martinez and Mets starter Rocky Elli matched zeros until the sixth when Elli had to leave with a blistered index finger on his left hand. Doug Cinnella relieved and gave up a two-out, run-scoring single to Velasquez. Roseboro, starting his first game since coming off the disabled list Monday, homered in the seventh. Bross relieved Cinnella with two on and one out in the eighth. He induced Tim McWilliam to hit into a double play.

Neither team seemed in the mood for more bad blood. "Tempers flared because it was a 1-1 game. It was nothing personal," Jimenez said. Said Hurdle: "I'm glad nobody got hurt. The fact they're battling for first place (in the West), and they have a couple of former Mets may have had something to do with what happened." Said Lubratich: "Tomorrow's a new day.

We'll just try to forget what happened." in computer science has a multi-faceted approach to motel beds. "Curl up in a ball, put your legs at 45-degree angles or pull up a chair to the end of the bed," he said. Worse yet, his clothes were lost by the airlines on the Mets' last road trip. "They're going to mail me a check, but I wish they knew how hard it is to find clothes," he said. "You can forget about jeans." Away from the park, he enjoys reading fantasy books about medieval times, fishing and playing the guitar.

"I want to play the national anthem before a game on my electric guitar, and I think I've conned (Mets general manager) Bill Black-well into it," he said. "The notes are easy. Any difficulty depends on how much you want to personalize it." Come to think of it, has there ever been anybody else called "Big Man?" back in the picture when he went out his junior year at St. John's. "I went out mainly to break spring boredom," he said.

"I only threw 21 innings. I threw hard, but I didn't know where it was going. I had no breaking ball or mechanics." New York was watching and made him their 14th selection in the June 1987 draft. He had two so-so years at Little Falls in the New York-Penn League before going 8-2 with 11 saves at Port St. Lucie in the Florida State League last year.

His father is a sales manager for and his mother works in the computer department of a junior college. No one in Bross' family is particularly tall except him, but he can account for his height. "My father's family has long bodies," he said. "My mother's family has long legs. I got both." The owner of a bachelor's degree SPICE UP YOUR CAR 6107 Ridgewood Rd.

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