Tangentially Related

Brad Holman was the pitching coach of the Timber Rattlers from 2002-2005. His brother is Brian Holman and that is about all the hook I need to put up a post about this story by Larry Stone.

Losing a perfect game was tough — but Brian Holman's been through tougher

Whenever he does speaking engagements, Brian Holman often reflects on the topic of overcoming failure. As an object lesson, he begins by showing a video of the final inning of the Mariners' game in Oakland on April 20, 1990 — 20 years ago Tuesday.

That game, one of the most famous in Mariners history — infamous might be more accurate — is Holman's calling card, the prime reason he is remembered for a four-year major-league career filled with considerable promise, but cut short by a series of shoulder injuries.

It's all there on the video — Holman beginning the inning by striking out Felix Jose, then getting Walt Weiss to ground out to second baseman Harold Reynolds.

That made it 26 straight batters retired by Holman, putting him one more out from baseball immortality. The Oakland crowd of 44,911 was on its feet, roaring for the opposing pitcher. If he could just get out pinch-hitter Ken Phelps, who was batting for Mike Gallego, Holman would become the 13th pitcher in history to throw a perfect game, just the second to do so against the defending World Series champion.

Time and yearning hasn't changed the ending. Every time, Holman watches with the rest of the audience as Phelps, a former Mariner who grew up in Seattle and starred at Ingraham High School, unloads on Holman's first pitch and deposits it over the right-field wall at the Oakland Coliseum.

My favorite quote from the article is:

"About 4 in the morning, I stood up in my hotel room and yelled as loud as I could, "You've got to be kidding me!' " Holman said.

But, the article isn't just about the near-perfection. It's about Ken Phelps, Seinfeld, and things that are much tougher to deal with than a almost making baseball history.

Very well worth the time today.

Philosopher/Guitarist/Singer/Pitching Coach

By far the most often asked question about former Timber Rattler coaches I get is: Where is Brad Holman?

Brad was the pitching coach of the Timber Rattlers from 2002 through 2005 and went to West Tennessee for 2006 and 2007. Last year, he was in Altoona working for the Eastern League affiliate of the Pirates.

I have heard through the grapevine that he had been working with the Rangers and was ticketed for their South Atlantic League affiliate in Hickory.

The only "official" thing that I've see have been this Wikipedia entry.

During the 2009 Off-Season Brad Holman signed a contract to become the Crawdads Pitching Coach.

Sadly, Brad's Wikipedia page has no mention of "The Loyal Fan" anywhere.

Catching up with...

Brad Holman.

Brad was the pitching coach for the Timber Rattlers from 2002-2005. He is currently the pitching coach of the Altoona Curve, the Eastern League affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

This article from the Altoona Mirror is a month old, but it is all-Brad.

Off to a flying start
Holman goes from fixing planes to fixing pitchers

Brad Holman made it up to the big leagues with the Mariners in 1993, and while pitching in the minor leagues he spent his offseasons working in construction and framing houses. He retired from the game in 1996 and landed an impressive job as an aircraft mechanic for Boeing.

‘‘I put the skins on the ground section of the 737 cab and [did] a lot of drilling, countersinking, riveting,’’ Holman said. ‘‘It’s an aerodynamic part of the plane.

‘‘My credentials were basically I was always working in the construction industry, and I had a comfort with tools. But the most enticing thing for them was the baseball and teamwork skills that I had through baseball. At Boeing, they have shops that are compiled for 15-20 people, so it operates as a team.’’
...
Holman spent the past six seasons working in the Mariners’ system, including the past two in Double-A. The Pirates hired him in the offseason, and he’s replacing Ray Searage, who spent the past two seasons with the Curve before moving to Triple-A Indianapolis this year.

Altoona manager Tim Leiper said he was ‘‘probably a little bit standoffish’’ with his new pitching coach early on in spring training as the two men were feeling each other out.

‘‘He’s got some big shoes to fill,’’ Leiper said. ‘‘Coming in to replace Ray — and I’m great friends with Ray to this second and he’s a tough guy to replace — but Brad is awesome.

‘‘Our communication during the game is fantastic. What I like about him is he’s a strong personality, and he’s not afraid to say stuff. I had to tell him to shut up a couple times [Friday night], so maybe he’s a little bit too strong. But I like him. I like him as a person, I like the way he’s thinking.’’

Don't go in too deep, Tim. You'll wind up singing harmony on Aime by Pure Prairie League. But, I kid, Brad.

The Curve are currently 7th in the Eastern League in ERA at 4.56.