The following are quotes and stories from UCLA baseball alumni
about long-time UCLA coach Gary “Skip” Adams. Adams is
retiring at the end of the season, which could end as early as
Sunday.
Eric Karros ’86-’88
“My junior year we were playing at USC and I hit a triple,
and I ran it into a double. The reason I stayed at second was
because that double just broke the UCLA record.
“I was fully aware of that and coach Adams was not and did
not see fit that I stayed at second. He let me have it after the
game in front of my father, and it’s something I will never
forget. I’m thankful that he did do it ““ it’s
something that made a lasting impression, as it was rightfully
deserved on my part.”
Mike Magnante ’83-’88
“At a game at Stanford, our pitcher had the bases loaded
and no outs. Our pitcher tried to throw behind the runner at first.
It got away, and when the play was done, all three runners had
scored.
“What made it unique was they have scored. It was a big
deal for us at the time. Gary went out there and got the whole team
together, and he said, “˜Hey, it happened, there is nothing we
can do about it ““ we just have to go from this point
forward.’ There was never panic in Gary.”
Dave Roberts ’91-’94
“One day after it had rained, the field was muddy, and he
turned his hat around and dove around with us. Just to see a
60-year-old man diving for balls really inspired us.”
Wade Clark ’99-’03
“His coaching philosophy was showing guys the correct way
to play baseball. Everything they teach us in the minor leagues,
they teach us here, and all the other guys are kind of in the dark
about it.
“In the minors I was super-confident because it was an
easy transition to go from UCLA to the minors.”
Warren Trott ’99-’03
“A time when he met us out in center field when we were
stretching … he gave us a speech about wanting tough baseball
players.
“He dressed as a chef and had a demonstration. He had a
boiling pot full of eggs and carrots and he was talking about when
you boil eggs or carrots in water, eggs get hard and carrots get
soft. He wanted us to be like eggs, so he ate the raw egg
yolk.”
Tim O’Neill ’76-’78
“He caught me off-guard one night. I was second on the
UCLA list in complete games and he knew I never wanted to come out
of a game.
“One night he comes to take me out of a game and I look
him in the eye and say, “˜Coach, I’m not tired.’
As he’s grabbing the ball out of my hand, he says,
“˜Yeah, but your outfielders are.'”
Chase Utley ’98-’00
“My freshman year at Cal we lost a game and got beat
pretty badly, so Skip said we’re going to run.
“So we ran for about an hour and a half after the game,
and we missed our flight. So since we missed our flight, we had to
bus back in full uniforms without showers.”
Todd Zeile ’84-’86
“Guys know where they stood. He always focused on being
positive whether or not he’s won championships.
“I think guys are well-prepared to go to the next level
and play professional baseball, and I think it’s a testament
to the positive, confident attitude he instills in his
players.”
Benny Craig ’94-’96
“Skip used to do these skits where he would try to have it
parallel to the point we were at in the season.
“A couple of times we got beat in the late innings, and he
dressed up in a boxer’s uniform and our third baseman was in
on it. They came into the outfield in the middle of practice and
started boxing.
“He was announcing during the fight ““ he was like,
“˜I’m getting hit in the third and the fourth innings,
but I can still deliver a knockout blow.’ Then he knocked our
captain out. Skip would always do things like that.”
Tim Decinces ’93-’96
“My freshman year, we had to do freshman study hall. A
couple of us had found ways to get out of it by signing in and
leaving, and he caught us.
“We had the traditional “˜follow me,’ which was
when one of us screwed up at practice, we would start running
behind him, and he could outrun all of us. After running for about
an hour and a half that night and everybody was throwing up, the
next morning it rained.
“So we called the field, and he said, “˜Practice is
canceled, except for the freshman study hall group,’ who had
to show up. We went out in the rain and did 57 push-ups, 57
sit-ups, 57 laps around the field ““ everything for his age.
And he outran us all. It was one of those wake-up calls for us in
our first year at UCLA, where we realized what we had in store for
us.”
Christian Lewis ’01-’03
“We were playing Cal, and we were in the middle of a
losing streak. Adams is talking, and Adam Berry is playing with a
worm.
“So (hitting coach Vinny Beringhele) comes out and asks
us, what are we going to do to help the team. After everyone
finishes, Skip comes in and says, “˜I’m going to eat
this worm,’ and he ate it. I was in the dugout and you could
tell that he did not like the taste.”
Compiled by Ben Peters and Robert Costa, Bruin sports senior
staff.