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Tuesday, August 25, 1998
Simms looking for new chance with Rangers
By T.R. SULLIVAN Fort Worth Star-Telegram
ARLINGTON, Texas - Some baseball players are born to greatness.
Others have Tucson thrust upon them. Mike Simms is Mr. Tucson.
He is to the Tucson Toros what Crash Davis (or Kevin Costner)
was to the Durham Bulls.
Just call him the Babe Ruth of southern Arizona, the Toros'
all-time leader with 79 home runs and 376 runs batted in. He's
also second all-time with 1,878 excruciating at-bats, some of
them taken while wondering if Tucson would be the end of the line.
"I heard about it, Mayor of Tucson, things like that,"
Simms said. "I liked it there, it was a good place to play.
But you never want to spend a significant amount of time in Triple
A."
Simms has, over each of the past eight seasons. Tucson was
home for six of those seasons, but there also was a year in Las
Vegas, a quick stay in Oklahoma City and one horrible month in
Buffalo, N.Y., five years ago. That stop appeared to be the end
of the line, but instead proved to be a life-changing experience.
Now, instead of being out of baseball, Simms suddenly has found
himself playing regularly for the Rangers, the second-best offensive
team in the American League. That might change when Lee Stevens
comes off the disabled list, but it does appear Simms, 14 years
after being drafted by the Houston Astros, will make it through
an entire season without playing in the minor leagues.
"When somebody brings that up, I think to myself, knock
on wood," Simms said.
But Rangers manager Johnny Oates said, "As long as he
keeps hitting, I'm not going to take him out."
"People have been asking me, is this your chance against
right-handers," said Simms, who was platooning at designated
hitter before Stevens was injured. "But I haven't heard anything
from Johnny. We've got Lee out and Juan -1/8Gonzalez has been
day-to-day. Things can change quickly.
"The only thing I look at - and it may sound boring -
is hopefully I can put some good at-bats together no matter what.
If there is a runner on second, get him over to third. If he's
on third, hit a ground ball or fly ball. If I got 0-for-4 but
still do something to help my team win, then I'm happy."
Said Oates, "No. 1, he's a hard worker. We have a joke
among the staff when we talk about early batting practice. We
always say, 'who, besides Simms, is going to be there.' "
Simms did not always have such a rosy outlook on life. He was
once a top prospect for the Houston Astros, but he also was a
player who put too much pressure on himself - at least when he
wasn't out on the town carousing - and blew his cool when those
expectations weren't fulfilled regularly.
"I could break the bats and tear up the water coolers
with the best of them," Simms said. "Some of my off-the-field
habits and things I pursued also may have held me back. At times,
I got a little wild."
Former Astros general manager Bill Wood said Simms was signed
right out of high school and "he had to do his growing up
and maturing in the minor leagues. That's not easy for a handsome
strapping player like him. I'm sure he had additional difficulties
other than learning the game and coping with the pressures and
making the adjustments."
Simms also had to contend with Jeff Bagwell. He lost that battle.
Simms was the Astros' sixth-round pick in 1985. By 1991, he
had progressed to the point where he was ready to be their regular
first baseman. It was his job to lose in spring training after
Glenn Davis was traded to the Baltimore Orioles.
Simms lost it. He had a mediocre spring, and the Astros had
moved Bagwell from third base, where Ken Caminiti was anchored,
to first base. Bagwell has gone on to become perhaps the greatest
player in franchise history.
Simms had to settle for the same honor in Tucson for the next
two years, then wandered to the San Diego Padres' organization.
He started 1994 with the Pittsburgh Pirates' organization, but
was released at Buffalo after a month.
He said that was the lowest point of his career.
"That's pretty devastating on your self-esteem, when a
team says you can't play," Simms said. "You think what
I'm going to do now."
What Simms did was pray.
"I had been trying to do everything my way, and things
didn't work out," Simms said. "Finally, I let it go.
I said, 'Lord, if you want me to play baseball, I will, if not,
I'll go do something else.' I left it in his hands. When I did
that, it was like a burden was lifted off my shoulders.
"It's not that I don't get upset anymore when I don't
help the team win, but I'm able to handle it better. I have more
self-confidence. I come to the park with a routine, I prepare
myself for the game and do the best I can. If I do that, I can
look at myself in the mirror after the game and feel good about
myself."
The attitude has made Simms a better person, but it has not
created miracles. He is still a role player. He is not Jeff Bagwell.
But there are no more smashed bats or trashed water coolers,
or plane tickets out of town.
Tucson is fading in the rearview mirror.
---
Distributed by The Associated Press
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