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INSIDE THE CONCRETE CONFINES

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By BRETT McMURPHY

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 20, 2008

TAMPA - Before University of South Florida pitcher Randy Fontanez took the mound for Friday's critical baseball game against Notre Dame, Coach Lelo Prado offered some heartfelt words of encouragement.

"Randy, I'll see you in the ninth," Prado said. "I can get any mule to pitch six. Pitch nine, you get a scholarship."

Welcome to the unique world of the baseball dugout, a rectangular tangle of players and managers, emotions and egos, superstitions and strategies, pranks and psychological ploys.

"It's like our little office," USF senior Joey Angelberger said. "It's almost like a dorm room at times."

On Friday, with USF fighting for a berth in the Big East Tournament that begins today in Clearwater, the Bulls dugout contained 35 players, four coaches, a team chaplain, a trainer, two blue coolers labeled SMAAASHH and CRUSHHH and five bags of sunflower seeds.

Plus one sportswriter.

* * *

Before every pitch, pitching coach Lazer Collazo consulted a notebook binder resting on a wooden podium labeled "Lazer's Charts." He took two steps backward, in case Notre Dame had a Bill Belichick wanna-be stealing signs, and signaled either a pitch or pickoff to catcher Cory Johnson.

This night, Collazo called 212 pitches and nearly a dozen pick-off attempts during a marathon 16-inning game.

Fontanez bounded back into the dugout after striking out two in a scoreless first inning. Collazo was not impressed.

"You struck out two because you were lucky to strike out two," said Collazo, reminding his freshman pitcher not to be satisfied with one inning.

* * *

Senior right fielder Mike Consolmagno drew a lead-off walk in the first, but was picked off at first base.

"You don't have to go on the pitcher's first move," Prado said to the team. "The catcher can't throw anyone out. We can steal on this guy."

Prado was right; the Bulls were successful on all four stolen-base attempts the rest of the night.

With two outs, Angelberger crushed a ball that hit the screen behind the center-field fence. When the ball bounced back into play, some players weren't sure it was a home run and didn't rush out to congratulate Angelberger.

"Is this your first game here?" Prado asked. "How many of you guys have hit that screen?"

* * *

With his team back in the field leading 1-0, Prado questioned why Collazo jumped on Fontanez.

"He just struck out two and you cussed him out," Prado said. "I thought he was awesome and gave him a high-five. What are you going to do if he gives up a hit?"

* * *

Senior third baseman Charles Cleveland is one of Prado's favorites - favorite targets, that is. When second baseman Jonathan Koscso threw out an Irish batter, Prado remarked: "Good play, Jonathan. Keep it away from Cleveland."

As Cleveland, one of four seniors honored before the game on Senior Day, later strolled to the plate, Prado let him have it: "Hey, Charles, I noticed your dad was walking 10 feet behind you for Senior Day."

Cleveland fired back: "Yeah, he has a Addison Maruszak jersey on."

* * *

In the top of the fourth, from his perch along the dugout fence nearest home plate, Prado watched a sharp hit scoot under Koscso's glove into right field. Prado kicked the bottom of the worn chain link fence.

It wasn't the last time.

A cubbyhole held the game's supply of sunflower seeds. The five bags were available to anyone, but Prado did most of the damage.

"I try not to go crazy," Prado said. "It matters how nervous I get."

In the bottom of the fifth, a Bulls base runner was hit by a batted ball on his way to third, ending the inning and costing USF a run.

"You've got to be kidding me," said Prado, grabbing some more seeds. "That cannot happen."

In the top of the seventh, an error on a routine ground ball allows Notre Dame to score an unearned run and tie the game, 2-2.

Prado dumped more seeds into his right hand.

* * *

In the top of the eighth, Fontanez neared 100 pitches for the night, so Collazo got some relievers ready. Unlike the major leagues, the Bulls' dugout does not have a bullpen phone. A player waves a cap to the dugout to see if a pitcher is ready, or a player runs to the bullpen to be sure.

Fontanez pitched a scoreless eighth, his final inning, and was congratulated by his teammates. He certainly earned his scholarship.

"Great job, Randy," Prado said. "Now, get him a expletive run."

* * *

In the top of the 10th, relief pitcher Stephen Hunt was taken out after walking the leadoff batter for the second straight inning. Hunt stormed into the dugout's storage room and noisily took out his frustrations on the room's contents.

Everyone ignored the ruckus.

* * *

With Angelberger at the plate in the bottom of the 10th, freshman outfielder Ryan Lockwood, reduced to being a spectator by a broken finger, started flapping his arms like wings - angel wings for Angelberger, who singled up the middle.

Prado signaled for a steal and Angelberger was safe at second. Maruszak was intentionally walked and the dugout was the loudest it had been all night. The winning run was at second with one out.

Angelberger, however, broke for third and was caught in a rundown. He retreated to second, where Maruszak had advanced. Maruszak was thrown out running back to first, and Angelberger trying for third.

A 1-5-3-1 double play.

"You can't invent the game," Prado bellowed. "That's Little League. Well, it looks like we've got a new play. I guess I missed that day of practice when we put it in."

From the other end of the dugout: "There's a difference between playing hard and playing stupid."

There was even more bad news for Prado: no more sunflower seeds.

* * *

In the top of the 12th, Prado had another crisis: No more baseballs.

"We better call Bubba and get some more baseballs," Prado said of the team's equipment manager.

* * *

By the bottom of the 12th, with the clock nearing 11 p.m., Prado had been sitting, pacing or standing in the concrete dugout for nearly four hours.

"Somebody end this game, I might fall asleep," he said. "It's past my bed time. I guess the pizza we ordered for 9:30 is stale by now."

Rally hats sat atop each player's head, bills pointed skyward.

An inning later, the rally hats were off. Lockwood paced the dugout with a piece of tape on his forehead: 1 RUN.

In the 14th, Bubba delivered a box of brand new baseballs. Lockwood tried a new rally message on his forehead: KILL 'EM.

* * *

Eric Baumann called the team together. A senior who has battled injuries all season, Baumann is best known for hitting a grand slam against the New York Yankees in an exhibition game this spring.

"We know they're tired and all they want to do is go back to the hotel room and sleep," Baumann yelled. "Let's win it now!"

The Bulls erupted in wild cheers, then went three up, three down.

* * *

After throwing a runner out at home to end the top of the 16th, the Bulls sprinted into the dugout, revived. This time, Prado spoke.

"You're going to feel like expletive if you lose this game now," Prado said. "Reach down in your gut and win this game."

The mascot, Rocky the Bull, strolled into the dugout and got a cup of CRUSHHH.

Soon, USF had runners on first and second with one out for the third time in the past seven innings.

Junior Carlin, a freshman who entered the game as a pinch runner in the 11th inning and had three hits all season, stepped to the plate. He took the first two pitches outside. The next pitch came in at Carlin's eyes, but he swung. His teammates gave each other the I-can't-believe-he-swung-at-Ball-Three look.

For four hours and 34 minutes, Prado and his coaches had been prisoners in this concrete dugout.

Carlin swung at the next pitch. The ball lofted into shallow left field and landed just in front of a diving outfielder as the winning run rounded third and strode toward home. USF's players and coaches sprinted onto the field.

For the first time all night, the dugout was finally quiet. And empty.

Reporter Brett McMurphy can be

reached at (813) 259-7928

or bmcmurphy@tampatrib.com

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