Surf Dawgs Sign Blackwell and Ontiveros as Coaches
February 13, 2006 - Golden Baseball League (GBL)
San Diego Surf Dawgs News Release
(Pleasanton, CA, February 13, 2006) The Golden Baseball League announced today that the San Diego Surf Dawgs have signed Tim Blackwell as their pitching coach and Steve Ontiveros as their hitting coach for the 2006 season. The two join Surf Dawg Manager Terry Kennedy for the upcoming season and bring the total of big league playing experience on the San Diego coaching staff to 32 years. This is not the first time the two new coaches have worn the same uniform as they were teammates on the Chicago Cubs from 1978 to 1980.
"I am unbelievably fortunate to be able to add these two professionals to my coaching staff for this season," said Terry Kennedy, manager of the San Diego Surf Dawgs. "Considering Tim's playing, coaching, and managing experience you can't get a finer pitching coach, and Steve is such a natural hitter and teacher that he'll be great for our offense."
Blackwell, a native of San Diego, had a spectacular amateur career at Crawford High School and then Grossmont College in the San Diego area before being drafted as a catcher by the Boston Red Sox in the 13th round of the 1970 amateur draft. Working his way up through the farm system, he debuted in the majors with Boston in 1974, and began a career of ten straight seasons with various clubs, during which he was considered one of the finest defensive catchers in the big leagues. During his tenure in the majors, Blackwell backed up Hall of Fame members Carlton Fisk and Gary Carter, and started for the Cubs. He was a member of three consecutive pennant winners, Boston (75) and Philadelphia ('76,'77) before ending his playing career in 1983 as the career record-tying strikeout victim (#3,509) of Nolan Ryan. Beginning with Clinton in the Midwest League in 1985, he began a 20-year coaching and managing career in the minor leagues. He has managed 13 teams in the Giants, Mets, Orioles, Rockies, and Brewers farm systems leading his team to the playoffs five times, winning championships in the South Atlantic League with Columbia in 1991 and in the Northern League with St. Paul in 1993. In addition he was named New York-Penn League Manager of the Year with Pittsfield in 1989. Most recently he managed the 2003 Milwaukee Brewers' California League team in High Desert, and has served as a hitting coach, pitching coach and roving instructor for a number of minor league organizations.
Ontiveros, a native of Bakersfield, CA, dominated amateur baseball in his city and at the age of 18 was drafted as a 3rd baseman by the San Francisco Giants in the 6th round of the 1969 amateur draft. A superb hitter at every level, he marched through the Giants farm system batting .321 in the California League in Fresno in 1971, and dominated in AAA at Phoenix in 1973. During which he was named Minor League player of the Year as he hit .357 with 32 doubles and 16 triples in only 113 games. Called up to the big leagues late in 1973, he became the Giants starting 3rd baseman in 1974 at the age of 22, and spent eight seasons with the Giants and Cubs. He led the Cubs in hitting in 1977 with a .299 average and was also a Chicago fan favorite. He was well-known for his frequent testimonial advertisements for a scalp treatment involving a revolutionary hair re-sodding technique. In 1980 he became the first million dollar signing of a foreign player by the Japanese League, as the Seibu Lions lured him across the ocean. The switch-hitting third baseman went on to play six seasons in Japan, leading the Lions in hitting for four years, twice being named to the Pacific League Best Nine and consistently challenging for the batting title each season, meanwhile winning a number of On Base Percentage titles for his disciplined approach at the plate. He led the Lions to three Pacific League Championships and to Japan Series Titles in 1982 and 1983, their first in 20 years. His lifetime batting average of .312 in Japan is 17th on the all-time career list. After his playing days, he became involved in amateur baseball and has been coaching at the high school level for the past seven seasons.
The San Diego Surf Dawgs, defending Champions of the Golden Baseball League, open their 2006 home season on Monday, June 5th at 7:05 P.M. at Tony Gwynn Stadium on the campus of San Diego State University. Tickets are still available and more information can be found at www.sdsurfdawgs.com.
About the Golden Baseball League
The Golden Baseball League, Presented by Safeway Inc./VONS, is a professional baseball league operating under a single-entity ownership model, with the League owning all the individual teams. Golden Baseball League teams include the Chico Outlaws in Chico; CA, the Fullerton Flyers in Fullerton; CA, the Long Beach Armada in Long Beach; CA, the San Diego Surf Dawgs in San Diego; CA, the Reno Silver Sox in Reno, NV, and the Yuma Scorpions in Yuma; AZ. The season consists of 80 games per team beginning in late May and ending in early September. Each team has a 23-player roster playing under National League rules with no Designated Hitter.
For general information, please visit our League web site at www.goldenbaseball.com.
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Golden Baseball League Stories from February 13, 2006
- Surf Dawgs Sign Blackwell and Ontiveros as Coaches - San Diego Surf Dawgs
- Reno Silver Sox Add Two More Players - Reno Silver Sox
- Yuma Scorpions Sign Five - Yuma Scorpions
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