Baseball is never too far away

A minor league manager carries the responsibility of developing talent, refining skills and teaching players to walk with a professional swagger.
The manager does this with little fanfare.
Ted Kubiak doesn't hear much from the Cleveland Indians, other than where his next assignment will be. He accepts and goes to work.
Meet the Mahoning Valley Scrappers' 2003 manager, the 60-year-old man who led the organization to its only two division titles, back in the 1999 and 2000 seasons.
Love of the game
Kubiak has aspirations of gaining a big-league position. He thought he came close in recent years when the Indians had a first-base coaching vacancy. Didn't happen.
That's OK, though, because he has this game that has defined him for so long, even if he has been bouncing around the Class A level for the past seven years.
"I love the job. I love baseball. I love being on the field," Kubiak said.
And he loves to win. Some minor league managers are afraid to say that. It's easier to put the emphasis on player development and fundamentals and not on the team's record.
Kubiak is not afraid. In fact, his philosophy is that winning completes a player's development and incorporates factors needed to be a professional.
"Development for me is not so much fundamental," said Kubiak, speaking from his home in Ramona, Calif. "It's learning how to be a winner, how to carry yourself in the clubhouse, how to stay focused, how to deal with failure, how to deal with success."
That philosophy works for the former utility infielder who won three World Series rings with the Oakland Athletics from 1972-74.
"I'd like to think that every place I've gone, I've gotten the best out of my players. That's how I evaluate myself," Kubiak said. "As players move up, they change. You have to figure out where they are at that particular level."
Judging by the numbers, Kubiak has figured correctly.
Debut seasons
He was 43-33 in his first year with the Scrappers and 48-28 the next.
"That first year, I remember telling some of the players that I was as proud of them as any club I've ever had," Kubiak said. "They just overachieved."
He was assigned to Class A Columbus (Ga.) for the 2001 season and led the RedStixx to a 77-59 mark. Last year at Class A Kinston (N.C.), he led the Indians to the second-half division title and finished with a 74-65 record.
In his 14 years of managing in the minor leagues, Kubiak has compiled an 838-590 record, a 59-percent winning clip.
Talk about longevity.
"The ultimate for me is seeing players achieve what I believe they're capable of achieving, and it may not be a big-league job," Kubiak said. "What we're doing at our level is pushing guys along."
Digging deeper
So what's behind these results? Kubiak's love for the game, which has kept him around for so long? His professional experience? His no-nonsense attitude, which seems to keep players locked in?
Kubiak once told us that the only way he survived in the major leagues was through his constant daily preparation for the unknown -- when and at what infield position he was going to be called upon to produce.
For first-year professional baseball players learning about the game on a daily basis, Kubiak's personal insight is invaluable.
When the next class of drafted players is selected in April, the building blocks for the Scrappers and the Indians' future will take shape. Kubiak will come to Niles for another season.
And we'll watch the field general take command.
XBrian Richesson is a sportswriter for The Vindicator. Write him at richesson@vindy.com.