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Beasley returns to Hickory
STEVE DeSHAZO: Baseball coaching updates
Date published: 11/7/2002 By STEVE DeSHAZO TWO CHAMPIONSHIPS in two seasons might sound like enough to merit a promotion, but Bowling Green's Tony Beasley isn't upset about staying in the same place, Beasley will return to Class-A Hickory (N.C.) next season after leading the Crawdads to the South Atlantic League title this season and earning SAL manager of the year honors. "That's perfectly fine with me," Beasley said last night. "I knew that sooner or later, manager jobs within the organization were limited, and that you'd spin your wheels. I don't mind repeating a level. Most managers spend two or three years in one spot." Beasley, who turns 35 next month, is earning a strong reputation within the Pittsburgh Pirates' organization. As a rookie manager in 2001, his Williamsport (Pa.) Crosscutters were declared co-champions of the short-season New York-Penn League after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks canceled the league finals. But Beasley knows how difficult advancement can be. He played eight years in the minor leagues, only briefly reaching Triple-A and never the majors. He then spent two years as a minor-league coach in the Pirates' system before landing the Williamsport job in 2001. Several of those Crosscutters moved up with Beasley last season, and repeated their success over a full season. But there's a bit of a managerial logjam in the Pirates' organization. Trent Jewett and Dave Clark, who were coaches in Pittsburgh in 2002, were named manager at Triple-A Nashville and high Class-A Lynchburg, respectively, for 2003. Dale Sveum will manage Double-A Altoona for a third straight year. Beasley said he's looking forward to managing a new set of players in 2003, as several of this year's stars move up. "Next year will probably present my biggest challenge," he said, "taking a whole new group of guys that I have no knowledge of and trying to get them to jell and do what I expect them to do." Beasley will spend the next month at Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla. He is coordinating workouts for a visiting South Korean pro team. More local baseball news: King George native Al Bumbry will find out soon whether he'll be back as first-base coach for the Cleveland Indians next season.
Date published: 11/7/2002
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