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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted at 10:54 p.m., Saturday, March 7, 2009

MLB: Lansford and Righetti know the pride of the Giants

By Andrew Baggarly
San Jose Mercury News

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Kevin Frandsen, a lifelong Giants fan, gets a thrill every time he buttons up his cream-colored jersey. But that's not the wildest part of his dream come true.

When the second baseman goes to take swings in the cage, hitting coach Carney Lansford is ready with a tip. And when Frandsen walks out to stretch, pitching coach Dave Righetti is already on the field with his stopwatch and clipboard.

"Growing up, you always know the guys who made it from your area," said Frandsen, a San Jose native. "It doesn't get any better than those two."

Even Lansford and Righetti get a look of wonder when they think about it. What are the odds that two guys who grew up a few miles apart, faced each other when they were teenagers, competed on either side of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry, would now find themselves as the hitting and pitching coaches on the same major league staff?

"It's pretty rare," Righetti said. "Weird I guess too, huh? Pretty neat. Both of us are the only major league baseball players in the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame, and here we are."

Their status in the South Bay is legendary. Lansford, 52, was a three-sport star for Wilcox High in Santa Clara, a Little League World Series hero for Briarwood in 1969, one of three brothers to play professional baseball. Righetti, 50, was the son of a former San Francisco Seals infielder, a left-hander with an overpowering fastball who starred at Pioneer High in San Jose and later for San Jose City College.

Lansford's idol was Willie Mays. Righetti adored Willie McCovey.

And when they faced each other for the first time in a summer league game, Righetti might as well have been facing McCovey himself. Lansford was the star on an 18-and-up Santa Clara Thoroughbred team. Righetti was a 16-year-old learning to pitch for the American Legion club in Almaden.

"Those guys looked so much bigger, especially Carney," Righetti said. "It was at Lincoln High and there wasn't a fence, just a track. First at-bat, he hit a home run, took me deep to left-center. I can still see it rolling around on that track. I only threw him overhand hooks after that."

Lansford's recollection wasn't as sharp. But he did remember that facing Righetti was a big deal at the time. The stands were full of scouts who came to watch him.

"I don't know," Lansford said. "Chances are he punched me out."

The record keeping was a little better after they reached the major leagues. We know that Lansford was 6 for 25 in his major league career against Righetti, good for a .240 average. All of the hits were singles. One walk, five strikeouts.

One confrontation stands out in Righetti's mind. It was Sept. 11, 1981, and he had terrific stuff. He struck out 11 in seven innings, and gave up two hits. Lansford had the first one, in the fourth inning.

"Line drive to right field," Righetti said.

Lansford won the American League batting title that year with a .336 average. Two years later on Independence Day, Righetti faced a similar Red Sox lineup — minus Lansford, who had been traded to the A's — and threw a no-hitter.

"He pitched a no-hitter and I won a batting title," Lansford said. "I'm pretty proud of that for the both of us. Only two people win a batting title every year, and there's no guarantee anyone will throw a no-hitter."

Lansford remembered one other matchup from his Red Sox days.

"This one time in Boston, he did me the biggest favor," Lansford said. "He was throwing gas, just untouchable, and he hung a changeup to me for a base hit. I just said, 'Thank you Rags.' I was happy when they turned him into a closer in New York. Then I only had to face him one time a game."

The San Jose area has produced other notable ballplayers. Three besides Righetti — Dave Stieb, Mark Langston and Scott Erickson — have thrown no-hitters.

But Lansford has stood out ever since he was 12 years old, leading Briarwood to the title game of the Little League World Series against Taiwan. It was a huge event for baseball in the South Bay.

"That was 40 years ago?" Lansford said. "I've got to get those guys all back together. "Wow, I feel old."

Lansford and Righetti are still young enough to put on a baseball uniform every day. That's the remarkable thing about coaching. Your time is passed, but your job is about building the future.

"They know the pride in wearing a San Francisco Giants uniform," Frandsen said. "It's about who you play for, how you represent them and how you help them win. They understand all of those things. They know the winning tradition in the Bay Area because they've been a part of it their whole lives."