• Hickey has Astros pitching like true champions
BY KRISTIE RIEKEN
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Astros pitching coach Jim Hickey
doesn’t spend a lot of time reminding
players of mechanics or how to
correct mistakes.
In charge of a pitching staff that in
cludes Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte
and Roy Oswalt, he doesn’t have to.
On this team, his role is mostly one
of motivation and understanding.
“I’m just a sounding board,” said
the man who never pitched in the
majors. “Really, we don’t need
pitching coaches, we need pitching
psychologists.”
And in that regard Pettitte is one of
his best patients.
"A pitching coach needs to be a
good pin cushion,” said Pettitte. “He’s
somebody that will talk to you during
the game and listen to you and (you
can) throw stuff off of him.”
Hickey and the Astros are one win
away from reaching their first World
Series. They’ll take a 3-2 lead in the
NL championship series into St. Louis
for Game 6 tonight.
The 44-year-old longtime minor
league coach is constantly asked
about how he handles conversations
with Clemens,“You just do what
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needs to be done and say what needs
to be said for the most part,” he said.
“You don’t think about who it is that
you are talking to or what they’ve ac
complished.”
His advice varies more by situation
than it does by player.
For the affable Hickey, knowing
what to say isn’t that difficult,
whether it’s Clemens or a rookie.
“Really deep down, just like every
body else, they’re looking for the
same types of things, the positive re
inforcement, the pointing out certain
things that maybe aren’t going right.”
Thrown into the job in midseason,
he didn’t have time to be awed by
Clemens or anyone else. He called a
meeting when he first arrived to ask
players what they needed and how he
could help.
After Hickey came to Houston and
manager Phil Garner took over, the
Astros went 36-10 to claim a wild card
berth on the final day of the season.
Garner said Hickey sat back and
got a feel for the different players
before immediately jumping in and
giving advice.
“You’re talking about a six-time Cy
Young winner (Clemens)ryou’re talk
ing about Andy Pettitte, who is one of
the greatest postseason pitchers of all
time, and Roy Oswalt, who has a lot
of success,” Gamer said.
“I don’t think these are guys that
you walk in and say, ‘Hey, you need
to start doing this now.’ He needed
to be somewhat laid back. He
did a good job in the learning
process last year. ”
Some might find it strange that a
man who never threw a pitch in the
majors is coaching someone like
Clemens, but Pettitte said that short
fall doesn’t lessen his effectiveness.
"He just does a great job of com
municating with us and that’s all you
can ask for,” said Pettitte, who gave
up two runs and seven hits in Hous
ton’s 5-4 loss on Monday. “You get a
good relationship with someone like
that and the relationship is really
what it’s all about.”
IN BRIEF
Arkansas State player
refuses to wear Adidas
Arkansas State’s leading return
ing scorer is sitting out because he
refuses to wear Adidas shoes, which
the team is obligated to wear be
cause of a school contract.
Jerry Nichols, a 6-foot-6 outside
shooter who averaged 9.6 points per
game last year, has had two knee
operations and said he was wearing
Adidas shoes when he first hurt the
knee. The school says Nichols has
to dress by its rules.
“We have a contractual agree
ment with (Adidas), and it’s not any
different than any number of other
contracts with other schools. There
is not any stipulation or any re
search that shows any shoes are
worse than any others,” Arkansas
State athletic director Dean Lee told
The Jonesboro Sun newspaper.
Nichols, who last year shot 41.8
percent from 3-point range, prac
ticed over the weekend while wear
ing Nike shoes, placing tape to cov
er the brand’s insignia. Nichols met
with Lee on Monday, and Nichols
was told to wear Adidas shoes or
sit. Nichols sat.
Nichols said he was wearing Adi
das shoes when he suffered a knee
injury in 2001 while playing for Wal
ters State Community College.
“I tore my ACL in Adidas in jun
ior college back in 2001, and I’m not
comfortable wearing Adidas,”
Nichols said.
Nichols has had two surgeries on
his right knee, including one in late
March following last season.
Arkansas State’s basketball team
wore Nike shoes last year but that
contract has expired.
“Adidas shoes are part of our uni
form,” Lee said.
Lee said there is no room for
compromise and that the school is
obligated to put Adidas shoes on the
feet of athletes on the football,
men’s and women’s basketball,
baseball and track teams, along
with several other sports.
“This is not picking on any one
student athlete. This goes for all stu
dent athletes that are under that
contract,” Lee said.
Nichols said he may seek relief in
court if the university does not
change policy.
“If I have to miss this whole sen
ior season for some shoes, why
wouldn’t I (sue)?” Nichols said. “I
have done too much this summer,
working out, staying up here all
summer to waste a year. So if it has
to come to a legal issue then I will.”
Arkansas State coach Dickey Nutt
said he wants Nichols on the court,
considering the team has its first ex
hibition in less than three weeks.
“I need all my players to be at
practice, but it’s out of my hands.
That matter is in the administra
tion’s hands, so I’m just referring all
questions to them,” Nutt said.
— The Associated Press
Adams: Pac-10 crown not out of Ducks' reach
Continued from page 5
they went scoreless in the first half
against Oregon before they ran up the
score without class in the fourth quar
ter. The following week they topped
Arizona State in the desert 38-28,
thanks to Sam Keller, who threw al
most half a dozen interceptions. Even
the Wildcats made USC uncomfort
able two weeks ago. Then there was
last week, when the Tfojans were re
warded by Matt Leinart’s clumsiness.
Very rarely does a team get a break
from their own fumble in the last sec
onds of a game — it will surely be a
highlight at this year’s Heisman Tfo
phy ceremony, brav-o.
So you think USC’s remaining
schedule makes them invincible? Not
so fast my friend. The magician head
coach Tyrone Willingham and his
Huskies are jonesin’ for a win, Wash
ington State’s offense is coming to
life, Fresno State is not afraid to play
anywhere (even the L.A. Coliseum),
playing Cal in Berkeley is the team
and site where USC was last defeated,
UCLA almost topped them in 2004,
and Stanford is Stanford — always
down for an upset.
I understand why Oregon fans
couldn’t bring themselves to root for
Notre Dame last week, even if they
wanted to. Hardly anyone I know is in
terested in supporting the faded glory
surrounding South Bend, but even I
could find a way to do it and the only
thing I like about Notre Dame is its
green jerseys. Trying to leap-frog from
second place to first is a dirty business
that subdues fans into gritting their
teeth and backing teams that they
wouldn’t cheer for on any other Satur
day — but it must be done.
Looking around Autzen Stadium, I
could see that many couldn’t bring
themselves to praise Notre Dame be
cause they want the best for Pac-10
teams, but think on this for a second.
If Oregon toted the 2005 Pac-10 Con
ference trophy into the post-season,
would you honestly give a flying fudge
where the other Pac-10 teams landed?
And would it even matter what bowl
the Ducks went to? Remember, the
Pac-10 trophy is good for one ticket to
a Bowl Championship Series game
and would go great with the other
hardware in the Casanova Center.
Even if we have the same record as
USC at the season’s end, we would
share the conference crown and
both go Bowling at a BCS site. Ore
gon fans, it’s okay to be selfish.
I have not lost faith yet in seeing
the Ducks finish first and I refuse to
quit on them. The drive for upset
ting the Trojans didn’t end following
Sept. 24. It’s still alive as long as
Oregon is winning games. Nothing
is over yet.
Go ahead and back USC; I hon
estly don’t blame you. It would be
nice to see a Pac-10 team playing in
Pasadena this holiday season. But
what would Bill Bowerman say, or
Prefontaine, or Dan Fouts, or Joey
and the Lukes? Or even John
Belushi, “Was it over when the Ger
mans bombed Pearl Harbor?”
At least I won’t be the one telling
the Ducks that I’m free to shop for
bridesmaid’s dresses in December.
sadams@ daily emerald, com
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