When Arundel hurler Jeff Beard tossed a one-hit, 4-0 victory againstPoly earlier this year, catcher Dusty Oldfather called every pitch -- except one.
"The one hit they got, Jeff shook me off and threw afastball instead of a curve, and the guy got a hit down the line," said Oldfather. "He hasn't shaken me off since."
One publication selected Beard as its Player of the Week, but as Oldfather pointed out, "a catcher doesn't get recognition for callingthe pitches."
"You just have to say 'that's the way it goes' a lot of times," said Oldfather, who is batting over .400 with 20 hits, 15 RBI and a homer. "It's a thankless position because a lot of peoplejust don't know what goes on back there."
Stacey Grokas, a seniorat Chesapeake, has caught for softball hurler Amy Jakubowski (3-1, 0.50 ERA) for four years. Called "flawless behind the plate" by her coach, Dennis Thiele, Grokas bats .500 and also has played errorless ball at first and third base.
"(Northeast's) Kristy Zulka, (North County's) Karen Hay, (Archbishop Spalding's) Kim Sheridan. . . . I've caught for all the best pitchers at one time or another (in summer leagues)," said Grokas. "A pitcher has to have a catcher they're confident in. And if it wasn't for us catchers, some of the pitchers wouldn't be what they are."
Welcome to the world of the county's baseballand softball catchers. On the diamonds, these folks are truly in therough.
They exist -- behind their masks and armored nearly from head to toe -- in a world of arm bruises, busted fingers and aching limbs from being on the receiving end of high-velocity pitches.
"It takes a rugged player to be a catcher," said Arundel baseball coach Bernie Walter. "You're going to get hit by balls, get bumps and bruises and your legs are going to get tired."
The county's backstops take pride in their accomplishments.
"I call all of the pitches, and(Mandy Albrecht) basically trusts me and throws what I call," said Glen Burnie junior Lee Mallonee, who has battled through a broken finger, a knee operation and recently a bad back that forced her to miss the Gophers' recent upset of defending Class 2A champion Northeast.
Although she's missed three of eight games, Mallonee, an honor student, hits .364, has thrown out four of six runners and has just one error.
"Lee's got a gun for an arm and a fiery attitude," said GlenBurnie coach Bob Broccolino. "She just goes all out -- diving into the bases and from the catcher's box after balls. She's got an 'I'm damned if I'm going to lose attitude.' "
Mallonee said, "My injurieshave held me up some, but I don't like to wimp out. It's no fun sitting on the bench. I can deal with the pain. I'd rather play with the pain."
Pain is something Anne Arundel Community College's Rick Stang can write a book on.
Four years after he began playing catcher as an 8-year-old in the Havenwood Little League, Stang suffered cracked ribs when he took the full force of a batter's wild swing. Since then, Stang, 20, has had a knee operation that he attributes to the constant knee-bending stress of his position.
Yet the gritty Northeast graduate dismisses the injuries as occupational hazards.
"I usually come home from practice with thumb jams and maybe a bruise or two from blocking pitches," said Stang, an All-County player in 1989.
He recently took a hard shot from Rick Forney, the Pioneers' hardest hurler. "He caught me with a fastball when I thought it was going to be a curve. It knocked the wind out of me and I thought I was dead," Stang said.
In last year's Region XX championship game with Allegany, Stang watched a base hit sail into left field and then watched the left fielder throw it to third base. From there, Stang's world suddenly went black. He came to with a crowd of people standing over him and had to be carried off the field.
"Supposedly, the ball was thrown to me, and I got the guy out. But I don't remember it because the guy ran me over, and I was knocked out cold," said Stang, a sturdy5-foot-11, 195-pounder. "I tore every ligament in my left ankle and ended up with an ice-pack on it in the dugout. I watched that same guy hit a solo homer and they won, 2-1, in extra innings."
Through it all, a catcher must maintain the presence of mind to keep the pitcher alert and on his or her game.
"He's gotta be smart back there,"said Old Mill baseball coach Mel Montgomery. "In the Little Leagues,you could always put the most inexperienced kid back there and get away with it. But good teams start with good defense up the middle, and that starts with an intelligent catcher. It's probably the most skilled position you have on the field."
Walter added, "There are three things a catcher should have. Arm strength is a paramount tool, and he must have good hands to receive the ball well. The third thing is he's got to learn how to call game situations. He's got to set up the batters for the pitchers -- and that's an art."
For the most part, said Walter, pitchers deliver the coup de gras only after catchers size up the batters and give them targets at which to aim.
"I can see what's going on, and I can always give the pitcher advice," said North County's Lisa Garrison, who catches for speedballer Karen Hay. "Using the way the batter stands, their height, plus knowing a lot of the players from summer ball, I know a lot of their strengths."
Crouched between the batter and the umpire, the catchers, behind their masks, protective shin-guards and chest pads, are virtually faceless to spectators. Pitchers, on the other hand, take the mound in full view of the audience.
Pitchers have the glamour roles, but NorthCounty softball coach Sue Fitchett said the true thinkers are behindthe plate.
"Lisa's the quarterback on our team and my right-hand man," said Fitchett of Garrison, an "A" student. "She's responsible for directing the defense and telling them where the ball goes. She's usually the one calling the team together when we're in trouble in a game, and she gets a lot of respect from her teammates."
Grokas and Archbishop Spalding's Jen McKeldin are two of the county's most experienced softball catchers.
"I don't have anything to worry about with Stacey calling the pitches. She's the smartest player I've ever coached, and she makes my job easy," said Thiele.
"Jen does a great job. Father Paul (former coach Father Paul Martin) used to call us 'the battery' because we work so well together," said Spalding hurlerKim Sheridan, who has thrown to McKeldin since they were freshmen. "Our relationship gives us an edge, because we've put in the time together. She's kind of grown as a catcher."
McKeldin has despised wearing the bulky equipment ever since she gave up pitching as an eighth-grader playing for the summer-league Riviera Beach Spirit, but she can't let her disdain for the uniform affect her play.
"The defensewon't always call pop-ups, so we have to be ready. I have to see thewhole field and know the angles to let everyone know where they haveto go," said McKeldin.
"But in most people's eyes, I'm responsible for the ball behind the plate. No matter where the ball goes, we'reresponsible -- even if the ball goes in the dirt or off our masks. Foul tips are the worst. No one really knows what we go through, and we catch a lot of crap for our mistakes."
Pitchers can get all kinds of stats, including earned run averages, strikeouts, walks and the credit for a win or loss. Catchers accumulate the kinds of stats thatonly appear in coaches' reports -- hustle, good mechanics, leadership abilities.
"The catcher is back there for his defensive skills but doesn't get credit a lot of times unless he can hit the ball," said Stang, a .420 hitter. "Basically the pitcher's the one getting all the pats on the back."
And the catcher's injuries appear only in medical dossiers.
"A catcher has to be the most durable person on the field, because he takes a beating day in and day out," said Montgomery. "The other guys on the team get out there in their nice uniforms and they can relax most of the time. But the catcher's got a dirty job, and he's the one who is guaranteed to get dirt on his uniform almost every game."
Montgomery said his coaching system makes his catcher, John Bussey, one of the busiest players on the team. Bussey, a.486 hitter with eight RBI and a homer, has thrown out four of sevenrunners with just two errors in 82 chances.
"John is crucial to the flow of practice -- whether catching for batting practice, drilling the bullpen, blocking pitches or taking batting practice himself,"said Montgomery. "He's got to be involved in everything, as opposed to the outfielders shagging an occasional fly ball. But John works hard at framing the plate. Umpires are always telling me they like working behind him, because he's got great technique and lets them see the ball."
No one gets closer to the action than the guys in the masks.
Two weeks into practice, a player sliding home ripped clean through one of Oldfather's brand-new shoes. Once, a Larry Dobson fastball caught him squarely in the mouth area of his face protector.
"Larry was pumping them over 80 miles per hour and I ended up with a big, fat blood blister for about two weeks," said Oldfather, who stillhad a bruise last Wednesday. "I know people who are still afraid of getting hit by the ball, and it's a big fear to get over."
Grokas said, "If you're scared of the ball, it's hard to be back there. It'sa rough position, but I like the fact that if someone's going to score, they've got to get by me. And when they don't, it's a big accomplishment."
MARK BUGNASKI
: THE ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY SUN -- MARK BUGNASKI