Joe Orsulak has never been one to draw attention to himself.

Many Orioles fans remember him as the workmanlike outfielder who dived after balls and the unheralded hitter who batted nearly .290 year after year, though he was often overlooked during his career.

That's one of the reasons Orsulak, 36, relishes his new role as assistant coach at Loyola High School.

"I'm not in it for the accolades or the publicity," Orsulak said. "For me, the pleasure I gain out of it is to watch someone do something that I taught them, to watch them learn it and perform it and to watch them do well."

After 14 years in the big leagues, Orsulak now spends his afternoons teaching kids the finer points of the game he loves -- and does it for less than $200 a week.

But the job keeps him a part of the sport to which he has devoted most of his life. "When you do something for a long time you feel like you attain a lot of knowledge about it," said Orsulak, who played with the Orioles from 1988 to '92. "It seems like to not use it is a waste."

Together with head coach Tim Nordbrook, a former utility infielder for the Orioles and four other clubs in the mid-to-late '70s, Orsulak is the latest in a string of former professional athletes to coach at area high schools after their playing careers.

Others in recent years have included former Orioles pitchers Mark Williamson (St. Paul's), Tippy Martinez (Loch Raven) and Scott McGregor (Rock Church), former Baltimore Colts Stan White and Joe Ehrmann (both with Gilman last season) and Toni Linhart (Loyola soccer), former Bullet Mike Riordan (St. Mary's), Orioles farmhand Tim Norris (Archbishop Curley), Phillies farmhand Allan Garfinkel (Park) and Blast star Tim Wittman (Calvert Hall).

Several others have coached in the midst of their pro careers, including the Blast's Jason Dieter (Catholic soccer) and the Thunder's John Tucker (Gilman), and still others, including former Oriole Larry Sheets, offer private instruction for high schoolers.

"We have a lot of ex-professionals who hang around Baltimore because it's a nice place to live," Nordbrook said. "When something nice happens to you, you'd like it to happen to other people. It's such a reward for baseball in the area."

Nordbrook, who played in the majors for parts of six years from 1974 to '79, soon turned his attention to coaching. After spending five years as the minor-league infield director for Milwaukee, he had managing stints in Pikeville, Ky., Beloit, Wis., and Stockton, Calif., before returning home to Phoenix, Md.

The 1967 Loyola High graduate eventually accepted a coaching job at Loch Raven High, and in 1997 was named The Sun's Baltimore City/County co-Coach of the Year after leading the Raiders to a 20-3 record and a trip to the state semifinals.

Then he eagerly seized the opportunity to coach his alma mater. "I want to be at Loyola for 20 years," Nordbrook said. "I've been there, I've done it. I've coached in the minor leagues and all that. This is kind of 'it' for me. I appreciate it fully."

Nordbrook first got the idea to bring in Orsulak during a golf outing in Ocean City last October. The two had known each other from pickup basketball games at Cal Ripken's house. The conversation started when Orsulak, who had been released from a minor-league contract with the New York Mets in March, sat at Nordbrook's table at breakfast.

"I told him I was coaching high school and he asked me how I liked it," Nordbrook recalled. "I said, 'I'm very thankful that I did it. I didn't realize how rewarding it would be.' He said, 'You know, I might consider that.' "

After Nordbrook was chosen over a dozen other candidates for the Loyola job, he again ran into Orsulak, this time at a New Year's Eve party. Without hesitation, Nordbrook asked him to be his assistant, and Orsulak accepted immediately.

"This is, I hope, some sort of therapy for him -- something that cushions him to the real world," Nordbrook said.

Orsulak, who lives in Cockeysville, said he spends as much time as possible with the team, though some days that's a tall order. He's still recuperating from knee surgery in January and cares for his wife, Adrianna -- who in 1994 was found to have an inoperable brain tumor -- and his youngest son, Michael, who earlier in life underwent open-heart surgery.

Now, the two former Orioles are working to build the Dons, 11-15 last season, into a winner.

So far, so good. No. 19 Loyola knocked off No. 3 Calvert Hall yesterday after opening the season with wins over then-No. 7 Chesapeake of Anne Arundel and then-No. 2 Mount St. Joseph.

Orsulak admits he knows little about teams in Loyola's league, the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference. To Nordbrook, that matters little.

"He's enthusiastic, he's knowledgeable and he has the personality to identify with anybody who's ever worked hard," Nordbrook said.

Orsulak describes himself as a "free-lance" coach, working mainly with the hitters, outfielders and first basemen, but lending advice wherever needed. Nordbrook, while running the team, also works with the infielders, pitchers and catchers.

For players, it's an appealing opportunity.

"They've both been there, so it gives you more confidence in what they say," said junior pitcher Jeffrey Fertitta. "When I was growing up, [Orsulak] was probably one of my favorite players. It's a great experience playing with one of your childhood idols."

Said senior shortstop Steve Pyzik: "It puts a little spark into the team. The knowledge that they have really gets us fired up. They know what they're talking about, and we're going to listen."

Pub Date: 3/30/99