Saturday, Aug. 23, 2008

Dust Devils hitting coach recalls 2000 Olympic experience

By Jack Millikin, Herald staff writer

Anthony Sanders owns one of the most sought-after pieces of gold in the world.

It's a rare chunk of hardware, one that cannon be bought -- only earned -- and one that's given out but once every four years.

Only Sanders, now in his second year as hitting coach for the Tri-City Dust Devils, isn't sure of its exact location at the moment.

The former major-league outfielder isn't worried, though. His gold medal from the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, is under the watchful eye of his 7-year-old son, Logan, who has found in it a strong source of pride in his father and a strong association with his own identity.

"It makes me feel wonderful, because (I was born) in 2000 and he got his first gold medal in 2000," said Logan, who recently shared the medal with his elementary school classmates in Tucson, Ariz., during show-and-tell before returning it to a place where he knows it will be safe. "It's in my secret hiding place where I keep all my cool stuff."

As far as his father is concerned, the medal -- the first Olympic gold in U.S. baseball history -- couldn't be in better hands.

"He thinks it's the best thing in the world," said Sanders, who played three seasons in the majors amidst a 14-year professional career. "It might have some stains or some dirt on it. Some other guys might have it locked up in a safe in a bank, but my family and kids enjoy it. That's what it's about."

Sanders was heading into the final month of the season with Triple-A Tacoma -- a Seattle Mariners affiliate -- when he was given the choice for a late-season call-up to the majors or to join the U.S. Olympic team. He chose the latter, joining several future major leaguers that included Ben Sheets, Roy Oswalt, Doug Mientkiewicz, Pat Borders and Jon Rauch, among others.

Heading the team was Tommy Lasorda, a Hall of Fame manager who won two World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers and twice was named Manager of the Year in 20 years at the helm.

"He's a character for sure, but he's an icon. He could run for president if he wanted to," said Sanders, 34. "The sad thing was only the players got medals. That kind of hurt him a little bit, but I heard him talk about (the Olympics) a few times and he put it at the top of his list."

As does Sanders, who played in five of the eight U.S. games, including a 4-0 win over Cuba in the gold medal game. Sanders' best performance came during a 12-1 rout of Australia that clinched a berth in the medal round. He went 1-for-3 with three runs and an RBI.

Sanders is the only Dust Devils coach to play in the Olympics, but, coincidentally, he isn't the only one with a gold medal. Tri-City pitching coach Dave Schuler helped account for the first U.S. gold medal in 35 years at the 1973 World Cup in Managua, Nicaragua.

"For me (the experience) is up there at No. 1, probably moreso than playing in the big leagues," said Sanders, who recalled the swagger of the heavily-favored Cuban team. "They just carried themselves in a way a lot of other teams don't. They had the arrogance and the talent to back it up."

But in the gold medal game, Sheets, now an All-Star right-hander with the Milwaukee Brewers, shut out the Cubans 4-0 to turn the tables.

"Teams we had put together in the past were usually just college kids, but we knew what we had coming out, and I don't think they expected it," Sanders said. "They kind of intimidated us the first time we played them (a 6-1 loss in pool play), but then we realized we could beat these guys."

The experience also carries added emotional significance for Sanders, who enjoyed the company of his parents and his 6-year-old son, Anthony Jr., after the gold-medal win.

Sanders hoisted Anthony Jr. onto his shoulders while his son enthusiastically waved an American flag, an image that made its way into several national publications back home, including a spread in USA Today.

But Sanders, who had endured the sudden loss of his first wife, Denise, after a 1997 skiing accident, was devastated when Anthony Jr. died in July of 2002 from a heart defect at age 8. That tragic loss gave his Olympic memories with his son even more weight.

"I am so grateful that (Anthony Jr.) got to be a part of that," said Sanders' wife, Claudia, who lives in Tucson with their three sons, Logan, Marcus (5) and Troy (3). "Anthony will say that's one of the best moments of his entire life.

"That picture was everywhere. Even my family in Mexico cut it out and sent it to us."

Although he didn't play as long in the major leagues as he might have liked, Sanders still enjoyed a long career that did see its share of success.

In 1997, he became a member of the rare 20-20 club, swatting 26 home runs and stealing 20 bases with the Toronto Blue Jays' double-A team in Knoxville, Tenn. In 2001, he was part of the Mariners team that tied a major league record with 116 regular-season victories.

But lately, he's begun to see positive results in his first two years as a hitting and outfield coach. The Dust Devils posted a .254 team batting average -- second only to the 2004 Tri-City team that hit .260 -- and are on a .258 clip this season.

"I still love the game and wish I could still play, but once you realize your time is over, it's all about helping these kids try to accomplish their goals in life," he said.

But ultimately its his family that has helped him find a treasure even greater than gold.

"It's moments like (the Olympics) that make you appreciate how far you came. For me, there's a lot of special memories," he said. "You always look back on the people who helped you get there."