Blake Stein teaches the good things of life
By JOEY WARNER
There is a big ole' boy that has brought his passion for baseball to the McGill-Toolen program and he teams up very well with McT head coach David Weems.
The two have combined brains and enthusiasm to build one of the most respected high school baseball programs in Mobile.
Stein, who towers above most at six-foot-seven inches, has been the Yellow Jackets pitching coach for four years and he also teaches biology at McGill-Toolen.
"Ever since I was in college, I knew that I wanted to work with kids and I was fortunate to come to McGill-Toolen when a science opening was available," Stein said. "Being able to pray with the students, have mass together, and work within the McGill family really hooked me on teaching at McGill."
He praises the teachers, administration, staff, and parents for making it a wonderful place to teach and grow as a teacher.
As a baseball coach, Stein teaches kids to play the game with respect, desire, and to motivates them to do things that they never thought possible. He feels that too many times, a kid will sell himself short on his ability and not truly believe that he can be special.
"It is an awesome sight when a kid finally starts to see what he can accomplish and believes in himself," Stein said. "When I see a kid work hard, accept constructive criticism, and apply himself, I believe that I am doing my job."
Stein believes when coaches inspire these kids to take this attitude, not only onto the baseball field, but into life when they leave McGill; it will develop a strong, well rounded young man.
"The first thing that I want our players to do is understand that what I am trying to teach is going to help them and I want an honest effort and full attention while I am working with our players," Stein said. "As a coach, I have to understand that my methods may not work for certain kids."
"It is the same concept in the class room. I can't be so narrow minded as to think that every kid is going to learn the same way." Stein said. "In the same respect, I don't expect the kids to think that they are going to continue to be coached the same exact way that they have been in the past."
Stein expects players to be honest, on time, and to work hard. He believes that these are traits that will be expected of them far beyond their high school days.
Stein prepped at Covington high school in Covington, Louisiana where he was a two-time all district baseball and basketball player.
"I will never forget my first varsity start at Covington. I was suppose to pitch for our team and we had two solid returni ng varsity starters. We got into a tournament and they both pitched and we still had one game to go," Stein said. "I was told that I would start that game so my dad told me that this was my opportunity and to make the most of it. I went out the next day and threw a perfect game. It was a lesson I would never forget."
The flame throwing right-hander was a two-time All-Gulf Coast Conference and two-time All American at Spring Hill College for coach Frank Sims, who was the only coach willing to give him a scholarship to play baseball.
He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the sixth round of the 1994 Major League baseball draft. He was part of a trade that sent Mark McGwire to the St. Louis Cardinals and Stein to the Oakland Athletics. He was traded to the Kansas City Royals where he spent most of his five-year major league career. He also spent professional time with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Cleveland Indians, Montreal Expos and Pittsburgh Pirates.
In a two year stint with the Royals in 2001 and 2002, he was 15-13 in 32 starts with 191 strikeouts in 238 innings, which would convert to impressive numbers for a healthy starter for a single season.
On Father's Day in 2002, Stein tied Hall of Famers Roger Clemens and Nolan Ryan and reliever Ron Davis for an American League record by recording eight consecutive strikeouts in a single game. Stei n struck out 8 consecutive in a loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on June 17, 2001 and finished with 11 K's in 5.2 innings.
Roger Clemens also holds this record with the Boston Red Sox. On April 29, 1986, Clemens struck out 8 consecutive batters, and went on to total 20 strikeouts in the game. He was the first pitcher to top 20 strikeouts in a game, and did it again 10 years later.
Nolan Ryan of the California Angels struck out 8 consecutive batters twice. On July 9, 1972 against the Boston Red Sox, Ryan struck out 8 consecutive Red Sox and finished with a total of 16 strikeouts. On July 15, 1973, he struckout 8 straight Detroit Tigers and finished with 17 K's in his second of seven career no-hitters.
Ron Davis, then with the New York Yankees, also struck out 8 consecutive batters, on May 4, 1981. Up against the California Angels, Davis totalled 8 strikeouts as a relief pitcher as the Angels beat the Yankees 4-2.
Stein's brother Ben played baseball at William Carey in Hattiesburg and is a pitching coach at Northwest Rankin in Brandon, Mississippi. His sister Belinda, played at the University of Mobile and coaches softball at Covington high school.
"I have three girls at home. My wife, Ellen does a tremendous job with Corinne, 7, Meghan, 5, Kendall, 22 months, and we will soon have William Evan at home because my wife is 8 months pregnant," Stein said. "They are my biggest supporters and I love them dearly for letting me do this job."
"My experiences with coaches, players, and front office personnel prepared me to be a coach," Stein said. "I try to use my experiences to help with what we are trying to accomplish at McGill-Toolen."
Stein keeps his focus on and teaches the good things of living like Christian Compassion, Honesty, Respect, Individualized Academic Excellence, Spirituality, Teamwork and Professionalism and strives to keep CHRIST in education!
