Pro hitting guru Hriniak trades bats for golf clubs

ORONO – It wasn’t Fenway or Comiskey Park, but the well-tanned man in the black Chicago White Sox jacket seemed right at home sitting in the Mahaney Diamond press box on a rainy night.

Walt Hriniak and his wife Karen came up from his native Massachusetts to visit a friend, Bangor Blue Ox manager and former Boston Red Sox player Roger LaFrancois.

Although Wednesday’s game between Bangor and the Catskill Cougars was washed out, Hriniak was enjoying himself, swapping baseball stories with team personnel and helping some Blue Ox players with their hitting.

Hriniak, Boston’s hitting coach for 11 seasons (1977-88), has gone into what he calls “semi-retirement.” His last season was with the Chicago White Sox in 1995.

“I play a lot of golf,” he said laughing. “There’s a lot of similarities between golf and baseball. What’s frustrating is when I played or taught baseball, when I swung the bat, I knew what I was doing wrong because I could feel it. I’m not at that point in golf. That’s what fascingolf. It’s still a mystery to me.”

The former major league catcher (1968-69) isn’t closing the door on baseball just yet, however.

“I don’t miss the politics and the travel of professional baseball, particularly the big leagues,” he said. “But I do miss the interchange with the players and the game and clubhouse atmosphere.”

So don’t be surprised to see Hriniak, who worked for St. Louis a while ago, back in the bigs.

“I might be doing a little work for the Cardinals again this winter or possibly the spring,” said Hriniak, who counts Cards manager Tony LaRussa among his friends.

LaRussa called Hriniak when he was considering an offer to manage Boston after the 1995 season.

“I told him, `Tony, let me tell you something. To win the whole thing – the World Series – there is no place in the world that would be better than Boston. None! And I can’t tell you how good it’s gonna be because I can’t imagine it, but it’ll be better than any other place in the world because you will change history.

“You will change people’s attitudes, you’ll be etched in stone, you will be a god, and you will affect everybody’s life – not only in Boston but all New England.’ You’re talking something very powerful!”

While awaiting that happy day, Hriniak is enjoying his time off and the freedom to visit old friends and former pupils like Carlton Fisk, Carney Lansford, Dwight Evans, Frank Thomas and Robin Ventura.

The 54-year-old Hriniak is especially proud of another former pupil has gone on to become a hitting instructor himself: former American League MVP and current Red Sox hitting coach Jim Rice.

“Jimmy Rice has done a great job. He’s got the Red Sox hitting .298 and they have a chance to hit .300 as a team; and that probably hasn’t been done in 40, 50 years,” Hriniak said. “I don’t think he’s been given enough credit, particularly in the Boston area.”

Hriniak said he thinks the quality of coaching in pro baseball is better now than it was 20 years ago, thanks to specialization.

“They didn’t used to have [hitting coaches] because there was a feeling you could either hit or you couldn’t. It couldn’t be taught, that was the philosophy,” he said.

Hriniak has also witnessed a big change in the way major leaguers relate to their fans. He has little sympathy for stars who complain about living under a microscope.

“If you didn’t have talk radio and all this exposure with everything that’s written, you wouldn’t be making the kind of money they’re making,” said Hriniak. “That just goes with the territory. Be thankful there’s that much interest and controversy because that’s what’s bringing them the dollars.”

Hriniak doesn’t begrudge players their huge salaries, but he’s no fan of guaranteed contracts.

“It’s human nature with some people. When you give them a four- or five-year contract, they don’t come and work the way they’re supposed to,” he explained. “I think the quality of the game would be better if you payed them whatever you want to pay them, but go one year at a time.”

When asked to recount some of the greatest thrills in his career, Hriniak closed his eyes and thought it about it awhile. He came up with three, all from his days with the Red Sox: the 1978 pennant race, the 1986 season, and a surprising gesture from Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski.

“The year [1979] Yastrzemski got his 3,000th hit, he had a big press conference. He thanked me for what I’d done for him and presented me with a gold watch for helping him get 3,000 hits. That was… uh… nice,” he said, his throat choked with emotion.

When told many Sox fans felt physically ill after the ’86 Series’ infamous Game 6, Hriniak nodded empathetically.

“I understand,” he said. “You should have been in the dugout.”