Learning from an M's legend

In an instant, without even realizing it at the time, Lenny Randle did something on the baseball field that hasn't been forgotten, nearly 30 years later.

Since then, his message has been simple.

"Don't Blow It, Go to College."

RANDLE PLAYED 11 years in professional baseball, starting his career with the Washington Senators - which became the Texas Rangers - after a short time in the minors in 1971. He also played for the Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, New York Yankees and the Seattle Mariners. It was with the Mariners in 1981 that Randle, well, made himself a household name. Randle also played in Spokane, then a Triple-A team, in 1973.

During a game at the Kingdome against the Kansas City Royals on May 27, 1981, Randle, a third baseman, helped guide a swinging bunt down the third base line foul by allegedly blowing the ball. The play made national headlines; these days, it would have gone viral.

"I had no idea what I was doing on that play," recalled Randle, now 65. "I was just trying to win a game Billy Martin-style. I just went down and did it, and when I got up, I couldn't figure out why everyone was laughing."

Then Mariners second baseman Julio Cruz alerted Randle to the video screen at the Kingdome, where he watched what had just happened.

"He came over to me and said, Lenny, look at the screen, you blew the ball," Randle said. "I told him, no I didn't. I just talked to it. No, I've got bad breath."

The play also took Kansas City outfielder Amos Otis' 2,000th hit away from him.

"Since it was foul, he didn't get it," Randle said. "He's still mad at me to this day. Jim Frey came out of the dugout yelling and George Brett, who was standing at the plate, was also pretty mad with me. They put it up there on the screens, along with Kevin Seltzer and another catcher from Argentina that did the same thing. That's why I tell people to go to college, don't blow it."

see ELLIOTT, B4

As far as the current group of Mariners - who are in the midst of the American League wild-card race - he believes they're just a player away from making their first trip to the World Series.

"They'll be in the playoffs and just a player away from the World Series," Randle said. "We teach the kids to watch (Mike) Zunino, (Robinson) Cano, (Felix) Hernandez and (Chris) Young to emulate."

Randle also played with Rich Donnelly and Rick Waits, the team's current third base and pitching coach, respectively.

EVEN IN airports, he can't escape the occasional fan that tries to re-live the play.

"I've got people that drop to the ground and I'll tell the guy to get up, please," Randle said. "It was a weird play. I still don't know to this day what happened."

Randle was the first American major league player to play in Italy and attempted a comeback in 1995 with the then-California Angels.

He has lived in this area since retiring from baseball.

"I'm an all-time Spokane-area guy," Randle said. "Spokane is like a first home, because it was my first home in baseball."

Nick Pupo, a professional baseball scout with the Lenny Randle Baseball Academy and owner of Diamond Sports Performance in Spokane, met Randle at a Mariners fantasy camp in 1983.

They've been in business together ever since.

"My family is from Spokane, and a three-generation baseball family," Pupo said. "I had cousins that played professional baseball. I went to Gonzaga Prep and played ball, but didn't quite have the talent that my cousins had. I've been coaching since 1983 and when I met Lenny, it was the time of my life when I was making the transition from a family business to training."

Pupo has been coaching since 1983 since leaving Pupo's Produce.

"I went to work for Lenny all around the country," Pupo said. "He's going to be managing a team in the Italian League and I've worked with him doing camps."

Through Randle, Pupo has worked with some of the best players in Mariner history.

"He's really opened a lot of doors for me in the baseball world," Pupo said. "I've worked with Chris Bosio and Alvin Davis through the years."

RANDLE AND Pupo will be on hand later this month when the Rathdrum Parks and Recreation Department and Diamond Sports Performance team up for a series of camps starting Sept. 20 at Cooper Field in Rathdrum.

Cost is $50 for four sessions and deadline to register is Sept. 19.

"The biggest part of the camps is the education," Pupo said. "It's a big deal getting the kids from school to college. What we do with the young athletes is get them ready for life."

The camps, which are each Saturday until Oct. 11, are for both baseball and softball players.

"It's teaching the kids the right way to play," Pupo said. "It's good to have Lenny around leading that charge. We're trying to create that environment of friendly competition and the life lessons are huge. There's so much failure in baseball, but when you fail, you've got to get up and brush yourself off. These kids need to have as much education as they can. Colleges and professional teams are looking for scholar athletes. There's lots of young people that need that direction."

"It's not just sports skills, but life skills," Randle said. "We're going to find some talent and have some fun."

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d'Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter at JEPressSports.