Byline: HEATHER GRIPP
Staff Writer
A few hours into a drive from one small Southern town to another, Gabe Kapler tried to carry on a conversation. The two young boys in the back seat left him sounding like a typical father on a summer family road trip as he repeatedly paused to try to keep them quiet.
A year removed from life as a major-league baseball player, this was how Kapler spent his summer. The journey Kapler embarked on was anything but a vacation, but one the Taft High of Woodland Hills product enjoyed nearly as much, leaving him without any regrets about walking away from a playing career at 31 years old to spend this year as a minor-league manager.
'It's been kind of an adjustment,' said Kapler, whose season with the Greenville (S.C.) Drive, the Boston Red Sox' Single-A affiliate in the South Atlantic League, ends today. 'But I can't believe how rewarding it's been.'
Never mind that the air travel, luxurious hotels and other perks of a major-league lifestyle have been replaced by lengthy bus rides, economy motels, carrying his own bags and a multitude of tasks that include helping set up and put away equipment for practice. Work days of 11-12hours are the norm.
Kapler, who still lives in the San Fernando Valley during the offseason, finds a positive in all of it.
For instance, the road trips allowed him to show his family new parts of the country once they joined him in June. He sometimes gained extra family time by driving with his wife, Lisa, and two sons in a vehicle separate from the team bus. Seven-year-old Chase and 5-year-old Dane were regulars in the clubhouse, often wrestling on the floor with their father, and Chase often watched games from the dugout.
'He never complains about the hotels, buses or anything,' Greenville pitching coach Randy Phillips said of Kapler. 'It's all part of the job. He's not a pretty boy, he's not pampered. He doesn't want special treatment or anyone doing anything for him. He's never standing or sitting, he's always working, always doing something.'
Kapler figured there was nothing like working his way up from the bottom to give him the broad experience he'd need if he ever wanted to manage in the major leagues.
He's used to starting at the bottom, having been a 57th-round draft pick of the Detroit Tigers in 1995 out of Moorpark College.
Kapler, an outfielder, went on to hit .270 with 64 home runs and 302 RBIs in 850major-league games and was a member of the 2004 Red Sox team that won the World Series.
Red Sox farm director Mike Hazen had been familiar with Kapler for years and envisioned him as an ideal candidate for coaching or managing.
'His selflessness. His passion for the job, for the game of baseball. His desire to help other players succeed. Those things made him a perfect fit for the job,' said Hazen, who expects Kapler to be in the organization's plans for next season.
'It helps that he's been where they ultimately want to be, and he knows better than anyone the ups and down that come with getting there. He brings an intensity level that's pretty high -- he has such a passion for the game-- but at the same time, he really cares about his players.'
The sentiment has become a popular one throughout the organization.
'He was and is eager to help,' Phillips said. 'The players sense he really cares about their lives. Once they see you really do care about them and aren't just out there to advance yourself, that's when they start to trust you and listen to you. It happened pretty quickly because he's a person with very little ego. ...
'I can see traits in him that are common in any great manager.'
The work ethic and devotion to the game that was displayed in Kapler's lengthy rehabilitation from a ruptured Achilles' tendon in order to return as a role player for Boston last year was evident as he adapted to his new job.
He credits his coaches, both of whom were returning coaches in the organization, for aiding the transition. He'd already spent the offseason talking to former teammates about game situations and positions he hadn't played. Spring training presented a crash course in writing game reports and other responsibilities that left Kapler with 'my head down for 12hours a day learning the ropes.'
Kapler, who turned 32 last week, admits he sometimes felt more comfortable among the players he'd visit in the major-league camp, but says he never thought he'd made the wrong decision in retiring.
He'd often picked the mind of Red Sox manager Terry Francona with the idea of someday turning to coaching, but few thought that time would come this soon, when there was still interest in Kapler as a player.
'Ultimately, this is what I felt would be the most rewarding experience,' Kapler said.
'That's something I pride myself on, not doing the most conventional thing. I was focused on more than how much I could make as player. What was motivating me was the opportunity to give back and help these players develop and to share some of the knowledge that I've picked up over my career. ...
'My focus is changed. Being a player is largely ego-driven. You're mainly focused on doing well, and how you can improve your career largely depends on what you do as an individual. All I'm focused on now is my players and helping them develop and to instill confidence in them. I don't want to think about me and my career, where I'll be next year or anything like that, until after the season.'
Kapler even decided he should resist the urge to take some hacks in the batting cage because he doesn't want his players to think he is interested in anything other than them.
He's had plenty of opportunity to test his teaching skills as the young Greenville squad has spent the season near the bottom of the league standings, more than 20 games below .500. Development is viewed as more important than winning at this level, and a handful of Drive players were promoted within the past month to the advanced Single-A Lancaster JetHawks.
'This has been an incredible learning experience,' Kapler said.
'There've been some days that have been pretty rough and you think, 'Oh, man.' But I've always felt this is the place I belong.'
heather.gripp@dailynews.com
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2 photos
Photo:
(1 -- color) Taft High product Gabe Kapler capped off his playing career in 2006, then turned to managing in the minors this year.
Scott Halleran/Getty Images
(2) Gabe Kapler, left, and Curtis Leskanic celebrate after Boston defeated the New York Yankees in the 2004 ALCS.
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
