Former Texas Ranger outfielder Rusty Greer always liked baseball.
“Yeah I miss it everyday and I wish I was out there with them,” Greer said sitting in a dugout in Colleyville.
Greet is coaching the Colleyville Lone Stars of the Texas Collegiate League, but his pre game ritual isn't quite the same as it was when he played in the Major Leagues.
“We used to chill in the clubhouse, drink coffee, drink diet coke, eat a good sandwich, but now, I'm watering the field,” said Greer while spraying water over the infield.
But that's only part of his routine. While I was there, he put out the bases, took time to pose for a program cover, and give advice to one of his players. All are part of his schedule.
“If you back off the plate a little bit, you can give yourself just a little more time, you can hit the ball here, versus here,” said Greer talking to another player.
Playing the game of baseball and coaching it are two totally different challenges. We know he can play the game. Now we'll see if he can teach it and coach it as well.
“You know what the biggest challenge was, is filling out the lineup card right,” he said. “It took me three games to get one perfect.”
“He tells us we're all men out here,” says Austin Knight, an infielder for the Lone Stars. “He doesn't even let us call him coach. We have to call him Rusty.”
In the meantime, this summer league seems to be the perfect place to launch a career, to see if he has a future as a manager or a coach.
In 3,829 at-bats, Greer hit 119 home runs, 614 RBI and had 31 stolen bases. He decided to retire prior to the 2005 season. He played for the Rangers nine seasons and was a 10th round draft pick in 1990. He had his first 100-RBI season in 1996, and followed that with 108 RBI in 1998, and 101 in 1999. Injuries ended his career in 2002 when he played in just 51 games.
“I would like to get back into the professional game at some point in time, but when that is, I don't know. I'm really going to pursue the college deal right now and see where that might lead me.”
