click logo for homepage
 
 

	Vol.7, No 10, September 15, 1999
	Gallo comes home Once a Dirtbag, always a Dirtbag.  This is the way it is with former Long Beach State baseball players, and the family created by head coach Dave Snow. Eric Boyum Former LBSU pitcher Mike Gallo is the most recent son of Snowís baseball program to discover this.  After an All-American season with the Dirtbags in 1999 -- in which Gallo's record was 10-3, with an ERA of 2.48 -- the Houston Astros drafted him in the second round of Major League Baseballís amateur draft.  Gallo only had 10 days to report to the Astros' Class-A ballclub in Auburn, N.Y. From there, Gallo quickly impressed the Astros in three starts with the control of his fastball.  He was promoted to the next level of competition at Battle Creek, Mich. where he played for the Battle Cats of the Midwest League. Then reality hit.  Gallo, who was used to pitching once a week as a Dirtbag, began throwing in a five-day rotation for the Battle Cats.  Gallo also discovered that throwing in the bullpen every day was necessary for his development as a complete pitcher. He learned the demands of playing professional ball are much greater than playing college ball.  No longer could he throw 130 pitches and give it his all. He had to pace himself and attempt to get the job done in his starts in under 85 pitches. He "got knocked around," Gallo said, but recalled the wise words of his former coach, Snow, when the going was rough.  "He [Snow] told me to stay with my routine and to keep my confidence," Gallo said.  He shook off the shaky outings and bounced back to record two wins in 12 starts, although his arm was tired and he was physically exhausted.  "I was pitching on adrenaline," Gallo said. "When I fail, I take it as another way to prove my character." After the exhaustion of playing college and professional baseball without any break for nearly eight straight months, Gallo returned home Thursday to Long Beach to see his family and girlfriend.  He also stopped by campus to see his second family -- the Dirtbags, who were conducting individual-player workouts.  As Gallo watched his former coaches and teammates work-out on the campus field adjacent to The Pyramid, he reflected on his time spent in Long Beach.  "I'm so sick of seeing corn and sometimes I wish I was at the beach," Gallo said. "I tell all the guys here, 'play your college ball to your fullest, because once you get to the pros itís totally different.'" Gallo admitted though, he is lucky to be playing a childís game and to be paid to do it.  "I could be in Taiwan or Antarctica, but at least I am playing baseball," he said. "I leave in a week from today [Tuesday] to go to [the Astrosí] Instructional League in Florida."  The instructional league is for recent draft choices, who are considered prospects.  "They [management] want to get to know you better," Gallo said. "If you donít want to go, then itís bad because it shows them that you are not serious about baseball." Gallo said the pro players who are now his teammates give him grief and called him the "college-rah-rah-guy."  He still runs off the mound after an inning ends and promises to continue this trend no matter how his days on the mound go -- just as he did as a Dirtbag. Another nickname that his Latino teammates have given him is Rooster. This is what his last name means in Spanish.  With Gallo's drive to succeed, he probably doesnít need to be reminded that the early bird gets the worm. Eric Boyum is sports editor of the Daily Forty-Niner.		Karate kids Although both fighters lost their matches, Demytrik Del Rio, right, comforts Gerolaga who took his loss hard.                                                                                                                                                                                   Teachers stress improved training Computer jobs hottest in market Package frightens residents Campus moms get support Center answers students' career questions, problems L.B. department aids job seekers Temporary jobs provide experience to students Grad advice eases student confusion A spade is still a spade U.S. owes E. Timor more than money Peruvian artist displays talent Gallo comes home Determination equals victory Fall 99 ISSUES DAILY 49ER HOMEPAGE
Forty-Niner Publications, Department of Journalism, California State University, Long Beach ©1999 All rights reserved.