March 26, 200620 yr From 58th Round to a Long, Steady Career By Amy Shipley Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, March 26, 2006; Page E07 FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., March 25 -- As a sophomore in economics at UCLA, Baltimore Orioles slugger Jeff Conine pondered summer internship options on Wall Street and a career as a stockbroker. Back then, Conine said, he was a decent pitcher but nothing more, having quit baseball for two years in high school to pursue racquetball. When the Kansas City Royals picked him in 1987 in the 58th round of the draft, he laughed. He didn't know there were that many rounds. Conine, though, had a sense of adventure, if not major league aspirations. Ignoring everything he had learned in college about sound economics, he decided to devote a few years to the game. He left school as a junior, figuring he would go back and finish his degree after playing a couple of years of minor league ball. Twenty years later, about to begin his 14th major league season, Conine is finally getting ready to return to school. Conine, 39, said before Saturday's game against the Florida Marlins that he will consider retiring at the end of this season. "I can see the end coming soon," he said. "I don't want to say definitely, yes or no. There will be a point at the end of the season where I will evaluate and see how I feel, how my family feels and go on from there." Signed this winter by the Orioles, for whom he played from 1999 to 2003, for his good-guy reputation, his consistency at the plate and flexibility in the lineup, Conine can play in left field or first base, and also slots in nicely in the designated hitter spot, which he hates because he likes to be out in the field. Teammates have marveled at the way he maneuvers his 6-foot-1, 220-pound frame around the outfield, routinely making spectacular plays. "He's a hard-nosed player," Orioles Manager Sam Perlozzo said. "Those guys tend to draw a little respect from your teammates." Conine credits the lightning quickness racquetball taught him -- he was a junior national champion -- along with the genes of his father Admin, who participated in the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo in wrestling, for his surprisingly fleet feet and durability. His steadiness and success? "Probably more than anything, it's been my ability to keep together mentally," he said. He's learned to roll with the punches in part because he never figured on seeing many major league punches at all. A chance injury to a Kansas City regular in 1990 earned him his first call-up. The arrival of a new team -- the Marlins through expansion -- got him his first chance to play every day. He hit .292. His body, he said, feels great. He figures he could play another five or six years at least. But he has grown weary of the travel and is eager to spend more time with his wife, Cindy, and three children, who range in age from 5 to 10. Two things, Conine said, could compel him to stick around. Should he reach 450 at-bats, which he did in 2004 but not last year, an option on his current contract would kick in. That, he said, would tempt him to play in 2007. He isn't much interested in testing the free agent market, but he admitted that the Marlins, with whom he has spent most of his career, could possibly persuade him to return. He definitely is not, he said, interested in staying in the game as a coach or manager. He said he might indeed go back to college. His family has resided in a community west of Fort Lauderdale since he broke in with Florida. Naturally, he isn't at all happy about what happened to the roster in the aftermath of the collapse of a Miami stadium deal last year. Most of the top players from last year's team were let go, so Conine, who joined the Marlins for his second stint in mid-2003, also decided to leave. "One of the reasons I didn't come back was the competitiveness," Conine said. "The Marlins are not going to be competitive this year. I didn't want to go through that." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...6032500841.html And one of the most disturbing pictures I have ever seen:
March 26, 200620 yr You know, that last quote wasn't really necessary. It's not as if he went from the Marlins to the Braves or Yankees...he went to the Orioles. I know I'm not alone in saying that the Marlins have a much better shot at winning the NL East than the Orioles do winning the AL East...so, really, how much more do you value those 5 or 6 extra wins (if that's even a certainty at this point)?
March 26, 200620 yr I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for Niner. But I seriously want to 'contend' this year and prove him wrong.
March 26, 200620 yr I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for Niner. But I seriously want to 'contend' this year and prove him wrong. wouldnt that be sweet, with all due respect to Mr. Marlin.
March 26, 200620 yr I heard he is looking into opening more Conine Clunhouses. Most delicious career decision he ever made.
March 26, 200620 yr I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for Niner. But I seriously want to 'contend' this year and prove him wrong. wouldnt that be sweet, with all due respect to Mr. Marlin. very sweet indeed
March 26, 200620 yr You know, that last quote wasn't really necessary. It's not as if he went from the Marlins to the Braves or Yankees...he went to the Orioles. I know I'm not alone in saying that the Marlins have a much better shot at winning the NL East than the Orioles do winning the AL East...so, really, how much more do you value those 5 or 6 extra wins (if that's even a certainty at this point)? I can't blame him. Who wants to be a part of a 'rebuilding' team at the end of their careers? No one. Sure the O's most likely won't win the division, but that isn't the lone indicator of competitiveness. A team with a payroll of $20 million is going to have a loong season, and the Orioles at least have talented established major league talent, with the best pitching coach in history. p.s. I'm a little biased, I just can't be mad at Conine, no matter how hard I try.
March 26, 200620 yr He may hate it but he is Mr. Marlin...I love the Dude! I would love for him to play a few more years...He is one of the real good guys in baseball. I hope he becomes a broadcaster he would be great in our booth...After he gets his degree ofcourse...lol
March 26, 200620 yr I'm holding out hope he decides to play again next year and signs back with the Marlins
March 26, 200620 yr I'm holding out hope he decides to play again next year and signs back with the Marlins Maybe the Marlins will be competitive enough this year that he'll decide to give it one last run here in South Florida. This team just isn't the same without him
March 26, 200620 yr The 06' Marlins objective is not to be competitive but to develop and evaluate our prospects as they play against major leaguers and as they try to withstand the long season. I can understand why Conine wants to go to a team that will finish above .500 instead of a team who's ceiling is .500. also too he would be the oldest player by like 15 years haha. Nah, how old is Moehler?
March 27, 200620 yr I'd go so far as to say his bat in leftfield would assure us of no worse than a 4th place finish...which is kind of similar to Baltimore.
March 27, 200620 yr I wanted him to end his career as a marlin, so I hope that he thinks about coming back to marlins before retiring
March 27, 200620 yr I hope to have him back next season, maybe we can give him a retirement gift, say, a division title lol. Ok maybe too soon for that but who knows.
March 27, 200620 yr I highly doubt he will retire, this guy looks more like the next Franco than anybody out in the big leagues of his age and half his caliber.
March 27, 200620 yr The OH members would dump him in a second if they ran the front office for a day.
March 27, 200620 yr The OH members would dump him in a second if they ran the front office for a day. They also thought they had a legitimate shot at Cabrera and Willis. Not the smartest bunch.
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