Questioning Authority with Pat Listach

Pat Listach was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the fifth round of the 1988 amateur draft out of Arizona State University. His career could be compared to a shooting star, brilliant at first before burning out after only six seasons.

Listach took Milwaukee and the National League by storm in 1992, winning the National League's Rookie of the Year Award. Taking over as the starting shortstop, the switch-hitter batted .290 with 168 hits and 93 runs in 149 games. Mostly he became known for his speed and the disruptive presence he was on the basepaths. Listach had 54 stolen bases, second-best in the National League.

But 1992 would be the best of his six seasons. The player who relied so much on speed to make him the player he was had surgery on his left knee in 1993 and 1994. He never played more than 101 games in his next five seasons before retiring at age 29 after playing 52 games for the Houston Astros in 1997.

He began his career on the bench in 2000 as a hitting coach for the Class A Lansing Lugnuts. The following season, he moved up to Triple-A Iowa and was the hitting coach there from 2001-05. Listach's first managing experience came during a 55-game stint in 2002 after Iowa manager Bruce Kimm was named interim manager of the parent club. Listach managed Double-A West Tenn to a 75-65 record for the 2006 season. He nearly matched that in 2007, going 73-65, and he will take over for the I-Cubs this year.

MinorLeagueBaseball.com: What do you remember most about your first time around in the Minor Leagues?

Pat Listach: I was a little disappointed at the hotels and the conditions of the fields. I was expecting a little better after coming from Arizona State. That was the equivalent of a Triple-A field. I didn't know that. I made a lot of errors in A ball.

MiLB.com: Have times changed that much? How different are the Minors from when you were a player?

PL: I don't think they've changed that much. When I came up, it was 20 years ago. The minimum salary was $600-800. It hasn't changed much in that respect. Players bunk up and share apartments and get to make lifelong friends. I think that part is really good. You get to live with other guys and get to know people from other parts of the world.

MiLB.com: Life in the Minors can be surreal. What's your favorite story of the Minors, either as a player or on the bench?

PL: I'm going to embarrass myself here. I was playing Triple-A in Buffalo. I had the day off on a Sunday day game. I was sitting in the dugout and had my sunglasses on and a foul ball came in the dugout. Everybody in dugout jumped out of the way. I probably dozed off on the bench -- that was the only time I've done that -- and the ball hit me square in the chest. My teammates were dying laughing. Anthony Young was on that team. Dwight Gooden was on rehab. Sean Casey and Richie Sexson were on that team. They rode me pretty hard.

MiLB.com: How have teammates you played with in the bigs reacted to your current gig?

PL: I keep in touch with Troy O'Leary and John Jaha. When I'm in Portland, I say hi to Jaha and we go to lunch. Most of the teammates I played with in Milwaukee are still in the game. Franklin Stubbs is coaching for the Braves. He was a guy who took me under his wing when I was a rookie. I see Robin Yount here and there and that is great. A lot of those guys are still in the game. I love what I do. It's a dream job. Just enjoy it because it doesn't last forever. Enjoy it while you have the uniform on.

MiLB.com: Do the players on your team know much about you and your history as a player?

PL: I think most of them do. It's kind of funny, I'm not that much older than some of them. We signed Chad Fox and [Shingo] Takatsu, and I'm only three or four years older than these guys. I might have played against some of them. The young kids, they're the ones who don't seem to know much about the trail blazers of the game and who they played for and what position they played. When I talk about facing Nolan Ryan and Frank Tanana and Goose Gossage, they look at me and say, "You're old." When you say names like that and they hear Nolan Ryan, they want to put you in that category as old.

MiLB.com: What have the players on your team taught you? Do they keep you up-to-date on pop culture?

PL: They're trying to get me to buy an iPod now, and I don't know how to work it. It's fun because I communicate with them quite a bit. I like to have an open relationship with the players, even though it's my job to get them to the Majors. They respect that and, in return, I respect how they go about their business. As far as pop culture, I don't know much about Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo. I'm not down with that, I guess you could say.

MiLB.com: What kind of reaction do you get from fans?

PL: A positive one. They know I'll do whatever it takes to win a game. I treat them with respect because they pay for the tickets to come see you.

MiLB.com: What city or cities do you most look forward to stopping in during the season?

PL: Memphis is a good city. New Orleans ... because I'm from Louisiana and get to see family when I go back there. Those are two of my favorites. I like Beale Street and blues and music. The ballpark is awesome. I think it's the best in the Minors, or in the top three or four. You can walk to and from the ballpark from the hotel.

MiLB.com: What's the toughest part of the job?

PL: The toughest part is when the farm director calls and says it's time for you to let a player go. You become entangled with these people. You're part of their lives and with them every day. I managed in Iowa in 2002 and Leo Estrella got released. The next thing you know, he's in the bigs with the Brewers. That taught me you don't know everything. It's every kid's dream to play in the bigs. You have to tell them that their journey is taking a detour. It's not a good feeling. There are guys who will cry, guys who will be mad and guys who will be stunned and shocked. At the same time, the greatest feeling is telling a guy he's going to the bigs for first time. That's a complete 180.

MiLB.com: Have you collected all of your baseball cards?

PL: My mom has collected my cards. I've seen the majority of them. I've seen 99 percent of them. I don't have a million of them out there. I think my mom has a nice collection of them and she's proud of that. Personally, I don't have them all.