Questioning Authority with Brad Komminsk

After playing alongside such baseball greats as Dale Murphy, Paul Molitor, Cal Ripken Jr. and Rickey Henderson, new Bowie Baysox manager Brad Komminsk can recognize a talented player when he sees one on the field.

Komminsk enjoyed success as a manager and coach in the Cleveland Indians organization from 1999 to 2006. During that time, he helped mold players like Grady Sizemore, Victor Martinez and Fausto Carmona into future stars for the Tribe. In 2001, "Kommy" led a well-balanced Kinston Indians squad to the Carolina League's best record, 89-51, as the club topped the league in runs scored (629) and ERA (2.73). He was named the circuit's Manager of the Year.

Like a prospect after a very good season, Komminsk was promoted the following year to Akron of the Eastern League, where he guided the Aeros to back-to-back Southern Division titles, including the best record in Double-A baseball in 2002 and a league championship the following season. Last year, Komminsk served as the hitting and field coach for the Phillies' Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers, who conquered the Florida State League.

The fourth overall pick in the 1979 First-Year Player Draft by the Atlanta Braves, Komminsk played a game in those early pro years that was ahead of its time. He complemented his pure power with patience at the plate nearly 20 years before such an approach became popular, and it brought him the Carolina League MVP Award in 1981. Playing for Durham, he hit .322 with a .458 on-base percentage, 33 home runs, 104 RBIs and 110 walks, adding 35 stolen bases into that mix. The Lima, Ohio, native went on to play parts of eight seasons with Atlanta, Milwaukee, Cleveland, San Francisco, Baltimore and Oakland.

This year, Komminsk returns to managing and the Eastern League with a new organization, the Baltimore Orioles. The O's are hoping he will help develop prospects like Nolan Reimold, Matt Wieters and Chorye Spoone into a trio similar to Sizemore, Martinez and Carmona.

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

Brad Komminsk: It was definitely an eye-opener for me, coming right out of high school and playing with all these different people. And the game was a lot faster than what I was used to, so I had to learn pretty quick once I got there.

MiLB.com: Have times changed much since then? How are they different from when you played?

BK: Between the lines, the players are pretty much the same. Some of them might be in better shape, but everyone still plays the game hard, and they're learning on the fly. I think teams are a lot more conservative nowadays as far as how they handle their younger players. Before if you got hurt, there was a good chance that the parent club would replace you without thinking. Now there's a lot more money involved, and teams have become more patient in developing their talent. So now if someone gets hurt, they'll make sure he gets all healthy and he'll be back on his team.

MiLB.com: What is your favorite story to tell from your days in the Minor Leagues?

BK: I never really took part in anything that could be called weird or strange. A lot of the time, I was just having good times with my teammates and enjoying playing baseball.

MiLB.com: How have your former big-league teammates reacted to your current gig? Did it surprise them?

BK: I don't think any of them were surprised. It's always been a natural progression for players once they're done on the field to go into coaching or managing. It's a way for us to stay in the game we're so familiar with.

MiLB.com: Do many of your players know you were in the Major Leagues?

BK: A lot of them know about my past. A few of them used to collect baseball cards and remember getting a couple copies of mine. Others might have found out online 'Googling' my name when they learned where they were going to play and who was on the coaching staff.

MiLB.com: How much do you learn from your players? Do they keep you up-to-date with pop culture?

BK: Some of them do a pretty good job of keeping me up-to-date. A few of them in Clearwater last year played that Nintendo Wii. I think all these things are distractions that take away from the game and the experience. Some players might not be as focused or might not be working at a part of their game that they could improve on. There isn't as much interaction [with coaches] between the laptops, iPods, cell phones and such.

MiLB.com: How do the fans react to you? Do many remember you from your playing days?

BK: A lot of them actually do. A bunch of them will sometimes pull out one of my old baseball cards. It's a pretty nice feeling knowing that people remember me from all those years ago.

MiLB.com: What cities do you enjoy visiting the most?

BK: Portland, Maine, was always a nice place to go to back to when I was with Akron. Denver and Colorado Springs were also pretty nice cities to see on a road trip. My favorite city, though, was Vancouver, British Columbia. The mountains in that area are the best, and it is such a pretty and peaceful city out there.

MiLB.com: What is the toughest part of the job?

BK: For me, it was being away from my family for so long. I live in Ohio, so being in Clearwater last year was real tough since you're only traveling around Florida and there isn't really any opportunity to get home. Being back in the Eastern League, it will be a lot easier. Now when we take road trips out to Akron, it's going to be close enough to home that I can see my family for a few days. They can visit me at the ballpark and I can visit home too.

MiLB.com: Do you have your own bobblehead? Do you like it?

BK: I do actually, but it was back with a college league up in Michigan. I also had some inside help from my sister. She personally helped design it through some connections she made while working for [now-defunct] World Championship Wrestling. She started out doing marketing with the Atlanta Braves a few years ago when they were owned by Ted Turner, who also owned WCW. Eventually she worked her way into WCW, got to deal with all the wrestlers there doing marketing and promotional things, and that's how she was able to get in touch with this one company that made the bobblehead dolls.