PSU Magazine Spring 2003

om Trebelhom puls on his shirt and tennis shoes as he re0ects on a very long and disappointing night. Not only did his team lose, but he watched his guys rally from a seven-run deficit only to lose when the potential tying run was thrown out at home plate. After the game, reporters sur– rounded Trebelhom's smallish locker and asked about the run that didn't score. As the Orioles' third-base coach, it's Trebelhom's responsibility to deter– mine whether a runner can score or not. As Deivi Cruz rounded third base, Trebelhorn's arm spun like a windmill waving him home. The decision failed and Trebelhom will go home and relive the play about 100 times in the next several hours. When runners score and Trebelhom guesses right, reporters rarely talk to the former Portland Stale baseball star. "lt was two out and l thought he had a good chance," Trebelhom told reporters that night. "In fact , l would question whether he was out. I think it was a decision I had to make." Trebelhorn has been the Orioles' third-base coach for the past three sea– sons. But most of his life he has been coaching or playing baseball and loving every minute of it. An energetic and fit 55 year old , Trebelhorn is always a source of encouragement. He reports to the Orioles' home baseball park, Camden Yards, hours before games and works with the hitters, hitting countless grounders to infielders. During the game, Trebelhorn stands in the third-base coaching box and advises Orioles base runners. "I really love what I do," he says. "I think if you love what you do , you will always have the energy for it. I love working with the players and I love teaching." Trebelhorn has been teaching for nearly 30 years. After his playing career at Portland State, he spent four seasons in the minor leagues before the Oakland Athletics hired him as a coach for their Rookie League team in Boise , Idaho. Trebelhorn was just 27 years old and given the responsibility of coach– ing 18- and 19-year-olds. "Well I always wanted to coach and when it was apparent that I wasn't going to get to the major leagues as a player, I figured l'd try to get there as a coach," he says. I t was obvious that Trebelhom's coaching skills reached far beyond his years. He sliced through the minor-league sysLem and became a major league manager in just 10 years. But that road included some amazing experiences as Trebelhorn coached his share of future all-stars and household names. But it didn't appear Trebelhom would make it that far while coaching in Boise, which was not exactly the hotbed for baseball. "There were 38 players and me," he remembers. 'There was no coach, no pitching coach. So there were a lot of organizational skills, a lot of prepara– tion, and a loL of plans that l have since implemented at the big-league level but I started in Boise out of necessiLy. It was fun. I had a great time ." During his time in Boise, Trebel– horn managed a young speedster named Rickey Henderson, the Oakland !is third-round draft pick in 1976 who was filled wiLh potential. Henderson, who played in the major leagues until last season, is a sure Hall of Farner and the all-time leader in stolen bases, walks and runs scored. B ut in 1977, Henderson was a raw rookie with tremen– dous speed and a cocky demeanor. "He was a 17-year-old kid out of the Bay Area who had a better idea of the strike zone than two-thirds of the major league players at that time," says Trebelhorn. "He was a very gifted ath– lete. But Rickey always demonstrated the fact that he graduated from the School of Cool." Trebelhorn recalls one game where Henderson singled and stood on first base. Henderson was not the best at understanding signs and when he did– n't comprehend one, Trebelhorn took off the signs. So Henderson stole sec– ond. Trebelhorn again told Henderson there was no sign, and Henderson proceeded to steal third base. After the inning, Trebelhorn approached his rookie base-stealer and asked why he kept stealing when Trebelhorn took off the signs. "Well ," he said. "You gave me the 'take off' sign, so I took off for second and I took off for third ." "Well, that was Rickey," Trebelhorn laughs. It wasn't long before Trebelhorn was managing at the high minor-league