Until this past weekend, I had never been to Natchitoches, La. I couldn't even pronounce the name of the town, let alone spell it.
How did I happen to end up spending a great weekend in Natchitoches? It was an easy decision. My longtime friend and working partner Mel Didier asked if I would provide the presentation for his induction into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.
It had taken me two seconds to say yes to Mel and to let him know I was honored he would think of me for this wonderful moment in his life.
During my time as the general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, I can't tell you how many trips Mel Didier made on behalf of our organization. He went whenever and wherever there was a need for his services.
They used to say Manny Mota could wake up on Christmas morning and deliver a base hit to right field. I think that's probably right, but I know one thing for sure.
If I had called Mel Didier on Christmas morning and told him we needed him in the Dominican Republic to check on one of our players, he would have been on an airplane before they started to unwrap the presents under the tree.
Mel Didier has spent 50 years in professional baseball in scouting and player development. He's still going strong as a scout for the Texas Rangers.
There seems to be a lot of talk today about the best way to evaluate baseball players. There are those who seem to think you can do the job with statistics and computers.
After 30 years with the Dodgers, I will tell you one thing I know for sure -- the most important people in a baseball organization other than the players are the scouts and player development personnel. There's no close runner-up to these two basic groups.
You can have all of the computer printouts and stats you want. Give me the experienced scout and the guy who can teach and I will sleep very well at night.
The wonderful thing about the honor the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame bestowed upon Mel Didier is that it's an acknowledgement of the work of a man who has spent a lifetime in coaching, scouting and player development.
There are no scouts recognized in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. There are men who are honored who have had experience in scouting but there is no scouts category, per se. It will never be a true Hall of Fame until the scouts have a way to enter the door.
After all, it is the scouts who have opened the door for the players to reach baseball's highest place of honor.
Mel Didier was an outstanding high school and college athlete during his days in Louisiana. He was a three-sport star at Baton Rouge Catholic High and he went on to play both football and baseball at LSU.
As a football player at LSU, Didier was a center and linebacker. The quarterback who took the snaps from Mel was Y.A. Tittle. Y.A. went on to fame in the NFL and was on hand in Natchitoches to give the presentation on behalf of former LSU and San Francisco 49er halfback Jim Cason.
Among others inducted into the Louisiana shrine was the great relief pitcher Lee Smith, baseball's all-time saves leader. Lee asked Randy Hundley to do the presentation honors because it was Hundley, as a minor league manager at the Double-A level, who was instrumental in converting Smith from a starter to a relief pitcher.
Smith at first was so opposed to the switch from starter to the bullpen that he threatened to quit the game. The veteran baseball man Hundley stood his ground and Smith will one day enter baseball's Hall of Fame.
Didier was a pitcher and captain of the LSU baseball team that won the Southeastern SEC championship in 1947. He signed with the Detroit Tigers, but an arm injury cut short his career.
Once Didier had seen Briggs Stadium in Detroit during a workout, he knew he wanted to make Major League stadiums his home away from home. That's just what Mel Didier has accomplished.
Mel served as a part-time scout with the Tigers and Atlanta Braves while holding down full-time positions as both a coach and administrator at the high school and college levels in Louisiana.
He landed a full-time job when the expansion Montreal team was formed in 1969, and be was appointed both the scouting and player development director for the Expos.
It seemed as though every time an expansion team was formed, the leaders of the new teams came looking for Didier. He was an important part of the formation of both the Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks.
Mel served as a scout with the Dodgers on two occasions and also has worked for the Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles and now the Rangers. It isn't as though he couldn't hold a job. Other teams kept knocking on his door, and Mel never was one to turn down a challenge.
Mel Didier had a major hand in the Dodgers' World Championship in 1988 and in Arizona's World Series title in 2001.
When Kirk Gibson hit his historic home run in the first game of the 1988 World Series, he went to home plate armed with a scouting report from Mel. "If Dennis Eckersley gets a 3-2 count against a left-handed hitter, you can bet he will throw a backdoor slider," Mel had said. Gibson didn't forget the report. And he didn't miss the pitch.
Mel Didier's contributions went beyond his scouting report. Mel was a key figure in trades that brought center fielder John Shelby, pitcher Tim Belcher and shortstop Alfredo Griffin to the 1988 Dodgers.
It was in scouting and player development that Mel found his real joy. He loved to see young players develop.
One of those players developed very close to home -- Mel's son Bob Didier. Bob reached the Majors as a 20-year-old catcher with the Atlanta Braves in 1969, and he has been in professional baseball every year since that time. He now is an advance scout with the Chicago Cubs.
Another catcher who benefited from the guiding hand of Mel Didier was Gary Carter, scouted and developed by the Montreal Expos. There were those who said Carter never would reach the Major Leagues as a catcher.
Mel Didier fought hard and even put his job on the line on behalf of Carter. One month from now, Carter will enter the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.
When Carter enters the Hall of Fame, you can bet he will acknowledge the work of the scouts and player development people. People like Mel Didier.
http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/mlb_perspectives.jsp?ymd=20030701&content_id=404061&vkey=perspectives&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
How did I happen to end up spending a great weekend in Natchitoches? It was an easy decision. My longtime friend and working partner Mel Didier asked if I would provide the presentation for his induction into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.
It had taken me two seconds to say yes to Mel and to let him know I was honored he would think of me for this wonderful moment in his life.
During my time as the general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, I can't tell you how many trips Mel Didier made on behalf of our organization. He went whenever and wherever there was a need for his services.
They used to say Manny Mota could wake up on Christmas morning and deliver a base hit to right field. I think that's probably right, but I know one thing for sure.
If I had called Mel Didier on Christmas morning and told him we needed him in the Dominican Republic to check on one of our players, he would have been on an airplane before they started to unwrap the presents under the tree.
Mel Didier has spent 50 years in professional baseball in scouting and player development. He's still going strong as a scout for the Texas Rangers.
There seems to be a lot of talk today about the best way to evaluate baseball players. There are those who seem to think you can do the job with statistics and computers.
After 30 years with the Dodgers, I will tell you one thing I know for sure -- the most important people in a baseball organization other than the players are the scouts and player development personnel. There's no close runner-up to these two basic groups.
You can have all of the computer printouts and stats you want. Give me the experienced scout and the guy who can teach and I will sleep very well at night.
The wonderful thing about the honor the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame bestowed upon Mel Didier is that it's an acknowledgement of the work of a man who has spent a lifetime in coaching, scouting and player development.
There are no scouts recognized in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. There are men who are honored who have had experience in scouting but there is no scouts category, per se. It will never be a true Hall of Fame until the scouts have a way to enter the door.
After all, it is the scouts who have opened the door for the players to reach baseball's highest place of honor.
Mel Didier was an outstanding high school and college athlete during his days in Louisiana. He was a three-sport star at Baton Rouge Catholic High and he went on to play both football and baseball at LSU.
As a football player at LSU, Didier was a center and linebacker. The quarterback who took the snaps from Mel was Y.A. Tittle. Y.A. went on to fame in the NFL and was on hand in Natchitoches to give the presentation on behalf of former LSU and San Francisco 49er halfback Jim Cason.
Among others inducted into the Louisiana shrine was the great relief pitcher Lee Smith, baseball's all-time saves leader. Lee asked Randy Hundley to do the presentation honors because it was Hundley, as a minor league manager at the Double-A level, who was instrumental in converting Smith from a starter to a relief pitcher.
Smith at first was so opposed to the switch from starter to the bullpen that he threatened to quit the game. The veteran baseball man Hundley stood his ground and Smith will one day enter baseball's Hall of Fame.
Didier was a pitcher and captain of the LSU baseball team that won the Southeastern SEC championship in 1947. He signed with the Detroit Tigers, but an arm injury cut short his career.
Once Didier had seen Briggs Stadium in Detroit during a workout, he knew he wanted to make Major League stadiums his home away from home. That's just what Mel Didier has accomplished.
Mel served as a part-time scout with the Tigers and Atlanta Braves while holding down full-time positions as both a coach and administrator at the high school and college levels in Louisiana.
He landed a full-time job when the expansion Montreal team was formed in 1969, and be was appointed both the scouting and player development director for the Expos.
It seemed as though every time an expansion team was formed, the leaders of the new teams came looking for Didier. He was an important part of the formation of both the Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks.
Mel served as a scout with the Dodgers on two occasions and also has worked for the Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles and now the Rangers. It isn't as though he couldn't hold a job. Other teams kept knocking on his door, and Mel never was one to turn down a challenge.
Mel Didier had a major hand in the Dodgers' World Championship in 1988 and in Arizona's World Series title in 2001.
When Kirk Gibson hit his historic home run in the first game of the 1988 World Series, he went to home plate armed with a scouting report from Mel. "If Dennis Eckersley gets a 3-2 count against a left-handed hitter, you can bet he will throw a backdoor slider," Mel had said. Gibson didn't forget the report. And he didn't miss the pitch.
Mel Didier's contributions went beyond his scouting report. Mel was a key figure in trades that brought center fielder John Shelby, pitcher Tim Belcher and shortstop Alfredo Griffin to the 1988 Dodgers.
It was in scouting and player development that Mel found his real joy. He loved to see young players develop.
One of those players developed very close to home -- Mel's son Bob Didier. Bob reached the Majors as a 20-year-old catcher with the Atlanta Braves in 1969, and he has been in professional baseball every year since that time. He now is an advance scout with the Chicago Cubs.
Another catcher who benefited from the guiding hand of Mel Didier was Gary Carter, scouted and developed by the Montreal Expos. There were those who said Carter never would reach the Major Leagues as a catcher.
Mel Didier fought hard and even put his job on the line on behalf of Carter. One month from now, Carter will enter the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.
When Carter enters the Hall of Fame, you can bet he will acknowledge the work of the scouts and player development people. People like Mel Didier.
http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/mlb_perspectives.jsp?ymd=20030701&content_id=404061&vkey=perspectives&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
