Canyons Turns to Bible for Power on the Field

The College of the Canyons baseball program changed this season, but Coach Len Mohney’s favorite cliche didn’t.

Mohney, fond of saying “He’s the kind of guy you want next to you when you’re walking down a dark alley,” was talking about his catcher, Mike Bible.

Which poses two questions: one, what’s so special about this Bible fellow, and, two, and what the heck is a respectable guy like Mohney doing walking down dark alleys?

Actually, it has been Bible doing the damage in the alleys. This season, the Canyons catcher has hit three home runs, three triples and five doubles. In the Western State Conference, he is hitting .520. The Cougars are 5-0 in conference.

Canyons lost eight starters from last season’s team that won the state championship. Bible, 20, has filled the gap left by all-state player Pete Kuld, now at Pepperdine.

Bible redshirted at Canyons last season and then went to Tarkio College in Missouri, where he was recruited to play football. The folks at Tarkio, a small NAIA school, weren’t too thrilled that Bible wanted to play baseball, too, prompting Bible to phone Mohney.

“I asked him if there was a spot for me,” said Bible, who played football and baseball at Saugus High. “Coach told me only to come on out and battle for a job.”

Bible, who hadn’t caught since his freshman year in high school, won the battle even though he didn’t exhibit much power during winter practices.

“I guess I hit the ball decently in the winter,” he said, “but the ball looks real big to me now.”

And Bible looks real big to pitchers. At 6-0, 210 pounds with the looks of an angry bulldog, Bible is a natural catcher--at least that’s what he said he’s been told.

“I love it back there,” he said. “I haven’t been a regular catcher in a long time and I know I still have a lot to learn about catching. It’s like starting over.”

Mohney has been patient.

“Right now I’m ecstatic,” Mohney said. “He still has a long way to go behind the plate and, who knows, he could have a slow second half. But he sure looks good right now.”

In or out of the alleys.