Mike Hogan

Bryce Alderton

It began as a bet Mike Hogan had with Orange Coast College

pitching coach Tim Kelly in the summer of 1980.

Tired of catching bullpen sessions in OCC’s summer league games,

Hogan approached Kelly and asked him if he could pitch if the team

got up by 10 runs. Kelly agreed to the bet and sure enough, OCC had a

10-run lead in a game and Hogan got his chance.

Hogan grew up as a catcher and outfielder at Newport Harbor High

(1978 graduate) and at OCC for his two years before he went to

Arizona State for a year before being drafted by the Houston Astros

in 1981.

Ironically, Hogan was drafted sixth in the Major League Baseball

draft a week after he pitched for the first time at OCC, but declined

and instead pitched for Arizona State.

Hogan was the winning pitcher in OCC’s state championship game in

1980 and after pitching for Arizona State, spent seven years in the

minor leagues with the Astros, Oakland Athletics, San Francisco

Giants and Toronto Blue Jays.

He roomed with current New York Yankees’ pitcher David Wells while

the two were in the Blue Jays’ organization. Hogan remembers the

eclectic.

“It was in the 1980s back before you had the CD Rom so you had

(guys) in the back playing funky stuff, guys playing rock ‘n roll in

the middle and country boys playing Hank Williams Jr. And me, I’m a

Balboa beach bum maybe playing the Surftones or more Beach Boys.”

Hogan played with Red Sox and Anaheim Angels’ pitchers John

Burkett and Dennis Cook in Shreveport, La., which is where Hogan met

his wife of 13 years, Liz.

Hogan enjoyed his seven years in the minors but it was time to

move on.

“I had some great seasons but me at 30 pitching against young kids

doing the same thing signaled to me it was time to move on,” Hogan

said.

The two have two children, Hailey, 10, and Hannah, 5, and have

lived on the Balboa Peninsula for five years after Hogan spent 10

years in Palm Desert, where he owned a baseball school.

But Hogan always wanted to come back to Newport where he grew up

attending Newport Elementary and Ensign Intermediate before going to

Newport Harbor. He gives much credit to his upbringing to his mom,

Patty Hogan.

“She is a sweetheart,” Hogan said. “She worked two jobs to put

gloves on my hands and cleats on my feet.”

Hogan discovered an avenue to return to his boyhood home by way of

his mobile business that he now owns, called H & H Entertainment,

which brings trampolines and climbing walls to parties, corporate

events and grad nights.

“I had a dream to come back to Balboa and raise kids and the

trampoline saved the day,” Hogan said. “It’s good to get back to the

old stomping grounds.”

Working alongside Balboa Fun Zone General Manager Pat Moore, Hogan

helped bring the trampoline and the rock climbing wall two years

later to the fun zone.

“I was fortunate to have Pat give me the opportunity to put (the

trampoline and rock climbing wall) down here and it worked out

great,” Hogan said.

Hogan keeps active with Hailey on the tennis court and said he

wants to get Hannah into golf eventually.

“I’d love for her to play golf, golf is a great sport,” Hogan

said. “Eventually I might get Hailey some golf visors to wear on the

tennis court. Everybody always asks me if I’m related (to golfing

great Ben Hogan), and I say no but we have the same swings,” Hogan

said laughing.