Tim DeCinces

Bryce Alderton

As sure as the smell of freshly cut grass and kicked-up dirt are a

part of every baseball diamond, catcher’s gear has become synonymous

with Tim DeCinces.

He tastes it, wants it and has no intention of stopping before he

gets it.

For the son of a former major leaguer, the idea of making it to

the “big time” has never wavered. It’s all DeCinces ever wanted.

DeCinces, the son of Doug, who played for 15 years with the

Orioles, Angels and Cardinals, is now with his fourth team in eight

seasons in quest to land a catching spot in the big leagues.

The former Corona del Mar High and UCLA standout begins anew with

the Buffalo Bisons, the triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians

after spending a year with Oakland’s double-A affiliate in Midland,

Texas, where he suffered a devastating season-ending shoulder injury

a year ago.

On a play at home plate last May, a runner collided with DeCinces,

causing him to suffer a separated shoulder and fractured collarbone

that required surgery.

“I thought the guy would slide ... it was a funny angle and I knew

it would be bad,” DeCinces said Thursday in a hotel room in

Rochester, N.Y., where the Bisons were getting ready to play later

that day. “It was tough. The season was going well and I had worked

hard to get a job in spring training.

“I remember being in tears in the shower because at my age, who

knows if you will get another chance. I wanted that shot again

against good enough competition.”

DeCinces will turn 29 next Saturday. He hardly sees age as a

factor in making the majors.

“Look at the Angels,” DeCinces said. “Brendan Donnelly and Ben

Weber each made it after they were 30. If I didn’t think I still had

a chance to get there, I would do something else.” Donnelly spent 10

seasons in the minors with nine teams before being called up to the

Angels last year.

For the past three years, DeCinces has done marketing for Money

Line Technologies, a company that installs software with a niche in

the banking industry. He even received his real estate license in the

off-season.

The off-season for DeCinces runs from September to February, when

he gets a chance to return to his home in Costa Mesa to spend time

with wife Melissa and daughters Delaney and Riley. Delaney will turn

3 on Tuesday while Riley is seven months old.

The rest of the year, DeCinces is traveling from city to city,

which can be taxing, both physically and mentally, he said.

“The hardest thing about baseball is getting ready to play every

night,” DeCinces said. “The hardest part is the traveling, making

sure you eat right and finding time to work out. But traveling is fun

because you get to see a lot.”

And DeCinces has seen much during his minor-league tenure that

included a six-year stint in the Orioles’ organization, which drafted

DeCinces out of UCLA in the 16th round of the free-agent draft in

June 1996.

The team that drafts a player keeps him for six years before he’s

eligible for free agency.

DeCinces worked his way up to a starting spot at triple A with the

Orioles before being acquired by the Padres in the double-A phase of

the Rule V Draft prior to the 2000 season.

DeCinces finished second on the Mobile BayBears -- the double-A

affiliate of the Padres -- in hitting at .271 with 11 home runs and 44 RBIs in 2000.

He started the next season at triple A, but was sent back down to

double A, one of DeCinces’ more frustrating experiences, but one that

was short-lived as Oakland came calling.

“Oakland provided more of a fit and it was a fresh start for me, I

got more confidence,” DeCinces recalled.

He soon realized a stronger mental approach held the key to

success.

“When you try to do more than you can do, that’s when the problems

start,” DeCinces said. “It’s tough to play angry. I got back to

trusting what I do and to keep things simple.

“When you’re struggling, you try to do so many different things

and that can play with your confidence. You have to enjoy competing,

but not competing against yourself.”

If DeCinces needs a quick answer, he knows where to turn.

“My dad is my biggest hitting coach,” he said. “He’ll let me know

if I’m doing something wrong and he’s always been supportive.”

Family members probably aren’t the only ones rooting for DeCinces.

He was an All-Sea View League catcher and Orange County All-Star

for CdM in 1992, batting .443 that year under Coach Scott Magers. He

ended a three-year career at UCLA, after redshirting his freshman

season, with 37 home runs, 166 RBIs and a .321 average.

“I have an appreciation now for the game and think that everything

will work out,” DeCinces said.