|
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Cape Elizabeth's Rand to enjoy All-Star view
Copyright © 2005 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. | ||||||
 |
||||||
Among the stars in the American League dugout tonight at Comerica Park will be a 13-year major-league veteran who grew up in Cape Elizabeth. Kevin Rand, head trainer for the host Detroit Tigers, will attend to any bumps, bruises or bad luck befalling the ballplayers in the 76th Major League Baseball All-Star game. "I'm very excited," he said by phone from Tampa Bay, Fla., where the Tigers were finishing up their last series before the all-star break. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance for me." Rand, 45, is a 1977 graduate of Cape Elizabeth High and 1981 graduate of Bowdoin College, where he majored in Greek and Roman classics. After working as an athletic trainer in college, he landed a job with a New York Yankees Class A farm club in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and rose steadily through the ranks of professional baseball. By the end of the 1980s, Rand was certified by the National Athletic Trainers Association and was head trainer for the Yankees' farm system. In 1992 he joined the nascent Florida Marlins, who promoted him to the majors as their assistant trainer. He earned a World Series ring with the Marlins following their 1997 triumph and remained with Florida until former Expos owner Jeffrey Loria bought the team and brought in his own staff. With nine years in the big leagues under his belt, Rand needed one more year to qualify for a major-league pension, and he got it as an assistant trainer with Montreal in 2002. "I really, truly enjoyed my season in Montreal, even though it was as a result of difficult circumstances," Rand said. "My kids, I'm sure, will never forget that experience. My wife was pregnant with our fourth child and we lived in a high-rise in downtown Montreal." Rand learned Spanish during two stints in winter ball, in the Dominican Republic in 1985 and in Venezuela in 1987, but his French is spotty. He knew a little thanks to his grandmother, who was of French-Canadian descent. After one year with the Expos, former Marlins general manager David Dombrowski brought Rand to Detroit as head trainer for the Tigers. "The jobs are not the same," Rand said. "A head trainer's responsibilities include a lot more from an administrative standpoint." If Rand gets homesick for Maine, he can swap stories about Portland with a trio of former Sea Dogs on Detroit's roster: pitchers Nate Robertson and Gary Knotts (currently on the disabled list) and infielder Kevin Hooper, who was promoted to the majors for the first time last week, shortly after he and his wife Lindsey welcomed the birth of their daughter Lucy. Because he has worked in both leagues, Rand has visited every major-league city and all but two ballparks. The new ones in San Diego and Cincinnati opened after he had joined the Tigers. Shortly after the switch, Rand, his wife Tisa, and their four boys - Keegan (8), Kamden (7), Kallen (4) and Kashton (2) - moved from the east coast of Florida to Lakeland, site of the Tigers' spring training facility, and not far from Tampa Bay. However, while the Tigers played the Devil Rays, the rest of the family was in Michigan for the summer. So Rand spent his time in Florida looking after such Tigers as Pudge Rodriguez, nursing a sore left pinky injured while sliding into home Wednesday in Cleveland, and Magglio Ordonez, who recently returned from a three-month absence following hernia surgery. Rodriguez is the only Detroit player selected for today's game. "Our duties are essentially the same for the All-Star game as they are during the season," Rand said. "Once the team was named, I began e-mailing all the trainers in the American League to get information on their players and on what treatments they require to get them ready to play, so once they arrive we're ready to take care of them." This will be Rand's second midsummer classic, though it's more noteworthy than the 1984 Florida State League all-star game. Normally, he spends the three-day break with his family. "What really makes this exciting for me is it's a chance for my boys to see the All-Star game," he said. "They're excited to be there and there's a good chance I'll have them on the field with me for the Home Run Derby. . . . This is going to give them some memories that they'll never forget." Staff Writer Glenn Jordan can be contacted at 791-6425 or at: gjordan@pressherald.com
|
||||||
