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He pitched a good first inning before the rain came in. I will have shots coming....

Jeff Manship Righthanded Pitcher Notre Dame

Highest-rated pitching prospect ever to join Notre Dame baseball program, as polished righthander known for devastating curveball that some experts have labeled the best breaking pitch to come out of high-school ranks in last 15 years ... was listed as 13th overall pick by Baseball America in 2003 mock amateur draft (including '03 college players) - but his strong commitment to play for the Irish caused him to slip to a token 50th-round pick in the '03 draft (by Arizona Diamondbacks) ... was sixth high school player in that mock draft, with the top five opting for pro baseball (making him the nation's highest-rated freshman in '04) ... BA's college preview lists him as nation's No. 3 freshman prospect, behind UNC LHP Andrew Miller and USC RHP Ian Kennedy ... brother of current Stanford pitcher Jeff Manship, bullpen ace of the 2003 NCAA runner-ups and a probable starter in '04 ... one of top pitchers for '03 U.S. Junior National Team (including 15-strikeout outing vs. homestanding Curacao at Junior Pan Am Cup), on heels of a dominating All-America senior season at San Antonio's Reagan High School that included a 0.64 ERA, 13-1 record and nearly two strikeouts per inning (133 in 77 IP), plus just 18 walks, 33 hits allowed, a 7-4 K-to-walk ratio and several eye-popping performances (including 19-K perfect game) ... earlier helped '01 U.S. Youth National Team win World Championship ... a valuable commodity in college baseball, as pitcher who can throw offspeed pitch for a strike - with great feel for his curveball due to over-the-top arm slot, tremendous "12-6" rotation and great arm speed through the back and front side ... also boasts excellent fastball that he can locate on both sides of plate ... first started developing his curveball at age of 10 ... looking to finetune his changeup ... confident performer with bulldog mentality, to go along with infectious sprit off the diamond ... versatile talent who could be used as top starter or leader of relief corps ... Perfect Game/BA had ranked him as nation's No. 6 prep prospect for '03 draft, with the top five - outfielders Lastings Milledge, Delmon Young and Chris Lubanski, OF/RHP Ryan Harvey and RHP Jeff Allison - each signing pro contracts after being selected among the top 16 picks ... former summer teammate of current Notre Dame sophomore shortstop Greg Lopez (Ohio Thunder) ... could face several former teammates during '04 season: Sean Henry (San Diego State), Daniel Pereles (USC), Steven Vasquez (Texas-San Antonio), Chris Annings (St. John's), Larry Day (Connecticut) and Jonathon Fulton (Virginia Tech)... combines with junior righthander Tyler Jones (Arlington) as two of five Texas natives to play for the Irish in Paul Mainieri era (13 Texans are among the program's all-time monogram winners) ... assumes No. 34 jersey worn by three-sport star Kevin Hardy ('65, '67).

PREP & PERSONAL: All-American in final two seasons at Reagan High School, with his combined stats from '02 and '03 including 0.65 seven-inning ERA (0.83 for nine innings), a 22-2 record and four no-hitters (one perfect game), plus 7.9 K-to-walk ratio and 9-inning averages of 17.4 Ks, 2.2 BB, 3.1 H ... dominating '03 season included 0.64 ERA (13-1, 133 Ks, 18 BB, 33 H in 77 IP) ... allowed just one home run in '03 while posting 7.4 K-to-BB ratio, 15.6 Ks per 9 innings and 6.0 "WHIP" ratio (walks and hits per 9 innings; 2.1 BB, 3.9 H) ... first team All-America in '03 (BA and Student Sports) ... '03 team captain and two-time MVP, helping '02 and '03 teams win conference titles and earn national rankings (both were regional runner-up) ... faced future Notre Dame teammate Chris Vasami in '03 All-America game, with Vasami drilling opposite-field double down rightfield line (Manship K'd him the next time) ... Student Sports second team All-America, first team all-district and first team academic all-state selection in '02 (0.66, 9-1, 159 Ks, 19 BB, 19 H, 74 IP) - with 9-inning averages of 19.4 Ks, 2.3 BB, 2.3 H (8.4 K-to-BB) ... registered three no-hitters (one perfect game) in '02, the last in 1-0 loss to state runner-up Austin Bowie (unearned run) ... struck out 19 in perfect game vs. South San Antonio ... second team all-district in '01, earning first of three all-conference honors ... Reagan did not sponsor varsity baseball in 2000 (school's first year of existence) ... his two starts with Team USA at '03 Junior Pan Am Cup included 0.84 ERA and 20 Ks (1-0, 10.2 IP, 5 BB, 6 H), highlighted by outing vs. host Curacao (15 Ks, 7 IP; 9-inning game, 10-1) ... served as short reliever with '01 U.S. Youth National Team that won gold medal at World Championship (Vera Cruz, Mexico) ... starred with Ohio Thunder in summer of '02 ... threw 1-hitter vs. potent East Cobb (Ga.) Yankees at '02 Atlanta Wooden Bat Tournament (7 IP, 11 Ks, BB, UER) ... his stats with Thunder included 1.65 ERA and 92 Ks (4-3, 16 BB, 24 H, 51 IP) ... played for San Antonio Xpress in summers of '98-'01 ... member of National Honor Society ... made official visit during weekend of '02 ND-Michigan football game (hosted by players Chris Niesel and Matt Macri), which featured ring ceremony for Notre Dame's '02 College World Series team ... his brother Matt Manship is sophomore pitcher at Stanford while father John Manship pitched at Arizona ... son of John and Sue Manship ... full name is Jeff Michael Manship ... born Jan, 16, 1985, in San Antonio, Texas ... enrolled in the First Year of Studies ... intends to major in business.

Kettleers

From power to patience: Ailing Manship waits

By Richard Oliver
San Antonio Express-News

Late last July, under a tropical sun on the Caribbean island of Curacao, former Reagan High School pitcher Jeff Manship hiked to yet another mound and threw another fastball in another key game.

And sensed in a heartbeat that life as he knew it had been shredded like a thin flag in a thick gale.

Four days after hurling a numbing 130 pitches for the U.S. Junior National Team in an international tournament, Manship was four innings into his next start when the fabric inside his golden right arm ripped in a painful instant. The ligament stretching from above his elbow to below had torn partially away from the bone.

The two-time prep All-American, who was headed to Notre Dame rated as the No. 3 pro prospect among the nation's incoming freshmen, had been thrown a cruel curveball.

"It's kind of sad," Manship said earlier this week from Chicago, where he underwent a follow-up examination on his surgically reconstructed elbow. "I don't like it at all. It's even hard to watch baseball now."

But Manship does watch, sitting in the Notre Dame dugout for home games and realizing something significant with every inning that winds by.

In the wake of the pain, there is passion.

"It just shows me how much I love baseball," he said. "It has definitely made my work habits a lot better. I just realize now how much I miss it."

That will have to be the case for some time to come. It will be months before Manship can throw again with any velocity, perhaps a year before he'll toe the rubber again in a competitive setting.

The right arm that has carried him to amazing highs must remain low at his side, protected and nursed almost as aggressively as the professional dreams that Manship still nurtures.

Those aspirations have been cultivated over the years under the watchful gaze of Jeff's father, John, and his brother, Matt, also a former Reagan standout who now stars as a closer for Stanford.

John played catch with his boys almost from the time they learned to stand. He protected them over the years from overzealous coaches, monitoring pitch counts, training programs and tender psyches.

Last summer, though, Jeff was thousands of miles and an ocean away. John's heart covered that distance in a split second when his son called to tell him that he'd thrown 130 pitches to earn one victory.

"I would've stopped it," he said. "I feel bad I wasn't there to do that." Then, "I was so surprised they brought him back after only a few days."

At Notre Dame, coaches "were furious about it, really mad, even before anything happened," Jeff said. "They were upset I'd thrown that many pitches."

Four days later, his arm buckled under the burden.

After an extended rest period didn't alleviate Manship's discomfort, an MRI revealed the damage. Roughly three months ago, he underwent "Tommy John surgery," with a healthy tendon from his left arm transplanted to his right, threaded through holes drilled in the bones above and below his elbow.

In the scarred aftermath, "It looks like he's been in a knife fight," the elder Manship said, laughing.

The procedure carries a 70 to 80 percent success ratio, with some athletes coming back stronger. The inserted tendons often have three times the amount of collagen, the substance that makes up cartilage, as the one replaced.

"They become a bionic pitcher," said longtime pro scout Joe Almaraz, who has likened Manship to a young Mike Mussina. "You rule out genetics and have a man-made arm, with a little more strength and durability most of the time."

Before bionic takes over, however, Manship bides his time. A year after leading Reagan to the playoffs, he can't cast a fishing line, much less a baseball.

But love is patient, and Manship is determined to pursue his passion again.

One pitch at a time.

Web Posted: 05/05/2004 12:00 AM CDT