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Tyson Gillies can see line drives off the bat, feel a ball snuggle into his glove, smell fresh-cut grass in centre or taste a victory.
It's that fifth sense which gives him trouble. Well, it gave him trouble for a while.
Gillies is hearing impaired. He has 30% hearing in one ear and 60% in the other.
The Seattle Mariners signed the Kamloops, B.C., resident, selected in the 25th round last June, to a pro contract Wednesday before the midnight deadline. Had he not signed he would have been eligible to re-enter the draft.
Once again baseball is an equal opportunity employer:
Jim Abbott, born without a hand, tosses a no-hitter at Yankee Stadium.
Curtis Pride, born deaf, hits a game-tying, pinch-hit, double for the Montreal Expos in 1993. He says later he heard the cheers ... in his heart.
David Eckstein, told he was too small too often, earns World Series most valuable player honours as the St. Louis Cardinals itty-bitty shortstop in 2006.
Gillies can't hear approaching infielders or another outfielder -- two or three tracking one ball trying to avoid one collison.
"I use my eyes a lot," said Gillies, his hearing aids in place, on the phone from Vancouver.
"I make sure I know what I am doing when the ball comes to me," Gillies said. "I anticipate a lot, know where I'm supposed to throw. I can't hear the cut-off man."
Gillies said the hearing impairment aided his development, as a player keeping him in the game and making sure he paid full attention.
It was a bittersweet week for Gillies. His Iowa Western College Rievers made the Junior Collge World Series in Grand Junction, Col., and then was eliminated in straight games. He flew home to meet with M's scout Wayne Norton to sign and attended the funeral of his grandfather George Grauer, a regular at his games when Gillies was a youngster.
His hearing problems went undiscovered until his third hearing test after he began school.
"My parents didn't find out because I was able to read lips as a three-year old. I fooled them," he recalled. "School teachers thought I was rude, wouldn't pay attention."
Doctors couldn't find a thing wrong with him as he was able to repeat whatever was said to him as he read lips. Then came the third test.
"They closed the blinds and turned off the lights," Gillies said. The doctor had found the problem.
Growing up in Kamloops roughly four hours north of Vancouver he had no idea there was a league on the lower mainland, a league which produced first rounders Adam Loewen and Jeff Francis.
His Kamloops Riverdogs coach put up a flyer inviting players to a Team BC try out one Thursday.
"None of us thought a thing about it, then the next night around 11 PM, I asked my father if he'd drive me to the camp," Gillies said. "Players giggled at my practice jersey."
The slogan "Pride, Blood and Tears" was on the back. "I hit the first pitch off the wall," Gillies said. "It shut everyone up."
Coach Doug Mathieson picked Gillies for the team. Mathieson is a man the centre fielder considers the most influential in his baseball life.
"If not for Doug and that camp, nothing would have been possible, I wouldn't have played for Team Canada, had a scholarhsip, or a pro contract," Gillies said.
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QUICK HITS
JUST A BUNCH OF FREE SWINGERS
Thanks to the wonder of XM Satellite Radio you can hear the play-by-play of any game you want.
We take you into the Minnesota Twins radio booth last weekend as the Jays dropped a pair of games in a three-game series:
Jack Morris: "I don't see anyone on this club who reduces their swing with two strikes."
Dan Gladden: "The deeper in the count they get, the bigger their swings are. They are all trying to be heroes by hitting a home run rather than being a hero and going the other way to get a base hit to right."
SIGNINGS
This was the final year where drafted players will be allowed to sign until a week before the following draft.
This summer the signing deadline will be Aug. 15 under the new Basic Agreement. It will reduce the number of Canadians drafted. More are expected to sign.
Besides Tyson Gillies, who signed with Seattle, three other 2006 drafts signed:
n Quebec City first baseman Kevin Denis-Fortier of the Crowder College Rough Riders joined the Jays. Denis-Fortier, signed by Kevin Briand, hit .358 with 11 homers and 63 RBIs.
n Montreal shortstop Josue Peley of the Seminole State Trojans signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Peley hit .385 with 14 homers and 46 RBIs.
n Regina second baseman Mitch MacDonald of the Monterey Peninsula Lobos joined the Florida Marlins. MacDonald batted .424 with 16 doubles, 12 home runs and 49 RBIs.
ALL-STAR ENGLE
The 50th annual Junior College World Series named its anniversary team this week in Grand Junction, Col.
Making the cut were Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett, as well as current or former major leaguers Adam LaRoche, Donnie Moore and Craig McMurty.
One of the catchers was former Jays scouting director Bob Engle, who played for Mesa College in 1969.
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THE BOOK ON ... FRANK THOMAS
Blue Jays DH Frank Thomas
What a major-league scout says: "I liked the contract Oakland gave him -- incentive-laden at $500,000 US with $2.6-million in bonus clauses a year ago. I didn't like it when the Jays tied up $18.12 million in a DH when they needed starters. Then I read he can vest the option year (2009) if he gets a total of 1,000 plate appearances combined this year and next, or 525 appearances in 2008. I know you get paid for what you did last year, but man, we could be talking $28 Million for a DH? That's a lot of dough. He reminds me a little of Jose Canseco this year with Toronto the way he tries to hit every pitch out of the park."
"Big Frank has struggled, but he'll pick up the pace. The homers will come. He looks like he is pressing.
"Knowing his history with the White Sox and their manager, I see him undoing the top button, going hacking and having a heck of weekend against Chicago.
AVG. HR RBI
.223 8 22
Rating out of five: 3
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MADE IN CANADA
Louisville Bats first baseman JOEY VOTTO
For the second week in a row the Etobicoke product is our Canadian minor league player of the week. Votto hit .500 for triple-A Louisville, the Cincinnati Reds' top affiliate. Votto was 10-for-20 with two homers and eight RBIs. Five years ago this weekend, Votto was in Cincinnati where he put on a hitting display. Reds scout John Castleberry gave the former Etobicoke Rangers stud a $600,000 US signing bonus -- fifth largest for a Canadian -- hours after taking him in the second round on draft day. Guelph's Matt Stocco, who hit .500 (7-for-14) with a homer and four doubles for single-A Ft. Wayne (Padres) is the runner-up.
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FARM REPORT
PATTERSON MAKES AMENDS
Ryan Patterson lobbed a single over a drawn-in infield for the game-winner in the 10th as double-A New Hampshire edged Trenton 4-3.
It didn't look like it was going to be Patterson's night as he had whiffed three times in his first four at bats.
In the 10th, Robinzon Diaz reached on an clank, advanced to third on a Chip Cannon single and scored on the Patterson walk-off single.
Lee Gronkiewicz retired all six batters he faced, four on strikeouts. Yusaku Iriki started, allowing three earned runs on seven hits and three walks, as his ERA climbed to 6.46. He fanned four.
NEW ROLE
Adrian Martin pitched six innings in single-A Lansing's 7-1 victory against West Michigan.
Martin has now made three starts. Appearing in 12 games overall, he's 2-1, with a 1.15 ERA.
Third baseman Raul Baron tripled, singled and drove in two runs.
TAKE IT TO THE ...
Syracuse starter Josh Banks allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk in five innings as triple-A Syracuse beat Norfolk 10-4 to sweep the series on Thursday night.
Chad Mottola and John Hattig each homered. Mottola homered in the second, the ball clearing the left-centre field wall. Hattig had a two-run shot.
Mottola has gone 7-for-16 and hit two of his three homers in his past four games.
Hattig has knocked in eight runs in as many games.
BIG-TIME SKID
Right-hander Aaron Tressler allowed only two runs in six innings in single-A Dunedin's 5-1 loss to Clearwater. Tressler allowed four hits and walked five. He fell to 0-4.
Dunedin has now dropped six in a row.
First baseman Josh Kreuzer is a lone bright spot as he owns a .313 average with nine homers and 26 RBIs.
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MY GREATEST DAY ...
One-time Montreal Expo, now Yankee broadcaster, Ken Singleton recalls this shining moment
Now a New York Yankees broadcaster, Singleton played 2,082 games, spanning 15 seasons in the majors with the New York Mets, the Montreal Expos and the Baltimore Orioles.
His best day in baseball?
"April 23, 1981," Singleton said. "The Orioles played a doubleheader at Comiskey Park."
Singleton had three hits -- two homers off Rich Dotson -- drove in three runs in the opener and in the second game had two more hits, including a homer against Francisco Barios and two more RBIs. So, a three-homer, five-RBI day.
"After the game my cousin drove me to the hospital to see my grandfather -- Walter Hathaway -- who had just had a stroke. He couldn't speak. I walked in the room and a tear trickled down his cheek.
"My grandmother Quinella looked up and said "He has a tear in his eye because he's happy to see you, not because you hit three homers against HIS White Sox."
"It was a great day, even if we were swept 18-5 and 5-3," Singleton laughed. "I played right the first game ... didn't have a ball hit to me. John Lowenstein was in left and everything was hit his way.
"After the game he said he hadn't spent that much time alone in the corner since his high school prom."
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HOT PROSPECT
Louisville RP TRYSTAN MAGNUSON
W-L SVS ERA K BB
3-1 8 0.92 49 8
The Redbirds closer may be the top Canadian collegian in Thursday's draft. As a fifth-year senior, if Louisville is eliminated from the NCAA Regional this weekend he can sign as a free-agent. If Louisville advances he will enter the draft. Had only 35 appearances before this spring but dominated this season. He didn't give up an earned run in his first 23 innings.
Rating out of five: 3
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2 -- At-bats by Braves pinch hitter Matt While Diaz on Wednesday as Atlanta scored seven times against Milwaukee relievers Derrick Turnbow, Brian Shouse and Chris Spurling in the eighth inning of a 9-3 win.
3 -- Walks in 58 innings for Indians starter Paul Byrd, who has twice as many wins (six) as walks. Byrd did not walk a man Wednesday at Fenway Park in Boston-- his sixth consecutive start without a free pass.
61 -- Pitches by Arizona's Randy Johnson, recovering from back surgery and a wonky left wrist, to get through six scoreless innings as he tied Jim Kaat for 29th place in major league history with his 283rd major league win Wednesday.