Bulls' Player Back in 'Old College Town'

He's been a member of two Major League baseball clubs and played alongside Ken Griffey Jr., but Ryan Jackson's most memorable sports moment occurred right here at Jack Coombs Field.

"My sophomore year I hit a grand slam to beat North Carolina. That's truly been my most exciting moment."

Duke head coach Bill Hillier, who was the team's pitching coach at the time, remembered the game.

"You get guys like Ryan Jackson come to the plate against Carolina with the bases loaded, you've got a chance to win," he said. "He's the kind of guy who can step up and do that for you."

Seven years later, Jackson is back in town, playing first base for the Durham Bulls. After half a decade shuttling between the minors and majors, Jackson would rather be playing for Tampa Bay, the Bulls' parent club, but he isn't upset about being in Durham.

"It's been pretty exciting up to this point," he said recently. "Obviously, everybody's hoping to go up to the big leagues, but for me there's a little added excitement because I was going back to the old college town."

During his first stint in Durham, Jackson not only played first base and the outfield for Duke, but he also pitched. Hillier recalled Jackson coming out at 6 a.m. to practice with the pitchers, then do it all over again in the afternoon with the position players.

"He worked his tail off," Hillier said. "Ryan had a tremendous love for the game, which separated him from a lot of people. Ryan's one of those guys you had to kick out of the cages, tell him to go study at the library. He was out here all the time, couldn't get enough baseball."

After his senior year, in which he hit a Duke record 42 home runs and was named ACC and National Player of the Year, he was drafted in the seventh round by the Florida Marlins.

Jackson, a native of Sarasota, was excited about the prospect of playing in his home state, but two years later he tore a knee ligament in spring training.

"I didn't know if that was going to be the end of my career or not, but it actually ended up being a blessing in disguise," Jackson said. "I ended up putting on about 15 or 20 pounds and that added a lot of power to me."

Jackson was back a year later at AA Portland, slamming 26 home runs in 134 games. The following year, he found himself starting at first base on Opening Day for the Marlins.

"I was about as nervous as I could possibly be for that game," he said. "No. 1, it was my first time in the Big Leagues, but probably mostly because I hadn't played first base that much and all of a sudden I was the Opening Day first baseman. Obviously it was a great privilege to be hitting right in front of Gary Sheffield on Opening Day, so I couldn't ask for anything more."

A left-handed batter who has played both outfield and infield in the majors, Jackson hopes his ability to play several positions could help him return to the Big Show.

"I want to stay as versatile as I can, because up to this point I've pretty much been labeled a utility guy," Jackson said. "That helps my chances to go up to the Big Leagues at any time."

Shuttling between the majors and minors is tough, Jackson said, especially for guys with families.

"That's one of the harder parts. I know everybody wants to get up there and stay for good, but it doesn't really work that way for most guys. It's a tough lifestyle because you're going up and down, you've got your wife, and it's tough to transfer families."

For example, Jackson played on the West Coast last year for the Seattle Mariners. A herniated disk in his back and a resulting decrease in his power numbers ended that relationship.

"Seattle tried to waive me last year," Jackson explained, "which was an illegal move because I had back surgery in the off-season, and they tried to take me off the roster at the time. So I was able to declare myself a free agent and I signed with Tampa Bay."

One reason why he signed with the Devil Rays is it allowed him to be closer to home and his wife, Arin, whom he married in October 1998. But his chances to move permanently to Tampa Bay this year remain uncertain because he plays the same position - first base - as Devil Ray slugger Fred McGriff.

"They've got a stacked lineup this year. It would take a mishap, and nobody wants anything like that. At this point, my chances don't look that good. But all you can do is take care of business where you're at."

Being back in Durham has given Jackson the chance to catch up with old friends, including former Duke teammate Quinton McCracken who, like Jackson, tore his knee ligament and is now the Bulls' starting center fielder. He's also been in touch with Hillier, with whom he's always had a close relation.

Hillier admits that "Ryan's one of my favorites. You try not to have favorites and if anything, I treated him worse than the other guys. I was tough on him. He had a tendency to mope every now and then, and get down a little bit. I'd get on him and let him know if he wanted to play in the bigs, there would be tough days."

These days, Jackson remains upbeat about his chances.

"I'd like to say something would come up, but you've got to make something happen. For me, it's really undecided right now, but I just want to play as many days as I can playing ball. As long as they give me a contract and a uniform, I'll keep jumping out here."

‚ ‚ ‚Another former Blue Devil is off to a fast start this season. Left-handed starting pitcher Scott Schoeneweis already has four wins for the Anaheim Angels.

Written by Kevin Lees.