Phillip Wellman, named the Double-A Springfield Cardinals' hitting coach on Monday, laughs about it now: The veteran minor league skipper got the old heave-ho in a 2007 game, and then went on a theatrical tirade that became a YouTube video sensation.
At one point, Wellman dropped belly-first behind the pitcher's mound, crawled Army-style toward the hill and then launched the white rosin bag over his shoulder as if he were tossing a grenade.
"That was almost four years ago. That's what people don't realize," Wellman said in a phone interview. "That's not my proudest moment in the game. Fortunately, I've gone on to do bigger and better things.
"Unfortunately, they weren't captured on video."
Actually, the episode speaks to the way Wellman, 49, plans to carry out his new role as he replaces Derrick May, recently promoted to minor league hitting coordinator.
St. Louis Cardinals farmhands, Wellman said, should expect his full support.
"When you get to the upper levels (of the minor leagues), the mental side is important," Wellman said. "I don't know everything about hitting. But it's more about feel. All I am is a set of eyes.
"I think the biggest thing is to gain a good rapport with the hitters, so they know you are for them."
Wellman has 27 years in the game, 15 as a minor league manager. The ejection -- it came after pitcher Kevin Villa was accused (later exonerated) of doctoring the baseball -- was part of Wellman's 11 years in the Double-A Southern League, in which he managed Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves affiliates.
That experience won out over five other finalists, St. Louis farm director John Vuch said, emphasizing that Wellman's '07 episode was a non-factor.
Vuch confirmed that Cardinals scout Joe Almaraz and recent St. Louis reserve catcher Jason LaRue also recommended Wellman. Almaraz and Wellman attend the same church outside San Antonio, and LaRue is a neighbor.
Wellman became available this fall after the Braves decided not to retain him after four seasons in Jackson, Miss. Wellman had expressed interest in coaching elsewhere in the Braves system in hopes of leaving the monotony of the Southern League.
"I guess I got my wish," Wellman quipped.
Braves farm director Kurt Kemp declined comment Monday, citing team policy of speaking of past employees.
"When I look at myself in the mirror, I can say I love this game; I have a passion for it," Wellman said. "This is a new challenge, and now I feel refreshed and recharged."
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