Lars Hovey: King of the sandlot
By JODY ZARKOS
Express Staff Writer
Wood River baseball coach Lars
Hovey has been on the bench for so many games, splinters could be
considered an occupational hazard.
Lars
Hovey
The skipper of the Wolverines for
the last 13 years, Hovey and his Hailey squad are poised to defend their
State 3A title in Ontario, Oregon this weekend. Wood River opened up
against Middleton on Thursday and if they won will play Timberlake or
Preston at 7 p.m. tonight.
Hovey comes by his baseball
bloodlines honestly. The son of the late Larry Hovey, a sports editor at
the Twin Falls Times News for 37 years, Lars has seen his more than his
fair share of athletic contests.
"We had front row seats for
everything," he remarked.
A graduate of Twin Falls High
School in 1981, Lars was a nine-time letterman in football, basketball
and baseball.
A wideout on the grid and a
shooting guard on the court, nonetheless, Hovey found his niche in
baseball as a pitcher and third baseman. But his glory days were more
hilarity than heroics.
"In baseball we went to state
once, beat the defending state champion Lewiston and then it snowed five
inches in Idaho Falls and they called the rest of the tournament," Hovey
said, noting the irony.
His collegiate baseball career
consisted of two years at the College of Southern Idaho, one year at
Vanderbilt College and a year at the University of Nevada-Reno.
Despite a fastball in the eighties
and a decent bat, he never really considered a professional baseball a
viable career option.
"I never really felt qualified,"
he said. "Right after I finished at Reno, I watched Orel Hershieser get
people out with an 84 mph pitch, so I guess I could have done it. But it
was not really a real goal of mine. I have great memories of baseball,
but I never really thought about it seriously."
With four years of college, but no
degree, Hovey ended up at Boise State.
"At the start of my second year
they said, We know you are having a lot of fun, but you have 187 credits
– enough for a masters – you need to focus," Hovey joked.
Lars buckled down and earned a
bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and Health.
While in Boise, Hovey got his
first taste of coaching as a player/manager for the BSU club team. He
also ran the Boise Gems American Legion squad.
"That was the start of it," he
noted.
Hired as a physical education
teacher at Wood River 15 years ago, Hovey and Norm Cook were installed
as co-coaches of the first baseball team in the spring of 1991.
"I didn’t have anything to do with
the inception of the program. That was Larry (Lloyd) and friends. They
put it in place and then they needed a coach," Hovey said.
That was 364 games ago – 206 of
them wins – and in that time Hovey and Wood River have built a tradition
of excellence that has resulted in eight district titles and one state
championship.
But to Hovey, a dedicated family
man, the success would mean little without the support of wife, Shawn,
and children, Christian, 4, and Maddie, 2. Hovey’s plans for this summer
include, "catching up with the kids and family" and "dabbling in coed
softball." No doubt he will put his heart into both.
We caught up with Lars at the high
school on Wednesday.
JZ:
What was your best pitch? LH: Probably an overhand curve. It had
a 12 to 6 rotation. I developed a pretty good forkball in my second year
at CSI.
JZ:
What is the hardest you ever threw?
LH:
86 mph in a tryout for Vanderbilt. I went back that fall throwing 81 and
they said, ‘What happened to you?’
JZ:
You baseball teams have had rallying cries throughout the years. What is
your favorite?
LH:
Trample the weak, hurdle the dead.
JZ:
American League or National League?
LH:
National League.
JZ:
What team?
LH:
Reds. They were the front runners as a child.
JZ:
Wood or aluminum?
LH:
Wood.
JZ:
Boxers or briefs?
LH:
Boxers.
JZ:
You’re on a deserted island with a boom box and five compact discs. What
do you bring?
LH:
Harry Connick Jr., to get ready for the concert. A lot of Jackson Browne
– Running on Empty. Earth Wind and Fire. Steely Dan. The Doobie Brothers
just for fun.
JZ:
Do you think you are a good sport?
LH:
I am getting better. One year I was at Grumpy’s after the coed softball
tournament and this guy I didn’t even know said, ‘You hate to lose don’t
you?’ Yeah, I hate to lose, but as far as being a fair player, I play
fair. If I can lose to Filer without harming myself or someone else, I
think I have made headway.
JZ:
Proudest moment as a coach?
LH:
I think finally winning a district championship and getting to state in
1998. It seemed to be the ultimate challenge for us. We worked so long
and hard and came so close. To finally get there, I remember as being a
really proud moment.
JZ:
If you were the Major League baseball commissioner what would you do?
LH:
Get the drug testing in place. Everyone talks about the DH, so I would
at least make Pedro Martinez pick up a bat after he beans somebody.
That’s only fair. Also, the parity issue has to be addressed. There has
to be some parity.
JZ:
All-time Wood River baseball team?
LH:
That would be tough. We were talking about that recently and we figured
we couldn’t win in that regard. If we left someone off we would make
some people pretty mad. I know we could come up with a pretty good team,
though.
JZ:
What has coaching taught you?
LH:
I think overall, coaching has taught me some humility, especially in
those early years. It has taught me the importance of commitment and
teamwork and not letting your teammates down. I think we can be proudest
of the fact we can be successful in the win/loss column and still have
fun. We are not taking the love of the game away from these guys. Not
sacrificing that for the sake of the win column.
JZ:
Where will you be in 15 years?
LH:
I will just be retiring from teaching. And coaching is up in the air.
Sometimes think I can do it forever. Then something will happen off the
field and all of the sudden I don’t want to do it again. I would
seriously contemplate giving it up if we weren’t moving up to 4A. The
challenge is a little different now. It gives it more spice. Now it
seems people feel if you win it all you are supposed to and if you lose
you have failed. It takes the enjoyment out of it. Moving up to 4A adds
new life. It’s another challenge.
JZ:
What would be a perfect day for you?
LH:
I think in the near future having the 4 o’clock game on Saturday and
repeating as state champs, which is shortly after shooting an even par
at Scotch Pines in Payette and then coming home and spending the summer
with my family.