Father, Waco Disaster, Inspire New Coach
by Francis Ferry, NLN baseball beat writer
February 4, 2021: Santa Fe, New Mexico – I met with Aurora’s new Rookie League pitching coach on a chilly, late winter afternoon outside the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico, to catch up with the former-15th round pick (387 overall) of the Borealis in the 2018 draft – out of Klein-Collins HS in Spring, Texas, a suburb of Houston, and southwest of his hometown of Waco.
‘My parents really wanted me to go to Baylor and become a doctor. There was no one in the family who had ever graduated from college. My dad was a fireman, my mother worked a diner in downtown Waco.” Sam Gordon, soon-to-be coaching youngsters in Montserrat continued, “They both grew up in Sulphur, Louisiana where both their families lived in deep poverty, working the sulpher mines for years. It was a mining accident that killed my pop’s pop.”
It was just the first tradgedy for the Gordon family. “In ’93 – 6-years before I was born, the whole Waco Massacre went down – and as the siege at the Mount Carmel Center came to an end, my father was one of the first responders to the explosions and fire that engulfed the center. He had a fall – an awkward fall, that shattered his leg and hip. After numerous surgeries he recovered, but that was the end of his career as a fireman.”
To the long-shot left-hander - who spent 10-years in Aurora’s minor league system (earning three minor league All-Star appearances) and managed to play in 8-games during his short major league career (giving up 9 HR in 15 IP a 14.94 ERA as a result) – his father, and grand-father before him, became inspirations. “I didn’t know my granpa – but I know he worked hard to keep his family fed and safe. My dad did the same – even after his accident forced him to work less strenuous jobs, he continued to work, to make our lives better. It didn’t matter what it was, he worked hard – janitor or the computer salesman who knew little about computers; he worked hard, he worked long hours, and he taught me, ‘it didn’t matter what you do, you put your heart into it; you put your soul into it.’ So, I did.”
When Sam reached high school, his folks sent him off to Houston to live with his mother’s sister, having the chance to go to Klein-Collins – which was renowned for its science programs. “They thought the school’s renewed biotech program would be a leap frog into a scholarship to Baylor – but they failed to accept that neither science or math were my best subjects. I much preferred to draw or paint – even my science teachers commended me on my illustrations on classwork.” Which explains why I found myself at the O’Keeffe Museum.
“One thing my 5-years in Colorado – in Thornton and Aurora, taught me was the beauty of the mountains, and when I retired – or was forced to, I knew it was not to return to Texas. I was going to need someplace inspiring.” That brought him to Santa Fe. “I was always in awe of O’Keeffe’s work – not just her suggestive flowers, but her landscapes as well – and it was those that drew me to Santa Fe. I fell in love with the community.” Walking through the museum with Sam Gordon gave me an appreciation of how he felt.
So why, after 11-years, return to baseball? Why leave the southern Rockies for the beaches on the Caribbean? “I always loved baseball. My dad loved baseball, and despite my poor showing in high school he’d say ‘I can tell you love it by how hard you work at it’, and he wasn’t wrong. When I got drafted, he asked me one question, ‘Will you work hard?’ He knew the answer, saw my grades, and embraced my decision to go pro. And I feel like I worked hard – I got better. My last three years at Thornton were the best of my career. Breaking in with a team that had Provost, ‘Tugboat’, and Rivera – as well as a dominant bullpen, was never going to be easy. There were times I wished they’d had traded me, but by keeping me they were showing faith in me.” It just didn’t turn out that way for Gordon.
“But now I get a chance to pay it forward. The chance to teach youngsters about the effort it takes to make it to the big leagues – it’s not an easy journey, and 18-year olds don’t get it. I know. I was there. But I knew how to work hard. I knew the value. Most of all, I know Aurora valued that in me and values that as an organization.” That is true.
Sam Gordon has no preconceived notions as to the future. “Rookie Ball wasn’t an option when I came out of high school – maybe it would have made a difference; who knows. I spent time at all four other levels in the system, so I look forward to putting on the Mystique uniform and traveling the Paradise League. Other than that? I will do the best to control what I can and see where that takes me.”
And work hard. “My dad is going to be 75, and I look forward to his flying down with me and watching me work. He may be confined to a wheel chair now, but I think the sun, the warmth, the beach, will be rejuvenating for him. Even Golden’s recording studio will be exciting for him. Deep down, he always wanted to be a musician. He was always too busy to think too hard on that one.”
