Groovin’

Steve Guiremand

Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2002 | 10:13 a.m.

Ben Strack is close to earning his Ph.D. in health psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology in San Diego. But he already has a master's in the art of throwing the gopher ball.

The 28-year-old Strack, a former high school teammate of current Dodgers star Shawn Green, has developed a reputation for grooving home run balls during the Big League Challenge competition in Las Vegas.

When Jose Canseco was routingly belting 500-foot homers to win the first Big League Challenge in 2000, it was Strack who was the pitcher tossing up the lollipop pitches.

When Rafael Palmeiro edged Canseco the following year at Cashman, it was Strack who pitched to both hitters.

For his ability to groove home run pitches, the former middle infielder from San Jose State pocketed an estimated 5 percent of the winning hitter's payout of $500,000, or about $25,000.

"That's the great thing about it," Strack said. "I get to come out and hang out with the big guys. If I get lucky and they take me to the finish line, I get an opportunity to pay the (student) loans off."

Strack got into the gopher ball business when Green called and asked him to pitch to him at the 1999 All-Star game at Fenway Park.

"Shawn is a good friend of mine and he got me involved into this whole thing," Strack said. "When he made the All Star team at Fenway in 1999, he called and asked my to come out and pitch to him. ... Then I got hooked up with Rod Carew and I ended up throwing some batting practice for the Angels."

"He's just consistent," Green said, speaking of what makes Strack such a good batting practice hurler. "He has a real fluid motion and you can see the ball all the way."

"Same place, same speed, every time," Canseco said. "I saw the way Ben was pitching and I had to have him."

"I played baseball all my life and I always had good mechanics," Strack said. "I don't know if it is something that just comes naturally to me. I'm able to throw strikes, so it works out well."

Strack, who also does some individual coaching for youth baseball players in Southern California, says he keeps his arm in shape during the off-season by throwing to Green as well as Troy Glaus and some other Anaheim Angels players in workouts.

It was Glaus who kept Strack from "three-peating" in Saturday afternoon's third annual Big League Challenge at Cashman. Glaus, who used a different batting practice pitcher, defeated Luis Gonzalez of the Diamondbacks, 8-6, to win the title this time around.

Strack threw to three players in the event, including Palmeiro, who lost to Gonzalez, 2-1, in the semifinals. He also pitched to Green, who was knocked off by Cleveland's Jim Thome, 11-3, in the first round, as well as record-setting home run champ Barry Bonds, who lost to Glaus, 10-3, in the first round.