Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2006 | 7:17 a.m.
The pitcher and the coach had been verbally jousting for two weeks.
But you could excuse Tim Chambers, the baseball coach at Community College of Southern Nevada, if his laughter was a little nervous.
It wasn't until Chad Robinson slipped into the English 101 classroom at the Henderson campus Monday morning that the former Silverado High star officially became a Coyote.
After the class, Robinson stuck his head into the coach's office and said, "Now you can sleep at night."
"Yeah, my hand can stop shaking," Chambers said through a smile.
The coach had gained an ace for his talented pitching staff. And the Milwaukee Brewers (maybe just temporarily) and UNLV both lost out on a 6-foot-5 right-hander who hits the low 90s on radar guns.
"You can count on a guy like that," Chambers said. "He has a chance to be as good as anyone who has ever thrown here."
Robinson started working out with the Coyotes two weeks ago. During one grueling run, Chambers couldn't resist.
"Robinson is ready to sign for $5."
Not quite. The Brewers drafted Robinson in the 12th round of the June amateur draft but wouldn't meet the prospect's bonus demand - believed to be in the middle six figures.
So Robinson, 18, opted for at least a year at junior college.
Before Robinson's junior season at Silverado, several professional scouts told Chambers that the hard-throwing pitcher was destined for the top three rounds of the draft after his senior season. Then he hurt his shoulder lifting weights, and orthopedic surgeon Lewis Yocum, who works on the Los Angeles Angels, mended Robinson's torn labrum.
Robinson missed most of his junior and senior seasons at Silverado, but returned late in the spring to win four of five starts. In American Legion ball this summer, he went 5-0 in seven starts and had one fastball clocked at 93 mph.
"I expected most of it because of the shoulder surgery," Robinson said of falling to the 12th round. "But I'm on a throwing program, and my arm is getting stronger. I'll be ready to tear it up in the spring."
Milwaukee holds rights to Robinson until the next draft. If he impresses next spring, expect that bonus request to rise. If the Brewers balk, he's prepared to re-enter the draft. That could mean a sophomore season at CCSN.
Robinson also considered attending UNLV. Rebels coach Buddy Gouldsmith wasn't thrilled with losing the pitcher to CCSN, but he understood the decision. Players at four-year institutions cannot be drafted until after their junior seasons. Still, Gouldsmith believes Robinson's future earning potential would have been enhanced had he gone to UNLV.
"But he's not the first" to opt for community college, Gouldsmith said, "and he won't be the last."
Robinson was blunt:
"I'll be honest. I'm not the kid who likes school."
Chambers admitted being anxious about Robinson's status going into the weekend. He had his CCSN class schedule arranged and confirmed last week, but Chambers knew the Brewers still could sweeten their offer.
A Brewers area scout rang Robinson at his home Sunday night.
"Hey, go have a great year, good luck," the scout said, "and we'll be following you."
The Brewers, in small-market Milwaukee, don't have a lot of money to spend on bonuses or free agents and have struggled since 1993. But Robinson said that didn't influence his decision not to sign.
"They have a lot of young players in that organization who will be real good," he said. "Maybe I'll be up by the time I'm 22 instead of 24? It's all a business, which I've learned firsthand. It was one hell of an experience. But I love my position."
Robinson said he's a Boston Red Sox fan, mostly because he detests how often New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner opens his wallet, writes a check and somehow obtains whatever the Bronx Bombers might need.
As they gazed out at Morse Stadium in Henderson on Monday afternoon, one Milwaukee native told Robinson how much better life as a fan would be if Steinbrenner owned the Brewers.
"Well," Robinson said, "I wouldn't be sitting here right now having this conversation if he owned the Brewers."
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