The Triple Threat

Introduction:

          The Sussex Skyhawks are the top team in the Can-AM league.  They show a mixture of strength, speed, and smarts.  People compare them to a hawk soaring in the sky; it just can’t be stopped.  You can only look in awe at it.

          The people behind the players go above and beyond the call of duty.  There is Brooks Carey, the pitching coach who brings the very best in his players.  Then you’ve got Dash Cash, an experienced Major league hitter whose keen eye at the plate rubs off on his pupils.  Finally the Manager Hal Lanier, whose leadership abilities knows no limits.  In 2008 they lead the team to a Championship. 

          Each of these men has had experience in their lifetimes.  Their knowledge of the game of baseball goes above and beyond the normal coaches.  They have also had a lifetime of experience to pass on.  They continue to pass on this experience to this day.  The Triple Treat is a story of each individual person and how they came together to win a championship.

Part 1: Brooks Carey

          Brooks Carey was born on March 18^th 1956 in Key West Florida.  At a young age Brooks started to develop at young talent for baseball.  His career started at Key West High School where his pitching skills started to become of age.  After high school, Brooks went to college at Florida State University.  He learned to master his pitches even more there and then a decision was made.  Carey entered the MLB draft.  He was taken in the tenth round of the 1978 MLB draft by the Baltimore Orioles. 

          His Minor league baseball career started on the right foot in rookie ball.  His 3.35 ERA in 1978 was one of the best on the team.  1979 would also be a memorable year for Carey.  He was 10-7 with a career low 2.45 ERA.  This was also his first professional year with over 100 minor league innings.  Everything was starting to fall into place with the Orioles.  In his next three seasons in the Baltimore Minor league system, Brooks went 22-18 with an ERA under 4.00.  He then left Baltimore to pursue a career in Cincinnati.  An injury plagued year caused Brooks not pitch as well.  The injury also caused him to retire from the minor leagues.  His career minor league ERA was very respectable at 3.75. There was however another path for Brooks to follow.  That path was coaching. 

          The path of coaching started at his old high school, Key West.  He became their coach and helped to develop players to the best of their abilities. He was able to stay and help the team for a few years.  One day Carey decided to leave his high school and move on to manage in the New York State League.  His experience in the minor leagues proved extremely effective to help the young players in the league.  Brooks would stay there for a few years, until an offer came by that he just could not refuse.  The Sussex Skyhawks were coming off a poor finish to the season and were looking for some veteran faces to lead the ballclub.  They had just signed former big leaguer Hal Lanier to manage the team and former all-star Dave Cash to be the hitting coach.  With former big leaguers as coaches and the chance to help some young ballplayers realize their dreams, how could he say no?  Brooks signed on the dotted line and became the pitching coach of the Sussex Skyhawks.  In just his first season as the pitching coach in 2008, Brooks was able to show the team the winning way.  Sussex would win the championship series in a sweep.  Brooks Carey was the leader behind the pitching staff, but what about the hitters?

Part 2: Dave Cash

          Dave Cash was born on June 11^th 1948 in Utica New York.  At a young age Dave knew he wanted to play baseball. (And play he did)  He would make his dream by making it to the big leagues.  His rookie season in 1969 and his second season in 1970 was played in limited time, but he batted over .300 and stole 7 bases in 9 chances.  Dave knew that to get more playing time he would have to prove himself.  Even more, he would have to play better then future Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski.  Dave knew what challenges laid ahead, but he was not afraid.  If anything, he welcomed what would come.  Dave just wanted to play baseball.  That he would because from 1971-1973, Cash was named the starting second basemen. 

In 1971, Cash was a member of the World Series champion Pittsburgh Pirates.  His teammates that season included the names of Willie Stargell and Roberto Clemente.  Dave was starting to come into his own as a dominant player, batting .289 with 138 hits.  Soon, however the good times in Pittsburgh paved the way to the good times in Philadelphia.  Dave was traded to the Phillies for pitcher Ken Brett.  This turned out to be a great move for Cash’s career.  For three straight seasons, Dave would make the All-star team.  His career year came in 1975 where he batted .305 with 213 hits and 111 runs scored.  Once the 1976 season was over, Dave signed with Montreal.  Injuries however started to plague his career and after the 1980 season, he retired.  Dave’s career highlights included over 1500 hits and a .283 average.  His career has also given him a World Series ring, but there is another aspect to any career.  Dave Cash started to help younger players by becoming a coach.

After years away from the game he loved, Dave returned as a coach of the Baltimore Orioles.  He helped mold young players such as Nick Markakis and Brian Roberts from potentially good kids to all-star caliber athletes. Dave was an inspiration to everyone he met. When the 2006 season ended, Cash was given the opportunity to manage in his hometown of Utica.  Their independent league team wanted a local legend to lead them.  Dave would go to that team for one season, but the alluring temptation of victory came upon him.  The Sussex Skyhawks offered Dave the chance to be their hitting coach.  He knew that with new manager Hal Lanier and the potential signing of Brooks Carey as the pitching coach, Dave could not resist. Finally the hitters on the ballclub made his mouth drool.  Matt Weston was coming into his own that season and along with the future signing of former Oriole Walter Young, Dave could have won the lottery and he couldn’t have been any luckier.  With Dave Cash as the hitting coach and Brooks Carey as the pitching coach, how could the Skyhawks do any better?  The answer is that they did get better because another man would make a difference. 

Part 3: Hal Lanier

          Hal Lanier was born on July 4^th 1942 in the town of Denton, North Carolina.  From a young age Hal was brought up with baseball because his father Max Lanier was an all-star pitcher in the big leagues.  Drafted and signed by the San Francisco Giants, Hal made his major league debut in 1964 and played with the names of legend such as Willie Mays and Willie McCovey.  Lanier’s rookie season was positive in a lot of ways.  He batted a career high .274and made the Rookie all-star team.  Things were going great and Hal was very happy. 

Hal continued his career in San Francisco until 1971 when he signed with the New York Yankees.  As a veteran, Lanier showed the younger players what it meant to be a major league athlete.  He would retire after the 1973 season, but became a manager in the minor leagues.  Eventually he would get a call to become the third base coach for the St. Louis Cardinals.  There he would appear in two World Series, winning one of them.  Hal despite the great time he was having in St. Louis wanted to manage in Major League baseball.  His dream became reality when the Houston Astros hired him in 1986.

1986 was a dream season for Hal Lanier.  In his first season as a big league manager, he won the division title with a 96-66 record.  His leadership abilities ranked among the very best in baseball.  They were so good that season that Hal was named manager of the year in all of baseball.  Despite the loss in the NLCS to the soon to be champion Mets, Hal’s dream did become reality and he continued that dream for the next few seasons.  He left the Astros after the 1988 season and took a break from baseball.  Hal would manage again in the northern league for a few seasons, but there was no thrill like the thrill of the major leagues.  One day though, Hal found that there was one team that could show him a major league environment without being a big league club.  That team was the Sussex Skyhawks.  Hal and the Skyhawks are like Peanut Butter and Jelly.  They just go together.  In 2008 the team announced the signing of manager Hal Lanier. 

Together these three coaches would unite to become a feared trio, perhaps the most feared trio in Can-Am league history.  In their first season together they would go on to win the Can-Am league title.  It was a remarkable season that no one would forget because of the Triple Threat.