Reflections of McNutt's final game

At the time, it was difficult to come to the realization that Ron McNutt was actually coaching in his last baseball game for Carson High School.

Twenty-nine years between 1976 and 2004. A 655-267 win-loss record and two state championships. Five Carson graduates from the 1980s and 1990s who went on to play Major League baseball, The list of accomplishments go on.

Unfortunately for McNutt and the Senators, there was no storybook finish last Friday when Reno defeated Carson 12-8 in the Northern 4A Regional elimination game at Reno High's Zunini Field. The loss brought an end to Carson's season, while Reno moved on and eventually beat Reed in the finals on Saturday.

It was an emotional time for the Senators because fans and friends alike lined up to greet the coach as he left the field one last time.

"There was a lot of emotion and it was very special," McNutt said Tuesday afternoon from the Carson High field that is now named in his honor. "I guess when you've been involved with something that long, and then all of a sudden you realize it's all over, you don't know how you're going to react."

Truthfully, he had been too occupied with the idea of trying to beat Reno and stay alive in the quest for a berth in the NIAA 4A State Tournament, which Carson will host this weekend.

"My thought at the time was that the kids had played so hard and they had a chance to win," McNutt said. "When you play a team like that four or five times, and Reno has a very fine team, you're just hoping maybe you can sneak one in and keep your season going. It didn't turn out that way, but I was proud of the effort the kids gave."

One memorable part of the game was senior shortstop Willie Bowman, who hit three home runs and drove in five runs for the Senators.

"It was a close ball game and a good game. We played well. They played well. We just came out on the losing end," Bowman said. "Since we lost and it was his last game, it was pretty emotional. We didn't really say much then because everybody was kind of sad that it was all over with, but we've talked about it since then and we put the season in perspective. We battled all year long and we feel good about that."

The finality didn't occur to Reno coach Pete Savage at that moment, either

"I didn't look at it as his last game, but what did cross my mind was the incredible amount of respect I have for Ron and his program," Savage said. "He's been such a mentor to all of us younger coaches. I mean 29 years, that's a lot of time to dedicate to his program and to baseball in this area. I think he set a standard for all of us to live up to. There's no question, he's had a positive impact on the development of baseball in Nevada."

That's saying something because Savage has been around a considerable amount of time and enjoyed a lot of success, too. In the 10 seasons Savage has been head coach, the Huskies have won 293 games, four regional titles and advanced to the state finals in 2003. Savage also played as a junior for Reno's 1978 state championship team.

The Huskies and Senators have played some important games against each other down through the years.

"We've had a good rivalry. It's like the Dodgers and Giants. The games are always hard fought, and that's what competition is all about," Savage said. "The other thing, and it never mattered how the game turned out, Ron's teams always won or lost with a lot of class. His kids always conducted themselves well."

And Savage always knew better than to count McNutt's Senators out of any game, regardless of the score. Consider Bowman's three home runs and a fourth hit that was caught in deep right field for a run-scoring sacrifice fly in the sixth inning.

"Bowman has been a foundation for that program for so long, I thought it was fitting for him do that in Ron's last game," Savage said. "In baseball, it seems that good things happen to the people who work the hardest. I think that's been the case for Bowman and I think that's true of Ron, too. He's had a wonderful career and he deserves all the good things that have happened to him."

There will be a chance to rekindle even more old memories when McNutt is honored during "Grand Slam Weekend" on May 29-30. The weekend festivities will include an alumni baseball game on Saturday at 10 a.m., which will be open to the public free of charge at Ron McNutt Field. A roast and recognition dinner will be held that evening at 7 p.m. at the Carson Nugget, then on Sunday, a golf tournament will be held at Empire Ranch Golf Course.

"I think that's going to be an outstanding weekend, I know it's going to be very special for my family," McNutt said. "Close to 100 kids have responded, so we're going to have a great turnout for the alumni game. We could have 50 in each dugout, so we're going to set some ground rules to try and get everyone in the game. But for a few hours, we're all going to get a chance to relive some special dreams and memories from when they were out here playing."

Dave Price is a sports writer for the Nevada Appeal