The way most people tell it, Kevin Towers' amazing ascension to whiz-kid architect of the San Diego Padres began just seven years ago when he was a washed-up minor league pitcher and bush-league scout, but that isn't quite the way they remember it at BYU.
Towers' apprenticeship for building a World Series team actually was well under way during his year-long stay with the Cougars, even if he didn't know it at the time."He always wanted to know things," says BYU pitching coach Bobby Noel. "He wanted to know what it would do and how it would benefit you. He wanted to be shown."
"He was one of those rare pitchers who studied the game," says BYU head coach Gary Pullins. "He knew what was going on."
Apparently, he did, because Towers, the Padres' 36-year-old general manager, is now credited with building the Padres, who met the Yankees in Game 1 of the World Series last night. While he was at BYU, he grilled his coaches with questions. He also made a mental note about a teammate and filed it away for future reference. The first acquisition he made as San Diego's general manager was Wally Joyner, his former BYU teammate and now the Padres' first baseman.
"A lot of people thought Joyner was washed-up," says Noel. "But Kevin saw something else."
Towers, who grew up in Oregon, came to BYU in the fall of 1982 from a California junior college. He spent most of the baseball season nursing a sore arm but he also used the time to pick the brains of his coaches.
"He was just always talking to Coach Noel," recalls Pullins.
Says Noel, "He came early to practice, he stayed after practice, he came early to lift weights. He never got cheated."
Towers played with future major league stars such as Cory Snyder and Rick Aguilera - as well as Joyner - at BYU. He was not one of the team's top pitchers, but, despite his arm troubles, he showed such promising talent that he was the No. 1 draft pick of the Padres in the 1982 supplemental draft. Towers pitched in the minor leagues for five years, but chronic arm injuries and surgery waylaid his big-league aspirations, and he never rose higher than Triple A.
He ended his playing career in 1989 and became a scout. From there, he took the usual assortment of behind-the-scenes jobs, working his way up the baseball ladder but at a rapidly accelerated pace. He scouted Texas and Louisiana and coached pitchers for two years. He worked for two years in the Pirates organization as a regional and national cross-checker, a scout who cross-checks the reports of other scouts. He became director of scouting for the Padres in 1993, and in the fall of 1995, he was promoted to vice president and general manager.
The offer came so suddenly and unexpectedly that, at first, Towers wasn't sure he should accept; he wasn't sure he was ready. It had all happened so quickly.
"It amazed me, too," says Noel. "He was just a scout, beating the bushes like everyone else, and the next thing I know, he's supervisor of scouting."
Almost all agree that Towers has an exceptional eye for talent. During his first year on the job, Towers changed four starting players. He also signed newcomers Joyner, Bob Tewksburg, Greg Vaughn and Rickey Henderson, and the Padres won the division championship. The Padres regressed in 1997 because of injuries, but during the off-season, Towers worked more of his magic. He hired Dave Stewart as pitching coach and traded for pitcher Kevin Brown. Stewart transformed the pitching staff into the best in the majors, and Brown became baseball's top pitcher. (Towers also nearly landed Mark McGwire, but the deal fell apart at the last moment when the Oakland A's upped the ante.)
Towers hasn't made a misstep yet. Everything he touches turns to gold, say Padre officials. Dodger boss Tommy Lasorda credits Tow-ers for turning the Padres into a great team. The reunion of Towers and Joyner proved to be the first of many winning moves the general manager has made. Joyner, who has been described as the Meadowlark Lemon of baseball, has given the Padres offense, defense and a sense of humor.
"People started talking about the good chemistry (on the team) when we got Wally," says Towers. "I'm very happy with Wally Joyner. Very happy."
Unlike Towers, Joyner was a star at BYU and continued his stardom in the Major Leagues. The 1986 Rookie of the Year, Joyner has struggled with injuries, but he has fashioned a career average that hovers near .300.
"This is a dream come true for him to be in the World Series," says Pullins. "He's had a nice major league career. The word was that he was contemplating retirement after this year, but he might change his mind now."
Asked if he was trying to get tickets to see the World Series and his former players, Pullins said, "Trying?! I'm there. I'm flying in for Monday's game."