BY MIKE MASTOVICH
Doug McNulty is turning a tough situation into a positive by taking on the role of manager for the AAABA League’s Highland Bulldogs.
McNulty, recently released from the New York Mets minor league system, was one of the top players in the local league this past decade. He and his father, Tom, have joined the Bulldogs staff as the team tries to climb out of the lower portion of the AAABA standings. GM Barry Barefoot had to manage the team when his regular staff was unavailable reportedly due to work commitments. Now, the GM will have a proven AAABA Tournament and NCAA Division I standout on board.
“Basically, I just want to teach them the right way to play baseball,” said McNulty, who played last summer for the Class A Kingsport Mets. “You hustle on everything. You run everything out hard. If you play the game the right way, it will reward you with more than wins and losses.
“Besides that, I want to teach them to look and act professional,” he said. “Hopefully that will help them when they go to look for a job or maybe in professional ball.”
McNulty, a Homer-Center product, won the AAABA League triple crown in 2004 and was the league MVP in 2005. Both years the Johnstown Grays advanced to the AAABA Tournament and finished third overall. The slugging first baseman/outfielder/pitcher went on to Akron University, where he batted .321 with 12 homers as a senior, and was drafted in the 49th round by the Mets last year.
“I learned a ton in the Mets system,” McNulty said. “The biggest thing was just getting in a set routine every game and knowing what works for you. The hardest thing to tell a kid is don’t try for home runs. Work on batting practice. Then in games it’s a lot easier to execute. Being on time was another thing. If we weren’t on time we got fined. If we didn’t shave we got fined.”
That discipline will be part of the philosophy McNulty intends to bring to the Bulldogs.
“Those are two rules I’m going to have on my team,” McNulty said. “If they come to the park and have a beard, they’re going to get fined. If they don’t run out a ball, I won’t take them out. They’ll be fined. If they show up late, they’ll be fined. It’s not going to be big money, but we’re going to take all the fines at the end of the year and donate it to a charity.
“The players all talked about it and agreed with it,” he said.
Martella’s Pharmacy manager Chris Pfeil saw plenty of McNulty’s ability as the Grays manager in the mid-2000s.
“I think Doug is going to do a great job,” Pfeil said. “He’s a natural leader. He was a leader when he played. The kids are going to love playing for him.
“He’ll bring an intensity level every night,” Pfeil said. “He’s a competitor. He may be the shot in the arm that team needs.”
The Bulldogs entered the week with a 7-16 record and in fifth place in the six-team league.
“I’m not getting into this league to step on anyone’s toes. I’m not out to prove anything,” said McNulty, who also served as a local instructor at Mike Holtz and Rick Roberts’ ERA Sports facility’s winter program. “I want to get my kids to develop. At the end of the season if we’re not in the playoffs and we still developed players, that’s great.”
