http://www.seattlepi.com/baseball/328520_where22.html
Where Are They Now:
Rich Hand, former Lincoln High, UPS standout

He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates as a high school pitcher and offered $15,000 to sign, nearly as much money as his father made in one year as a Seattle plumber, but Rich Hand wasn't interested.

"I really felt I was a basketball player," he said, leaving now-defunct Lincoln High instead with a combined college basketball/baseball scholarship from the University of Puget Sound.

		Richard W. Rodriguez
	Rich Hand, 59, and his family live in Fort Worth, Texas, where he's established a successful real estate career.

Hand, however, couldn't resist pro baseball for long. Three years later, the right-hander was taken by the Cleveland Indians as the No. 1 pick of the 1969 supplemental draft and handed $25,000 to sign, and advanced to the big leagues after briefly playing in the minors.

He would enjoy moments of brilliance, throwing for the Indians, Texas Rangers and California Angels over four seasons. Then his career ended abruptly, a damaged shoulder and the game's restrictive economics sending him into early retirement.

Hand, a fastball pitcher who was 24-39 with a 4.01 ERA, had great fun while it lasted, rubbing up against several baseball legends. He shared a clubhouse and four-man starting rotation with Nolan Ryan. One of his managers was Ted Williams. He faced Hank Aaron during his first spring training, never forgetting that he retired the slugger on a grounder to short.

He threw shutouts against the Rangers and Kansas City Royals, forcing a free-swinging left fielder named Lou Piniella to go 0-for-4 in the latter outing. He outdueled teenage phenom David Clyde, beating him 6-1.

He turned in a sensational one-hitter against the Angels, permitting only a home run to the second batter he faced, fellow Northwest native Roger Repoz, in a 5-1 victory. He could dish it, on and off the mound.

"Ted Williams would come down and sit next to me on the bench and say, 'I hate pitchers,' " Hand recalled of his Texas manager. "I'd say, 'Ted, I've heard that all year, and I've never met a manager I liked.' He thought that was hilarious."

He was overused as a rookie in 1970, making 25 starts and relieving 10 other times for Cleveland, setting him up for arm trouble that quickly would curtail his career. Indians manager Alvin Dark started him in his four-man rotation and used him out of the bullpen on days that Sam McDowell pitched, making sure the ace of the staff compiled a 20-12 record.

	Hand in 1973, his last season in the bigs.

"I pitched more innings that first year than I had pitched in my life," said Hand, who was 6-13 over 159 innings. "I saved three games for Sam McDowell. It was a good first year, but I threw too much. That was an issue. That ended up hurting my career big time."

He suffered an elbow ligament strain the following spring training, landing him back in Triple-A. He returned to the big leagues after pitching a no-hitter for Wichita.

He was traded to Texas in 1972 as part of an eight-player deal, compiled a 10-14 record, and was shipped to the Angels midway through the next season, posting a combined 6-6 record. He retired after spending 1974 in the minor leagues and getting traded to the St. Louis organization.

Big league teams pursued him, but weren't willing to offer a guaranteed contract. He needed shoulder surgery, but reconstructive techniques were still a few years from being perfected. He was starting a family and dabbling in real estate in the Dallas area.

"I probably exited the game too soon, but I had a lot of pain," said Hand, who recently -- and gingerly -- threw an inning in a Rangers old-timers game. "I still had some years left."

The third of four athletic-minded brothers, Hand was more well known as a basketball player at Lincoln High. He averaged 18.3 points per game as a senior guard, unleashing 38 points against Shoreline, 32 against Nathan Hale and 31 against Shorecrest, and earned all-city honors.

As a Lynx pitcher, he compiled a modest 4-5 record in his final season, but it included three shutouts, two of them of one-hitters. Against Ingraham's Bob Reynolds, another future big league pitcher, Hand had classic battles. He won 2-0 and lost 1-0.

At UPS, he played two seasons of basketball, giving up the game when it became apparent he was on a baseball career path. He won 21 of 27 decisions for the Loggers in three springs, striking out 216 in 215 innings.

Hand, 59, a successful real estate businessman, now lives in Fort Worth, Texas, with his wife, Susan, and has six kids: son Cody, 32, and daughters Jessica 30, Jordyn, 20, Whitney, 18, and twins Hannah and Rebekah, 10.

The family has a common interest, which involves select teams and Dad occasionally stepping in as a coach.

The four youngest are basketball players. Jordyn plays for North Texas after transferring from Texas Christian, and Whitney recently committed to Oklahoma.

"You can see how I've spent my summer," said Hand, back in the gym after all.