Brandon Hyde has just announced another monstrous addition to his team as he tends to solidify his team walls with this monumental deal.

Brandon Hyde has just announced another monstrous addition to his team as he tends to solidify his team walls with this monumental deal.

The date was April 23, 1997. It was a gloomy evening in the northeastern Kansas hotel lobby when Dave Snow called in his squad.

What transpired within that historic gathering place outside the Shockers’ campus is now part of Long Beach State baseball legend. It’s the story his former teammates tell about Brandon Hyde. A turning point in the career of the future Orioles captain, who was recognized as a finalist for AL Manager of the Year after leading one of the biggest turnarounds in Major League Baseball during the regular season.

Snow, a seasoned baseball coach at Long Beach who was in his eighth season at the time, had just witnessed the No. 17 Dirtbags lose two games in a row against the nation’s 20th-ranked club. They were fading, 27–18. Snow was confused. He sensed the bonds holding the group together steadily slipping apart.

Earlier in the day, a Wichita State base runner stole second, and the throw went straight into center field since no one was covering. An expensive misunderstanding that resulted in a debate on the field and a near-physical brawl in the dugout is one example.

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Regarding the 6-5 defeat and 14-3 thrashing, assistant coach Jon Strauss stated, “We were struggling.” “There were a few problems. The guys were not in agreement. Simply put, nothing was going right.

Snow said unusually little in that motel lobby. He made his teammates bear the burden. There was silence for a little while. Hyde, a fifth-year catcher who wasn’t the first pick due to his lack of playing time and quiet demeanor, volunteered to talk.

According to the recollections of the several Dirtbags who were present on that particular spring day 26 years ago, Hyde’s speech sounded like this:

You people are unaware of your good fortune. Like you guys, I show up to practice every day. I’m not whiny about it. There are other persons in the area who don’t voice complaints about it. They show up here and offer you their support. Moreover, none of you want to work. You are unaware of the opportunities at your disposal. Yes, we did not win this evening. However, don’t let that emotion to pass.

Hear me out: this may be our final opportunity this season. It was, for some of us, our last opportunity. You have the chance to take action. Every summer, I labor in the construction industry. I take action. I don’t get to play baseball like you guys do. I work construction and return to this place. I’m done after this [season]. I’ll probably always work with my hands. I have a confession to make to you. Work is not good. I’m not interested in going to an actual job. I want to continue having fun with you guys and doing this.

From 1996 to 1997, Brandon Hyde attended Long Beach State University as a Dirtbag.
From 1996 to 1997, Brandon Hyde attended Long Beach State University as a Dirtbag.
Mike Stembridge, a former infielder, recalls, “It was like a mic drop.” He took a seat. Furthermore, there was nothing unsettling or uncomfortable about it. It was almost as if someone had to say it. It was evident that he has leadership skills and the capacity to guide men before anyone recognized that was his intended course.

“It was the one thing that always stuck out because he wasn’t a big speech guy,” said Jaron Madison, an outfielder for the Dirtbags who is currently the president and general manager of the Chicago Cubs’ special assistant. “Yet he was respected by the guys because he made his point in the fewest possible words.”

Even now, Hyde’s voice lacks grandeur when he talks. Absence of outward joy. His barrel-chested size, which he has had since college, and low-baritone delivery are what make him effective.

The right-the-ship talk in Wichita in 1997 ignited six consecutive victories. After dominating UC Santa Barbara, No. 25 Cal State Northbridge, and New Mexico State, the Dirtbags went on to win their conference and secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament Regionals at LSU with an overall record of 39-26.

Without a doubt, Hyde’s hotel lobby statement from his two years with the Dirtbags (1996–1997) stands out in his memory the most. However, it was during the opening round of the 1997 postseason versus Oklahoma that he made his most notable on-field impact.

In a 1-0 victory, Hyde hammered a home run that Marcus Jones remembers “may have put a hole in the LSU scoreboard,” while Jones pitched a two-hit shutout. In the following round, the Dirtbags were defeated by South Alabama; however, they emerged victorious from the double-elimination loser’s bracket and then faced LSU, the eventual champions, in the regional semifinal.

“Comprehend the mindset”

Despite its slang meaning, former players speak of the Dirtbags with a certain veneration. They display the name as a kind of pride. Despite its confusing character, it’s indicative of a tough-minded playing style.

The name dates back to Snow’s inaugural season as a head coach in 1989, when his club was more akin to the “Bad News Bears.”

During its initial years, Long Beach State trained at Whaley Park, which is close by. It was an all-dirt infield where the players were left battered, bruised, and stained by the harsh surface. Dirtbag Field is how assistant coach Dave Malpass dubbed it. In 1988, the team formerly known as the 49ers ended 14-45. Their amazing 50-15 reversal a year later had given rise to their newfound notoriety.

Snow had a talent for attracting callused guys. As Madison put it, a group of misfits. The gritty sorts who might not have received as many high-profile invitations to conform to the Dirtbag way of life.

Similar to Hyde, who, after attending Santa Rosa Junior College, transferred to St. Mary’s College of California, and eventually enrolled in Long Beach in 1996. He spent his summers back home working construction to support his dream of playing baseball. To earn a little extra money during his redshirt season, Hyde even worked as a part-time bouncer at the college hangout, Acapulco Inn.

That was the Dirtbag mold; the polished and well-regarded need not apply.

“It was a result of the perseverance those guys displayed [in 1989] and their readiness to go above and beyond to secure employment,” Jones stated. It feels like doing what they have to do in order to survive.

Baseball squad photo from Long Beach State. In the center back, sporting a camouflage helmet and holding up shades, is Orioles manager Brandon Hyde. Beside him, sporting a white hat, is Marcus Jones, a former pitcher with the Dirtbags.
There was an expectation that had to be fulfilled.

Jeff Tagliaferri, the first baseman, recalls certain workouts that lasted well into the night. They would practice maneuvers there in the dark until they perfected them. On the first practice day, Snow used to also give them blank helmets, shorts, and sneakers to work out in. It was a long-standing tradition that required players to embody the qualities of a Dirtbag year after year in order to be awarded the title.

“You begin to comprehend its mindset,” he remarked.

For a few Dirtbags, seeing the well-known character on a larger platform in September 2021 was cause for concern. When Hyde was captured on camera fighting with Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Robbie Ray, the manager became viral. In response to Ray’s apparent displeasure with a boisterous Orioles dugout, Hyde used colorful words to defend his players, later acknowledging that he believed they were being falsely accused.