Stars roll for interim manager

Thanks to a four-run first inning and a 15-hit attack, Tye Waller's first game as interim manager of the Las Vegas Stars on Tuesday night, a 10-4 win over the Iowa Cubs, was, well, like a day at the beach.

And that's where regular Stars manager Jerry Royster is going to be the next couple of days, using a few "comp" days off to be with his family in Southern California.

The San Diego Padres decided to give Royster the time off for a short family vacation because Royster didn't get his normal time off during the triple-A All-Star break as he managed the Pacific Coast League squad in the event.

Enter the 41-year-old Waller, in his second year as director of minor league instruction for the Padres, to pinch-hit.

"That's not a bad way to start," Waller said with a smile following Tuesday's victory at rainy, windy and lightning-plagued Cashman Field. "Hopefully we can get a couple more of those before Jerry gets back."

Waller's only previous managing experience was in 1994, when he was at single-A Spokane with current Stars pitching coach Dave Smith holding the same role there.

He had young prospects like Heath Murray, Bubba Dixon, Greg LaRocca, Juan Melo and Matt Clement on the roster.

"Tye was a great guy to play for," LaRocca said. "He called me in his office the first week and told me to just go out and do my thing, don't be scared, which I was a little. He came down to my level.

"He was also the first guy to stress the importance to me of hitting off a tee and soft toss. I was just coming in from college baseball where batting practice was the big thing."

Waller has a lot of experience with minor league baseball. Besides spending the last 11 years in the Padres organization, the San Diego Hoover High grad also spent 11 years as a player in the minors.

"I see everybody from the top to the bottom, from rookie ball to triple-A," Waller said. "Basically, I work with the staffs and see where guys are in their careers. It's our jobs to develop these players and try and get them ready for the major league level.

"We've got a good staff that works together well and really goes after it," Waller said. "It's a good time to be in this organization."

Waller also played parts of four years in the majors with the Cardinals, Cubs and Astros before retiring in 1987.

Waller's biggest claim to fame as a player? He was part of one of the most memorable trades of the last three decades when he, Leon Durham and Ken Reitz were shipped by the Cardinals to the Cubs in 1980 for a pretty fair reliever named Bruce Sutter.

Now he wants to be part of the minor league organization that produces the next Bruce Sutter.

"I'll just be here for three days doing this until Jerry gets back," Waller said. "I enjoy what I do. Hopefully, we can pick up a few wins while Jerry's gone."

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