9/11 altered Viper's fate half a world away

Orioles called, but Brinkley couldn't answer

Allen Cameron
Calgary Herald

Friday, May 04, 2007

Calgary Vipers outfielder Darryl Brinkley clowns around while taking cover as rain soaks the Northern League baseball team's media day at Foothills Stadium on Thursday.

It would be a stretch to call Calgary Vipers right-fielder Darryl Brinkley a victim of the 9/11 terrorist attacks of 2001, but, in a small way, he suffered, too.

He was half a world away the day the World Trade Center towers fell, coming off a so-so Triple-A baseball season with Rochester and, at age 32, slowly coming to the realization he might never get a sniff at the big leagues. So, instead of waiting for a post-season call from the Baltimore Orioles, he headed to Australia.

And, of course, that's when the Orioles called. They reached his mom, who placed a series of frantic calls to Australia, finally connecting with Brinkley just hours before the first plane hit.

He headed to the airport in Brisbane the next morning, not knowing the severity of the situation back home

"They asked me what I was doing, and I said, 'I'm going to the Show, the big leagues,' " recalled Brinkley on Thursday, as the 2007 edition of the Vipers was unveiled at a media conference at Foothills Stadium.

"The lady said, 'I don't know what you're talking about, but you're not going there today.' I sat there, and I was just beside myself. Just shocked. I couldn't believe it. That was my chance, and it just didn't work out."

He kept returning to the airport, finally getting out a few days later. By then, the Orioles had called up Tim Raines Jr., and Brinkley never got another sniff.

Now, though, at 38 and wielding a meal-ticket hitting touch that keeps him employed in pro baseball, Brinkley has come to grips with it all.

"I don't mean to get all religious, but the Man upstairs gave me longevity," he said. "I'm still able to take care of my family, I have a great son who's doing well in school. Hopefully, I've saved enough for him to go to college. I have a nice roof over my head. It's OK, you know? I'm doing what I want to do."

And he'll do it this Northern League season for the Vipers, a team he joined late last year after finishing out the Mexican league campaign.

He's still a hot commodity with a stick that has produced a .328 career average in the minor leagues. The irony is that Brinkley is actually looking to get into coaching, but teams still covet his hitting ability.

"I've been having a little success playing, so a lot of teams aren't interested in me coaching, yet," said Brinkley with a chuckle. "They want me to play. So I started narrowing it down to teams that would let me play, but would also look out for me for coaching. And Calgary was the only team that was interested in doing that."

Vipers manager Mike Busch happened to be in a tree-stand during bow-hunting season when Brinkley called his cellphone to indicate he'd be interested in returning to Calgary. Busch, not surprisingly, was more than willing to bring the veteran slugger back, and will have him batting leadoff this season.

"No doubt about it," said Busch. "He hit .370 for me the last month of last year. He's always hit well in Mexico. Every year he has good stats. Hits for power, hits for average, he can still run (12 stolen bases in 29 games with the Vipers). I'm excited about having him at the top of the order."

Extra Innings: The Vipers hold their annual open house and job fair Saturday at 10 a.m. at Foothills Stadium, followed by their free agent camp at noon . . . Vipers president Peter Young said Thursday all Viper games will be broadcast on the Internet at QR77.com . . . Calgary opens its preseason next Wednesday in Edmonton, before playing the CrackerCats a night later in Saskatoon . . . The Vipers open the regular season May 17 in Joliet, Ill., against the Jackhammers . . . Their home opener is May 25 against Joliet.