HOUSTON–Thirty five years after Alonzo Powell signed his first contract with the San Francisco Giants, the franchise courted him again.
The reputation Powell developed as a Houston Astros assistant last season bumped him to the top of the Giants’ list in their search for a hitting coach last October, but Powell was not a traditional candidate.
Most coaches are transplants, hardened by years on the road bouncing around small-town America where they pay their dues on coach buses. Powell earned his stripes just as others who preceded him did, but he can recall a time when he paid more than just his dues.