RH: Stephenson's Game Starts With a Shake

By Paul Suellentrop

Gene Stephenson scoffs at the idea he possesses a handshake technique. That would imply an agenda behind a gesture he sees as simple and straight-forward.

"You shake hands with a guy and you let him know you're alive," he said. "You're glad to meet this person. That's the way I do it."

The notion is more complicated for those on the receiving end of Stephenson's gesture, a grip that entertained and terrorized college baseball for years. The word "crushing" is often used, followed by "bear paws" and "meat hooks" by the victims.

Yes, the handshake of Gene Stephenson was a thing during his tenure as Wichita State baseball coach, feared, watched and strategized against in his…