David Newhan Featured by PennLive.com
8/11/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
By Jeff Dewees, sports writer - Pennlive.com
David Newhan grew up around professional baseball -- from the other side of the fence.
Newhan's father, Ross, was the Hall of Fame national baseball writer for the Los Angeles Times. It didn't take long for the scribe's kid to fall in love with the game.
Newhan had the chops, too. He landed at Pepperdine, then began his climb to the major leagues, finally getting the call in 1999 at age 25 with the San Diego Padres.
A utility player, Newhan has played every position in the majors except catcher. That versatility has helped him carve out an eight-year big league career with six teams. Phillies fans might recall he was the incoming part of a deal that shipped the immortal Desi Relaford to San Diego in 2000.
Now, Newhan finds himself back with the Phillies' organization at the Class AAA level with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs as a player/coach.
"It seems that there were a group of guys of a certain age that found themselves out of the [major leagues] this past offseason," Newhan said on Wednesday, one day shy of nine years since landing with the Phillies the first time around. "It was tough getting a job. I got released out of spring training [by the Astros]. I was at home for a couple of weeks, then this opportunity came."
The title is symbolic -- done for roster spaces reasons, really -- but not without merit.
"You might as well have a Ph.D. in something," Newhan said, referring to baseball. "At least I have the knowledge to bring to the table. I feel I have knowledge in all aspects of the game. ... I've seen the game from the player's side, from my dad's side. I've grown up in clubhouses. I was around big leaguers since I was 10.
"So it makes sense to stay in baseball, whether it be coaching, roving [instruction], managing or maybe on the media side of things."
Newhan hasn't given up on the thought of making it back as a player, not yet. But he's a month shy of his 36th birthday, and time is short.
"That'd make my year, definitely," he said when asked about getting a September call to the big league club. "They've got a good thing going up there, a tremendous team.
"I saw them from the other side as well [as a member of the 2007 New York Mets]. They're a resilient bunch, and it would be fun to be around them."
