Games Still Take Up Much Of `Scrapiron' Stinson's Time

If vowels were inserted, Gayle Stinson's license plate would read "Baseball Widow." For good reason.

Her husband, Bob Stinson, played 12 years in the major leagues, including four with the Seattle Mariners (1977 to '80). He continued to play baseball competitively, in as many as three leagues, until work and injuries temporarily ended his playing days two years ago.

But Gayle's time with her husband away from the game still is scarce. Bob volunteers his time and catching expertise at Bellevue Community College. He coaches a team of 13- and 14-year-olds in the summer. Their three children - Kevin, 21; Kimberly, 16, and Kyle, 14 - all play baseball or softball.

And Mom and Dad go to great lengths to watch as many of their games as possible.

"Last year Kyle had a Pony League game on Saturday morning and then we went to Kevin's Bellevue Community College game at 1 p.m.," Bob said. "And then we went up to White Rock, B.C., to watch Kim play that night. We watched her play three games on Sunday, then drove back to Mount Vernon for Kevin's BCC game against Skagit Valley."

For those of you not counting, that's roughly 400 miles and seven games in less than 48 hours.

"Every day of the week my kids have games," said Stinson, 50. "And I'm either helping coach them or being a taxicab."

The schedule used to be complicated further by his own games in a Boeing league, Major Senior League or an area semipro league. But his car was rear-ended the day before Christmas in 1995 and a jack collapsed while the Boeing mechanic was at work in February 1996, smashing the little finger on his right hand.

Stinson knows he needs to recuperate fully before playing again. When he was younger, however, Bob "Scrapiron" Stinson probably would have played through the injuries.

The 1966 first-round draft choice of the Los Angeles Dodgers earned his nickname in his first year of rookie ball in Ogden, Utah. He crashed through the left-center-field wall trying to catch a fly ball and spent the night in the hospital. But he played the next night and went 3 for 4 with a home run and two doubles.

He won a division title while with the Kansas City Royals in 1976. He played the next four seasons with the expansion Seattle club before being released midway through the 1980 season.

Stinson hit a career-best 11 home runs and drove in 55 runs in 1978 for the Mariners. Though he doesn't attend many Mariner games because of his other baseball commitments, he listens to them on the radio, usually while driving to or from a game or practice. And he says on occasion Dave Niehaus will make reference to the way "Scrapiron" used to play.

He isn't playing now. But Scrapiron plans to play again "when everything gets well."

That should come as no surprise to Gayle. ----------------------------------------------------------------- BOB STINSON

Age: 50 . Home: Kirkland . Occupation: Maintenance mechanic at Boeing . Years with M's: 1977-80. Best year: 1978 (2.58, 11 HR, 55 RBI) Major-league career: 12 years (.250, 33 HR, 180 RBI)