Retirement might have taken former Long Beach State Dirtbags head coach Mike Weathers out of the dugout, but it has reintroduced him to a lot of things he lost sight of, and something he didn’t expect — a role in the movie “Moneyball.”
“I got a call from [UC Irvine] coach Mike Gillespie [asking if I was interested],” Weathers said. “I was retired for a month and a half, and had nothing else going on, so I did it.”
Weathers acted in two scenes as then-Oakland A’s manager Ken Macha.
“I went to Oakland and filmed for two weeks,” he said. “It was a good experience and I loved it.”
Weathers spent nine seasons as skipper (2002-10) during one of the best decades Dirtbags baseball has ever seen. He guided the team to a 309-198 record, including two Big West Conference titles and five second-place finishes.
Weathers said he still keeps in touch with his old team.
“I still stay connected to the Dirtbags; I came up pretty much every Sunday home game last year,” he said. “I talk to [current Dirtbags coach] Troy [Buckley] once a day at least. I stay in touch with them and come to functions.”
While coaching, Weathers focused on player development and helped send 18 Dirtbags into Major League Baseball, including All-Stars Danny Espinosa, Evan Longoria, Troy Tulowitzki and Jared Weaver.
“Most of the guys that are at the big-league level now played under Mike Weathers,” Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria said in an interview with Fox Sports Wisconsin.
“He just did a really good job at preparing guys for the big leagues. He just taught you how to play the game the right way and play it fundamentally sound. I think that’s what really gets guys up here.”
Weathers, who was drafted by the Oakland A’s in 1971, still has ties to the majors. He spends time doing volunteer work for MLB’s Envoy Program, which sends coaches to different countries to help spread the game of baseball.
Many would expect Weathers to miss coaching, but he has found himself giving back to the community and enjoying the little things in life.
“I like to read, but I never had any time, so at 61 years old, I went to the library and got a library card,” he said. “It’s been about 15 months [since I retired]. I’ve been traveling with my wife, reconnecting with some old players and playing golf; my handicap is getting a little better. I do more things I always thought I’d want to do.”
However, the one thing Weathers does miss about coaching is as simple as it can get.
“If I missed anything, I used to love the games,” he said. “I liked coaching the game, controlling the game and thinking [the game].”
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