Thrown a Curve

Steve Reed stands on the mound, another baseball game possibly on the line, and sees a boy’s disarming smile.

He stares down a batter, with thousands anticipating his next pitch, and feels the child’s courage.

For Reed, a relief pitcher for the Colorado Rockies and a graduate of Chatsworth High, it has been that way since September.

That’s when his son, Logan, was born with achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism.

“It hasn’t been a normal year, to say the least,� Reed said.

It has been, instead, a year of adjustment, of fear, of emotional peaks and valleys for Reed and his wife, Terry. A year that has taught them about coping and inner-strength, not only theirs, but Logan’s.

Steve and Terry never anticipated problems since their other son, Dylan, 3, is healthy.

In August, Terry went into premature labor and doctors determined through an ultrasound test that Logan’s arms and legs weren’t growing proportionally to his body.

“The toughest time of the whole thing was from the time we found out to the time he was born,� Reed said. “I had no idea what they were talking about. I had visions of the baby coming out totally deformed.�

That wasn’t the case, but Logan has struggled repeatedly. He has respiratory ailments that require oxygen around the clock, digestive and sleeping problems, a stressed heart and constant ear infections.

His short life often has been measured day by day, crisis by crisis.

“He’s actually doing very good right now,� Terry said. “He’s putting on weight and sleeping better. He’s going to have tubes put in his ears [today] and he’ll have his adenoids and tonsils taken out the same day. It’s real hard for him to breathe, so hopefully this will help him.�

Much to Reed’s dismay, he has been away during many of Logan’s worst times.

“It seems like every time something is wrong, I’m on the road,� Reed said. “Opening weekend, I was in [Montreal] and he had to go in the hospital. He had pneumonia and it caused his heart to work a little bit harder and his heart became inflamed.

“I wanted to come home but my wife talked me out of it. . . . He has been in and out of [Denver’s] Children’s [Hospital] since the season started.�

Reed, 31, was acquainted with the hospital before Logan was born. He started visiting terminally ill children there soon after joining the Rockies and believes the experience helped him prepare to deal with his son’s condition.

“This kind of thing helps you grow and adds a little character,� Reed said. “That’s why I like to see how people are when things are tough. It’s like watching [opposing] pitchers come into Coors Field. Mentally, it’s ruined people. . . . I like to see what kind of person you are when faced with adversity.�

Reed, a straight talker who doesn’t hide behind excuses, gained plenty of strength from wanting to prove he belongs in the major leagues despite being ignored by pro scouts in high school and college.

He wasn’t drafted after graduating from Chatsworth in 1984, or after playing at Pierce College and Moorpark the next two years, or after two excellent seasons at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho.

Everyone ignored the right-hander until the San Francisco Giants signed him as a free agent in 1988.

“I was signed as kind of a favor to my college coach,� Reed said. “He said, ‘Give this guy a shot. He has a pretty good makeup to be a reliever.’ The scouts never even thought of it that way. I didn’t get a penny to sign.�

In 1992, Reed had a minor-league record 43 saves for double-A Shreveport and triple-A Phoenix before playing 18 games with the Giants. After the season, he was Colorado’s 60th pick in the expansion draft but made the team, riding his side-arm delivery to success out of the bullpen.

Reed has averaged 66 appearances the past four seasons, leading the National League with 61 in 1994 and setting a career high with 71 last year. Through the All-Star break, he was tied for second on the team with 38 appearances, and had a 1-3 record with a 5.00 earned-run average and six saves.

His statistics are less than sparkling, especially for someone who has kept his ERA below 4.00 each of the past three seasons despite working at hitter-friendly Coors Field. Some might think Logan’s health has affected Reed’s pitching, but Frank Funk, Colorado’s pitching coach, disagrees.

“I don’t think it has taken anything away from him,� Funk said. “If anything, I think it has made him stronger mentally. When he goes out there to pitch, he still gives you 100%, but he realizes there are other more important things than baseball.�

Terry often wonders how her husband can concentrate enough on his job.

“Being here and spending time with Logan and getting up at night,� Terry said. “How he separates it from his performance, I don’t know.�

Reed, who refuses to blame his pitching problems on family distractions, is functioning with a different perspective.

“When things don’t go well out there, it doesn’t matter,� Reed said. “When you go home, there are more important things.�

Reed and his wife are preparing for a challenging future with Logan, who is not expected to walk until he is at least 2, probably won’t grow taller than five feet, and who faces the challenge of simply being different.

“The Little People of America gave us some great information on how to raise a dwarf child,� Terry said. “We have to prepare Logan for the cruelty he’ll face but also we have to prepare Dylan for the guilt he might feel in having a dwarf brother.�

The Reeds know there’s a long haul ahead but their Christian beliefs and Logan’s disposition already is making the journey easier.

“The reality is that I have to do what I’m doing,� Reed said. “I just take the attitude that if I’m playing, I can help my family and [Logan]. He’s going to need special attention over the years and the longer I can keep playing will enhance his chances of getting the best [care].

“There are a lot of obstacles along the way. But he’s such a happy kid and such a tough kid. He’s always smiling. I wouldn’t trade him for anything.�

Said Terry: “There are so much worse things that could have happened. Logan is such a great kid. We are counting our blessings, actually. We believe it’s a blessing.

“He has enriched my parents’ lives, Steve’s parents’ lives and our lives.�