COLUMN: Wagner Will Prove Country Boys Can Survive

Billy Wagner caused a fuss a few years ago when he took over the closer duties for the New York Mets. Southwest Virginia’s favorite son stuck with Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” to blast through the speakers as he ran in from the bullpen to close out another victory at Shea Stadium.

It caused an uproar in New York, where as fans of the crosstown Yankees were irate that Wagner would dare choose the same entrance music as Yankees icon Mariano Rivera. Wagner just laughed it off and continued using the theme despite the complaints.

It always seemed more logical that Hank Williams Jr.’s timeless ballad “A Country Boy Can Survive” would be a perfect choice to signal Wagner’s entrance into games.

That’s becauseWagner is a survivor. The diminutive left-hander has overcome so much — both on and off the field — that his life could be the subject of a motion picture. And not one of those cheesy ESPN original productions, either.

He now faces the biggest obstacle of his major league career. The former Tazewell High School star recently learned that his 2008 season, as well as his 2009 season, are finished because he has a severe elbow injury that will require surgery.

Many predict his career is over, but Wagner vowed tearfully at a press conference that he will be back.

Given his track record – and knowing Wagner – it’s a good bet he will.

A born right-hander, he only became a southpaw after he broke his right arm as a kid and started throwing with his left one.

His parents divorced when he was young, so he was shuttled from relative to relative to live. He finally settled in with his aunt and uncle in the small community of Tannersville, near the Smyth and Tazewell county line.

He became a star athlete at Tazewell High School, but few pegged him as a pro prospect. Scouts said he was too small (He barely weighed 130 pounds on graduation day.), and talent evaluators shied away.

He eventually landed at Ferrum College, a relative unknown NCAA Division III school near Roanoke, where he put on a few pounds and added a few miles per hour to his fastball. Suddenly, he became a major league prospect and was a first-round draft pick of the Houston Astros.

He made his major-league debut in 1995, but that same year he also had to deal with a personal tragedy: His wife Sarah’s father and stepmother were murdered.

Wagner worked through his grief and has been in the big leagues ever since. He’s racked up 385 saves in his career with Houston, Philadelphia and the Mets, good enough for sixth on the career list.

But has he nailed down his last save?

That’s tough to predict.

Wagner is 37 now. How will his elbow respond to surgery? He could come back stronger, or he might never regain the velocity and mechanics that have made him a potential Hall of Famer.

One thing is certain: Wagner will attack his rehabilitation with savage intensity.

Lou Peery, Wagner’s baseball coach at Tazewell, once related a story about Wagner’s practice habits. One day, he was chasing down fly balls during batting practice with reckless abandon.

A teammate asked him why he was going so hard, that it was just practice and he didn’t need to expend too much energy.

“What do you mean hard?,” Wagner retorted. “This is the way I go.”

Knowing all of that, it’s a good bet that Wagner will be back in the major leagues in 2010. He’s already said it most likely will not be in New York, but that will be some team’s lucky gain. The Atlanta
Braves could use him in their bullpen.

And when he does finally make it back, who knows?

Maybe his new team will play a certain song when he comes jogging in from the bullpen – one that describes Wagner perfectly.

thayes@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2570