by James Beltran
Staff Writer
As the case with so many others in the Houston Cougars baseball organization, Rayner Noble is a man of many morals, but few words.
His players may disagree with the "few words" part when on the field, but when it comes down to looking after the players' welfare, they have to concede that Noble is more than just a coach.
"He's a good Christian man," Cougars starting outfielder Eric Lee said. "He teaches us a lot about life in general."
When on the field, Lee says Noble can be a demanding person. "He's a perfectionist," he said. "He wants us to work hard and, when we step between those white lines, he wants 110 percent."
Noble began his affiliation with baseball at Spring Woods High School in Houston. There, he earned his first successes as a pitcher, being the ace on the Tigers' staff.
But he was not the only starting pitcher on the team to eventually earn respect in the eyes of college recruiters.
Roger Clemens joined Noble as the third man in the rotation at Spring Woods. Strange for a future Hall of Famer not to be his school's best pitcher, but, according to Noble, Clemens had not yet reached his potential.
Noble said he didn't think Clemens would be such a success at that time. "Roger was always a good pitcher. Back then, though, he didn't throw that hard. It was just a matter of him maturing."
After graduating, Noble was recruited by the Cougars. At UH, he teamed up with future Cy Young Award winner Doug Drabek to form one of UH's best baseball teams ever in 1982 and 1983.
Drabek and Noble were in constant competition during their careers at Houston. Noble challenged Drabek in many all-time UH records, but often finished right behind him.
Noble's second-place finish in career wins is perhaps the most notable. With his 25 wins, he finished two behind Drabek, who was in first place. Noble, though, did finish on top of his rival in the career shutout category with seven.
"Doug and I were a little closer than Roger and I were," Noble said. "I never realized (Drabek) would ever go on and do the things that he has done.
"I guess if you work hard enough, then good things will happen. I think that's what happened with Doug and Roger."
It seems Noble forgot to add himself to that list. His accomplishments at UH were evidently good enough to boost his career to the next level when he was drafted by the Houston Astros in 1983.
"I was always labeled as an overachiever," Noble said. "I was not a big guy and really didn't throw hard. I had to do a little extra to become a better ball-player."
The common myth is that the "little extra" was his rare ability to throw seven or eight types of pitches. Noble admits, though, that the rumor is inaccurate.
"For them to say I threw eight or nine pitches is really not true," he said. "It might have looked like that because the ball was doing some different things, but I probably only threw, at max, four pitches. I threw a fastball, kind of a slurveball, a changeup and an occasional curveball."
A slurveball?
Yes, Noble said - it's a kind of knuckleball.
These pitches were able to get him past the A and AA ranks, but his pitching career could never get over the hump and into the major leagues, largely due to injury.
"In my next-to-last start in winter ball, I hurt my elbow," he said. "I was never the same type of pitcher after that."
Besides the injury, however, Noble claims there were other reasons for him giving up his playing career. After three years in the minor leagues, he had still not received a chance to pitch in the majors.
"I knew right then it wasn't going to happen," Noble said. "I didn't want to live a lifestyle of hanging on and playing AA and AAA ball for four or five years."
And so he traded in his spikes in return for a clipboard and a lineup card. The Rayner Noble coaching era had begun.
After three-year stints as assistant coach with Houston and Rice, Noble finally got the opportunity he had been waiting for. In 1995, he came back to his alma mater - this time as head coach.
In the midst of his playing career, Noble said he never imagined himself becoming a coach.
"It was never really anything I had thought about in high school," he said. "In fact, I didn't really start thinking about it until my last couple years in pro baseball.
"I wanted to stay in the game somehow, and I didn't want to stay in the pro aspect of it."
Noble said that being a former player helps him relate better with his team. He attempts to help them not only with the game of baseball, but also in the game of life.
"I probably dive more into my players' personal lives than they like," Noble said. "I think it's part of my job description to shape and influence their lives so that they can be the best citizens they can be."
Noble is certainly a plus for the Houston baseball program as he strives to improve his players' athletic and moral performances. Luckily for UH, he plans to stay with the Cougars for a long time.
"I don't have any aspirations of coaching pro ball," Noble said. "I'm a Cougar and will always be a Cougar."