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Levels of the Game
AT 5'3" Louisville shortstop Chris Cates is believed to be college baseball's shortest player, dubbed Wee Man by his teammates and Oompa Loompa or Webster by opposing fans. One heckler suggested the groundskeeper cut the infield grass so Cates could see the plate. "I enjoy fans getting on me; they're having a good time" says Cates, a Florida native who's hitting .289 and whose older brother, Gary, is a 5'7" infielder in the Orioles' system. Chris has a knack for drawing key walks--and driving pitchers batty. "You throw what's normally a strike, and it's six inches above the zone," former East Carolina starter Greg Bunn says. "You've got to throw into a thimble pretty much."
A couple of feet up is Notre Dame's All-America closer, 7'1" Ryan Doherty, thought to be the tallest player in NCAA baseball history. Dubbed the Unit after Yankee Randy Johnson (who's 6'10"), Doherty, who grew up in Toms River, N.J., and can throw 90 mph, also hears it from fans. "I was jabbering with someone in the stands, and I said, 'I can't hear you,'" says Doherty. "He shot back, 'Why don't you come down to my floor?' That was amusing."
Last year, Cates ran into Doherty in the L.A. Airport. "It was like looking up at a giant," says Cates. Did Doherty recognize him? "Nah," says Cates. "He probably thought I was somebody's little brother." --Ben Reiter
TALE of the TAPE
RYAN DOHERTY
HEIGHT: 7'1"; WEIGHT: 255
SCHOOL, CLASS: Notre Dame, Jr.
POSITION: Closer
MAJOR LEAGUE IDOL: Randy Johnson
HAT SIZE: 7 5/8 SPIKE SIZE: 17
 
CHRIS CATES
HEIGHT: 5'3"; WEIGHT: 150
SCHOOL, CLASS: Louisville, Soph.
POSITION: Shortstop
MAJOR LEAGUE IDOL: Chone Figgins
HAT SIZE: 7 1/8 SPIKE SIZE: 8
COLOR PHOTO
DARREN CARROLL (DOHERTY)
7'1"
COLOR PHOTO
DARREN CARROLL (CATES)
5'3"
