Sandy Alomar Jr. trying his hand as a bullpen coach

The fans pushed against the right-field fence at Chain of Lakes Park, clamoring for an autograph. They thrust pictures, programs and baseballs over the fence to be signed.

A typical spring-training scene was anything but typical Friday.

The object of the fans' affection was not an Indians player. In fact, he wasn't a player at all. The tall fellow wearing sunglasses and a blue warmup jacket while furiously scribbling his name was Sandy Alomar Jr. of the New York Mets - the most famous bullpen coach in baseball.

"I was sitting at home in Chicago, looking forward to staying home for a year or so," Alomar said. "Then I got this phone call. It was a great opportunity, one I couldn't pass by."

Alomar, 41, decided to retire as a player after spending most of last season with the Mets' Triple-A Norfolk affiliate. He was a catcher for the Indians from 1990-2000, making six All-Star teams and winning the 1997 All-Star Game MVP award.

He also played for the White Sox, Rockies, Rangers, Dodgers and Mets during a big-league career that spanned 20 seasons.

"I played plenty, and I'm pretty happy with what I did," Alomar said. "I'm fine with my career. I was injured a lot early in my career and I didn't really play a lot. Maybe I preserved myself."

But, what was next? Alomar's teammates and managers had always envisioned his leadership skills translating well to a future in coaching or managing. His father, Sandy, is New York's third base coach. Sandy Jr. wasn't entirely sure - until the phone call came.

"The reality is, if you love baseball, you'll want to be involved in it in some way," Alomar said.

Alomar arrives at the ballpark in Port St. Lucie at 5:30 a.m. each day to work out before the players arrive. He often doesn't leave until 7 p.m. His duties with the Mets during the season will include catching pitchers warming up in the bullpen and observing pitchers to report any mechanical flaws.

"I want to learn as much as I can and be 100 percent sure in my mind this is what I want to do," Alomar said.

Reach Repository sports writer Andy Call at (330) 580-8346 or e-mail andy.call@cantonrep.com.