Byline: Teddy Greenstein
MESA, Ariz._The details are murky, and that's how Courtney Duncan wants to keep them.
That mind-set helps him deal with the recent tragedy that shocked his family.
Here's what Duncan knows: His older brother, Thomas, was in Meridian, Miss., on Oct. 30 when something went terribly wrong. Thomas killed his pregnant wife and then turned the gun on himself.
Just like that, Duncan went from an aspiring Cubs pitcher to a bewildered 26-year-old man.
"I don't know if it was premeditated," Duncan said. "I didn't want to read [about] it. To find out more, I don't think it would do any good."
After excelling as a closer last year at Class AA West Tenn, the right-hander was scheduled to leave for Puerto Rico six days after his brother's death. He was to play winter ball for the Caguas Criollos, a team managed by Cubs bullpen coach Sandy Alomar.
Duncan wasn't sure what to do. He knew he would stay at the family home in Alabama for his brother's funeral, but his family wanted him to keep pitching. He could almost still hear the words_"Just keep on pushing"_that Thomas had used to inspire him.
"It was tough at home," he said. "I love to see my family, but it was an eerie feeling being there."
So three days after the funeral, Duncan flew to Puerto Rico to begin his second season. What happened next was remarkable. Instead of letting the tragedy distract him, Duncan used it for inspiration. He went 1-0 with a 1.03 earned-run average and earned a league-high 17 saves. He saved seven more postseason games to lead his team to a berth in the Caribbean World Series.
"To perform the way he did," Alomar said, "you have to have something special."
Duncan had the memories of his brother, who was blessed with the best athletic gifts in the family. But Thomas didn't pursue a big-league career, preferring to practice playing the trumpet.
"He didn't have the heart to play baseball," Duncan said. "He had more in his heart to see me play."
Duncan recalled how Thomas had visited him last season before a game in Mobile, Ala. Thomas wandered over to the bullpen and told Duncan's teammates, "Hey, that's my brother. You'd better watch out for him."
As a tribute to Thomas and his deceased mother, Duncan blows a kiss to the sky as he enters games from the bullpen.
"Everything I do now is dedicated to them," he said. "But after I get on the mound, it feels like the hitter belongs to me. That's the intensity I took to Puerto Rico."
Duncan kept to himself in Puerto Rico. Most of his teammates spoke only Spanish, and instead of trying to socialize with them, he'd sit at his locker and read. But by the ninth inning, he was ready to perform.
Duncan, a 20th-round draft pick, emerged as a prospect in 1997 after leading the Florida State League with a 1.63 ERA as a starter. But bad mechanics and plummeting confidence almost ended his career in 1999, when he went 1-7 with a 7.13 ERA at West Tenn.
After switching to the bullpen, Duncan rebounded to save 25 games at West Tenn last year. He is slated to close at Class AAA Iowa, but after surging this winter, Duncan won't sell himself short. His goal is to break camp with the Cubs.
"I know I can do it," he said. "I have full confidence in myself."
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(c) 2001, Chicago Tribune.
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