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Syracuse Chiefs' pitching coach Paul Menhart, left, watches starting pitcher Ryan Tatusko warm up before a recent game at NBT Bank Stadium.

(Mike Greenlar | MGreenlar@Syracuse.com)

Syracuse, N.Y. — Syracuse Chiefs pitching coach Paul Menhart said he prays to Saint Monica every night.

She was a patron saint renown for her patience, an attribute that Menhart came by later in life but one that he appreciates more than ever now.

"I don't know if I was always that patient growing up,'' he said. "I had a wild side to me. I think it (patience) definitely got stronger as I got older.''

Wheel-spinning can bring that about. Menhart spent seven seasons in Triple A ball —including one with the Syracuse Chiefs — for a payoff of 41 major league games. His playing career was pockmarked by three arm surgeries, one Tommy John procedure and two on his shoulder.

"It's extremely sobering,'' Menhart said. "I started thinking about what am I going to do now that this body isn't going to perform at the highest level needed. I realized I wasn't invinceable. I better get my ducks in a row.''

The transition started in 2001, when Manhart was a pitcher/pitching coach/manager of an independent team in California.

Menhart liked the experience but figured that was the end to his career in his sport. He went back to his home in Conyers, Ga., where he delivered windows. He'd come home with bloodied hands after repeatedly cutting himself on the product.

"I was not a happy camper,'' Menhart said.

Menahrt went back to finish his health and physical education degree at Western Carolina and also worked as a pitching coach there. He stayed grounded in the real world by teaching middle school health classes.

In 2006, Washington called and offered him a job as pitching coach at Class A Savannah. A delighted Menhart figured he could be happy spending the rest of his career working with prospects at that level.

He didn't have to, but his climb up the Nationals organization was certainly a measured one.

Since then, Menhart has worked two seasons at Class A Hagerstown, three at advanced A Potomac and two with Double A Harrisburg before moving up to the Chiefs this season.

"I believe, 100 percent, if you pay your dues good things will happen,'' he said. "I didn't have any aspirations about being a big-league pitching coach. I was happy coaching at the lower levels. Their success is my success. I knew that was my calling. I was going to help others achieve their goals.''

Menhart, 45, recently took a break from doing that with the Chiefs to expound on a few topics past and present:

Arm injuries and innings limits

"Over use needs to be explained. It's not the amount of pitching they are doing on a particular day. It's that they are pitching on consecutive days, or twice in one day. Travel ball is what's now giving us the opportunity to rehab individuals because of over use at a young age.

"I like (innings limits). I like a progression. I still think these guys need to throw. Throwing every five days is a transition from college. I think pitch counts are more important at a at a younger level than they are at Single A and Double A.''

Making the majors

Menhart got his first chance in the bigs after making the Toronto Blue Jays out of spring training in 1995. The moment fell well short of the romanticized version of the realization of a dream. The Blue Jays announced they were sending an advance bus of personal belongs up to Toronto three days ahead of time and told players to toss their stuff aboard.

"I was wondering if I should put it on or not,'' Menhart said. "I didn't know if I had made the team. I didn't put anything on the bus.''

A few days later, the team bus for the airport was filling up. Menhart still had no idea if he had made Toronto, so he asked fellow pitcher Woody Williams what he should do.

"If nobody told you anything, get on the bus,'' is Menhart's recollection of Williams' advice. "I was never officially told I was on the team. I got on a bus. Got on a plane. Got off the plane. Got on another bus and as we were driving, there was the SkyDome.''