49ers’ assistant joins Sox staff

Yuba College baseball fans will recognize one of manager Jack Johnson's new assistants, but the on-field brain trust for the 2008 Yuba-Sutter Gold Sox will be very different this year.

Clarence Griego, who has been coaching at Yuba the last four seasons, and San Joaquin Delta College assistant Josh Taylor, join the Gold Sox for the Horizon Air Summer Series.

"Jack and I talked extensively regarding the club's needs in terms of assistant coaches. We wanted to make sure that we hired individuals who could provide our players the first-class instruction the Gold Sox have been known for, and would also be solid members of the community," Gold Sox managing partner Tom Lininger said in a statement released by the club.

Johnson said it will be strange not to have Brad Peek or Chris Terry around, but he is confident Griego and Taylor will be solid additions.

"Josh and Clarence both have experience at the college level. They are motivated an very excited to be a part of the Gold Sox," Johnson said in a statement. "They know how to relate to college players and both know how to motivate baseball players."

Peek, who had been the only manager the Gold Sox had until he took last year off for family reasons, opted not to return to the organization.

Chris Terry, a longtime assistant of Peek's and who stayed as hitting instructor for Johnson last year, also moved on to a new opportunity.

"It is a new era as far as the Gold Sox coaches are concerned," Johnson said in a phone interview Tuesday night. "I talked to Chris about that when we were in Philadelphia, (and) this will be the first time we (Peek, Terry and Johnson) will not be together in some capacity."

Prior to Yuba College, Griego was an assistant at Sierra College. This past summer, he joined Yuba College skipper Tim Gloyd to help coach the Fairbanks Goldpanners in the prestigious Alaska Baseball League.

He will serve as bench coach with the Gold Sox. Johnson said he will be involved with a number of responsibilities, including defensive placement, working with hitters and working with pitchers and catchers.

Taylor is in his first year at Delta after three seasons at Feather River College in Quincy. Before that, he led Quincy High to its first Northern Section championship.

He will serve as hitting coach for the Gold Sox.

Johnson said he and his coaches plan to spend as much time together as possible over the next four months so they can be off an running when the season starts on May 29.

"We have the benefit of getting together over the next couple of months and talking to each other. We are going to have a couple coaches' meetings," Johnson said.