Dan Wheeler
Cleveland Indians – No. 44
Relief pitcher
Born: (1977-12-10) December 10, 1977 (age 34) Providence, Rhode Island
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 1, 1999 for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Career statistics (through May 13, 2012)
Win-Loss	25–43
Earned run average	3.98
Strikeouts	555
Saves	43
Teams
Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1999–2001) New York Mets (2003–2004) Houston Astros (2004–2007) Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays (2007–2010) Boston Red Sox (2011) Cleveland Indians (2012)

Wheeler pitching for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008.

Daniel Michael Wheeler (born December 10, 1977, in Providence, Rhode Island) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Cleveland Indians organization.

Baseball career[link]

Wheeler attended the Pilgrim High School in Warwick, Rhode Island. He was drafted in the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft by the Devil Rays out of Central Arizona Junior College. In addition to the Rays, he has also played for the New York Mets, who traded him to the Houston Astros for minor leaguer Adam Seuss in 2004.

In 2005, Wheeler established himself as a top setup man for the Astros, going 2-3 with a 2.21 ERA in 71 games.

On October 19, 2005 during the National League Championship Series he recorded the last out at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, a fly ball which was caught by Astro Jason Lane in right field off the bat of Yadier Molina. He played on Team USA in the 2006 World Baseball Classic in the offseason.

On April 9, 2007, Wheeler became the Astros' closer, replacing Brad Lidge. However, Wheeler lost the closer job when Lidge overcame injury and returned to the team.

On July 28, 2007, Wheeler was traded back to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in exchange for third baseman Ty Wigginton.

He is one of four pitchers who have pitched in at least 70 games each of the four seasons from 2004–08, the others being Scott Schoeneweis (who has done so for five seasons), Bob Howry, and Chad Qualls.[1]

On December 17, 2010, the Boston Red Sox signed Wheeler to a 1-year, $3 million contract with a club option for 2012.^[1]

Wheeler was a non-roster invitee with the Cleveland Indians in 2012. He was added to the opening day roster on April 4, 2012. Wheeler was designated for assignment immediately following the game on May 13, 2012 against the Boston Red Sox in which he gave up six earned runs in one inning. After clearing waivers, Wheeler was outrighted to the Triple-A Columbus Clippers on May 16, 2012.^[2]

Chris Sampson incident[link]

After giving up four runs in the 8th inning and blowing a 3-2 Astros lead over the Oakland Athletics on June 13, 2007, Wheeler pushed fellow pitcher Chris Sampson in the dugout. Sampson was reportedly attempting to console Wheeler after another tough outing. Wheeler later apologized for his outburst and claimed he had no ill feelings toward Sampson, but he was called into manager Phil Garner's office after the game because of the incident.

References[link]

External links[link]

Baseball portal

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Dan Hughes is an American basketball head coach, most recently of the San Antonio Silver Stars of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Dan Hughes serves occasionally as an analyst for the Southland Conference Television Network.

Career[link]

Hughes graduated with a degree in physical education and history from Muskingum College in New Concord, Ohio, in 1977. He received a master's in education from Miami University in Ohio in 1978.

A native of Lowell, Ohio, Hughes has been involved in coaching basketball at almost every level in the Buckeye State. He served as the assistant coach with the University of Toledo's women's basketball program (1996–97) and men's basketball program (1991–96). During his tenure with the Rockets' women's team, they posted a 27–4 record, winning the MAC Championship, and made an NCAA Tournament appearance. He also served assistant coaching stints with the men's teams at Mount Union College (1982–84) and (1985–91) and Baldwin-Wallace College (1984–85). During the 1977–78 season, Hughes served as a graduate assistant at Miami, helping the team to a MAC Championship and an appearance in the NCAA Regionals.

Hughes got his first shot at coaching in the WNBA with the now defunct Charlotte Sting. While serving as an assistant coach during the 1999 season, Hughes took over as head coach midway through the season and helped the Sting improve their standing in the Eastern Conference from fourth to second place, posting a 10–10 record. He led the team to its third consecutive playoff appearance and its first ever playoff series victory. In addition to his coaching responsibilities in Charlotte, Hughes was also a scout for the Charlotte Hornets during the WNBA's offseason.

During his four-year stint with the Cleveland Rockers, Hughes posted a 66–64 record with three trips to the playoffs. His overall record with the Rockers made him the winningest coach in franchise history. In his first season in Cleveland, Hughes directed the team's resurgence from a 7–25 season in 1999 to a 17–15 finish in 2000 and was voted WNBA Coach of the Year runner-up. The following year Hughes was named 2001 WNBA Coach of the Year after leading the Rockers to a 22–10 record and to their second straight playoff appearance. The 2001 Rockers were one of the best defensive teams ever, posting defensive statistics that still rank amongst the best in the WNBA record books. Cleveland led the league in three defensive categories during the 2001 season, including opponents' points per game (55.9 ppg, first in league history), opponents' field goal percentage (.381, second in league history) and opponents' total rebounds (27.84 rpg). The Rockers finished second in point differential (+6.8 ppg) and opponents' defensive rebounds (18.56 drpg). Hughes' Rockers kept 11 teams to 50 points or less, three teams to under 40 points and five teams to their franchise low, including a WNBA record 34 points vs. Washington on May 31, 2001.

Currently, Hughes serves as the head coach and general manager of the San Antonio Silver Stars. In his dual roles, Hughes oversees the Silver Stars' basketball staff, the team's roster development and all player acquisitions, while also coaching the team.

The 2007 WNBA Coach of the Year, Hughes is the only coach in WNBA history to take three different franchises to the playoffs. He guided the 2008 Silver Stars to a 24–10 mark, earning the best record in the league and the franchise's first trip to the WNBA Finals. In eight full seasons as a WNBA head coach, Hughes has been named Coach of the Year or finished as runner-up four times.

References[link]

• Dan Hughes Biography from WNBA.com