Tom Kotchman, Casey's father, won his 1,500th game as a manager last night, beating the Dodgers' Pioneer League affiliate team, the Ogden Raptors, 5-3 in ten innings on the road.

"I didn't think about it at all until everyone started bringing it up," said the veteran coach. "All it means is you have been around a long time, you have had your health, and obviously you've had a lot of good players."

Kotchman said he started getting the good players in 1983 when he had Roger Clemens and a player by the name of Mike Brumley, Ogden's current manager.

Those names were followed by more big names like Garret Anderson, Troy Percival, Todd Green, John Lachey, Frankie Rodriguez. Of the 40 players on the Los Angeles Angels' roster, 27 were coached by Kotchman, including his son, Casey.

"Your job at his level is to teach the kids the game on the field and off. It's a different form of school," Kotchman said. "That is the part I like, that is the part that was most conducive for my family."

When Brumley learned the significance of the victory, he expressed his congratulations.

"Good for him, I'm just the guy to get it against," he said with a smile. "I think I was No. 1,000 for Bobby Jones. I seem to move guys up the list a lot.

"No, good for Tom. He's been there a long time, does a good job. He has made his mark on the game."