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From hot dogs to the hot corner A few weeks ago, Khamis Zananiri was manning the snack bar during USF baseball games. Now, he's the team's starting third baseman |
| They're rewriting
a feel-good script at the University of San Francisco -- all because
of the big dreams of a snack bar worker. Just a few weeks ago, freshman Khamis Zananiri was the hot dog chef at Benedetti Diamond. Now, in a series of events made for the movies, the player no one wanted has become the starting third baseman for the Dons' baseball team. "They've got someone else doing the cooking, I guess," says Zananiri, the nobody kid from Balboa High who never figured into the Dons' plans. Hollywood immortalized the story of the hard-working walk-on athlete in "Rudy," the 1993 film about a working stiff in the mid-1970s who went from groundskeeper at Notre Dame to a two-year practice scrub. In the end, Rudy Ruettiger finally got to play football. Likewise, Khamis (pronounced Kuh-meece) Zananiri is making the most of his opportunity. He has become the Dons' second-leading hitter, with a .320 average. Since he left the snack shack for the starting lineup, USF has won six of eight. HARD WORKER "As a pure athlete, Khamis is probably along the lines of Rudy," coach Nino Giarratano says. "He's a below-average runner. He's a below-average thrower. He has below-average tools as an offensive player. He has below-average power. But I've never seen a kid work so hard." That important life lesson is not lost on a group of young men who call Zananiri their teammate. "You gotta hand it to a guy like him, coming in as a walk-on. . . . It's nice to see something like that happen," senior relief pitcher Peter Dunkle says. "He works so hard and cares so much. And he really is playing for all the right reasons." Zananiri says with a shrug: "All I figured was I'd show up to practice one day, work hard and see if I could play. But I never doubted for a minute that I could do this." It won't be easy to spot the stocky, 5-foot-10, 205-pound Zananiri this weekend when the Dons conclude their home schedule with a three-game series against rival Loyola Marymount. He wears whatever uniform is left on game days. It might bear the name of Jason Howard, the centerfielder lost earlier this season to a torn ligament. Or Luke Gradishar, who's out with a broken ankle. NO ATHLETIC PEDIGREE That's because Zananiri -- whose immigrant parents toil 365 days a year at the small family market in the Excelsior district, who used his 4.0 grade point average to land a much-needed academic scholarship to USF -- had no flashy high school pedigree to validate himself. Zananiri simply showed up at the first practice last fall and accepted what he got. Nothing. No uniform. No game appearances. No promises. Instead, Zananiri assumed the responsibilities of a walk-on player. He showed up early to unload equipment and drag the infield. He shagged balls. He stayed late to water the grass. Over the winter, Zananiri parked cars at USF basketball games to
earn his keep. When the season began, he watched games from his
spot in the snack bar. This is all coach Giarratano knew -- the kid who raked the infield dirt and grilled hot dogs at the snack stand was usually the first to arrive at practice every day and the last to leave. "When he would finish all of his work, then he'd go to the
batting cage and work some more," recalls Giarratano, who was
struck by Zananiri's commitment. Figuring he would be a spectator again, Zananiri stocked shelves
in the snack shop that morning, then went to study for a few hours.
A teammate caught him as he walked out of the library. In his first at-bat, Zananiri singled, moving a Dons' runner over
to scoring position. He later hit a sacrifice bunt, going 2-for-3
with one RBI and three runs scored. USF would sweep the three-game
series against the favored Gaels. And the Dons knew they were onto
something special. His father, Mufid, is originally from Ramallah in the West Bank. Mufid came to the United States from Jordan with his wife, Nahla, 21 years ago, and they proudly proclaim their U.S. citizenship. They have yet to see Khamis in a USF uniform. "We work seven days a week, so we don't have time to see him play baseball, " said Nahla, who urges her oldest son, a business major, to become the first in the family to earn a college degree. "But I know this much: He is something special. And I am glad everyone can see that now." Zananiri isn't content to be an asterisk on the Dons' roster. He wants to be a three-year starter. And yes, he'd like a uniform with his name on the back. One that fits. "I want to be the best I can be and help the team, and help the team win, obviously. Seriously. That's it," says Zananiri, who has some advice for the forgotten, for anyone like him who is hoping for a chance: "The hard work does pay off. Just stick with it. There's a
reason why you have your dreams. So don't give up on them."
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