Kansas City, Mo. ? More than two months after abruptly stepping down as manager of the Seattle Mariners, Mike Hargrove has decided to take over the semi-pro summer team in southwest Kansas he played for more than 30 years ago.

Hargrove, 57, will manage the Liberal BeeJays, one of the nation’s most successful summer teams for college-age players in Liberal, Kan., about 50 miles from where he grew up in Perryton, Texas.

Hargrove resigned July 1 from the Mariners, saying he couldn’t muster the daily dedication he has demanded from players for his 151â2 seasons as a big-league manager. He left when Seattle was soaring at 12 games over .500.

“When I resigned from the team, I said I hadn’t lost my passion for the game but maybe lost my passion for the job a little bit,” Hargrove told the Associated Press in a telephone interview Friday. “Working with the BeeJays sounds interesting and exciting and fun…. And if I can help them then it’s the best of both worlds.”

Hargrove plans to spend June through August in Liberal, where he played first base for the BeeJays in the summer of 1972 while on the roster for Northwestern Oklahoma State University.

“He told me he wants to help the people who helped him get his start,” Bob Carlile, the BeeJays’ general manager, said.

Carlile, a longtime friend, played host to Hargrove’s son Andy in 2001 when he played for the team. He now plans to share his own house with both Hargrove and his wife, Sharon, for the summer season.

“He has a big house there all to himself,” Hargrove said. “I just told him that I snore so I should be far away from him.”

The team held a Mike Hargrove Night at its ballpark in late July, and Carlile and others asked the retired manager if he would consider the job. Carlile said Hargrove later agreed and has told him he doesn’t expect to be compensated. He should have to work only during the season, occasionally making recruiting calls or visits, Carlile said.

“Recruiting should be just a breeze this year, and I think this will bring national recognition to Liberal and help sell out games wherever we play,” team president Cheryl Collins said.

The BeeJays went 22-24 in the Jayhawk League this season and have struggled since winning the National Baseball Congress World Series in 2000.

Several major league players, including Troy Percival, Andy Phillips and Daniel Ortmeier, have spent summers with the BeeJays.

Hargrove played for the Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres and Cleveland Indians and later managed the Indians, the Baltimore Orioles and Mariners.

He finished his career with 1,188 wins and 1,173 losses and led Cleveland to five consecutive American League Central Division titles and two World Series appearances.