The Tampa Bay Devil Rays, then and now.

[Tobywan]

Jerome Walton #27-Outfielder


Jerome O'Terrell Walton was born on July 8, 1965 in Newnan, Georgia. Newnan is a small town located in Coweta County about 40 miles northeast of Atlanta, named after General David Newnan a veteran of the War of 1812 and the Seminole Wars. Jerome began playing a made up version of baseball with the neighborhood kids using rocks as balls, until his mother took him to the YMCA and signed him up to play little league when he was 8 years old. He asked for a "good glove" she got him one that was a little big, but it was a new quality made glove and he loved it. He was mostly reared by a loving but strict grandmother Susie Mae Walton and his mother Susie Ann Walton, it appears his biological father was not in the picture as his mother was just a teenager when he was born and he was given her family name. He grew up somewhat shy and was not much of a talker spending alot of time with his grandmother while his mother finished schooling and pursuing a life in ministry work. His grandmother died somewhat young in 1978 when Jerome was just 13, his mother married a minister named John Hudson and delved even further into religious works by his side. He attended Newnan High School where he lettered in three sports. He started on the varsity team in the tenth grade playing split end, running back and quarterback and doubled on defense as safety. On the basketball court he played guard and averaged 21 points per game and was a pitcher and third baseman in baseball for the Cougars. He played football for Coach Max Bass who amassed 27 winning seasons during his 29 year tenure which included Walton's presence on the 1981 region championship team.

The football and basketball scholarships were coming in, but no baseball team selected him in the draft out of high school, so he was contemplating which way to go. His baseball coach Joe Jordan assured him he would be drafted in a couple years. He went for a tryout at Enterprise-Ozark Community College in Enterprise, Alabama, Coach Ronnie Powell liked what he saw and offered him a scholarship to play for the Boll Weevils. In his first year he batted .190, Powell didn't like his stance, his legs were too close together and he kept "stepping in the bucket", he spread his legs more and more until he felt comfortable. He was having success with the stance in practice and simulated games. He pleaded with Powell to use the stance real games when the season started, in the first game of his sophomore season he hit a double and a homer, the "funky stance" was staying.

He hit .433 as a sophomore and was named All-Division, All-Tournament in the State Tournament in Montgomery and All-Region 22. He was a key in Enterprise State's winning the Southern Division Championship with a 15-5 record. Walton was named the Most Valuable Player for the Southern Division of the Alabama Junior College Conference. He pitched a complete game earning the team's only win in the 1986 state tournament. The Boll Weevils were playing in a multi-team tournament in Pensacola, Florida in the fall of 1985, among the 15 plus scouts in the stands, the tourney was going kind of late so coach Ronnie Powell urged them to stick around to see his sophomores in the final game, most didn't heed the advice. Only two scouts were still there when the Boll Weevil sophomores took the field at 11 pm.

One of them was Earl Winn of the Chicago Cubs, who timed Walton on his run from home to first after laying down a bunt and reaching base easily and couldn't believe the time on his stop watch. As Walton was trotting out to the field for the second half of the inning, Winn was at the dugout asking Powell if he could come to Enterprise and see Jerome, as they continued the discussion the inning ended. Powell called Jerome over and asked him if he would run for Winn after the game. Winn couldn't believe the time even after Jerome played a full game and had slipped on wet grass to start, he was sold. Winn convinced the Cubs to get moving on this kid and not wait until the June draft when there was sure to be a lot of interest and he got his wish.

Jerome was selected in the 2nd round (36th overall) of the January 14, 1986 amateur draft by the Chicago Cubs signing on May 12th. He was assigned to their Rookie class Wytheville Cubs of the Appalachian League where he batted .288 with 66 hits (5th), 48 runs (2nd), 21 stolen bases (tied for 3rd) and 28 walks in 66 games. He was the Appalachian League's Player of the Month for July and was selected to the league's postseason all-star team. The team came in fourth in the Northern Division. He was promoted to the Single-A Peoria Chiefs of the MIDW in 1987, he finished the
season 2nd in the league in on-base percentage at .452 as their starting collecting 158 hits (4th), 102 runs with 24 doubles, 49 stolen bases (2nd), 91 walks batting .335 (3rd). He also recorded 11 triples putting him 2nd that season and he was a mid-season and postseason all-star selection. The team finished second in the Southern Division.

In 1988 he was moved up to the Double-A Pittsfield Cubs in the EL, he won the batting title with a .331 average, which hadn't been done by a Pittsfield player since 1976. He finished with 137 hits (tied for 4th), 26 doubles (2nd), 64 runs, 42 stolen bases (4th) in 120 games with a .399 on-base percentage (2nd). He started in the Eastern League All-Star Game, had a triple and the game winning RBI and was selected to the league's postseason All-Star Team. Walton hit safely in 15 of 16 games from July 15 - July 31 (24-61-.393) with 9 multi-hit games. During the stretch he scored 13 runs and had 16 RBI's. They would go to the post season but lost in the semi-finals.

The Cubs coaching staff had become aware of his performances in the minors and were very impressed with that saw during the 1989 spring training drills. He especially caught the eye of Manager Don Zimmer. Just before camp opened in Mesa, Arizona, Zim started asking questions. He spoke with Cubs minor-league outfield instructor Jimmy Piersall and Cubs minor league hitting instructor Richie Zisk what they thought he might hit if he brought him up now, they both said .260. Good enough for Zim as he chose Walton to be his starting center fielder on Opening Day. He would be joining a roster that included Ryne Sandberg, Greg Maddux, Rick Sutcliffe, Andre Dawson and Mark Grace. Jerome appeared to be a text-book lead-off hitter, able to hit for average, consistently get on base and steal but the first thing noticeable was his unusual batting stance.

He made his Major League debut on April 4th as the lead off batter playing center field in front of 33, 361 faithful Cubs fans at Wrigley Field as they faced off against the Philadelphia Phillies on Opening Day. With Floyd Youmans taking the mound for the Phillies. Walton grounded out to third in his first at bat and he committed an error on the first ball hit to him off the bat of Mike Schmidt, things were starting out a little rough. In the 3rd he would get his first hit off Youmans, sending Joe Girardi to the plate to bring in the first run of the game. In the fifth he hit a bunt single to third, then grounded out in the 6th. The Cubs would get the victory and a win for Rick Sutcliffe by the score of 5-4.


By the beginning of May Walton was being hampered by a his hamstring, but had been down playing the injury and hiding the pain. He would rest a couple games and tell them it was feeling fine and they cleared him to keep playing. When he finally went to the disabled list on May 11th the trainers took heat, but they aren't psychic. He played 4 rehab games with the Iowa Cubs and was activated on June 11th.



Walton with Montreal Expos catcher Nelson Santovenia behind the plate at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL. Montreal won 5-1 on June 23, 1989.



Walton is tagged out at home by San Francisco Giants' Terry Kennedy as home plate umpire Ed Montague looks on at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, CA on July 1, 1989. Cubs won 3-2.


He picked back up right where he started, holding his own the rookie was putting up impressive numbers, he had a game in June where he stole 4 bases in one game, he had games in June and early July where he went 4-for 4, then on July 21st he would start a hitting streak. The Cubs were 3.5 games back of the Montreal Expos in the division on that date. When his hitting streak reached 15 games the team had trimmed the Expos lead to 2. On August 5th, Jerome would hit a single into right scoring Shawon Dunston for the go ahead run in a 4-2 come from behind victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates, putting the Cubbies in a tie with Montreal in the NL East Division as he was heading to 20 games. When his streak ended on August 20th he had hit in 30 consecutive games setting a franchise record by a rookie as the Cubs were now leading their division by 2.5 games. They never looked back. Despite the early injury and re-aggravating the hamstring near the end of the season, he finished his rookie season with a .293 BA (7th best in the NL). He collected 139 hits, 23 doubles and 24 stolen bases in 116 games (515 plate appearances) as he became an integral part of the Cubs success that year .

They won the NL East and he went along with them to the post season. They faced the San Francisco Giants in the NLCS, he batted .364 with 2 walks, 8 hits, 2 RBIs and 4 runs scored. In Game 5 he provided a hopeful lift for the Cubs when he hit a two-out, ninth-inning RBI single to bring the Cubs to within a run of San Francisco at 3-2. The next batter was Ryne Sandberg who grounded out ending the chance to come back and they
were eliminated from the series 4-1. The Giants were defeated in the World Series in a 4 game sweep at the hands of the Oakland Athletics.

He was voted the NL Rookie of the Year (the Cubs had back to back winners with Billy Williams in 1961 and Ken Hubbs in 1962) and become new fan favorite. He was also named to the Topps All-Star Rookie Team, was named the Sporting News Rookie Player of the Year and the Baseball Digest Rookie Player of the Year. He also was in serious consideration for a Rawlings Gold Glove Award. His teammate Dwight Smith finished second in the
Rookie of the Year voting. In the minors Smith and Walton were fast friends. When spring training opened in Mesa, AZ, Smith picked Walton up at Sky Harbor Airport and they joked about being the league's top two rookies. On May 1, Smith joined Walton in the Major Leagues and they were suddenly roommates and teammates and became inseparable.




With his newfound stardom came the abundant appearances and interviews, one reason he had never been much of a talker was due to a slight speech impediment. With a pay raise sure to come (he made $68,500 in the '89 season) along with paid events and endorsements he would now be able to have this corrected through speech lessons.

He wanted to be more loquacious to fulfill another dream of his, to speak to teens about staying in school and away from drugs. He also wanted to use some money to help his family, like buying a new home for his mother either one large enough to share or two close together. He always knew he wanted to use any success to give back to his community like providing a place for teens to play sports to keep them off the streets. Like his mother who counseled the hearts and minds of troubled youths through the word of God he wanted to help keep their hands busy and bodies strong through sports. Along with traveling all over for interviews, events and photo shoots during the off season, he wrote a book with co-writer Jim Langford about his first season in the big leagues. "Rookie:The Story of a Season" that was released in December 1989. It chronicles his journey to the majors and tries to inspire others to never give up on their dreams.



Jerome became a husband and father very young, marrying his high school sweetheart Cynthia, he was divorced young, too. In February 1990 while baseball was in the news due to a lockout he was making headlines not for baseball but for charges filed by his ex-wife claiming he hit her and threatened her life. His friends and family came to his defense, his former coaches as well. His basketball coach at Newnan, Terrell Reed, would recollect only one outburst. In his senior year during a football practice Walton and another boy were arguing. Reed ran to the field to intervene just as Jerome had cocked his arm back and hit the coach as he got between the boys. Reed knew it was an accident, ironically the fight was about Cynthia. The boys caught a two-day suspension for fighting and football coach Max Bass booted him off the team not only for the incident but because Walton had become lax in complying with the rules of keeping in shape. The punishment seemed to wake him up as he worked his rump off to get back on the team and he improved in both football that final season The alleged incident with his ex supposedly took place on January 1st, but she sought no medical attention. She lost credibility when she offered to drop the charge for money, Walton refused as he already supported her and their young son Jonathan even helping her out with her children from another relationship.

In March he was in the news again when Chicago media reported that once the lockout was lifted Walton hadn't showed up to camp in Mesa, AZ and was "holding out" over a salary dispute. While he and the Cubs were in negotiations and a bit apart on the amount according to him that wasn't the reason he didn't come early to camp. His contract renewal amount was $185,000, he wanted $270,000, the Cubs countered with $200,000, he refused, unable to come to an agreement the Cubs optioned the automatic renewal amount. While he missed the first 2 days of workouts he did report before the deadline and he claimed it was due to obligations he made before the decision to lift the lockout and was cleared by the team. Walton always felt he was given the runaround not only financially but with playing time and reputation as well. The media gave the Cubs organizations side as stating that he came into camp out of shape and didn't deserve as big of a raise as he wanted. Walton's side was they were cheap especially since the AL ROY Gregg Olson of the Baltimore Orioles was given 270,000 plus bonus incentives.



Through Jerome's rookie season a segment of Cubs fans were focused on keeping track of teammate Shawon Dunston, they implemented the "Shawon-O-Meter" to track the shortstops batting average, later it would transform into the "Jerome-O-meter". While Jerome's relationship with the Cubs continued to be tenious, his performance and health suffered as well. The Cubs would also go through many problems in the next few seasons. At the moment he still had his job as the starting centerfielder.



He would recieve tragic news from home on May 25th, his step brother Clifford Hudson had been shot in the back outside of a car wash where he worked. He wasn't able to tell the police who had done it when they arrived and he died at the hospital later from his wounds. Jerome was devestated. The next day the team was playing a double-header, he pinch hit in the first and did end up playing the second game and went home to Atlanta right after. It ended up being a bad year all the way around, tensions, a loss in his family, he was nagged with injuries all season (missing almost 60 games) and he slumped in between even getting benched. Then there were trade rumors, Walton even felt the team didn't want him anymore. He finished with a .263 ERA, scoring 63 runs, 16 doubles, 14 stolen bases, 50 walks and 103 hits in 101 games. The team didn't fair well either finishing 4th in the division.

Another off season, another salary negotiation and another low-ball offer (in Walton's opinion) he would re-sign with the Cubs for a slight raise of $210,000 for the 1991 season and of course he was unhappy. He started the season in his usual role, but he began to slump and his lead off role got taken away, later he would lose his starting job. The Cubbies were 10 games back heading into September. He started getting more play as the season came to a close and he was doing alright, but he was also asking to be traded. It was unclear if they were playing him because he had gotten hot or if they were showcasing him for a trade.He finished the season batting .219 an he had driven in just 17 runs and scored 42 with just 59 hits in 123 games.




The Cubs would finally give Walton a significant raise and avoid arbitration when the two sides agreed to a $525,000 salary. Jerome suffered a groin injury near the end of spring, he still thought he would be ready, he would tape it up and muddle through (once again down playing the injury), but the Cubs sent him to the the DL on March 31st. He was hoping to return to the club before the home stand on April 10th but Manager Jim Lefebvre sent him on a rehab assignment to the Triple-A Iowa Cubs of the American Association. He was informed he would be playing in left as while he was gone his role in center had been usurped by Sammy Sosa. Usually, a bit disgruntled with change he stated he'll play wherever they want him as long as he's on the field. By the time he returned on April 24th, however, not only had he lost his place in center field he would now be sharing time in left with Derrick May and he was not very pleased about it. He began to feel that he couldn't believe anything he was told. He batted just .127 then when trade talks heated up a couple weeks before the deadline the Cubs were adamant no deals were in place especially for Walton. Though there were several teams that claimed the Cubs turned down every offer. Jerome once again stated publicly he would welcome a trade, he was demoted instead, being sent to the Iowa Cubs on June 19th, catcher Rick Wilkins was brought up to take his roster spot. He ended up spending the rest of the season on the disabled list with lower back issues. It was speculated that he had been in pain throughout the year but once again was hiding it from the club. The Cubs now for the third year in a row since making the post season finished in 4th place.


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[Tobywan]

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Reportedly the team was trying to trade him during the off season, but claimed there were no bites, Walton found that hard to believe. They didn't even bother to offer him a contract he could dispute and he became a free agent on December 18th. He was bitter during those last few years with the Cubs, he, his family and friends were even vocal about it. The Chicago media painted him as a malcontent and a one season wonder. For a long time he put the blame for his problems squarely on how he was treated by the Cubs front office and management. There was even a time when he considered seriously about going to to Japan to play becoming disenchanted not only by Chicago but the Major Leagues. His uncle talked him out of it, encouraging him to stick it out, that things would get better. Seeing what his nephew went through and the shell he had become made him regret his words.The Cubs were having front office issues as well they went through three managers from 1991-1993. Now just a few seasons after he was an ROY and a key piece of the Cubs post season run he is waiting for the phone to ring hoping to get to play anywhere at this point. A few days before Christmas he was getting interest, things were looking up. Once his time with the Cubs was up, he was actually quite relieved and far removed he had time to reflect. He even admitted perhaps he brought a lot of the problems on himself by holding a grudge, he allowed it to get into his head perhaps he should have forgotten it and focused more on the game. On January 29, 1993 he signed a minor league contract with the California Angels with a contingency that if he makes the big league club he will be paid $450,000. He was invited to spring camp with the hope of a reserve outfield spot. By the middle of the spring training season resentment is setting in again, it wasn't long ago he was on top now he was fighting for a job, he got leaner in the off season, but was being given no promises. He did get named to the 25-man roster, but he had a scary moment during the first week of the season, on April 10th he was driving when he carelessly fumbled for his wallet that had fallen behind the driver's seat. In a few seconds he went over a curb and into a light pole. He was hospitalized but released in time to suit up for the game that night complaining only of a headache from hitting his head on the roof of his car. He was used sparingly as a pinch runner and hitter those first couple weeks, on April 18th he was optioned to the Triple-A Triple-A Vancouver Canadians of the PCL. After 54 games he was batting .313 with 55 hits, 34 runs scored and 20 RBIs but was released on August 20th.

Sometime during this period he got remarried to a lady named Michelle he had met from Alabama and started a second family.

He signed as a free agent with the Cincinnati Reds on November 4th. He came into the 1994 camp as a non-roster invitee and by Opening Day he was on the roster in a reserve spot. He started to have pain in his right foot due to a bunion then went to the DL on July 7th when it became inflamed. The Reds brought up outfielder Steve Pegues from Triple-A Indianapolis to replace him on the roster. He was activated on July 25th and they designated Pegues, but he went right back onto the disabled list three days later. The team acquired Brian Hunter from the Pittsburgh Pirates making him the reserve outfielder to replace Walton. With the strike shortened season he wouldn't make it back up with the team. He batted .309 in 46 games.



When the 1995 season finally got under way near the end of April, Walton was on the roster, as a back up to all outfield position and first base he managed to pull together a decent season playing behind the likes of Dieon and Reggie Sanders and Ron Gant. He stayed healthy for the most part and when Dieon Sanders was shipped off to San Francisco in July he got more playing time. He reached his 500th game in August, a huge milestone for someone that looked to be out of the game a couple of seasons ago. As a part time player he got into 102 games, scored 32 runs batting .290 as the Reds took the NL Central Division.



He would make the post season roster, he got into every game of the NLDS, but only 4 plate appearances getting just a walk, but the Reds would sweep the LA Dodgers 3-0. He would start Game 1 of the NLCS against the Atlanta Braves facing his old teammate and friend Dwight Smith.








Marquis Grissom of the Atlanta Braves clowns with Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jerome Walton before the start of Game 2 of the NLCS at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio on October 11, 1995


Unfortunately, he didn't perform very well, going 0-4, he also got a start in Game 4 going 0-3 as the Reds in turn got swept. The Braves would go on to defeat the Cleveland Indians in the World Series. Walton was not offered a contract, designated him then released him to become a free agent on December 21st.

He was drawing a lot interest when it came down to two teams the Baltimore Orioles and his home town Atlanta Braves, it had been a life long dream to play close to home so on January 3,1996 he signed a one-year contract for $520,000 with a club option for '97 with Atlanta. To make room for him on the roster pitcher Chris Brock was designated for assignment.



Walton slides home safely past the tag of New York Mets catcher Pedro Grifol during a March 1, 1996 spring training game in West Palm Beach, Florida

He started missing time with sore right hip and back that landed him on the disabled list on June 1st, it wasn't healing very well and he was in excruciating pain. A few weeks later he received a treatment with a steroid through an epidural hoping to shrink swelling around a bulging disc he was also trying acupuncture, even after surgery. He was batting .340 in 37 games before being injured and finished the season rehabbing with the Double-A Greenville Braves of the SOUL and the Triple- A Richmond Braves of the IL. His time with the Braves would be short lived as they did not exercise the option nor make him another offer and he was granted free agency on October 29th.

On December 18th he was signed with the Baltimore Orioles to a one-year minor league contract with incentives if he made the team. It would be a year of highs and lows for Walton, his step-father John Hudson who had been battling cancer for sometime passed away in March. He was assigned to the minor league camp, but was recalled just before the start of the season when injuries mounted and manager Davey Johnson added him to the 25-man roster. Aside from the recent loss in his family he was feeling healthy and playing well, he even had a 4 hit game om April 17th. Things were going well until the last week of April when he was once again felled by a hamstring injury that sent him to the disabled list on April 26th. The team recalled OF Tony Tarasco from Rochester of the International League to take his spot. He spent the majority of the season after aggravating the hamstring and having a procedure to remove a calcium deposit in his groin and to repair the incision from his last surgery. He even speculated that this may have been due to not being properly diagnosed the previous season. He rehabbed briefly with the High-A Frederick Keys of the Carolina League before being activated on August 31st to travel with the team to Miami for a series against the Florida Marlins. He received another terrible blow, his step-sister suffered complications during a surgery and died. He had originally been an only child until his mother married Minister John Hudson, he had children and they all grew close, now that added family was all gone. It was his mom and him again, as well of course, his family with Michelle. He returned home for the funeral then joined the team in New York just in time to get into the game on the 4th against the Yankees as a pinch hitter.



New York Yankees Derek Jeter takes a throw for a force on Baltimore Orioles Jerome Walton in the third inning on September 7, 1997.


He finished out the season even lifting the O's to a 7-6 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers with a 2 home runs on the final day of the season as they won the division title. Last season they had gotten in the play-offs by virtue of the wild card and were eliminated in NLCS by the NY Yankees. Much to everyone's surprised even Walton's he was named to the post season roster. He had only played 26 games between all the injuries. He was used very sparingly though in the NLDS getting just a handful of at bats between his appearances in Game 1 and Game 4, but they defeated the Yankees 3-2. They faced the Cleveland Indians in the NLCS, Walton didn't make an appearance until Game 6 and didn't get to bat, once again the Orioles were eliminated 4-2. The Indians would be defeated in the World Series by the Florida Marlins in seven games. He would become a free agent on October 30th.



He signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on January 27, 1998, he would have missed a couple days during the first week of spring games to go home for the birth of one of his children.






Devil Rays trainer Jamie Reed checks out a distressed Jerome Walton during a spring training game against the Detroit Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida. on March 15, 1998.




Spring training game against the Philadelphia Phillies at the Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida on March 13, 1998.

He was reunited with his long time friend Dwight Smith once again in spring camp with the Devil Rays but the hope of playing together again were dashed when Smith was released at the end of March, Walton was retained but he was assigned to minor league camp when the Rays opted to go with Mike Kelly, Bubba Trammell and Rich Butler. He considered asking for his release but figured other teams were set and he likely wasn't going to get a good offer so he accepted the assignment to the Triple-A Durham Bulls. When outfielder Mike Kelly was placed on the DL after being injured in the home opener Jerome's contract was purchased from the Bulls. He joined the team in Detroit during their first road trip but the game was rained out, so he accompanied the team to Chicago. While warming up he was the victim of some vicious verbal abuse from two White Sox fans who later moved on to Roberto Hernandez as he sat in the bull pen that led to the two fans being ejected. In his Devil Rays debut he went 1-3.




Walton bats against the Texas Rangers at Rangers at The Ball Park in Arlington, Texas on April 23, 1998. The Devil Rays defeated the Rangers 12-5.

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He was playing well when he started having back issues again at the beginning of May, he was optioned back to Durham on May 8th when Wade Boggs was activated, He had an MRI and was placed on the disabled list, at the time of his demotion he was batting .324, but when he was activated on May 26th he was released. He would not play the rest of the season.

On January 26, 1999 he signed a minor league contract with the NY Yankees and was invited to spring camp.



Photo Day at Legends Field in Tampa, Florida the spring home of the New York Yankees on February 26, 1999.




Walton bats at Legends Field against the Boston Red Sox during a spring game on March 6, 1999. The Red Sox won 7-4.

He was released on March 29th. Then on April 20th he signed with the Somerset Patriots of the independent Atlantic League, he was batting .377 after just 17 games and he was noticed by the Florida Marlins they sent him to their Triple-A affiliate the Calgary Cannons. He spent time time on the disabled list again in August, he batted .321 in 26 games never making it to the big club.

He played for the Campeche Piratas a Triple-A club of the Mexican League in 2000, he batted .282 in 39 games. Then after just 10 games with the Nashua Pride in the Atlantic League he called it a career.

His last MLB appearance was May 6, 1998 for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

He played parts of 10 major league seasons for 6 different teams finishing with a .269 BA with 423 hits, 241 runs, 77 doubles, 25 home runs, 132 RBIs, 58 stolen bases, 138 walks in 598 games.



Some years later he became an Instructor at Home Plate in Peachtree City, Georgia , he was in the middle of a season with one of his travel teams along with Marquis Grissom when he suffered a terrible accident in his yard. He was trimming trees and fell breaking his leg, he had several surgeries and at point he told he might lose the leg. The idea crushed him as not only was he loving his new career as a teacher but he still had that dream of owning his own facility, now that would have to wait while he tried to heal.

Along with his health he was troubled over his oldest son Jonathan's growing wrap sheet, for a few years he was arrested for public fighting, criminal trespassing, public intoxication, assault and domestic issues.




In his trophy room 2009


In June 2010 his beloved mother Susie Ann Walton Hudson passed away at the age of 61 after a long illness. Her minister husband had passed many years ago and after his death she had become certified to preach herself becoming a locally respected and known evangelist.



On February 12, 2011 Walton was part of a special ceremony during the Coweta Sports Hall of Fame induction banquet as they honored the Newnan High School 1981 Cougars. The team finished 13-2 and became only the third Newnan team ever to play for a state championship.

He became head coach of the Westlake High's baseball program leading them to the state playoffs three seasons in a row, his son Jarmar was a junior on the squad in 2013. His dream of owning his own baseball facility finally came to fruition when he found a group of men wanting to not only invest but also contribute their own time of knowledge of the game. After years of talking, searching for sites, scrapping some locations, personal lives and health issues he and partners Jonathan Sholar ,Walt Sholar and Brian McCartney opened the Center Field Baseball Academy on August 18, 2012 off of Hwy 34 near Newnan. 2013 team tryouts for five age-group teams attracted close to 150 athletes from 9-18. A high-school level team that’s compiled a 5-3 record that fall. The staff of coaches includes former East Coweta county and Newnan high school standouts Kieron Pope and Jesse Wierzbiecki, who had recently returned from an MVP season with the Houston Astros’ Class A affiliate, the Tri-City ValleyCats.




Owners/instructors Centerfield Baseball Academy

In January 2014 he participated in a baseball clinic and dinner in Montgomery, Alabama along with other ex- major leaguers like John Rocker,Steve Woodard and Lou Thornton.



Jerome resides in Riverdale, Georgia with his wife Michele they have 6 children Jermar, Jerrell, Jalen, Mikayla, Rene and Tiandria, along with his son Jonathan from his marriage to Cynthia. Jermar Walton received a scholarship from Kishwaukee College in Malta, IL and just completed his freshman year. Jerome's nephew Geremy Walton plays for the Tallahassee Community College Eagles and the Petersburg Generals in a summer league.






Jermar Walton



Geremy Walton

[Kingdom]

McGriff lives on.. #29 Fred "Crime Dog" McGriff, First Base, 28 yrs, Boston Red Sox - Out of the Park Baseball Report

[Tobywan]

Rick White #27 (51) -RHP


Richard Allen White was born on December 23, 1968 in Springfield, Ohio, he attended Kenton Ridge High School playing for the Cougars and graduating in 1987. He went on to play at Paducah Community College (West Kentucky Community and Technical College) playing for the Stars and obtained a degree in Applied Science.


He was selected in the 15th round (403rd overall pick) by the Pittsburgh Pirates during the June 4, 1990 MLB amateur draft, signing on June 7th. He was assigned to the Rookie Gulf Coast League Pirates and after 7 games, he was promoted to the A- Welland Pirates of the NYPL, he made 11 starts (16 games) going 4-5 with a 2.06 ERA pitching one complete game in 74.1 IP.





He began the 1991 season with the Single-A Augusta Pirates in the SALL and was promoted near the end of the season to the High-A Salem Buccaneers of the CARL. He was used predominantly as a reliever, finishing the season with a 6-7 record in 47 games, one complete game and 7 saves with a 3.70 ERA in 109.1 IP. He would start the 1992 season in Salem exclusively as a starter, he went 7-9 in 18 starts before being promoted to the Double-A Carolina Mudcats of the SOUL. He struggled there, going just 1-7 in 10 starts, he finished with an 8-16 record and a 3.94 ERA in 178.1 IP. Even with poor numbers he started the 1993 season with the Mudcats, he performed a bit better going 4-3 in 12 starts with one complete game, he was then promoted to their Triple-A Buffalo Bisons of the American Association in seven games he got 3 starts going 0-3, though the team finished in 2nd place in their division. He would pitch in the Puerto Rican Winter League, to get in some more work. With just seven games at Triple-A under his belt he would make the 1994 Pirates opening day roster as a member of the bull pen, to replace their closer Alejandro Pena who was still recovering from reconstructive surgery. The Pirates would start the season on the road with their first series in San Francisco. Rick made his major league debut in the last game of that series on April 6th at Candlestick Park. Danny Neagle had started the game for the Pirates, he was relieved in the 7th after giving up a home run to Barry Bonds which tied the game 2-2, then a double to Todd Benzinger. Mark Dewey came in and the Giants scored two more runs giving them the lead 4-2. White came in to pitch in the bottom of the 8th getting Robby Thompson, Willie McGee and Matt Williams all to ground out. The Pirates were retired in order in the 9th and the 4-2 loss for Neagle.








He recorded his first save on April 12th against the San Diego Padres and his first win on April 15th against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was promoted to the starting rotation in mid-July to replace Paul Wagner, just a month later the season would end due to the strike. He finished his rookie year with a 4-5 record, a 3.82 ERA in 43 games, 5 starts, 23 games finished and 6 saves in 75.1 IP. Out of boredom White and teammate Paul Wagner worked a construction job during part of the time off from the strike, they converted a friends restaurant for $10 an hour. Perhaps he should have rested during the off season as he wound up going on the disabled list before the end of spring training with a sprained UCL ligament. He was activated on May 17th, but struggled and was optioned to the Triple-A Calgary Cannons of the PCL on June 22nd before being shut down for the season with arm issues. After unsuccessfully trying to rehab the elbow he opted for Tommy John surgery in December, he was granted free agency and re-signed with the Pirates on December 21st.

During his long time off recovering he got married to Corie Ann (nee Puckett) in July 1996, at the end of the season he pitched a handful of rehab games between the GCL Pirates and the Carolina Mudcats, pitching just 18.1 innings. Coming back from surgery he was informed by the Pirates that he would have to prove himself, after 6 years already with the organization. They offered him a contract less then his previous one and with little security. They weren't going to keep him on the 40-man roster and he would have to try out in spring to see if he would make the team. He figured if he was going to have to start from the beginning, he would do it with a new uniform, he opted to put himself on the market becoming a free agent on October 15th.



He had a few offers on the table but when he heard there was going to be brand new teams added to MLB he decided to attend one of the open tryouts being held at Huggins-Stengel Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays liked what they saw and on February 4, 1997 signed him to a 2 year deal.
He was the first pitcher signed by the club, they didn't even have a functioning minor league system yet, he would have to essentially be on "loan" to the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs in Orlando. He would go back to riding buses and playing with younger guys on a team that had no stake in his progress, but for this aggravation he was making a major league salary as a show of "good faith" by General Manager Chuck LaMar. He began to second guess his career path when his first daughter was born at the end of February, just as he had to embark on the unknown at spring training camp. He held little Alexis as much as could, leaving her and his wife alone grappling with his heart and mind on whether this was all worth it. He spent the 1997 season with the Double-A Orlando Rays of the Southern League, he stayed healthy appearing in 39 games with 8 starts, 22 games finished, 12 saves and a 5-7 record with a 4.71 ERA. When spring training approached he was hoping to crack the Devil Rays starting rotation, but the team felt they drafted well and with the signing of Cuban pitcher Rolando Arrojo for $7M it was looking more like White could only hope for a bull pen spot.



Pitching during a spring training game against the Texas Rangers at the Charlotte County Stadium in Port Charlotte, Florida on March 10, 1998. The Rangers won the game, 10-5


White would be grateful as long as he played, he had what could have been a career ending injury and he tried to remember that. However, when cuts were made the last week of camp, White was one of them. He would be assigned to the Triple-A Durham Bulls, but after going 4-2 in 9 starts for the Bulls with a 4.22 ERA, his contract was purchased by the Rays on May 31st as injuries to the pitching staff mounted. He made his first appearance as a Devil Ray that night getting a start at Tropicana Field against the Seattle Mariners. The first batter he faced was Joey Cora, who singled, then he hit Alex Rodriguez, Cora would later score on a single off of David Segui. He would give up 5 runs on 7 hits (including two homers, walked 2 and struck out 3, finishing the game with a 13.50 ERA in 3.1 innings. He gave way to Julio Santana who gave up 2 runs, then Scott Aldred gave up 3 and Albie Lopez one run before Jim Mecir closed it out, with Rick White taking the 11-6 loss.




White bats during inter-league action against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium on June 10, 1998. The Mets won 3-2.



He finished the '98 season going 2-6 in 38 appearances in 68.2 IP. On March 3, 1999, the final negotiations on salary were not going White's way, the Rays option renewal was $255,000, he wanted more, the Rays countered but he declined so the team exercised the option amount. Putting the money issue aside, Rick did finish camp s a member of the Devil Rays 25-man opening day roster as a member of the bull pen. He started the season strong, going into May he had a 2.11 ERA but after a rough inning in a brutal 20-11 loss against the Indians in Cleveland he couldn't seem to hold or close any games with complete command. He was involved in an unfortunate incident on May 12th when he collided with Jim Mecir in the outfield while chasing a fly ball during batting practice. White was unscathed but Mecir broke his elbow and was out the rest of the season. He finished the season going 5-3 with a 4.08 ERA in 63 appearances mostly in middle relief and set up. He would get a significant raise signing a one-year $610,000 contract avoiding arbitration for the 2000 season. He came into camp with a fresh attitude and a new look, a thick black goatee and a shaved head. He would once again be part of the opening day roster.




Devil Rays VS Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards on April 20, 2000, Rays won 5-3.



He was 3-6 with 2 saves and a 3.41 ERA when he was traded along with fan favorite Bubba Trammell to the New York Mets for OF Jason Tyner and a pitcher Paul Wilson on July 26, 2000. It would turn out to be a breath of life for the exiting Rays. Heading to September he was 2-0 with a save and had given up only two
earned runs in 14 1/3 innings, with nine strikeouts and four walks. He enjoyed being part of a contending team, the atmosphere was completely different then the disgruntled one in Tampa Bay. He finished the season going 2-3 in 22 appearances with a 3.81 ERA with one save in 28.1 innings.







Japan's prime minister Yoshiro Mori visits the Mets' dugout on September 8, 2000. Pictured: Rick White, Turk Wendall, Joe Ewing, Bobby Jones and Bobby Valentine. Mori was in NYC for the UN Millennium Summit and was invited to throw out the first pitch.


He was an important piece of the pen as the Mets would earn a National League Wild Card berth. Facing the San Francisco Giants in the NLDS, he would pitch in Game 1, facing 6 batters, he let up 4 hits gave up no runs in a 5-1 loss for the Mets at Pacific Bell Park in SF. He then pitched the 2 final innings of Game 3, keeping the Giants scoreless while striking out four at Shea Stadium. He would get the victory when Benny Agbayani hit a walk off homer in the 13th for the 3-2 win. They defeated the Giants in the series 3-1. They took on the St Louis Cardinals in the NLCS, Rick made only one appearance in Game 3, he came in to pitch at the top of the 5th, the Mets were already down 5-2. In 3 innings he allowed 3 runs on 5 hits, walking one and striking out one in the only Mets loss, they moved on to the World Series eliminating the Cards 4-1. The championship would end up being a Subway Series between the Mets and the New York Yankees complete with all the fanfare that goes into such a match-up. The Yankees would take the first game in extra innings by a score of 4-3. Game 2 was started by Mike Hampton with Roger Clemons going for the Yanks, there had already been a bit of drama. In the first inning Met's catcher Mike Piazza hit a pitch from Clemens, his bat shattered and Clemens picked up the head and threw it towards Piazza running to first, though the ball actually went foul. The benches cleared, but things settled down with no real fight breaking out. White would enter during the seventh inning to relieve Glendon Rusch, the Yankees were ahead 4-0, he inherited 2 runners, Jorge Posada on third and Paul O'Neill on second.





The first batter he faced was Scott Brosius who hit a fly ball to right scoring Posada to make it 5-0, he then struck out Jose Vizcaino to end the inning. White came into start the 8th inning, the score was still 5-0, he got Chuck Knoblauch to ground out, then Derek Jeter doubled, David Justice also grounded out and he intentionally walked Bernie Williams. He was lifted for Dennis Cook who let up a single to Tino Martinez scoring Jeter, then ended the inning with the ground out of Posada. The Mets headed into the 9th down 6-0, when the bats finally came a live, Mike Pizza hit a 2 run homer, more runners got on, then Jay Payton hit a home run to make it 6-5, but Kurt Abbott struck out looking to end the rally and taking a loss. White didn't get into another game, the Mets won game 3 but lost the next two, giving the New York Yankees their 26th championship. Even though his post season was a bit inconsistent it is part of every young baseball fan's dream to be in the World Series, White's dream started in the streets of Springfield with his buddies pretending to be their favorite Cincinnati Red's players. He started the year with hope as the Devil Rays tried to load up on power but that hope soon faded as once again injuries mounted in the pitching staff and the big bats of the "Hit Show". His hope was restored when he was traded to the Mets and got to fulfill that dream. He finished the season 5-9 with a 3.52 ERA in 66 appearances with 3 saves. He also made some good friends on the Mets like Turk Wendell and Rick Reed by virtue of their shared love of the outdoors, specifically hunting. The three of them took a hunting trip together to Saskatchewan during the off season.


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Through the 2001 spring training season there were contradictory reports that White was either the main candidate for long relief or he was going to be traded as the Mets had a slight log jam of relievers. He pitched well and as the season got closer it appeared he was a shoe in to stay a Met as a key piece of the bull pen, but he ended up getting injured during the last week of camp being placed on the disabled list with inflammation in his elbow. He missed 16 games before being activated on April 22nd to make room for him they outrighted IF Mark Johnson to Triple-A Norfolk. Less than 2 weeks later he was on the DL again with a strain to his rotator cuff, he came back on May 17th and began establishing himself as the set up man for John Franco. His dependability eventually led to his good friend Turk Wendell and Dennis Cook being dealt to the Philadelphia Phillies near the end of July. By mid August they were 13 and a half games out of first and it was looking bleak that they would repeat an appearance in the play-offs. On the evening of September 10, 2001 Rick and his Mets teammates arrived in Pittsburgh for a series against the Pirates. They arrived somewhat late as they spent their day off enjoying Miami after finishing up a series with the Florida Marlins where they won 3 of a 4 game set. Rick was accompanied by his wife and 2 young daughters on this road trip, so no sleeping in the next morning for them, the girls were up early watching cartoons. Some players were sleeping in before having to report to the stadium, others were glued to news reports, others woken up by friends and family wondering if they knew about the tragedy unfolding in New York City that Tuesday morning. Everyone was in a daze, everyone was relaying stories. Mike Piazza had a friend that lived a couple blocks from the World Trade Center, she relayed the scene as a "war zone", everything was shut down. Many knew people that were located near or at the towers. Manager Bobby Valentine's financial advisor worked in one, a cousin of Lenny Harris' wife Carnettia worked there as well and didn't know if he was safe. Reliever John Franco knew many people working at the WTC and had family not very far from the site, but he had gotten word his daughter Nicole had already been picked up from school and his family was safe. Mark Johnson was worried about a college friend and teammate from Dartmouth who works there as well as his father-in-law who often does business at one of the towers and two sisters-in-law who lived in Manhattan. His wife called to tell him they were all OK. Rick White had some friends on the police force and a couple who were firemen. After the Pentagon was hit and the other plane went down in Pennsylvania his wife Corie was panicking she wanted to out of Pittsburgh, big cities on the east coast seemed to be targets. They were staying at the Westin Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh which was located across the street from a federal building, so the hotel made arrangements to move everyone out by securing rooms in Monroeville, away from downtown, away from the airport. Some players thought about renting cars and driving to their off season homes or to relatives, but word came from team officials to stay together. Al Leiter had not traveled with the team, he had gone home to NY to see his daughter off for her first day of school on Monday, they were worried about him, he had already gotten to LaGuardia Airport waiting for his flight to Pittsburgh as the planes were being plunged into the WTC. All flights were canceled, he rented a car to drive to Philadelphia with the idea he could catch a plane to Pittsburgh from there, when he got word that all air traffic was grounded and games had been canceled. They had the same emotions as the rest of the nation, fear of what else was coming, sadness and grief for those directly affected and anger, who would do such a thing? While the team was in Pittsburgh watching events unfold, the parking lot of Shea Stadium doubled as a staging area for some of the rescue operations. When play resumed a week later at PNC they swept the Pirates. They would face the Atlanta Braves in the first game played in New York after the attacks on September 21st. Playing one of their biggest rivals on a night where they not only remembered those lost but celebrated the human spirit of survival and perseverance, the two teams greeted each other as fellow countryman rather than long time opponents.




Chipper Jones of the Atlanta Braves embraces Rick White of the NY Mets prior to the first game at Shea Stadium following 9/11.


While their step-brothers the New York Yankees may have a bigger fan base with an longer more storied history the Mets would continue their miracle ways by becoming a small part in starting the healing process for the city of New York and bringing it back to life. It seems fitting that the Mets golden boy of the day Mike Piazza would hit a home run that still resonates as one of "those moments" of the game. Rick White feels blessed to have witnessed it and he recalls that time as one of the highlights of his career. The Mets would win that game and the series, however they would finish 3rd in the division and not make a repeat appearance in the post season. Despite his numbers being similar to the previous season while being on the disabled list twice, the team did not offer him salary arbitration and he became a free agent on December 21st.



He signed with the Colorado Rockies on January 10, 2002 to a one year $1M deal. He would be a part of their 25-man roster in the bull pen, at first he thought he was up for the challenge of Coors Field. He was wrong, he struggled, he tried to adjust his mechanics and it probably led to the shoulder inflammation that put him on the disabled list near the end of May. He pitched 2 rehab games for the Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox of the PCL before returning on June 18th. After going 2-6 with a 6.20 ERA in 40.2 IP he was designated for assignment and released on August 12th. In a way it was good timing as he was able to be home for the birth of his son Hunter, then the St Louis Cardinals called and he had a job again signing a minor league deal with them on the 18th. He was assigned to the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds in the PCL making just 3 appearances before his contract was purchased on the 24th. When he joined the Cardinals they were still grieving the loss of their ace Darryl Kile who had passed away in June as well as making a push for the post season. He went 3-1 in 20 appearances with a 0.82 ERA as the Cardinals won the NL Central Division title, he credited his resurgence to some tweaking by St. Louis pitching coach Dave Duncan. He was added to the post season roster for the NLDS against the Arizona Diamondbacks, but didn't appear in Game 1 when the Cards easily won 12-2 at Bank One Ballpark. He would get into Game 2 the next night, Chuck Finley had started, pitching 6.1 innings before being lifted for Steve Kline in the 7th who put 2 runners on with 2 outs. The Cards had a 1-0 lead before Kline was replaced by White who got Junior Spivey to groundout to end the inning. It was still 1-0 when White started the 8th, after Greg Colbrunn reached on an error he retired Matt Wiliams and Steve Finley. He then let up a double to Quinton McCracken which scored Colbrunn, after he walked Damian Miller he was relieved by Jeff Fassero who got Mark Grace to fly out ending the inning. White was credited with a blown save, the Cardinals would score in the 9th and end up with the 2-1 win.




Rick White waves (Mike Crudale on his left) to the home crowd during player introductions before Game 3 of the NLDS against the Arizona Diamondbacks on October 5, 2002.



The teams headed to Busch Stadium for Game 3, Andy Benes would get the start giving up 3 runs only lasting 4.2 innings, as Jeff Fassero took over with the Cardinals barely leading 4-3 becoming the pitcher of record. White would start the 7th retiring the side for the hold as the Cardinals went on to win 6-3 and sweeping the series. They would face the San Francisco Giants in the NLCS losing the first game at Busch 9-6. Game 2 was started by Woody Williams who pitched 6 innings giving up 3 runs, White started the 7th inning with the Cardinals behind 3-0 and retired the side. He began the 8th by walking Rich Aurilia then struck out Jeff Kent before being lifted for Jeff Fassero. The Cardinals would get on the board with a home run from pinch hitter Eduardo Perez, but lose the game 4-1. The series moved to San Francisco on October 12th and there was an honorary player in the dugout, Darryl Kile's 5 year old son Kannon dressed in a replica of his Dad's jersey. The Giants graciously paid tribute to Kile and even introduced Kannon with the team during the opening ceremonies as the crowd gave him a very nice ovation at Pacific Bell Park.





Kannon seemed to bring good luck as the Cardinals would get off to a 4-1 lead in the 5th inning for starter Chuck Finley. However, Finley would give up a three run homer to Barry Bonds to tie the game 4-4. then Eli Marrero would give the lead back to the Cardinals with a solo shot in the 6th inning. White came in to relieve Steve Kline in the 8th, he faced only Rich Aurilia getting him to ground out to end the inning. There would be no more scoring as the Cardinals won 5-4. Andy Benes started Game 4 and had a 2-0 lead, but gave up back to back walks in the 6th to Jeff Kent and Barry Bonds. He was then lifted for White who got Benito Santiago to strike out looking. He then faced JT Snow who hit a double allowing both runners to score then struck out Reggie Saunders to end the inning. He started the 7th with the game still tied 2-2 and retired the side in order. He began the 8th solid retiring Aurilia and Kent, then intentionally walked Bonds. The next batter was Benito Santiago who launched one deep for 2 runs, putting the Giants in the lead 4-2 and was promptly pulled for Kline. The Cardinals scored one run in the 9th but came up short losing 4-3, they would also lose Game 5 being eliminated. The Giants would lose the 2002 World Series in an exciting seven games to the Anaheim Angels. He became a free agent on October 29th, he was hoping to re-sign but didn't like the team's $900,000 final offer. He signed a one year deal with the Chicago White Sox on January 23, 2003 for $600,000 plus incentives a $1.3 million club option with a $150,000 buyout for 2004. He was hopeful in spring training but things went sour quickly as he along with others were vocally critical of Manager Jerry Manuel's inconsistent line-up and handling of the pitching
staff.







First baseman Paul Konerko congratulates White after his only save for the White Sox as they defeated the Kansas City Royals 8-2 at U.S. Cellular Field on April 17, 2003.


In 47.2 IP his ERA blew up to 6.61, a newspaper article in mid-July expressed a slew of issues White laid out against Manuel by the beginning of August he was designated and was released on the 11th. He signed as a free agent with the Houston Astros on August 14th. His ERA dropped to 3.72 as he finished out the season and he once again became a free agent on October 27, 2003.



He signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers on January 26, 2004, he was among some of the last cuts in spring training before being sent to minor league camp assigned to their Triple-A affiliate the Las Vegas 51's of the Pacific Coast League. He was told by the Dodgers if a major league team came calling they wouldn't hold him back.



He made 6 appearances with 2 saves having not allowed a run and walked one batter in 11.2 innings when he drew interest from the Cleveland Indians. So the Dodgers traded him for Trey Dyson (minors) on April 25th a move that made his mother proud, unlike the rest of the family she was a life long Tribe fan. His contract was immediately purchased from Triple-A Buffalo Bisons as he joined the Indians bull pen, which had been a mess since the start of the season. To make room for White they placed Josh Bard on the 60-day disabled list and sent RHP Jason Anderson back to Buffalo. The staff was last in the American League mostly due to the pen's 7.62 ERA. His May 17th appearance marked the 400th game of his career.



Pitching against the Atlanta Braves on June 19, 2004 at Turner Field in Atlanta, GA, taking a 4-0 loss.



He finished the season going 5-5 with a 5.29 ERA in 78.1 IP as the Indians ended up in 3rd place under.500. He became a free agent on November 1st. He would once again be a Pittsburgh Pirate when he signed a minor league deal on January 27, 2005 and was assigned to their Triple-A Indianapolis during spring camp. He was going up against Mark Corey and Joe Roa among a crowd of relievers. He was happy to be back, he had a special fondness for Pittsburgh, he met his wife there in '94, they drafted him and started his career. Midway through March he strained a muscle in his rib cage, but plowed through, coming back the ending week of camp and taking the last available bull pen spot, his contract was purchased on March 30th.



Rick White in action against the Atlanta Braves on June 5, 2005 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.





Pitching against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Mo. on June 26, 2005. Pittsburgh victorious in 10 innings, 5-4.


He was very interested in staying, during the last few weeks of the season his agent, Dan Horwits, was trying to negotiate with GM Dave Littlefield about a possible extension. He went 4-7 in 71 appearances with a 3.72 ERA, he posted 2 saves and pitched 75 innings. The team took its time getting back with an offer, same terms as last season, a minor league spring training invite with a $475,000 salary if he made the roster. He declined and was granted free agency on October 28th.
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While he was entertaining whether to take an offer from the Yankees or the Red Sox he got one from the Cincinnati Reds. He would finally have a chance to play for his childhood home team when he signed with them on February 1, 2006. He was signed by interim GM Brad Kullman to a one-year, $600,000 contract with a potential $300,000 in performance bonuses. White's appearance on the field at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, FL, the Reds spring training venue, caused a bit of a stir. The Reds had just made a trade with the Red Sox in the middle of spring for Bronson Arroyo so when he showed up along side a bulky, bald guy sporting a beard and no name on his shirt many thought the team might have pulled off a really great deal by nabbing David Wells, too. Turned out it was just Rick White. His dream wasn't working out so well as he had started out the season a little rocky, his ERA was up (6.26) but he turned it around and was pitching much better by the end of May. He blamed his trouble on trying to do too much earlier in the season. He was having a new house built in Springfield while still fixing up a farm in Kentucky that he had purchased (as a getaway) and was trying to commute back and forth. Now with his home team he was getting a lot of requests for tickets and people at home clamoring for his time. He was stretched until Ken Griffey Jr. advised him he had to get tough and just say no, the same thing had happened to him the first two seasons in Cincinnati as he grew up there when his father Griffey Sr. played for the Reds. White stopped the commuting and eased back on dividing his time, focusing on his job and it worked.




Whites pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio on May 2, 2006. The Reds defeated the Cardinals 3-2.


Coming out of the All-Star break, White had posted a 3.55 ERA in his last 10 outings. He didn't give up a run in eight of those 10 outings but on June 18th he was designated for assignment. He felt they gave up on him too early and lashed out a bit telling them and the press that he wasn't the problem. His time in Cincinnati was done when he was selected off waivers by the Philadelphia Phillies on June 23rd.




He finished the season going 3-1 with a 4.34 ERA in 37.1 IP. He was once again a free agent on October 31st. On February 2, 2007 he signed a minor league deal with the Houston Astros making the opening day roster when his contract was purchased from the Triple-A Round Rock Express on March 31st.




White of the Houston Astros pitches during the game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois on April 10, 2007. The Astros defeated the Cubs 4-2

On April 25th against the Pittsburgh Pirates White pulled a muscle on his side while warming up in the bull pen, not to be out done by an opponent, Pirates catcher Humberto Cota injured his left shoulder warming up pitchers. The Pirates ended up the victor of a 16 inning marathon that night as both players went to the DL, Rick's strained oblique kept him out almost 2 weeks. After 2 rehabs games with the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks in the Texas League he was activated on May 11th. On May 27th he pitched in his 600th game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, but his ERA had gone through the roof. Just a few days later he would return to the DL with a pinched nerve in his neck. He was activated on June 16th, but after a few ineffective outings he was released on June 28th.

On August 5, 2007, he signed with the Seattle Mariners sending him to their Triple-A team the Tacoma Rainiers of the PCL. Just a few weeks later on August 23rd his contract was purchased and he joined the team in Arlington to take on the Texas Rangers. He made just 6 appearances before being placed on irrevocable waivers to give him his unconditional release on September 6th.

He formally announced his retirement in October making his last appearance on September 5, 2007.
He pitched in 12 Major League seasons for 11 different teams he finished with a 42-54 record, a 4.45 ERA with 542 strike outs 16 saves with 18 starts and 172 games finished in 858.2 IP.


He didn't stay unemployed long when he took a job at Wittenberg University as an assistant baseball coach in February 2008.



In the summer of 2010, he hosted Rick White's Rising Stars Springfield Tiger Classic, a collaborative youth baseball and softball tournament for regional
teams. The tournament annually raises money to help improve baseball facilities in Springfield.



Rick and Corie 2010

When his daughter Alexis started at Kenton Ridge High School in 2011 and made the volleyball team, he jokingly told her coach Lori Saunders that he could help out by keeping the girls in shape. She took him up on it and he became the volunteer conditioning coach. He implemented a lot of the same drills he uses for the boys baseball team at Wittenberg.



In 2013 White was hired to be the General Manager of the Champion City Kings in the collegiate Prospect League. Known formerly as the Slippery Rock Sliders the team had been sold and moved, in October 2013 they secured Carlton Davidson Stadium in Springfield, Ohio and began play in 2014.








GM Rick White with team mascot Fastpaw.



Rick still resides in his hometown of Springfield, Ohio with his wife Corrie, they have three children Alexis, Dakota and Hunter.
Corrie is an artist and has had her work shown at art galleries and festivals in Springfield. Rick divides his time between family, coaching at Whitenberg, as GM of the Kings, hosting baseball camps and hunting.



He is listed as one of the future participants in the Tampa Bay Stars Coaches camp that will be held January 4-9, 2015 at the Oceola Complex in Kissimmee, Florida.

[Tobywan]

Randy Winn # 2 -Outfielder

Dwight Randolph Winn was born on June 9, 1974 in Los Angeles, California, but grew up in the San Francisco Bay area. Even though he is named after his father he has never publicly added Jr to his name. Dwight coached Randy and his brother Kyle throughout their little league years. Randy attended San Ramon Valley High School (Danville, CA) and was a star on the baseball and basketball team. San Ramon reached the basketball state finals in 1991 and 1992 but ended up 2nd both years while Winn was a member of the Wolves. He was also two-time All-League in both baseball and basketball. He was selected the Oakland Tribune Scholar-Athlete of the Year in '92. He was interested in attending and was accepted at UC Davis and the Air Force Academy, but they would only allow him to walk on in basketball. The big star at San Ramon was his teammate Kevin Dunne and while Santa Clara University recruiters were looking at him they also noticed Randy. His 3.6 grade point average as a senior, 17 points, 5 assists and 63 percent in field-goal attempts got their attention. They were a Division I school and would let him play both sports, so he entered as a business major. One of his teammates (and roommate) was future NBA guard and Most Valuable Player Steve Nash. Winn was on the bench the night the 15th-seeded Broncos upset 2nd-seeded Arizona during the 1993 NCAA tournament at Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.




Randy Winn with the Santa Clara Broncos in 1993.



Due to Nash being such an outstanding player, leaps and bounds over Winn he had an indirect role in Winn's career choice. Nash was a rising basketball star and Winn was a bench warmer. Thier coach Dick Davey also helped in steering Randy towards a baseball career, then during summer-league, a scout also thought he might be able to make a go of it in professional baseball. So, he gave up the hoops and focused on the bats. In his only full season of baseball as a Bronco in 1995, Winn batted .294 with 30 steals in 35 attempts as an All-West Coast Conference All-Star outfielder. He was selected in the third round (65th overall) of the June 1, 1995 MLB amateur draft by the Florida Marlins, signing on June 10th. He was assigned to the Minor-A Elmira Pioneers of the NYPL. It is reported that this was the year he experimented with switch hitting. He finished the season with 67 hits, 38 runs, 7 doubles, 4 triples and 19 stolen bases with a .315 BA but the team finished 6th (last). He finished up his marketing degree during the off season. In 1996 he was moved up to the Single-A Kane County Cougars of the Midwest League, batting .270 in 130 games with 139 hits, 90 runs scored, 16 doubles and 30 steals but once again he was on a last place team (5th) .




He played the majority of the 1997 season with the High-A Brevard County Manatees of the FSL, but was promoted to the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs in the Eastern League. He played in 132 games finishing with a .298 BA with 157 hits, 92 runs 23 doubles, 8 triples and 51 stolen bases. They finished the season first in their division but ended up losing the EL Championship Series 3-1 to the Harrisburg Senators. He played in the Hawaiian Winter Baseball League with the Maui Stingrays where he perfected his ability as a switch hitter.



He was selected as the 29th pick in the November 18, 1997 expansion draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.


He would not make the 1998 inaugural opening day roster as he was assigned to the minor league camp on March 14th and starting the season with the Durham Bulls of the IL. He had played in just 29 games at the Triple-A level when he was called up as injuries mounted for the big club. He made his major league debut at Tropicana Field on May 11th coming into the 8th in a 4-2 Devil Rays lead. After Fred McGriff struck out, DH Paul Sorrento singled, Randy came in to pinch run for Sorrento, then Mike Kelly struck out. While John Flaherty was at the plate, Winn was caught stealing which ended the inning. Roberto Hernandez retired the side in the 9th for the win. He collected his first hit on May 14th off of Kansas City Royals pitcher Scott Service.



May 15, 1998 VS Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards, Rays won 4-1.


He went 2- for- 4 in his first start on the May 15th against the Orioles and his first steal on the 18th. On May 26th Winn would have a chance to play in front of friends and family when the Devil Rays first road trip to the west coast included a 2 game set with the Oakland Athletics. It was also a homecoming for teammate Bobby Smith. Though they attended different schools in the San Francisco area they did face each other once in a tournament. They tell differing stories on who bested who in playing each other.



Winn gets past Oakland Athletics catcher A.J. Hinch who is unable to hold the ball as homeplate umpire Gary Cederstrom oversees the play. Devil Rays defeated the A's, 7-2 on May 26, 1998.

He split the first two months between starting and pinch hitting or running, but by June he was a regular in the starting line up, he even had a four hit game in July 3rd. He recorded his first home run on July 29th off Jim Parque of the Chicago White Sox at US Cellular Field, Win went 3-for-5 that day in a 7-2 Devil Rays win. He would hit 2 triples in a game against the Royals on August 14th, though it would not be enough as the team lost 11-9. He ended up with a .278 BA with 94 hits, 51 runs scored, 9 doubles, 9 triples (3rd in AL) and 26 stolen bases (led rookies). He was ninth in the AL in sacrifice hits with 11.


He had the opportunity to play against his cousin Damon Buford (son of Major League player Don Buford) while Damon was a member of the Boston Red Sox.



He was one of the early birds in camp at the start of 1999 spring training arriving ahead of the scheduled reporting date for position players. He was eager to get in some workouts without having to share the batting coach's attention with the bulk of the squad. Reports were saying there could be 70 plus showing up for camp like the previous season and Winn wanted to avoid being lost in the crowd. Randy would suffer a strain in his right quadriceps that hampered him in the first couple of weeks as he was desperately trying to earn the starting center-field job. The door was left open when several other candidates were either experiencing injuries or personal issues. Batting .434 with 4 homers he made the 25-man roster and named the starting center-fielder on Opening Day. Though he was mainly used in a platoon role until Quinton McCracken tore a ligament in his knee in May. Randy was able to step up going 4-for-5 in a game against the Seattle Mariners, a 15-7 win for the D-Rays on May 30th. He was doing a nice job until July but his numbers nose dived and when his BA hit .143 at the end of July he was sent down to Durham. In 46 games with the Bulls he was batting .353 when he was recalled on September 4th, but in just his second game he got a bad sprain and bone bruise on his ankle that kept him out the rest of the month. He played the last few games of the season and on October 3rd, the last day of the season, he hit an inside-the-park grand slam against the New York Yankees at Tropicana Field. He ended up batting .267 with 81 hits 16 doubles in 79 games.

In 2000, once again he found himself fighting to prove himself as the team had made many off season acquisitions.This time he wouldn't even get a bench spot as he was cut and assigned to Durham the last week of spring training.




Winn steals second as Royals Rey Sanchez is late with tag on a throw during the first inning of their spring training game on March 9, 2000 at Baseball City Stadium in Davenport, Florida.


When McCracken's batting average dropped to .129 he was demoted and Randy was called up to take the OF bench spot. Winn started to struggle in June, during the month of July he batted just .148 and was demoted again. The Rays would suffer another injury riddled season, with demotions, trades and releases the team brought up extra help when rosters expanded including Winn on September 11th. He hit .311 for the last month with the Devil Rays. With the Bulls he batted .330 with 100 hits, 67 runs, 24 doubles, 48 walks and 18 stolen bases. With Tampa Bay he finished with a .252 BA in just 51 games.

On February 23, 2001, Winn agreed to terms and signed a one-year contract with the D-Rays for a $260,000 salary. He would make the opening day roster on the bench. When Jose Guillen went on the disabled list with a left knee sprain, he got another chance as the everyday starter. He played very well, even leading the team at one point in June with a .317 BA. On June 19th he broke up a no-hit bid by Tim Wakefield in the 9th inning at Tropicana Field. His solid performances saved him from demotion when Guillen returned near the end of June. In his first full season in the majors he finished with a .273 BA, 117 hits, 25 doubles and 50 RBIs in 128 games. He ranked fifth in the AL with 12 outfield assists.

While in his native California during the off season, Randy attended an NBA game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 18, 2002. He was picked to participate in a contest and made a shot from half court winning a brand new Mitsubishi Lancer, which he presented to his mother. Just as spring camp was about to open he agreed to terms and signed a new one-year contract on January 29th, which included a $960,000 raise. He had a solid first month, staying steady through May and batted .359 in the month of June, he was chosen to represent the Devil Rays in the All-Star game. In one of those ironic twists, Steve Nash played in his first NBA All-Star game that year as a member of the Dallas Mavericks.



Winn stands with his American League teammates during introductions for the MLB All Star Game July 9, 2002 at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.



Winn steps to the plate during the 2002 MLB All Star Game. The game ended in a controversial 7-7 tie.

On September 7th, he reached his 500th career game and finished the season batting .298 with 181 hits, 87 runs, 39 doubles (8th in AL), 9 triples (2nd in AL), 14 home runs, 75 RBIs, 27 steals (7th in AL) and 55 walks. He was 10th in the AL for singles with 119, 3rd in centerfield assists with 10, 4th in outfield putouts with 394 and fourth in fielding % as CF with .992. He was named the Tampa Bay Devil Rays Player of the Year. After his best season to date he was sent to the Seattle Mariners on October 28th in exchange for SS Antonio Perez as part of compensation package for right to speak to Lou Piniella for the open manager position. Five days after the trade, Randy married his college sweetheart Blessings Robertson. Winn held the franchise record for home runs hit by a switch hitter until 2009.

On January 16, 2003 he signed a lucrative one-year contract with the Mariners for $3.3 million to avoid arbitration. He had predominantly been a center-fielder, but this season he was parked in left for the majority of the year. He had a very good season with the Mariners, a 5 hit game on May 27th and a 2 homer, 6 RBI
game on July 30th. He ended up scoring 103 runs, the only 100 runs scored season of his career. He finished with 177 hits, 37 doubles, 11 home runs, 75 RBIs and 23 steals (8th) with a .295 BA in 157 games. He was 6th in the AL for singles with 125, 4th in putouts as LF with 299 and 3rd in fielding % as LF with .990, committing just 3 errors. On December 12, 2003 Winn and the Mariners agreed to a multi-year deal for the 2004 and 2005 seasons, with a mutual option on the 2006. The Mariners have missed the postseason since they lost in the ALCS to the Yankees in 2001.They were spending money to keep talent and attain more in an effort to get back in contention.

He was inducted into the San Ramon Athletics Hall of Fame in 2004 for both basketball and baseball just before spring training was to start in Arizona. Winn hit .301 during his high school career, and his 22 stolen bases during the 1992 season set a single-season record for the school. His folks Dwight and Beverly also attended the ceremony. He would have another solid season, this time playing the majority of games back in center. On June 2nd he collected his 100th stolen base. He ended the season with a .286 batting average, 84 runs, 179 hits, 34 doubles, 81 RBIs and 21 stolen bases (8th) in 157 games. He made 703 plate appearances (7th in the AL) which was the most in his career. He was first in putouts as an outfielder (AL) with 416 and 3rd in fielding % as CF with .989. Though Winn had another solid season the team finished the 2004 season last place in the division losing 99 games.

He would once again be moved to left field for the 2005 season providing a solid bat and defense.



Winn bats in a game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on April 19, 2005. The Mariners won 5-3.



Winn rounds the bases after a home run against the Florida Marlins on June 9, 2005 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami, Florida as the Mariners shut out the Marlins 8-0 on his 31st birthday.

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Philadelphia Phillies Jim Thome fields a low throw in time to get out Randy Winn of the Seattle Mariners in the first inning on June 16, 2005 at Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington.

Despite another solid start from Winn batting .275 with 106 hits, the Mariners were 14 games back by the end of July and started dumping salary. He was traded to the San Francisco Giants for catcher Yorvit Torrealba and pitcher Jesse Foppert (minors) on July 30th. The Giants were trying to fit pieces in a bid to get back to the post season, they had been defeated by the Anaheim Angels in the 2002 World Series and eliminated from the NLDS in 2003 at the hands of the Florida Marlins. They lost out on a post season berth in 2004, so they were hoping Winn could provide a solid presence in center-field. Winn was pleased to be going home, he quickly established himself. He had home runs in back to back games resulting in wins for the team, he would also knock out his 1,000th major-league hit.



He earned the NL Player of the Month for September when he batted .447 with 51 hits. It was the most hits in one month by a Giant's player in over 30 years. He also had a 20 game hitting streak, three 4 hits games and two- 2 homer games that month. He posted a .359 BA (.680 slugging percentage) with 26 RBIs and 14 home runs after the trade. It was his only 20 home run season and his 47 doubles was 3rd in the major leagues. He was named the San Francisco Giants Player of the Year. He was the third switch hitter in ML history to post a .300 batting average with 185 hits, 45 2Bs and 20 HRs.


The team however would once again miss out on the play-offs. The Giants liked Winn and he liked them, he signed a three- year $23.2M contract extension. He had an exciting spring as he would participate in the World Baseball Classic for the U.S. team. He batted .273 in the series with 3 runs scored in 11 at-bats.



March 3, 2006 at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona.


The U.S. was eliminated in the second round and Randy rejoined the Giants at their camp in Scottsdale, AZ. He also got a visit from his old college teammate Steve Nash during spring training. The soft spoken Winn insists he harbors no resentment toward Nash or his former coach Dick Davey for "influencing" his career path.



Nash and Winn March 22, 2006.

He was suffering with some lower back soreness near the end of spring training, but he worked through it. On April 13th he played in his 1,000th game, a 4 hit game on the 17th.



Scary moment when Winn fouled a ball off his right kneecap in the 5th against the Houston Astros on May 8, 2006 in San Francisco, California. Randy had already tripled, singled and scored twice in a 7-5 Giants win.



The 2006 San Francisco Giants team photo taken at AT&T Park on August 22nd.

He'd have another 4 hit game in June. He missed a few days in September with a contusion on his right elbow from being hit by a pitch. His numbers dipped a bit with 82 runs, 150 hits, 34 doubles and 48 walks in 149 games. His OBP and slugging dropped to .262/.324/.396.

He had a few slight injuries and medical issues throughout the 2007 season along with some family problems but still managed to have a solid year.



Barry Bonds auctions off a jersey belonging to Winn during the Strikeouts For Troops Charity Concert organized by Barry Zito on May 27, 2007.



Randy is mobbed by teammates after he drove in the game winning run in the 11th inning against the Washington Nationals on August 6, 2007 in a 3-2 victory.

He collected his 500th RBI on August 26th and finished the season with a .300 BA, with 73 runs, 178 hits and 42 doubles in 155 games.

Just before spring training in 2008 some private family matters started coming to the attention of the team, media and the public, more specifically with Randy's in-laws. For a few years his wife's family had been dealing with a custody issue over her half sisters' son as well as allegations by the same sister that her step father (Blessings' biological) had sexually abused her. His sister in-law Ercell Fleurima who had lost custody of her son in 2001 due to her out of control alcoholism was fighting to get him back after she claimed sobriety. She claimed her employment was as a legal adult entertainer, the family claimed she was actually a prostitute, that her son was even a product of that life, Ercell denied it. The family feared for the boy being around that lifestyle as reasons for her not to get him back. Fleurima made claims she was being judged because of her profession and the family wanted retribution for her allegations against her mother's husband, Blessings' father. She claimed the courts were also biased against her once her attempt to regain custody failed for a second time. She harassed the Winns through the press even contacting the team to spew venom at their center-fielder. She filed complaints of judicial misconduct by the judge and accused all the lawyers involved of collusion, again based on her lifestyle. She claimed the entire family was just out to silence her about the abuse and refused to tell her the whereabouts of her son.



Winn congratulates Rich Aurilia after scoring in the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on July 28, 2008. Giants defeat Dodgers 7-6.

Once again he would battle through injuries, though nothing that landed him on the DL. On August 15th against the Atlanta Braves he hit his 100th home run. He finished the season batting .306 (7th in NL) with 183 hits (4th in NL), 84 runs scored, 38 doubles, and 25 stolen bases (10th in NL) in 155 games. He was fifth in the NL in putouts as an OF with 357.


2009 was another season of battling through small nagging injuries like contusions on his knees and his foot. There was more family stress as his father in-law had been diagnosed with cancer, it was already advanced and the bad news was mixed with the excitement of impending fatherhood.



Winn catches a line drive by LA Dodgers Russell Martin in the sixth inning at Dodger Stadium on April 13, 2009. The Dodgers defeated the Giants 11-1.
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Winn hits a sacrifice fly in the first inning against the New York Mets on May14, 2009 at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California. Mets won 7-4.



He reached his 1500th game on May 31st. He was worried about his wife going through the illness of her father during her pregnancy, her father passed away at the end of July.



The 2009 Sand Francisco Giants, the roster looks a lot different from when Winn first joined the team, taken August 26, 2009.



Winn lays down a sacrafice bunt in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies on August 28, 2009 at AT&T Park. Giants defeat Rockies 2-0.

Once again his numbers dipped, he hit just 2 homers and batted just .262, but in defense he was first in the NL for fielding % as OF with 1.000. In September his son Shannon was born. There was speculation that the team wanted to cut ties completely with Winn as he was a favorite of Manager Bruce Bochy and the front office feared he might give Winn more at bats if they kept him on as a reserve. He became a free agent on November 5th. The Giants hadn't been back to the post season all the years that Winn was there. He was well liked by management and teammates but he held one unfortunate record, to this point in his career he had played in more regular-season games than anyone without a postseason appearance.

On February 8, 2010 Winn signed with the New York Yankees. The Yanks were coming off their 27th World Series Championship, GM Brian Cashman had been limited on money as they weren't able to retain the services of OF Johnny Damon who had been an integral piece of their 2009 winning season. So, they settled on the declining Randy Winn for $2M (with about 900,000 coming off incentives), much to the disappointment of fans. Just before leaving for spring training he threw his wife a huge birthday bash for her 35th birthday.



Curtis Granderson. Randy Winn and Derek Jeter celebrate after defeating the Boston Red Sox 3-1 at Fenway Park on April 7, 2010.




Catcher Victor Martinez of the Boston Red Sox tags out Randy Winn on May 8, 2010 at Fenway Park. Yankies rout Sox 14-3.

After 29 games he was batting just .213 and when Curtis Granderson was activated from the disabled list he was designated for assignment and released on May 28th meeting none of the bonus incentives on his contract. Purhaps the curse of Randy Winn now plagues the Yanks, while they did make the post season in 2010 they were eliminated in the ALCS. They have not been back to the World Series after his brief time there. He signed with the St Louis Cardinals on June 5th.




Winn fails in his attempt to haul in a fly against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Busch Stadium on June 28, 2010. Cardinals defeated the Diamondbacks 6-5.



He batted .250 in 87 games with St Louis becoming a free agent on November 1st.



On January 25, 2011 Randy attended a charity event, the 22nd Annual Going to Bat for B.A.T. at The New York Marriott Marquis in NYC.

He signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles on February 3rd.



Unfortunately, he was released on March 28th and announced his retirement on April 1st, making his last MLB appearance on October 3, 2010 with the Cardinals.

Winn played 13 seasons in the majors, primarily as an outfielder, he finished with a .284 BA, 110 home runs, 662 RBIs, 863 runs scored, 1,759 hits in 1,717 games. Upon his retirement the distinction of being the leader in games played among active major-leaguers who have never appeared in a postseason game fell to Adam Dunn.



Randy and Blessings March 2013

During the Giants 2013 season Winn got a taste of coaching when he traveled around to the teams' minor league affiliates as a part time roving instructor/motivator/inspirational speaker. He also offers his services during spring training camp along with many other former Giants.



Winn poses in the dugout at Municipal Stadium before a Class-A minor league baseball game between the San Jose Giants and the Modesto Nuts in San Jose,
Calif. on June 24, 2013.

Near the end of 2013 he was hired to become an analyst for CSN (Comcast SportsNet California) so, Randy and Blessings sold their mansion in Thonotosassa, FL to move back to Danville, CA. Blessings had been a Zumba/dance instructor for many years and launched a health and fitness blog in 2013.


On June 23, 2014 Randy participated in the Bronco Athletics Inaugural SCU Celebrity Golf Tournament benefiting the Bronco Bench Foundation and the Bronco women's soccer program held at Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club in Menlo Park,CA.



Randy and Blessings reside in Danville, California they have 3 children a daughter Sadia, a son Shannon and another child.

[Tobywan]

There are a few honorable mentions from the inaugural season starting with the radio broadcast team of Paul Olden and Charlie Slowes, their contracts were not renewed after the 2004 season.


Paul Olden




He attended Dorsey High School and Los Angeles City College.

While working for Los Angeles radio station KLAC he was cursed at by LA Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda when olden asked him about Dave Kingman hitting three home runs against them in a game during the 1976 season.

He was the PA announcer for the Super Bowl from 1994 to 2005.


His signature greeting on the Rays flagship radio station WFLA, "Say hello to victory Tampa Bay" was first uttered on April 1, 1998 with the Devil Rays first win against the Detroit Tigers.


Olden has also done radio and television play-by-play announcing for the New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, California Angels, Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Eagles, UCLA Bruins, Los Angeles Rams, New York Jets and New Jersey Nets.


He has been the public address announcer at Yankee Stadium since 2009 when he replaced Jim Hall who had been the fill in for Bob Sheppard.



Charlie Slowes



He was born in New York City in 1961 and graduated from Fordham University in 1983.

He began his career at KMOX in St Louis and a colleague of Jack Buck and Bob Costas. He called play-by-play for the Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets, he also has worked for ESPN, NBC Sports, CBS Radio Sports, Mutual/Westwood One, SportsPhone and the minor league AAA Tidewater Tides.

He was the radio voice of the Washington Bullets from 1986 to 1997, before becoming the radio play-by-play announcer for the Devil Rays. He has been the radio play-by-play announcer for the Washington Nationals since 2005.

Slowes was recently the victim of a tirade by MLB Network's Chris "Mad Dog" Russo after Slowes flubbed a bit on a home run call in May 2014.

Charlie and his wife Tina have 2 sons, Jim and Alex, they share homes in Alexandria, VA and Palm Harbor, FL.

[Tobywan]

Raymond Naimoli-Chief Financial Officer

Ray was the younger brother of principal owner Vince Naimoli.


Most of his career was in finance, he spent five years as the as senior vice president and chief financial officer for U.S. News and World Report. During his tenure there the magazine's stock value increased substantially.

He started working with brother Vince as a consultant in 1991 in the bid for a major league team. Ray was responsible for the organization's financial structure, information systems management and long-term strategic planning.

Raymond Naimoli Complex in St Petersburg, FL was named for him and served as the first workout site for the Devil Rays before the start of spring training.

He passed away in March 1999 at the age of 56, he was diagnosed with cancer in 1995 just as the franchise was being secured by Vince's ownership group.
Ray was married to Rita they had four children and three grandchildren.


Bart Braun- Assistant General Manager



He was a scout for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Atlanta Braves before joining the Rays in 1995, hired by GM Chuck LaMar soon after Tampa Bay was awarded a major league team. He became Assistant General Manager in 1998.

He was arrested in the early morning hours on December 12, 2005 for a DUI at an intersection in South Tampa, he was released on a $500 bond and released from the Hillsborough County Jail.


His job was a bit more limited in the 2006 season and went back to a more full time scouting position until he was asked by another former Devil Rays Assistant GM Scott Proefrock to join the Philadelphia Phillies in October 2012. This would be the third time they would team up, first with the Pittsburgh Pirates in the late '80's. Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr put him in charge of scouting in the Dominican Republic.

Braun's son Bart Jr. spent time in the minor leagues, originally drafted by the Boston Red Sox and later signed with the Rays as a minor league free agent he played one year in the organization.


Orestes Destrade- Director of Community Development



Orestes Cucuas Destrade was born on May 8, 1962 in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, his family emigrated to Miami in 1968. He played in the Khoury League as a youth, graduated from Christopher Columbus High School and then attended Florida College in Jacksonville, FL. Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1981 and made his ML debut on September 11, 1987.



He was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Hipolito Pena on March 30, 1988. His contract was purchased by the Seibu Lions of the Japan Pacific League on May 18, 1989. He led that league in home runs for three straight years. He spent couple of seasons there but returned to the states when he signed as a free agent with the Florida Marlins on December 15, 1992. He led the Marlins in homers and RBIs in 1993 was released in June 1994 went back to the Seibu lions in 1995. He signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract that was a Japanese League record at the time. He left the Lions a bit early to be closer to his children during a divorce from his first wife.

He was hired as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays director of community development in 1995 and left in March 1999 to pursue other business ventures including commercial opportunities in Japan. He also started working with a non-profit organization, Advocates for Young Athletes, that will help children and serve as a resource and support group for parents, teachers and mentors.

He was a color commentator for the 2006 World Baseball Classic and broadcast again with the 2009 World Baseball Classic for ESPN. He has appeared on ESPN's Baseball Tonight. He was part of the crew broadcasting the 2007, 2008 and 2009 Little League World Series. He was a co-host of XM Radio's Baseball This Morning show on MLB Home Plate.

He returned to the Rays in 2010 as the on-field reporter during the Tampa Bay Rays' 2010 postseason celebration after clinching a playoff spot. In March of 2011 he became a contributor to Rays radio and TV broadcasts as an analyst. He now co-hosts the " Rays Live" segments giving pre and post game analysis.



Orestes did remarry, he has a total of 4 children: Danielle, Devin, Armando, and Isabella.

[Tobywan]

Jamie Reed- Head Athletic Trainer

He was born in Annapolis, Maryland in 1961.

He attended East Carolina University from 1978-1982 and began his career with the Baltimore Orioles organization as a trainer for the Rookie League 1982 Bluefield Orioles. He then was with the 1983 Hagerstown Suns (Class A), 1984 Charlotte Orioles (Class AA) and with the Rochester Red Wings (Class AAA) from 1985-1988. He also served as the athletic trainer for the U.S. Naval Academy’s football and basketball teams from 1982 to 1984, and again in 1988. He still co-chairs the the Red Romo Scholarship which provides monies to pay for an extra trainer the school's athletics program He became the assistant for the Baltimore Orioles in 1989 through the 1996 season. In 1995 he shared “Major League Baseball Athletic Training Staff of the Year” honors with Richie Bancells.

He was the first on-field hire in the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on November 16, 1996 as their head trainer. Reed is a former American League assistant athletic trainer representative on the PBATS Executive Committee and spoke at MLB’s 1999 Rookie Development Program. He was elected as President of PBATS (Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society) in December 2001, he served again in 2003 and 2005.




Reed tends to home plate umpire Steve Ripply after he was hit in the head by a pitch in a Devil Rays game on May 31, 2002.


He was let go by the Devil Rays after the 2002 season. He was named the medical director and head trainer in October 2002 for the Texas Rangers. He addressed the Japanese Professional Baseball Athletics Trainers Society (JPBATS) in December 2003 and was part of the training staff during the 2006 Japan All- Star trip. He was also selected for the 2000 and 2008 American League All-Star staff.



Reed checks on Nick Tepesch's wrist when he was hit by a line drive as Adrian Beltre looks on during a game against the Seattle Mariners on April 20, 2013.


He was promoted to senior director of medical operations with the Rangers, promoting Kevin Harmon to take over as head athletic trainer. Reed now oversees the medical needs of players throughout the entire organization as well as the ML club.


Jamie and his wife Jean make their off season home in Grand Prairie, Texas, with his wife Jean they have three children, Zach, Becky, and Rachel.


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Dick Vitale-Original season ticket holder and celebrity fan

Richard John Vitale was born on June 9, 1939 in Passaic, New Jersey. He attended East Rutherford High School. Vitale graduated from Seton Hall University in 1963 with a bachelor of science degree in business administration. He later earned a master's degree in education from what is now William Paterson University.

His first job was as a coach at an elementary school in Garfield, New Jersey in 1959. He became assistant coach at Rutgers University in 1971 then head coach
at the University of Detroit in 1973. He took the Titans to the NCAA tournament in 1977.



Titans Coach Dick Vitale with student-athlete Wilbur Ross.

He coached the NBA Detroit Pistons for the 1978-79 season. After he was fired he was asked by Scotty Connal to be a broadcaster for the fledgling ESPN Cable channel. He was leery of the idea, but with encouragement from his wife Lorraine he gave it a try. He joined on a temporary basis and called the network's first college basketball game on December 5, 1979 and the rest is history.

He had a cameo in a scene depicting an overcrowded broadcast booth in "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!" in 1988.


He voiced the 1994 Sega Genesis game, Dick Vitale's "Awesome Baby" College Hoops. He also provided one of the commentator voices for EA Sports' NCAA Basketball (formerly NCAA March Madness) video game series.



Vitale is an annual voter on the AP Top 25 men's basketball polls, the annual Naismith Award and the John Wooden Award. He became Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays in the inaugural season and still maintains his seats behind home plate near the third base side at Tropicana Field.

He guest starred on an episode of the Cosby Show with his longtime friend Jim Valvano in season eight. In 2004 he released an autobiography co-written with Dick Weiss entitled "Living a Dream".

He has had a long successful broadcasting career despite losing the vision in his left eye due to an accident with a pencil in kindergarten. He was diagnosed with lesions on his vocal cords on December 18, 2007, had surgery and was back to announcing by February 2008.


He was inducted into the the Basketball Hall of Fame on September 5, 2008, had a basketball court named for him at the University of Detroit in 2011 and inducted into the Little League Museum Hall of Excellence on August 18, 2012.

He has been featured in commercials for DiGiorno pizza and Hooters restaurants.



Dick and Lorraine make their home in Lakewood Ranch, Florida they have two daughters.

[Tobywan]

Raymond #00 - Official Mascot

Raymond D Ray was born n the Gulf of Mexico, date is unknown. He is technically a member of a rare species known as "Canus Manta Whatthefluffalus" , but more commonly called a Seadog. Rumors that he is the product of a love affair between Big Bird and Papa Smurf are unfounded.

He made his debut on June 21, 1998 against the Boston Red Sox.








Raymond has many duties in his role as mascot and head cheerleader.




He is a workout buddy, even if it's for the opposing team.

He taunts opposing teams to shake them up before pivotal series.



Raymonds faces the Red Sox dreadnought before Game 1 of the ALCS in 2008.


The lovable bundle of fur has not been immune from controversy though, he was briefly the butt of scorn when at the behest of a fan held up a sign given to him, not realizing it contained a joke in very poor taste. There was a quick public apology after the April 3, 2013 incident and an explanation that it can be difficult to see in the costume and that Raymond didn't know the sign said anything offensive at the time.



He was also attacked by a Red Sox fan on Spetember 10, 2013. Trevor James Martin who was from Boston was arrested and charged with disorderly intoxication, Raymond did not press any battery charges and Martin was released on a $100 bail.


Sometimes he brings lots of friends to entertain the crowd.



...and members of his family




Raymond with his father and grandfather, Raymond has 27 sisters, he's the only boy.




He entertains fans especially children and makes appearances such as birthday parties, charity events and at local hospitals.


Raymond with Sam Fuld and a new friend.

He often works overtime when games go into extra innings, though sometimes they go way past his bedtime.



The first to don the Raymond costume was Shawn Christopherson who had formerly played the Seattle Mariner Moose, he was let go after the 2004 season. It has been speculated that he was let go over salary, supposedly another employee complained he was making too much money. Kelly Frank took over as Raymond in 2005, she is still considered to be the best Raymond, she had already had experience as she was in the promotions department for the DRays and the back up of Christopherson on his days off and vacations. Frank had previously played mascots for the old Miami Fusion of Major League Soccer, the former Florida Bobcats of the Arena Football League, the old Orlando Miracle women's basketball team and the minor league baseball Brockton Rox outside Boston. It has been rumored that she was let go over exclusivity. She moonlighted in the off season and was injured in early 2008 restricting her flexibility during the Rays season and was fired in December 2008.


While the true identity of Raymond has been held as a secret until after the performer under the mask is no longer employed it is rumored that he is currently portrayed by a Rays intern named Daniel Townsend.



2013 postseason

[Tobywan]

One last honorable mention, on the front page of the St. Petersburg Times the morning after the Inaugural Opening Day game was a photo of a young fan, symbolizing the hope f the future of MLB in the Tampa Bay area. Little 6 year-old Zach Giparas looked adorable in his over sized Devil Rays jersey and hat, clutching a program and a miniature bat. Ten years later as the Rays were finally having their first winning season the Times caught up with Zach, then a student at St. Petersburg Catholic High.



The jersey and hat were a little tight and the bat looked even smaller now that he had grown to a teenager. Zach played youth and high school soccer and eventually became a bigger fan, though he still follows baseball and the Rays, Soccer has become his number one passion while he attends the University of Florida pursuing a degree in fitness and health.





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On September 27th the Devil Rays ended their first major league season.


When the year started there was a buzz surrounding the workouts and spring training camp. A mix of youth and veterans, drafted and undrafted. Some brought in for their name and some looking to to make themselves a name. Some vets that could mentor or a last shot at glory. There were double workout schedules set up to accomadate the plethora of bodies from fresh faced to leathered hands, but the buzz was exciting. A new Major League team in an area that had hosted spring training and minor league baseball for close to a hundred years.


The 1998 Tampa Bay Devil Rays did not make a big splash in the standings going just 63-99. They finished last in the AL East division (and the American League), never holding a lead from day one, they latched onto the last spot on May 28th and never let go, by the end of the season they were 51 games back getting swept in the last series by the Yankees. In contrast the New York Yankees finished 114-48 for the division title and went on to sweep the San Diego Padres in the World Series.

The only division rival the Devil Rays had a winning record against was the Baltimore Orioles and just barely came away with winning records against the Tigers,
White Sox and Athletics. They were successful as far as promotion in the beginning with fans. They drew 2,506,293 in attendance for the season, seventh in the American League.

The team was decimated with injuries, especially to the pitching staff, 22 different pitchers were used and a total of 42 players.

Down on the farm....

Class AAA Durham Bulls of the International League (Durham, North Carolina) went 80-64 winning their division, they lost the championship series to the Buffalo Bisons (Cleveland Indians).
Class A St. Petersburg Devil Rays of the Florida State League went 64-75 finishing 8th.
Class A Charleston RiverDogs (Charleston South Carolina) of the South Atlantic League went 67-74 finishing 5th.
Short-Season A Hudson Valley Renegades ( Wappingers Falls, New York) of the New York–Pennsylvannia League went 50-26 finishing first in their division but lost in the semi-finals.
Rookie Princeton Devil Rays (Princeon, West Vrginia) of the Appalachian League went 38-30 finishing first in thier division losing the championship series to Bristol White Sox.
Rookie GCL Devil Rays (St Petersburg, Florida) the Gulf Coast League went 36-24 finishing first in their division losing the finals to the GCL Rangers.



That is all for the 1998 Tampa Bay Devil Rays Inaugural season.