The Tampa Bay Devil Rays, then and now.

[Tobywan]

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While healing from Tommy John surgery he signed in January 2008 to serve as the interim Head Coach for the NCAA Division II Texas A&M International University Dustdevils (Laredo, TX). In June he signed on with the Laredo Broncos of the independent United League Baseball to finish his rehab as a pitcher/coach. He pitched between July 18-August 13 going 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA. He played for GM Jose Melendez, who later became Jose Canseco's manager/friend/agent. On November 24th he and Anna welcomed their second daughter Madeline. They packed up and went to Taiwan when he signed with the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions of the Chinese Professional Baseball League for the 2009 season. Callaway debuted on April 2nd, allowing 4 runs (2 earned) in 6 innings and taking a 6-4 loss to the Sinon Bulls.




His final start clinched a postseason spot for the team. They went on to take the Taiwan Series title.


He hung up the playing cleats after the season in China making his last ML appearance August 21, 2004 for the Texas Rangers at the age of 29.

He spent 13 seasons in the minors mostly with the Devil Rays organization and parts of 5 major league seasons between 3 teams. He posted a career 4-11 record, 6.27 ERA in 40 games (20 starts) with 86 strikeouts in 130.2 IP. With all the pro leagues combined he posted a Career Win/Loss Record of 116-72.


He didn't waste any time going back to work though as he was named the Cleveland Indians as a pitching coach on December 14, 2009 for their Class-A Lake County Captains (Eastlake, Ohio) of the Midwest League.



The 2010 Captains won the league championship He spent 2011 with the Advanced-A Kinston Indians in the Southern Division of the Carolina League, they made the post season going 76-62 but were defeated by the Frederick Keys in the championship. His staff held an ERA of 3.68, the third lowest in the league. The team would be moving to Zebulon, NC after the season to become the Carolina Mudcats.

In December 2011 , he was named minor league pitching coordinator for the Cleveland Indians for the 2012 season. His brother got the head coaching job at Germantown High School and led them to the state tournament and not long after new Indians manager Terry Francona named Callaway as his pitching coach in October. Despite his mediocre career he was instrumental in the turn around of the Indians' pitching staff in the 2013 season. The starting rotation of the major league club was at or near the bottom of the AL pack in all major pitching stats and gave up the most runs in 2012. Ubaldo Jimenez and Scott Kazmir credit him with helping them make strong comebacks.



He makes a visit to the mound at Tropicana Field for a conference with Trevor Bauer and company on April 6, 2013 during the TB Rays home opener in St. Petersburg, FL.


Tribe hurlers posted a 3.13 ERA after the All-Star break, 2nd in the A.L. and 4th in MLB, finishing the season at 3.82 (7th in the AL). They also recorded a franchise-record 1379 strikeouts, 2nd-most in MLB.


By the end of 2013 the only pitching category that showed no improvement was walks, way too many walks. Still it was the signs of a good beginning, every season has its ups and downs and strange quirks. First Jason Giambi was at the spring training camp in Goodyear, AZ as a roving hitting instructor and on the ML roster trying desperately to extend his hitting career as a DH/pinch hitter. Then their prized closer Chris Perez started struggling at the end of May before heading to the DL for almost all of June, when he did come back he was strong until August 5th when he blew an important game against the Tigers, they never could quite catch them to take the Division. They barely made the play-offs when Perez blew another save, but their hopes were saved when Giambi made a great play in the field in the 9th. There was Perez' off field problems, he was given a 4th degree misdemeanor charge when a package containing marijuana was delivered to his house. He pleaded no contest and in September was fined $250 and sentenced to one year of probation. He wouldn't speak to the media which many thought was more of a distraction. His problems aside the pitching staff had performed above expectations. With one more game to go a sound beating of the Minnesota Twins put them in sole possession of first place in the wild card race, assuring them at least a tie.



Mickey celebrates with manager Terry Francona and Nick Swisher as the Tribe (91-70) seeking their first postseason appearance since 2007, took a one-game lead over Tampa Bay and Texas on September 28, 2013.


Winning the final game of the season 5-1 to sweep the Twins they made the play-offs for the first time in 6 years with a 92-70 record. They lost the ALWC October 2, 2013 to the Tampa Bay Rays by a score of 4-0.
.
There were a handful of pitchers that the Callaway/Francona magic didn't work on but those were quickly weeded out. Perez was released the day after the World Series ended, they didn't even wait to try to pawn him off on anyone else. They didn't make it far but they had definitely turned things around with brighter hope of things to come.



Photo Day February 26, 2014 at Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Arizona



Mickey, catcher Yan Gomes and starting pitcher Danny Salazar head to the dugout after warm ups before they face the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field on May 2, 2014.



In 2013 there were 4 starters that posted double digits in wins, in 2014 only one reached that mark, Corey Kluber went 18-9. They lost Ubaldo Jimenez when he decline a qualifying offer and opted for free agency then signed a four year deal with the Baltimore Orioles. He struggled there though even lost his spot in the O's rotation. Scott Kazmir also skipped town when they wouldn't offer him more than a one year deal, he signed with the Oakland A's improving his W/L to 15-9.

He was ejected by no nonsense umpire Bill Welke in the bottom of the first inning for arguing a check swing call from the dugug out of a game against the KC Royals on August 30th. Trevor Bauer was on the mound, Raul Ibanez was given a called second ball, but replays would show he made an attempt to hit it. The Tribe went on to win 3-2 in extra innings. It was the 168th ejection of the 2014 regular season, 3rd from Bill Welke, 2nd by the Indians and first career ML ejection for Mickey.



Callaway clearly frustrated with the officiating.



Though the team ERA improved to 3.56 (5th in the AL) and they set a new MLB single season record with 1,450 strikeouts, mostly due to efforts from the bull pen, The team finished with a 85-77 record, third in the AL Central and out of the post season.



Mickey with his dad Mike in his office at Progressive Field in November 2014.



Mickey, Catie, Madeline and Anna at a school function November 11, 2014.


For his third season with the Tribe, the 2015 plan is to right the ship of the young, talented but stubborn Trevor Bauer, Francona publicly stated he wanted him to work more with Callaway, he was the only pitcher named. While Bauer improved in 2014, the coaching staff thinks he could really be a star if he listened more to guys that have been in the game longer.

Mickey participates regularly in the pitching camps most notably for the Batters Box.

Mickey and his wife Anna reside in Memphis, Tennessee they have two daughters Catherine and Madeline. Mickey and his entire family live in or around the Memphis area. The family resides in Cleveland Heights, Ohio during the season where the kids are enrolled in local schools.


It's always a full house at the Callaways at Christmas. (Mickey's is smacked dab in the middle)

[Tobywan]

Norm Charlton #35-LHP

Norman Wood Charlton III was born on January 6, 1963 in Fort Polk, Louisiana while his father (Norman II) was an army officer at the base. It had just been converted into the primary training ground for Vietnam-bound soldiers. Sr. had attended Rice University where he participated in track and field from 1957-1961. After serving in the military he moved the family to Houston to take a teaching position at Rice. He was also a member of the physical education department until 1973. At one time Norman the elder ran a children's home with a 4-H program.

The family would often attend Houston Astros games, on one such occasion when little Norm was 9 years old, they went to the Astrodome when the San Francisco Giants were in town. Pitching that day was Juan Marichal, Norm was intrigued by the high kicking style of Marichal and told his folks he wanted to pitch one day for the Astros. Norm and his younger brother (seven years apart) Craig both played ball growing up though not together. The Charltons moved to San Antonio in the mid-70's, Jr. attended James Madison High School where he was a standout for the Mavericks, graduating in 1981.

After his graduation he was set on enrolling to Texas A & M, he didn't want to go to Rice just because it was his Dad's alma mater. However, Rice was the only one offering a full scholarship. Then he met Owls manager David Hall who encouraged him to change his mind, he did, which turned out to be a wise decision. In 1982 as a freshman he led the Owls in strikeouts with 46 and innings pitched with 68.2. After their season he played on the 1982 U.S. national baseball team. At the World’s Fair in Knoxville,TN he pitched a no-hitter against Mexico. He suffered an elbow injury that limited him to 10.2 innings as a sophomore in 1983.



As a junior he held a 2.24 ERA with 11 wins helping the Owls to lead the nation in team ERA for the 1984 season, he finished with a 10-4 record in 13 starts. They played an outstanding 41-14 overall and a 13-8 in the conference and didn't make the post season. He was named SWC All-Conference along with OF Scott Johnson, P Tim Englund and P Derek Hoelscher and an All-American. He was a co-winner of the Dell Morgan MVP Award with P Tim Englund. He was selected for the 1984 USA Olympic team for the games in Los Angeles, CA , but did not play due to injury. Ken Caminiti, Mel Stottlemyre. Bobby Witt, Mark McGuire. John Manzano and Barry Larkin were a few of the names on that year's roster. Pitching for the Owls his career 2.25 ERA and his 11 wins in a season (1984) records stood until 2012. Many of his records have been surpassed, putting him further down on the Rice leader boards as of 2015 he was 6th in career ERA, 9th in complete games (14), 7th in CG in a season with 10, he was also a Letterman all three seasons. His brother Craig also pitched for the Rice Owls from 1989-91 (and a 3 time Letterman).

Charlton was selected as the 28th pick in the supplemental first round of the June 4, 1984 amateur draft by the Montreal Expos and was signed on June 24th by scouts Red Murff and Roy McMillan. His condition on signing early was a guarantee that he could return to Rice in the fall to finish his degree. In less than 4 years he earned a bachelor's degree with three majors for political science, religion and physical education.

He was assigned to the Class-A West Palm Beach Expos of the FSL, he went 1-4 with a 4.58 ERA in 8 starts and 39.1 IP. The team went 72-72 finishing 4th in the Southern division. He spent 1985 with WPB going 7-10 in 23 starts, he posted a 4.57 ERA, with 5 complete games including 2 shut outs in 128 innings. The team went 74-66 finishing in 2nd place.

Around this time he married his first wife Nancy.

After spending time in the Expos 1986 spring camp in West Palm Beach, FL. he was traded along with a PTBNL to the Cincinnati Reds for Wayne Krenchicki on March 31st. Expos sent Tim Barker (minors) to the Reds on April 2nd to complete the deal. He spent the season with the Double-A Vermont Reds of the EL going 10-6 with a 2.83 ERA in 22 starts, he completed 6 games with one shutout in 136.2 innings. Vermont went 77-62 to make the post season, they defeated the Pittsfield Cubs 3-2 in the semis. They beat the Reading Phillies 3-2 to win the championship series and Norm was named the play-off MVP. He was promoted to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds of the AA in 1987 but after going 2-8 with a 4.30 ERA in 17 games he suffered an arm strain, he was placed on the DL on July 15th and never made it back for the rest of the season. He pitched in 1988 with the Sounds going 11-10 with a 3.02 ERA in 27 starts, he completed 8 games and pitched a shutout with 182 IP (most in his minor or major career). He was called up by the Reds making his ML debut on August 19th against the St Louis Cardinals.



He got the start, the Reds were ahead 2-0 when he took the mound in the bottom of the first. Leading off was left fielder Vince Coleman, he hit a single to center. Norm struggled giving up 5 runs on seven hits and 2 walks while striking out 3 in just 2.2 innings. He took the 10-4 loss. He got his first win on August 31st against the Pittsburgh Pirates when he gave up just one run on 8 hits in 8 innings, he walked three and struck out three. He finished the season with the main club going 4-5 with a 3.96 ERA in 10 starts and 61.1 innings.

The Reds had suffered a decade long post season drought after making six appearances and playing in four World Series during the 70's, including back to back championships in 1975-76 with the "Big Red Machine".


After being groomed as a starter the Reds decided to give Charlton a spot on the 1989 25-man roster in the bull pen.



Donruss '89

The team was having issues, but he thrived in the new role despite turmoil in the front office. For years the team had faced controversy with the openly bigotted female owner Marge Schott. Now manager Pete Rose had been under investigation since before the start of the season for gambling. On July 8, 1989 Norm got a chance to be involved in one of the more epic brawls between the Reds and NY Mets. At Shea Stadium on a Saturday afternoon the game started with David Cone on the mound for the Mets, Tom Browning for the Reds. This was the second game of a three game series, the Reds lost game one. By the start of the 8th inning the Reds were down 6-0, Cone still in the game, Browning was gone in the 5th, Kent Tekulve finished the inning and Charlton took the 6th and 7th. Ron Dibble started the 8th, Dib got two quick outs, then Cone doubled and Juan Samuel singled him in to make it 7-0. Tim Teufel (who already had four hits in the game) comes to bat and Dibble drills him hard and squarely in the back, Tim drops to the ground. When he gets to his feet he goes after Dibble, Charlton comes to his teammate's defense, Juan Samuel punched him when Norm wouldn't let go of his jersey, then kicked Norm twice with his spikes before a gang of Mets climbed on top of them. Dibble, Charlton, Teufel and Samuel were all ejected.



This one even spilled over after the game with phone calls between the clubhouses challenging eachother to finish business. The Mets won 8-3 and they went on to sweep. Dibble went on the DL a few days later his already sore arm probably aggravated by the fight. He was suspended three games and fined ($400), Samuel and Teufel were fined $200 and Charlton $100.

On August 24th Pete Rose accepted a lifetime ban and was replaced by Tommy Helms. Charlton finished the season going 8-3 with a 2.93 ERA all in 69 relief appearances (8th in the NL), with 98 strikeouts in 95.1 IP. The team suffered going just 78-87 for 4th place in the NL West after four straight 2nd place finishes.
Lou Piniella was hired in Nov. to be the Reds manager, starting a close relationship between him and Norm. It is no wonder that there would be a cast of characters taking center stage in the 1990 season with Lou at the helm.

The year started with Norm being honored with induction into the Athletic HOF at Rice. It was just the beginning of a magical ride and he would be a huge piece of the Reds 1990 season. The team featured Barry Larkin, Mariano Duncan, future DRays coach Billy Hatcher and a 40 year old Ken Griffey Sr.
It began on opening day when facing Houston, Norm along with Rob Dibble and Randy Myers were hard throwing old school pitchers. The Astros had some success in the 1980's with three post season appearances. In the very first game at the Astrodome Houston slugger Glenn Davis was hit three times, twice by Tom Browning and once by Randy Myers. There have been a few different stories about how they got their nickname "Nasty Boys", according to Norm it was during a locker room interview after that first series when the trio received the label that would follow them the rest of their lives.

The story goes that reporters were relaying smack talk from the Astros about payback towards the Reds for the beaning. The trio stated that if it happened, they could play that game. One of the reporters chirped "that's pretty nasty" and the reply from Myers was "we're pretty nasty guys.". So, of course one of the Houston press hounds used it in a report and it stuck. They accepted the name and hype, though none of them really cared for it, but since they were the ones that said it they have no one to blame but themselves. Norm earned his first save on May 6th against St. Louis at Busch Stadium II. He was put back in the starting rotation for a bit then went to the bullpen with an occasional spot start, he collected his first career hit on May 10th off Pirates Ted Power during the 8th inning (he scored moments later) in a 10-4 win in Pittsburgh.




Norm poses with Jose Rijo, Randy Myers and owner Marge Schott.




Norm, Nancy and kitty May 18, 1990.

Charlton endeared himself to fans and teammates during a game against the LA Dodgers on June 24th. The Reds had a comfortable lead of 8-4 going into the bottom of the seventh inning. With Tom Benzinger on first, Charlton was hit by a pitch. Joe Oliver hit a double, Benzinger scored from second. Though it was now 9-4, Norm ran hard passing second, blowing through a stop sign by the 3B coach and headed toward the 230 lb frame of Dodgers catcher Mike Scioscia. The ball got to Mike, he planted at the plate, Norm crashed into him with everything he had knocking the ball loose and scoring as his manager Lou Piniella cringed in the dugout. Norm also pitched a three inning save in the 10-6 victory. After the game he stated that the play was mainly in answer to what occurred the evening before. In a play where teammate Eric Davis had tried to mow through Scioscia blocking the plate and came up limping, Norm wanted a little vengeance. On August 10th he made a start, pitching a 3 hit, complete game shutout against the SF Giants at Riverfront Stadium.



By the All-Star break they were 21 games over .500 and held the best record in baseball. Myers and Dibble were selected to the mid summer classic, but not Charlton. The team was in first place from the start of the season, excitement, they were playing well, but by the end of July they were slipping, the lead fell to 5.5 games. They were still battling in August when out of the blue the front office asked the mentor of the team to retire on August 23. Ken Griffey Sr. was beloved by his teammates who referred to him as "Gramps". He said he wasn't ready, he was released which outraged the rest of the team. Later the team demanded that Gramps be given a full share of the play-off and World Series money. The players donned the number 30 on their caps in tribute. Ken went off to Seattle to join his son, fulfilling another dream. The craze surrounding the team got so insane they were commissioned to record a "rap" video called "Reds Hot."

Charlton went 12-9 with a 2.74 ERA in 56 games with 154.1 innings and 117 strikeouts. It was the best season of his career and he reached highs in wins, starts, IP and strikeouts. The "Nasty Boys" and crew won the NL West title with a 91-71 record. He pitched 5 innings in 4 games of the NLCS against the East Champion Pittsburgh Pirates, going 1-1, giving up 4 hits, 3 walks and 2 runs. His loss came in Game 1 but he didn't allow another run in the other 3 appearances and was the winning pitcher in Game 6. The Reds defeated the Buccos 4-2 to move on to the World Series. He wasn't needed much, pitched just one hit-less, scoreless inning in Game 2 as they swept the defending champion Oakland A's.



Norm celebrates with Myers and Dibble after the Reds win it all.



The Nasty Boys featured on the cover of Baseball Digest in April 1991.



There was a renewed excitement in Cincinnati for the 1991 season, but for Charlton it was a season riddled with pain, he began suffering from inflammation in his left shoulder and was sent to the DL on May 26th.



Dibble and Charlton pose atop Riverfront Stadium prior to a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 1, 1991 in Cincinnati, Ohio.



He was activated on June 11, but just a week later was hurting again due to tendinitis and headed to the disabled list again on June 20th. He did another stint on the DL for a month, coming back on July 20th.


Though he and Lou were both feisty according to Charlton it was Dibble who fought the most with Piniella which came to a head famously when they exchanged blows in the clubhouse on camera. Lou doesn't like whiners and Dibble was a constant complainer, Myers drew the Piniella ire at one point when he told reporters he wanted to be traded.



In the on going battle between Charlton and Scioscia, during a game on Sept. 9th he plunked Mike in the hand. He told the press he did it because he thought Scioscia was stealing signs and he might do it again next time he faced him. Charlton was suspended for 7 games and fined. In an unusual move NL president Bill White put a hold on Norm's suspension so he could face the Atlanta Braves for an upcoming 3 game series. He cited the importance of the series in such a close race and that all teams should be at their best for the sake of competition. Decisions like these make it understandable why the positions of league presidents were eliminated after 1999. He made 11 starts in 39 games, went 3-5 with a 2.91 ERA, one save in 108.1 IP. The Reds went 74-88 missing the post season.

When the Reds traded Randy Myers before the 1992 season, Charlton became the Reds closer. He reached his 200th game on June 5th and was selected to the AS team, the game was played at Jack Murphy Stadium (Qualcomm) in San Diego on July 14th. Tom Glavine, Greg Maddox and David Cone pitched early, the NL line up featured Barry Bonds, Tony Gwynn and Fred McGriff. Heading into the ninth they were behind 13-4 when Charlton got into the game, He retired the side in order, the NL lost 13-6. It was his only All-Star appearance. He went 4-2, a 2.99 ERA with 26 saves (6th in NL) on the season . He and Rob Dibble became the first pair of teammates in major-league history to record at least 25 saves in the same season. Once again they would miss the play-offs finishing in 2nd place going 90-72.

On November 17, 1992 Norm was traded to the Seattle Mariners for Kevin Mitchell and was given a one year-deal worth $2,335,000. Seattle had been in the league for 16 seasons only reaching .500 ball once. A losing streak not even managed by the lowly TB Devil Rays. Speaking of them, there was serious consideration throughout the season that the Mariners were going to be moved to Tampa Bay, but they were saved from that fate by a group with deep pockets, Nintendo of America headed by Hiroshi Yamauchi.

For the 1993 season he was joining a staff that included Randy Johnson and players Tino Martinez, Jay Buhner and Ken Griffey Jr. He recorded his first save as a Mariner on April 14th in a 4-3 win over the Blue Jays at the Toronto SkyDome and got his first win with them on May 30th at home (Kingdome) against Detroit with a 9-5 score.

On June 6th took part in one of the best/worst brawls (depending on how you look at it) in the early 90's. The M's were playing the Orioles at Camden Yards, Mike "Moose" Mussina on the mound for the O's, Chris Bosio for Seattle. The O's were up 5-1 heading into the 7th, Moose struck out Buhner and Mackey Sasser and then plunked Seattle’s Bill Haselman just under his shoulder, with a comfy lead and and 2 outs it is unlikely there was any intent, though Haselman had scored the only run on a solo homer. Bill immediately bolted for the mound, Moose planted himself standing his ground and Bill tackled him. Benches cleared, one big scrum ventured off into smaller piles spreading over the infield.



#37 in the middle being taken down.



While Charlton wasn't involved in the incident of origin he later got into the face of Alan Mills and punches were thrown, both went to the ground causing one of the off shoot scrums. He marched off to the dugout after ejection looking disheveled. Lou Piniella had remained somewhat cool trying to get his guys coralled and under control. However, when he argued the tossing of Bosio (though he couldn't have continued anyway due to injury) along with other M's and not Mussina, he was tossed and proceeded into one of his signature tirades. By the end there were eight ejections, O's Alan Mills, Rick Sutcliffe and David Segui (none of them were playing in the game) along with Piniella, Haselman, Bosio, Charlton (had not appeared in the game) and Mackey Sasser of the M's. All this while the PA is playing Three Dog Night's "Mama Told Me Not to Come”. What was not so funny was Chris Bosio had just come off the DL with a broken collarbone and re-broke it, O's catcher Jeff Tackett and reliever Mark Williamson had injuries to their faces.The game resumed after 20 minutes and the Mariners continued the game under protest. The worst part, they lost 5-2. Lou was also angry because he felt the hit was retaliation for Bosio coming close inside on some Orioles hitters earlier in the game so did Haselman and that is why he charged. Mussina said there was no intent, he wasn't ejected, suspended or fined but was relieved in the 8th inning after giving up a walk to Mike Felder. On June 11th suspensions were handed down, Haselman, Sasser and Segui three games, Charlton, Mills four games while Bosio and O's pitcher Rick Sutcliffe got five for their parts in the brawl.

Unfortunately, Norm started suffering from arm issues, he spent 2 weeks on the DL beginning on July 21st and was activated on August 5th.

He had gone 1-3 with a 2.34 ERA in 34 appearances, 18 saves ( 21 chances) in 34.2 innings. On Aug. 7th in Texas he was throwing to Ivan Rodriguez in the ninth, M's were up 2-1 when he felt a pop, but made two more pitches that sailed to the back-stop. Upon examination he had a torn the ulnar-collateral ligament
and probably because of the extra pitches tore the flexor tendon from the bone. He had Tommy John surgery by Dr. Frank Jobe who first performed the procedure on the very pitcher it is named after, Norm's season was over. The Mariners finished the season 82-80, 4th in the AL West but a second above .500 season.
Though he missed most of the second half he went 1-3 with team a leading 18 saves while holding opponents to .179 batting average and lefties to just .095.
He became a free agent on November 18, 1993, he continued with rehab from surgery.


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[Tobywan]

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Even though he was not fully recovered he signed on February 3, 1994 with the Philadelphia Phillies. He began suffering set backs then was experiencing discomfort just before his rehab assignment in Clearwater, FL. In mid-April he was placed on the 60-day DL (retroactive to March 31st). He felt good throwing through most of May during simulations until pain set in again by the end of the month. He flew to Los Angeles to see Dr. Frank Jobe again. Though the ligament was intact he needed surgery to shore up the area surrounding it and to remove scare tissue costing him the entire season.

He was granted free agency on October 28th, but the Phils decided to take a chance and he re-signed to a minor league contract on December 22nd. Because he had signed a Triple-A deal he was permitted by the union to be in spring camp, he requested a few extra days to clear up some personal business and it was granted. He was vocal about replacement players as many were, most were minor leaguers just doing what they were told by their clubs or taking the opportunity to play. Some were major league players who needed to keep working, they were looked upon as the lowest of the low. It could be a matter of opinion though as to which side is more contemptible, the millionaires complaining, or those that were willing to take $5,000 and a small daily meal per diem. Then there is the league that asked them to play then threw them under the bus once the strike was resolved. There was contempt to go around and it took several seasons for attendance to get back to where it was before the work stoppage.

When the 1995 season finally started in late April, it appeared he was healed, but had a miserable opening game when he blew a save and lost his closing job.

He took a liner right to his face on May 27th off the bat of San Diego Padres Steve Finley, it fractured the bone cavity of his frontal sinus leaving him with a black eye and a gash across his forehead that required stitches. He lost a few days but didn't seem to lose his nerve, he continued to struggle. He collected the only RBI of his career in the 8th inning of a June 19th game against the NY Mets. With Kevin Stocker on first he hit a double to center field off Blas Minor for the last run of the game and a 6-3 win.

He was 2-5 with a bloated ERA of 7.36 in 22 IP when he was released on July 10th. He wanted to go to Atlanta, but they weren't interested. He called his buddy Lou Piniella now the manager of the Mariners and both agreed to a tryout. He threw ten pitches and they signed him on the 14th at the behest of Lou, making him throw was probably just for appearances, Lou wanted him back. The Mariners had added Edgar Martinez since Norm left and their SS phenom Alex Rodriguez was in his second season of getting limited playing time.

Norm had always had the style of an urban cowboy off the field, he wore jeans and cowboy boots regularly and when he started getting paid well a few years ago he bought a big ranch with cattle and horses. It was a working ranch and along with the usual livestock Nancy made sure that other critters in the area were fed. Hundreds of deer, a few dozen cats, four dogs and an adopted javelina never went hungry. One day she found an alligator out on the pond when she investigated as to why none of the animals seemed to want to go near it. A neighbor was called to help, she wanted it caught and released somewhere, but he shot and killed it. Nancy has a soft spot for all animals and felt bad.

After a few seasons of being one of the "Nasty Boys" he was about to get his own moniker. The late HOF announcer Dave Niehaus known as the "Voice of the Mariners" saw Charlton sauntering across the field from the bullpen one day. He thought it resembled how Wyatt Earp might have somberly strolled down a main street in the old west and from then on, Charlton was "The Sheriff."

Norm became the lefty middle reliever, but when Bobby Ayala began to slip, Lou made him their primary closer. From July 24-Aug. 7 he had pitched 11.1 consecutive innings without giving up a run. From Aug. 19- Sept. 30 he racked up 9 consecutive saves, allowing 12 hits, 7 walks in 30.1 IP with 38 Ks and a 0.89 ERA earning him AL Pitcher of the Month honors for September.

That same month, his brother Craig who had given up baseball after college and became a U.S. Marshall was about to graduate from the Secret Service Academy. Norm was able to make the drive to Washington DC for the ceremony as the M's were playing Baltimore the same time. According to both brothers Craig was the better athlete, but he was right handed and topped out at about 85 mph. They had a tough Dad so between him and an older tough brother like Norm , Craig turned out extra tough. Norm constantly tricked him into doing scary and even dangerous stunts. One incident came back to bite Norman, he goaded Craig into throwing a rock at the windshield of a dump truck parked near their house. When the driver showed Mr. Charlton the damage Sr. was sure Jr. had done it so Norm got the whipping for his little brother.

He finished out the season with the M's going 2-1 posting a 1.51 ERA in 30 games, with 14 saves. For a good portion of the season they were without Griffey Jr., but his replacements stepped up throughout his absence. The Mariners were able to surge overcoming a 13 game deficit to tie the division leading California Angels. The M's defeated them in a one-game playoff for the first post-season berth in franchise history. This was the first season with the new division format and extended play-off system after the strike. They won the AL West division title with a 79-66 record. Charlton pitched in four games of the ALDS, with 7.1 innings, he got the save in Game 3 and the win Game 4 against the New York Yankees.



The M's defeated the Yankees 11-8 in Game 4 of the ALDS on October 7, 1995.


They took the series 3-2 to move on to the ALCS facing the Cleveland Indians.



The Kingdome hot-tub party after winning the 1995 ALDS: From left, Edgar Martinez, Randy Johnson, trainer Rick Griffin, Ken Griffey Jr., Jay Buhner, Mike Blowers and Norm Charlton.

Others from that first winning Mariners team to be future Devils Rays were Tino Martinez and Jim Mecir. Charlton has stated the "Refuse To lose" Mariners were his most memorable team and the favorite season of his career.

In the Conference Series he pitched in three games saving Game 1 and winning Game 3, after he took over for Randy Johnson in a 2-2 tie.



The M's took Game 1 of the ALCS from the Tribe on October 10, 1995. C Dan Wilson, Charlton (save) OF Vince Coleman, P Bob Wolcott (WP)and SS Joey Cora celebrate the 3-2 victory.

He pitched 6 innings in the series, but they were defeated 4-2. The Tribe were then defeated by the Atlanta Braves in the WS. Piniella credited him as an instrumental piece of their successful season. A major coup for a pitcher coming off two surgeries and being out all of the previous season. Charlton gave all the credit to Lou for putting him in the right spots and pitching coach Bobby Cuellar for helping him adjust his mechanics.

He was eligible for free agency, the M's offered him arbitration on February 2, 1996 he signed a one-year, $2,075,000 contract including options for 1997 and 1998.

He got his first save of the season on April 2nd in a 3-2 win over the Chicago White Sox. He split the closing role with Mike Jackson, going 4-7 with a 4.04 ERA in 70 games (50 finished) and 20 saves (out of 27 opportunities) in 75.2 innings, not great. The loss of pitchers Randy Johnson and Chris Bosio put pressure on the bullpen and the offense all season, he had a horrible 6 week stretch from the end of June until August. He made just one save and his ERA blew up to over five, he went to Piniella and requested he be taken out of the closing role. He began working in the seventh or eight with more success. What wasn't made public until later was in July after 11 years of trying his wife Nancy was pregnant, but she had to take it easy. She had a miscarriage a month later. Norm made no excuses, he knows most don't care about what's going on with players off the field. Hard to remember sometimes that behind the mitts, bats and uniforms there's a person. He finished the rough season going 4-7 with a 4.04 ERA with a career high 70 games. He led the team with 20 saves the second 20-save season of his career (1992, Cincinnati) and games finished with 50. He held lefties to just .187. The M's wouldn't make it to the post season going 85-76 for 2nd in the AL West.

Once again it was spring, hope is eternal, but it was a struggle as an overturn in the roster brought angst as the pitching staff was shelled during the Arizona
exhibition season. Many have complained it is more difficult to throw breaking pitches in the thin air, balls carry faster and farther. The parks there are a bit larger than their Florida counterparts to compensate for long balls, but there are usually more doubles and triples. One or two bad outings can mean the difference of going to Seattle or shipped off around the minors. Not as much worry for a grizzled old lefty like Charlton. In 10 outings during March he held batters to .196 against him and his ERA was 1.38. He faced 51 batters and walked just three. One reason though that spring stats especially in the early weeks are usually irrelevant is so much of them come against 18-year-olds being evaluated and some just under 40 trying to keep going.

He agreed to terms on January 9, 1997, earned a save in the season opener against the Yankees and on April 6, 1997 he appeared in his 400th game. From April 11-May 14 he converted nine consecutive save situations.He and Bobby Ayala had been sharing the closer duties but after Norm failed to convert in 5 consecutive tries they went to a closer by committee.

Charlton would pull many stunts in his career, he had a mullet to rival teammate Randy Johnson but shaved his head bald for Buhner Buzz Night on July 17th,. It didn't bring him luck he gave up a homer in extra innings, the team lost 9-7 to Minnesota and it drew the ire of his wife Nancy to boot, he was also now bald.

He had lost the closing role by August to Ayala and was used as a set up man.He finished the season going 3-8 with 14 saves and a 7.27 ERA, he set a new career high with 71 games, never reached above 50 again. The Mariners took the AL West division title once more with a 90-72 record and faced the Baltimore Orioles in the ALDS. Norm made 2 appearances, he gave up 2 hits and no runs with a strikeout in 2.1 innings, but they were defeated 3-1. The O's didn't make it past the Tribe, who faced the Florida Marlins. The Marlins had an improbable season, making the post season with a WC spot and took the WS title in an exciting seven games. Charlton elected free agency on November 7th.

After the personal loss things weren't the same in the marriage, Nancy left and soon they were divorced, he sold the 4,000-acre cattle and horse ranch in south Texas.

He must have made an impression on the O's in the post season as he signed with them on December 15th for $650,000.



Charlton pitches a spring game against the Montreal Expos at Fort Lauderdale Stadium (Florida), O's won 11-9 on March 2, 1998.


However, manager Ray Miller was not overly impressed with Charlton during spring training, but added him to the 1998 roster anyway. His welcome became even more strained when he allowed an extra run to the KC Royals on opening day on the way to a 4-1 loss. He became the the set up man for Armando Benitez , but he struggled. Later stating he felt on eggshells for months, thought he was gone in June, but the team released Terry Mathews instead. On June 26th he played in his 500th game against the Expos in Montreal. By July he was being used in limited appearances and after going 2-1 with a 6.94 ERA was released on July 28th.

He signed with the Atlanta Braves on August 5th who picked up the $170,000 left on his contract and sent him to the Triple-A Richmond Braves of the International League. Norm hadn't played a minor league game in a decade. He appeared in just two games before being brought up to the ML club, made 13 appearances posting a 1.38 ERA and earned a save.

The Braves would head to the play-offs for the seventh season in a row with a 106-56 record to win their seventh consecutive division title. Norm was not a part of the roster. They swept the wild card Chicago Cubs in the NLDS but lost in the NLCS to the NL West champion San Diego Padres who in turn lost the World Series to the New York Yankees. He was a free agent on October 27th.


Just weeks after his 36th birthday and 11 seasons he signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on January 20, 1999 to a $500,000 deal which included a $200,000 earned bonus.




Photo Day for the Devil Rays at Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida.


Pitching against the the Texas Rangers at the Charlotte County Stadium in Port Charlotte, Florida. The Rangers defeated the Devil Rays 6-4 on March 8, 1999.



The Devil Rays defeated the Reds 5-2 on March 12, 1999.

Though the DRays were heavily criticized for their consideration of so many aging players, Charlton seemed to have a good shot at a bull pen position against a bunch of youngsters. The team decided to go younger though and for the first time since 1988 he would start a season in the minors as he was sent to the Durham Bulls (AAA) of the IL. He was called up to fill a roster spot vacated when Miguel Cairo was placed on the 15-day disabled list on April 23rd. He was optioned back on April 30th, then recalled on June 9th when Dave Eiland went on the 15-day DL .

Norm's folks were the recipients of the annual George and Barbara Bush Little League Parents of the Year Award in 1999. Established in 1980 the award is given to parents of a MLB player who actively participated in their son's Little League. It is presented during the Little League Baseball World Series held in August in South Williamsport, PA. Some other winners were the parents of Steve Garvey, Nolan Ryan, Mike Mussina and Derek Jeter and recently Colby and Cory Rasmus.

Norm ended up appearing in 42 games, finishing nine of them and going 2-3 with no saves and a 4.42 ERA. He held opponents to a .257 BA and surrendered just four homers in 50 2/3 innings. He became a free agent on November 2nd, but the DRays liked him enough to offer him salary arbitration in December.

He re-signed with the DRays on January 7, 2000, he was assured he had a place but on March 31st the DRays signed Billy Taylor and reassigned Charlton to the Bulls, he requested a release and it was granted the same day. He was a bit angry. He went back to one of his old stomping grounds when he re-signed with the Cincinnati Reds on April 9th and was assigned to their Triple-A affiliate the Louisville RiverBats of the IL. After 4 minor appearances he got called up, made just 2 disastrous appearances where he gave up nine runs on six hits and six walks while striking out just one in three innings racking up a 27.00 ERA.



April 22, 2000 against the LA Dodgers at Cinergy Field in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Dodgers defeated the Reds 16-2.



He was going to be optioned, instead he asked for release which was granted on April 28th.


Now he was even more angry and fed up, too, mostly with himself. It appeared to be time to seriously consider that his career might be at an end and decided to retire. He went back to San Antonio, he was doing well, enjoying the time off. Then in the off season the Double-A team in San Antonio changed affiliates, going from the Dodgers to Charlton's old friends, the Mariners. The move got him thinking and longing once again for the game. He called and asked if they might have room. They said they were looking for a lefty in relief to go with Arthur Rhodes and that he would have to earn it. He came out of retirement and signed a minor league deal on December 19th.

Charlton got remarried, new wife Brenda (nee Dow) was a native of Centralia, WA and a real estate agent in the Seattle-Bellevue area, which made another nice fit for a Seattle return.

He went into the 2001 M's camp in Peoria, AZ as a non-roster invitee. By the end of March it came down to Norm and Ryan Franklin for the last roster spot. It appeared that Franklin had the edge, but when Paul Abbott came up injured and placed on the DL, Charlton was selected from Class AA San Antonio and he was added to the 25-man roster. He was used as a middle reliever and lefty specialist in a pen that featured the likes of Kazuhiro Sasaki, Jeff Nelson, and Rhodes. There was no more Randy Johnson, Griffey Jr. or A-Rod, but they had added a Japanese hero named Ichiro playing his first season in MLB.

He went down at the end of May with a left groin strain, he came back on June 16th, but less than a week later he hurt it again and wouldn't get back until July 27th. He did a 4 game rehab stint with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers in the PCL before his return.

On 9/11 the team was 3,000 miles away from the horrific events unfolding, but just as stunned. Baseball was briefly not the focus, they were grounded in Anaheim, trying to make arrangements for a way to get back to Seattle, but flew home when air restrictions were lifted. They were hoping the time off wouldn't hamper their momentum, no worries.

Norm reached his 600th game on September 20th. Even with missing a lot of time he made 44 appearances going 4-2 with a 3.02 ERA in middle relief and even got a save. In a season for the ages the Mariners won an MLB record 116 games (46 losses) taking the AL West Division. They set a new AL record for most wins in a single season and tied the 1906 Chicago Cubs for the Major League record. He was now third on the Mariners all-time saves list with 67 and seventh in games pitched with 249. He pitched a hit-less, scoreless 1.2 innings with two strikeouts in Game 1 of the ALDS against the Cleveland Indians. The M's took the series 3-2.




Yankees fans are unimpressed.

He pitched in 2 games of the ALCS against the New York Yankees, giving up one hit, 2 walks and striking out 2 in 1.2 IP but they would be defeated 4-1 in the series. The Yanks went on to the World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks who took the championship in an incredible seven games after a very emotional post season following the events of September 11th. It can be easy to dismiss such a season since their incredible feat didn't result in rings, that is after all then end goal. However, it could be argued that it is far more difficult to win 116 ballgames in a season out of 162 then it is to win four games out of seven in a week.

While the Magical Mariners didn't win it all they were recognized by MLB with the Commissioner’s Historic Achievement Award. It has been given 15 times, 14 have gone to single individuals.


Charlton became a free agent again on November 5th.

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[Tobywan]

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He thought briefly of retiring again but re-signed with the M's on December 12th. He was having pain and found out he needed surgery to repair his labrum and rotator cuff which was performed on January 29, 2002. He was released a week later by Seattle, but re-signed on May 15th, spending the season rehabbing under the team's supervision. He was given free agency on October 29th, but re-signed on December 17th.

He was feeling good and looking forward to the opening series against the Oakland A's taking place in Japan in March 2003. They were scheduled to play exhibitions against the Yomiuri Giants and the Seibu Lions then play each other with Oakland being considered the "home team." Things were going alright until he threw at top speeds, there was still pain. Another MRI, a torn anterior capsule not as serious as the last surgery, there was still hope. He had the surgery and was released from his contract on March 20th. He didn't miss Japan though as the series was canceled due to the impending threat of the Iraq War. He didn't stay unemployed for long, the M's immediately offered him a job as a roaming coach for their minor leagues during rehabilitation and while he pondered over a decision to return to pitching. Something about being around youth can keep optimism and vitality alive in an old dog. As the workouts in spring 2004 continued, the harder he threw, the more he had pain. He tried to work through, but bad news once again.He needed another labrum/rotator surgery, he went to Los Angeles for the procedure by Dr. Lewis Yokum on March 5th. The doctor gave him the news straight, he didn't think his 41 year-old arm was strong enough to pitch again. He broke the news to the team and announced his retirement two days later. This time for good.

His last ML appearance was October 7, 2001 for the Seattle Mariners.


In 13 seasons with 6 different ML teams he went 51-54 with a 3.71 ERA, 808 strikeouts, 97 saves in 605 games with 899.1 innings pitched. In seven postseason series, he made 17 appearances in 25 IP with a 1.08 ERA.

Lou Piniella who managed Norm the most, has often called him one of his favorite players. Norm picks Omar Vasquel as his most fierce nemesis, a very hard out who has very good numbers against him. He says he had no trouble fooling Ken Caminitti.

As with many sports figures racking up a lengthy career he has plenty of memories. He never really went in for any superstitions that needed a constant ritual, but he claims he took power naps in the second innings once he became a reliever. However, during a spring training game with the Reds Rob Dibble gave up 5 runs without getting an out. Norm followed him and gave up 6 runs and got just one out. After the game on the way to the clubhouse he took his entire uniform off, grabbed a bottle of alcohol and set all of it on fire, including his glove and cleats. Also, during his time with the Reds he got hate mail from a guy in L.A. that wrote threats like you see in movies with the words clipped out of newspapers. In Seattle during a trying time for the pitching staff, they were in the locker room before a game. A guy walked in asking where Lou Piniella's office was telling them he was their new pitching coach and was going to straighten them out. He turned out to be just some fan that had sneaked his way in, Norm and a couple others picked him up and threw him out onto the street. He says the weirdest autograph requests he received was a woman in Seattle that took her top off (in front of his first ex-wife) wanting him to sign her breast and another woman in St. Louis asked him to sign a box of tampons. He once played a trick on the Seattle team physician by warming Gatorade placed in a urine sample cup in the microwave and then drinking it. He overheard a reporter in the clubhouse asking other players about drugs in baseball. He bolted up, threw a stool at a
locker and apologized citing "roid rage", something few might try these days. Pitchers are usually the more quirkier bunch of the team. He pulled pranks on teammates, some good ones. While with the Reds he was responsible for fellow pitcher Scott Scudder's tires being removed from his Land Rover, propped up on concrete blocks with the wheels placed on the roof of the car when he was a rookie. It started raining as Scott tried to put it back together. Upon hearing Scudder had a date after a game Charlton soaked his nice jeans in water, froze them and hung them in his locker. That one was mostly in retaliation for Scudder freezing Norm's prized ostrich cowboy boots in a bucket. After haircuts he would gather up the clippings and mail them to the balding Jack Armstrong using fake letterhead from the Hair Club for Men. He says a favorite prank he witnessed wasn't his, Piniella and Griffey Jr. had a bet going, the winner would get a steak dinner, when Junior lost the bet a live cow showed up in Lou's office.

Norm and Brenda had a home in the Seattle area, since his retirement from pitching he had been employed by the M's as a special assignment coach, consulting, evaluating and even scouting.



Photo Day Charlton now a coach on February 19, 2003 at Peoria Stadium in Peoria, Arizona.



Charlton with C Dan Wilson after throwing out the first pitch on the Mariners opening game on April 6, 2004.

Norm had always dreamed of a log home that he just never felt would look right back in his native Texas. They found land about 90 minutes South East amid the Cascade Mountain Range just north of Mount Rainier National Park in the mining town of Cle Elum. Building began in August 2004 and they were ready to move in by Christmas. The home was featured in the September 2006 issue of Log Home Design magazine. The contractor was amazed how quickly it was done, but he got extra help from Norm and Brenda's brothers with the construction.


Norm, Brenda, pups and cabin.

On October 22, 2007, the Mariners named him their bullpen coach, on manager John McLaren's staff. The 2007 season hade given everyone hope, it was the first winning season since 2003 finishing in 2nd place in the AL West.


Charlton giving instruction to minor leaguer Brian Schwieger.


Shortly after the start of the season Norm received the sad news that a long time friend and former teammate John Marzano (just 45 years old) had suddenly passed away on April 19th. They first played together on the 1984 U.S. Olympic Team before Norm got injured. They played against each other occasionally during their minor league years and were teammates again with the Mariners. A final coroner's report determined Marzano had died from postural asphyxia as a result from a fall down the stairs outside of his apartment building. He had landed in a way that restricted his breathing and possibly couldn't get out of the position because he was unconsious or injured from the fall. A toxicology report showed there was ethanol intoxication, which might explain why he fell.


The team was 22-41 when people started getting fired, first it was hitting coach Jeff Pentland on June 9th, then GM Bill Bavasi on the 16th, 3 days later manager McLaren got the boot replaced with Jim Riggleman. The only two categories they led in the AL was how many times they struck out and how many games they lost. The team BA was 2.65 and the ERA was 4.73, they finished with a 61-101 (.377) record, last in their division. Charlton's contract along with the rest of the coaching staff was not renewed when the M's hired Don Wakamatsu to be their manager in November. John Wettland became the new bullpen coach.

He spent some time doing the radio broadcasts for the Mariners on KJR radio in Seattle.

The Cincinnati Reds honored the 1990 WS team for their 20th anniversery during the induction weekend of the franchise Hall of Fame July 16-18, 2010. Pedro Borbon, Tony Mullane and Chris Sabo were that year's inductees. Many invitations over the years have been extended to Charlton by the Reds, he usually declined so, many were surprised when he showed up for this event.


Nasty Boys attened HOF gala at the Duke Energy Center in Downtown Cincinnati.

On July 16, 2011 the Mariners held a 10th anniversary bash during pre-game ceremonies for the 2001 team and their historic 116 wins, Norm was one of the many that returned for the event.

It appears his marriage to Brenda ended and he moved to Rockport, TX to be near his aging parents. He started operating charter fishing trips in 2011 earning a Captain's License in 2012, he named his business "Norm Charlton's Big League Adventures." He had a friend build him a customized SCB Recon. Despite now being a job, he enjoys fishing and also hunting with his Dad, brother, nephews and godsons just for fun. He often particpates in fishing, golf and softball tournaments for charity.








Norm and pal January 2013

On February 15, 2013 he was inducted into the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the Alamodome.



Ed Whitacre (from left), Joe Conrad, Nell Fortner, Norm Charlton and Larry Kenon at SAS HOF induction.




Dibble, Charlton and Myers throw out the first pitch before the July 7, 2014 game between the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds.

He expresses pride in being with the Mariners during their first post season in history which led to the building of the beautiful Safeco Field as well as their historic 116. He recently spoke candidly that he believes the problems currently in Seattle is plain 'ol instability, they haven't stuck with any management staff long enough to truly rebuild. They also have relied for the most part on one ace pitcher and a high priced position player with no anchoring around them. Well, they have been through nine managers and three GM's since he last pitched in October 2001, he might have a point. In interviews he has stated he would seriously consider a return to coaching if he got a call.

Charlton took part in the Tampa Bay Stars Coaches fantasy camp held January 2015 at the Oceola county complex in Florida along with many former Devil Rays.



As with many who seem to be forever linked to a certain time, the trio that didn't care much for their "Nasty Boys" persona 25 years ago have now embraced it. They keep in touch regularly as well as attend autograph signings and appearances together. Norm, Rob Dibble and Randy Myers are slated to be the 2015 Findlay Market Parade Grand Marshals before the Reds Home opener on April 6, 2015. The "Nasty Boys" 1990 season is to be commemorated with a bobblehead giveaway on April 25th.

Brenda splits her time between her home near Seattle and La Jolla, California she owns a Horse/Dog boarding and daycare service. Norm still resides in Rockport, Texas working at his fishing guide business, he is looking into expanding to off shore tours.

[Tobywan]

Steve Cox # 71 (1999) #28 (2000-02)-INF

Charles Steven Cox was born on October 31, 1974 in Delano, California to Raymond and Dona Cox joining 2 year old brother David.


Ray, Donna, Steve and David at Disneyland, 1978.


The family was living in Strathmore when Steve attended Monache High School in nearby Porterville, CA. He missed the 1991 season but in his senior year (1992) he hit .418 with 28 hits, 4 home runs and 22 RBI in 26 games for the Marauders.



Monache



1992 Classic Draft Picks


The Cox family before Steve went off to pursue his baseball career.


The seventeen year old Cox was chosen in the 5th round of the June 1, 1992 MLB amateur draft by the Oakland Athletics. He signed the next day. He was sent to the Rookie class Arizona League Athletics, he batted .234 , with 35 RBI and 51 strikeouts in 52 games. The team went 34-22 and finished in first place.



In 1993 he got injured playing just 15 games for the Minor-A Southern Oregon A's (Medford) of the Northwest League. He collected 18 hits, 16 RBI with 15 Ks, while the team went 37-39 ending up in 3rd in the league's Southern division. He was sent to the Single-A West Michigan Whitecaps (Grand Rapids) in the MIDW in 1994, he hit .241 with 75 hits, 6 homers, 32 RBI striking out 95 times in 99 games. They went to the play-offs with a 74-65 record but lost in the semi-finals.

He was assigned to the High A Modesto A's in the CALL in 1995, It was his first full season, with a month left in their season another hot prospect in the Oakland organization named Ben Grieve was promoted to Modesto. They became fast friends. In 132 games Cox batted .298 with 144 hits, 29 doubles, 30 homers, 110 RBIs, 84 walks and 88 Ks. He was the team's minor league Player of the Year as they finished first in the Northern division going 78-62. His manager that year was Glenn Ezell, who would join the Devil Rays in the future. The team was defeated in the semi-finals. Steve was sent to the Double-A Huntsville Stars of the SOUL for the 1996 season, again he was joined by buddy Grieve near the end of the season.



insert Fleer '96

Steve hit .281./372/.436. in 104 games as the Stars struggled finishing in 5th place in the West division going 66-74. Steve and Ben met up again playing in the Arizona Fall League with the Phoenix Desert Dogs. In 1997 Ben stayed in Hunstville while Steve was promoted to the Triple-A Edmonton Trappers (Alberta, Canada) of the PCL. Ben was promoted in August and the two helped them take first place in the Northern division going 80-64. Steve batted .274 with 128 hits, 34 doubles, 15 homers, 93 RBI, 88 BB and 90 Ks in 131 games. As the Trappers were heading to the play-offs, Grieve got a big league call up to make his debut. Steve led the Trappers past the Vancouver Canadians to the PCL championship where they defeated the Phoenix Firebirds 3-1.

Cox was left unprotected by the 40-man roster and was selected as the 23rd pick during round two of the November 18, 1997 expansion draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He had played in the Oakland organization for six seasons without appearing in the major leagues. He spent 1998 with the Triple-A Durham Bulls in the IL as his pal Grieve became the AL ROY.


1998 Durham Bulls


Steve batted .253 in 119 games with 109 hits, 23 doubles, 13 HR, 67 RBI and 100 strike outs. The Bulls made the play-offs but lost to the Buffalo Bisons in the Governor's Cup series. He went to play in the Arizona Fall League again with the Grand Canyon Rafters, they were defeated by the Sun Cities Solar Sox in the championship game.



Photo Day for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on February 25, 1999 at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida.



During spring training he was among cuts made on March 17, 1999 and sent to minor league camp. He went back to Durham and proceeded on a 23-game hitting streak that ended on May 28th against the Ottawa Lynx. The Bulls won the game 6-1 giving them their first win outside of the U.S. During the streak Cox hit .371 with 36 hits. During that season he posted career highs in just about every offensive category with a .341/.415/.588 line. The Bulls once again made the post season and lost the championship series this time to the Charlotte Knights. He was called up along with pitcher Jim Morris joining the DRays on the road in Arlington, Texas on September 17th. He made his Major League debut in the final game of the series on the 19th, the series between Tampa Bay and Texas was tied heading into the Sunday afternoon game. By the start of the 7th inning the DRays were ahead 10-2, quickly running off starter John Burkett and reliever Mike Morgan. They scored 5 more runs in the inning against Danny Kolb and Jeff Fassero, with 2 outs and a lead of 15-2, Cox pinch hit for Fred McGriff. With Dave Martinez at first he hit a double to center, neither scored as Bubba Trammell struck out to end the inning. He stayed in the game at first base, but didn't come up to bat again. The DRays allowed no more runs winning 15-2 taking the series 2-1.

Unfortunately, in the Disney film "The Rookie" depicting the story of Jim Morris, not only was Steve's name changed but also his race. Though that was just one of the many inaccuracies of the film involving the Devil Rays. The basic story of Jim Morris himself was mostly accurate, as he served as a consultant on the film. Perhaps Cox had not given permission to use his likeness or Disney didn't think it was important as Morris was the story.

In the last few weeks of the '99 season he played in 6 games with four hits including a double batting .211, but he got himself noticed. He was the Minor League Player of the Year and Triple-A International League MVP. His .341 BA, 182 hits, 49 doubles and 127 RBI, not only led the Bulls but led the International League and was their mid-season and post season All-Star. The Devil Rays finished in last place in the AL East again going 69-93.

One of his HS friends and a teammate on the Monache Marauders was Brant Brown who also would become a major leaguer and his brother in-law. Steve and Brant married a pair of sisters from Portervile, CA, Sara and Jennifer Stephen. Sara and Jen's father was Louis "Buzz" Stephen who pitched just 2 games for the Minnesota Twins in 1968 before an injury ended his career.



Kansas City Royals second baseman Carlos Febles is forced back to first base on a throw to Tampa Bay Devil Rays' first baseman Steve Cox from Devil Rays' pitcher Wilson Alvarez during the third inning of their spring training game on March 9, 2000 at Baseball City Stadium in Davenport, Florida. KC defeated Tampa Bay 14-2.


Batting against the New York Yankees in spring exhibition on March 13, 2000 in St. Petersburg, Florida. Devil Rays won 8-5.

He got his chance in 2000 when he was added to the opening day 25-man roster as a bench player. On April 12, 2000 he came into a game against the Chicago White Sox at Tropicana Field during the 6th inning, TB was behind 0-6. There were 2 outs and the bases were full of DRays when he pinch hit for Kevin Stocker, he drew a walk off Sean Lowe to score Jose Canseco for his first RBI. He was immediately lifted for pinch runner Ozzie Guillen. They did manage to keep from getting shut out losing 1-7.

He launched his first home in a game on May 26th against the Seattle Mariners at the Trop. He got the start batting second playing first base. The DRays starter was Steve Traschel who let up 4 quick runs and was lifted with 2 runners on for Cory Lidle, 2 more runs scored. They were down 0-6 before batting, the M's had starting pitcher Aaron Sele on the mound, Gerald Williams batted lead off in the first and singled to center field. Cox followed with a bomb on a 1-0 pitch getting them on the board. He got another hit in the 7th, but they ended up getting routed 11-4.


On June 27th he was one hit shy of the cycle, the first time he ever got three hits in a game, the home run was a grand slam off Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Kelvim Escobar. He says there was no way he was going to get a triple. His homer hit in the fourth inning gave Tampa Bay grand slams in consecutive games for the first time in franchise history as Jose Guillen hit one in the previous game against the Texas Rangers. It was also the 4th GS hit by the club that season surpassing their 1998 record of three. The DRays won 11-1. After getting off to a rough start for April and May they went 14-11 in June, just their second winning month in history. He had his first 4 hit game on July 13th against Montreal.

When Jose Canseco was released, Greg Vaughn became the primary DH as he had been nursing a sore shoulder. This freed up left field where Cox shared for a bit with Jason Tyner, while also getting time at first and DH as well. He was not considered very speedy but he collected his first stolen base on September 6th against the Indians in Cleveland.

He made 116 appearances with 19 doubles, 11 home runs with a .283/.379/.453 line. He was named the DRays top rookie of 2000 by local Tampa Bay sports writer and game in 6th in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. Tampa Bay finished in 5th place for the third consecutive season with a 69-92 record.


In 2001 Cox would once again be a teammate of Ben Grieve when the DRays signed the 1998 ROY, he had been a member of Ben's wedding party during the off season, now their lockers would be next to each other on a major league team. The original plan was for Cox to remain the everyday DH and a back-up at other positions, until Fred McGriff was ready to hand down first base. He struggled at the plate and got moved to the outfield, he struggled more.



Cox hits the ball in a game on April 15, 2001 during a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. The Devil Rays defeated the Orioles 7-4.


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[Tobywan]

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While Fred was nursing a sore hammy Cox excelled when playing everyday. He did have a 5 RBI day in a 7-0 win against the Indians in Cleveland on May 13th.


He got to start 17 straight and went 21-for-39 (.304) but when Fred returned he was relegated to pinch hitting and occasional starter. He was able to get back to first when the DRays shipped Fred off to the Chicago Cubs at the trade deadline. He missed his predecessor but was happy he would get more playing time.




Batting against the Chicago White Sox during a game on August 5, 2001. DRays won 6-4 but Cox went 0-4.



Playing the field during the DRays White Sox game on August 5th.

A week after getting his chance again, he got injured spending two weeks on the DL (August 6th) with a low back strain, he did a four game rehab stint with the Orlando Rays. When he returned he was reunited with his former Modesto A's manager Glenn Ezell who took over as the bull pen coach after the abrupt resignation of Darren Daulton.

He finished the season strong once he was back from injury and playing everyday. In the season he hit 22 doubles, 12 home runs with 51 RBI (all career highs for Cox) while batting .257 in 108 games. He had handled 535 chances at first before making his first and only error of the season. The team finished with anabysmal 62-100 record on the positive side they played just four games under .500 in the second half, so they had improved, but there was room for a lot more.

He liked playing with a young team, Tampa Bay had 14 rookies, the average team age was 26.42 years old, youngest in the majors. Nineteen of the 30 players that got starts with the team had less than 2 years of ML experience. He was keeping a positive attitude, hoping to be a piece of a future turn around for the team.


On March 1, 2002 he agreed to terms on his contract, he would receive a salary of $280,000 while the DRays retained rights. Cox became the starting first baseman, it would be his first and only full season in the majors. He had another 4 hit game on April 16th against the Tigers in Detroit.





Cox insisted his rituals of eating lunch alone everyday at the same restaurant, wearing the same cap to the park, stepping on the field at a certain time with a certain teammate, storing his gear in the same rack and standing in the same spot before batting or during the National Anthem were not superstitions but just rituals. Randy Winn once informed him he was inviting himself to lunch just to watch him squirm and reluctantly agree, Steve admits his ritual at home is even more stringent much to the chagrin of his wife Sara.

He had a 2 homer game against the Yankees on May 15th at Yankee Stadium helping to snap the Yanks seven-game winning streak.



Cox is congratulated by third base coach Tom Foley after hitting a two-run homer in the second inning against the Yankees in New York on May 15, 2002. Devil Rays won 10-7.

Due to Toby Hall being demoted in June the DRays gave his bobblehead giveaway to Cox, they hadn't been cast at the time of the demotion so there was plenty of time to make the change for the scheduled September 8th promotion.




He came in fifth for the All-Star voting among first basemen. In 148 games he had 142 hits, 30 doubles, 16 home runs, 72 RBIs with a whopping 116 strikeouts and .254 BA.

In October he and Sara welcomed their first child a daughter, Gabrielle.


With another losing season, dwindling attendance and another management turnover on the way Tampa Bay started dumping salary again. They had been trying to shed the $63.4-million of "Hit Show" debacle of 2000. They wanted to try to get the 2003 payroll down to $25M or less. Two Japanese leagues showed interested in a couple players both sides agreed it would be a good opportunity. There was a good possibility that Steve was going to get squeezed out again for a starting role so he was excited for the change. Players would have to pass through waivers which they did then be officially released. The Yokohama Bay Stars of the Japan Central League wanted Cox, on December 10th an agreement was reached, he would signed for a possible $6.2-million for two years with an option for a third. The Devil Rays received $2.2M for selling his contract and that of Andy Sheets to the Hiroshima Carp.

Unfortnately, he got injured early in February 2003 and needed arthroscopic knee surgery, then he injured his left hamstring on June 6th. He was rehabbing with one of their minor league teams when his right knee became sore again. He got back late in the season playing just 15 games and hit just .200. He didn't stay another year.

On December 9, 2003 he agreed on a one-year deal with the St Louis Cardinals, the contract would pay him and $125,000 if he was sent to the minors and of $375,000 if he made the major league club.


Photo Day for the St. Louis Cardinals on March 1, 2004 in Jupiter, Florida.


He made neither as the Cards put him on waivers and released him on March 15, 2004. It doesn't appear he signed on with anyone else for the season. On December 24th he re-signed a minor league contract with the Devil Rays. He was sent to the minor league camp early in March 2005, but then brought back to play a few spring exhibition games on the 19th but only played in a couple games and was assigned to the Durham Bulls. He batted just .210 in 19 games when he was released on May 23rd. He decided he was done.

His last ML appearance was September 25, 2002 for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, he was just 27.

He spent parts of 4 seasons in the majors all with Tampa Bay, he played in 378 games scored 146 runs, with 324 hits, 72 doubles, 39 homers, 158 RBIs, 129 walks and 240 Ks with a .262 BA in 1399 plate appearances.

He and Sara were blessed with twins in 2005 a daughter Laney then a minute later a son, A.J.

On December 18, 2006 he was named as the new head baseball coach at Porterville College after the dismissal of long-time coach Bret Davis. Cox carried on a family tradition, his brother Dave, father Ray and father-in-law Buzz Stephens all donned uniforms for the Porterville Pirates. He immediately hired assistants Oscar Marcelino and Del Marine.




His Pirates had a tough season in 2007, they finished last in the Central Valley Conference with a 6-34 record overall and a 5-23 record in league play, There were too many off field issues, 12 players had ineligibility issues, he lost two to injury and two others transferred to another school.For the 2008 season Cox made Marine his co-head coach. Later in the season Cox moved to being the full time hitting coach and Marine's assistant. They improved to 13 wins in 2008.

After he and Del Marine left Porterville College it is unclear how Steve has been employed.


The Cox Family: Gabrielle, Sara, Laney, Steve and A.J, December 2013.

He spends a lot of time now coaching his son's little league team the Padres and his football team the Bull Dogs who won a championship in 2014. The kids are also involved with track and the girls play soccer.



Steve and AJ May 2014.



Steven and daughter Laney in the kitchen in March 2015 He's still a Tampa Bay fan.

Steve and Sara reside in Porterville, California with Gabby, Laney and A.J., close to both sets of grandparents.

[Tobywan]

Julio Franco #18- INF


Julio César Robles Franco was born on August 23, 1958* in Hato Mayor del Rey, Hato Mayor Province, Dominican Republic. He grew up in Consuelo in the San Pedro de Macoris province as his father worked in a sugar cane field then later got a job as a welder in the sugar mill. At some point his father was no longer in the picture leaving his mother to raise four boys alone. They moved closer to the big city of San Pedro de Macoris the capital of the province of the same name.

He played baseball in the streets until he got involved in a program run by Antonio Garcia, a stern instructor that taught his players the rules of American baseball. Julio went on to attend the Divine Providence High School in San Pedro. A Dominican scout for the Philadelphia Phillies named Quiqui (Francisco) Acevedo signed the young shortstop as an amateur free agent on April 23, 1978. He was touted to be 17 according to his birth certificate but as with many players from Hispanic countries at the time papers were often falsified. The papers he presented stated he was born in 1961. According to the book "The Eastern Stars: How Baseball Changed the Dominican Town of San Pedro de Macoris" His mother objected to her "17" year old son quitting school to pursue baseball and older brother Vicente convinced her to grant permission. If he was truly 19 at the time while he might have already been done with school a mother of a teenager leaving home might still have concerns.

He was assigned to the Rookie Pioneer League Butte Copper Kings, he played in 47 games, batted .305 with 43 hits and 28 RBI. The team finished 19-47 in 8th place. He went to the Low-A Central Oregon Phillies of the NORW in 1979. He hit .328 with 98 hits, 15 doubles, 10 HR, 45 RBI and 22 stolen bases in 71 games. The team went 43-28 as they took the Northwest championship title. He spent 1980 with the Single-A Peninsula Pilots of the CARL in the Virginia division, he adapted well to the longer season batting .321 with 25 doubles, 11 homers, 99 RBI, 105 runs, 44 steals and 178 hits in 140 games.



'80 Pepsi-Cola

He rode with them to the Carolina League championship with a 100-40 record. They faced off against the Durham Bulls of the North Carolina division and won, Julio was named league MVP. In 1981 he was promoted to the Double-A Reading Phillies in the Eastern League, he hit .301 with 160 hits, 17 doubles, 74, RBI, 70 runs, 27 stolen bases in 139 games. Reading finished in 2nd place in the Southern division of the EL with a 76-63 record. They lost in the semi-finals to their rival the Bristol Red Sox.

He started the 1982 season in Triple-A with the Oklahoma City 89ers of the American Association He was called up on April 23rd to make his ML debut. He was joining an infield where Pete Rose was playing first and Mike Schmidt was at third. He was given the start at short stop in a game where starting pitcher Mike Krukow only last 3.1 innings with the score 3-2. Batting 6th in the line-up he singled in his first at bat off Bob Forsch in the second inning. He went 1-4 with 2 Ks in the 2-9 loss. He got his first RBI off LA Dodger pitcher Dave Stewart on April 28th at Dodger Stadium. The game was tied 3-3 to start the 9th inning, Franco brought in the final runs of a 6 run surge with a double for a 9-3 victory. He was sent back the 89ers on May 8th. In Oklahoma he hit .300/.357.499 in 120 games, the team finished 43-91 fourth in the western division of the AA. After the season he was called up to the Phillies to finish out the season. He batted .276 in 16 ML games.


'83 Donruss


On December 9th he was traded with Jay Baller, Manny Trillo, George Vukovich and Jerry Willard to the Cleveland Indians for Von Hayes. He made their 1983 opening day roster as the starting short stop.



On April 9th against the Baltimore Orioles the game was a 2-2 tie heading into the 8th, after George Vukovich hit a grand slam, Franco gave the Tribe an 8-2 lead with hist first homer, a solo shot off Tippy Martinez. The Indians won 8-4. He recorded his first stolen base in Baltimore on April 16th a 7-4 win, he stole three bases in a game against the Royals on May 10th a 4-1 win and had a 5 RBI game against Detroit on June 18th a 12-8 win. On July 31st he was reunited when Pat Corrales was hired to manage the Indians. Pat had been fired by the Phils despite being in first place. It was speculated that the Phillies brass were disappointed that they weren't further ahead in the standings. Julio batted .273 with 153 hits, 24 doubles, 80 RBI and 32 stolen bases in his first full season earning 2nd place in the ROY voting in the American League behind Ron Kittle. He led the league in at-bats but was 3rd in the AL for errors committed with 28, something that would haunt him through career. He was named to the Topps 1983 All-Star Rookie team. The Tribe went 70-92, more painful was Julio and Pat's former team the Phillies went on to the World Series though they were defeated by the Baltimore Orioles.


He had another good year offensively in 1984, he had three 4 hits games but led the AL in errors with 36. He played in 160 games (5th) with a .286 BA, 188 hits (5th) , 22 doubles, 79 RBI, 82 runs and led the league in at-bats eking out Jim Rice by one. Once again the team had a losing record going 75-87 for 6th place.

By 1985 firmly planted in the Indians everyday line-up he began to get a little full of himself. When he played he gave it his all, he had another 4 hit game on April 18th but two days later he didn't show up for the middle game against the Yankees in NY. Julio claimed he was sick and spent the day at a friend's house who had no phone. He was back in the line up for the final game of the series but was fined by the team for the unapproved absence. They lost the game he missed.



Julio doesn't like the safe call on Yankees Don Baylor.


In June Corrales benched him for a short time after he had reached 19 errors to rest his sore hamstring. He had a 5 RBI game on August 3rd against the O's in a 10-4 win. In 160 games he had 33 doubles, 90 RBI, batting .288 and again led the AL in errors (36). The team finished an abysmal 60-102 in 7th place.

On April 25th he played his 500th career game at Yankee Stadium in a 3-10 loss. He was once again in trouble when he left the stadium without permission before a game against the California Angels on June 8th, he was suspended for 2 games and fined $200. Apparently, Julio had discussed a problem with Corrales, but didn't ask to be given the day off, both remained mum on the nature of the issue. It was just one more instance of Franco's immaturity of the time. On July 1st in a game against the A's in Oakland Corrales argued with umpire Derryl Cousins that A's pitcher Dave Stewart was throwing too close to Franco. Stewart took issue, began yelling, Corrales kicked Stewart and Stewart laid Corrales out with a punch. Both were ejected, fined and suspended for four games.


Julio had a 5 hit game in a 6-3 win over the White Sox on July 9th in Chicago. In August he threw a hissy fit and asked to be traded when Corrales started batting him in the 6th spot, he got his wish and was placed up in the order. He had more 4 hit games on September 10th and October 1st. He finished the season .306/.338/.422, with 30 doubles and 74 RBI in 149 games. The Indians improved to 84-78 landing in 5th place. Manager Pat Corrales would later reflect that as good as Franco was he could have been even better had he not gotten caught up in too much night life, too many woman and too much drinking.

On February 5, 1987 he agreed to terms on a one-year deal. He was still playing his usual way, but the team just could pull anything together.



Handling a large snake before a game against the Seattle Mariners on June 19, 1987.

Corrales was fired just before the All-Star break when the team was 31-56 and replaced with Doc Edwards. Julio missed a month with a hyper-extended elbow, he reached his 100th career stolen base on August 31st. He finished the season batting .319/.389/.428, while the team went 61-101.

He and the Tribe avoided arbitration when they agreed on a 2-year deal worth $1.8M on February 3rd.


Topps 1998


He had another good year in 1988, he had two 4 hit games before the break. On July 27th in a game against the Orioles he had 5 RBI with 3 doubles in a 12-2 win. On July 29th he collected his 1000th hit against the Twins. On Sept. 2nd he had a 5 hit game in a 4-3 victory over the White Sox. He broke up a no-hit bid by Toronto pitcher Dave Stieb with a single in the ninth on September 26th. He finished the season .303/.361/.409 and won his first Silver Slugger. The Indians were still on a losing roll going 78-84 for 6th place.


On December 6th he was traded to the Texas Rangers for Jerry Browne, Oddibe McDowell and Pete O'Brien. He became the starting second baseman in 1989 joining several rising Hispanic stars, Rafael Palmeiro, Ruben Sierra and a 19-year old rookie named Juan Gonzalez among them. The team also featured the 42-year old Nolan Ryan.


Juan Gonzalez, Ruben Sierra, Franco and Rafael Palmeiro of the Texas Rangers.

Things started off rough as he grounded into 3 double plays in a game against Toronto on April 9th. He played in his 1000th game on July 13th against his former Indians in Cleveland. He was voted to the All-Star game for the first time and started at second base batting 5th. The was held on July 11th at Anaheim Stadium, it was the first AS game to include the designated hitter. Even though the Phillies Mike Schmidt had retired at the end of May he had been voted in but declined to play and participated in pre-game ceremonies.



w/ Bo Jackson



w/ Don Mattingly


The bottom of the first started off with back to back homers by Bo Jackson and Wade Boggs. Franco went 1-3 the AL won 5-3.


Jeffrey Leonard, Kirby Puckett, Bo Jackson and Julio.

He got his 500th RBI on July 18th against Boston. He played 150 games batting .316/.386/.462, he was 5th in the American League in batting average and he won another Silver Slugger. On November 2nd the Rangers exercised the option on his contract $1.25 million.

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[Tobywan]

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He picked up 3 stolen bases in a 4-3 win against Boston on May 30, 1990. He hit 2 home runs in a 5-0 win on June 11th against the A's in Oakland. He was an All-Star again as a reserve. The game was played on July 10th at Wrigley Field, it featured a rain delay in 7th. Richard Marx sang the National Anthem and Cubs great Ernie Banks threw out the ceremonial first pitch. At the time of the delay NL pitcher Jeff Brantley had put Sandy Alomar and Lance Parrish on base, when play resumed the NL sent Nasty Boy Rob Dibble to the mound. Franco came in as a pinch hitter, slapped a double to right bringing in both runners for the only runs of the game. The AL won 2-0 and Franco was named the MVP.



After hitting a double to bring in the only two runs, Franco attempts to score on a fly ball hit by Jose Canseco. The ball was caught by RF Andre Dawson who threw to C Mike Scioscia at home plate for the inning ending double play.





He batted .296 with 27 doubles, 82 walks and 69 RBI in 157 games. The Rangers went 83-79 for 3rd place.



Studio'91


On July 4, 1991 he stole his 200th base against Oakland. Just before the All-Star break Julio was suffering from chest pains, he was checked out and it was determined it was just a combination of heat and an overload of caffeine. He was cleared just in time to go to the festivities in the media was stirring up controversy of a feud between Franco and Roberto Alomar. There were quotes of feuding over who deserved the votes to start the game, Alomar came in ahead of Julio. According to him all he said to the press was if anyone could prove to him that he didn't deserve to start, then he'd kiss his own behind. He claimed he never said any names, never said he was better than anyone or deserved the honor over anyone else. The two shook hands at the event that took place on July 9th at the Skydome in Toronto squelching anymore brouhaha over it. Alomar played the entire game, Franco sat. AL Manager Tony LaRussa wanted to hold a few players back in case of extra innings and Julio was one of them, LaRussa was also concerned about his recent health scare. Julio didn't appreciate the thought, Franco was the only AL position player not in the game.


1991 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland.


He had a 201 hit season (5th) and won the AL batting crown with 341/.408/.474. and placed in the top 10 in a majority of the offensive categories. He reached a career high 36 stolen bases (6th), led the league in singles with 156 and came in 15th in the MVP voting and collected his fourth consecutive Silver Slugger. The team once again finished in third place.

He became a US citizen and on October 12th he married Rosa Ivis (nee Trueba). When he knew he wanted to propose to Rosa though he was over 30 he did it in a traditional way of taking her folks to dinner and asking for her hand, He dropped the ring in her drink when she wasn't looking and kept an eye on he so she didn't swallow it. There have been conflicting statements on his early marital status, while there was one reporter that claimed Franco mentioned he had been married before Rosa and had a child, but he doesn't like to discuss family. Most accounts state he was a long time bachelor, living a party lifestyle until he met Rosa. He went home to visit family in December, his mother and brothers encouraged him to get back to the church.

Right off the bat in spring 1992 he developed bursitis in his right knee, he was hoping it would get better but it kept getting worse, he began the season on the DL. He came back for a week at the end of April before trouble again, he was out almost a month before being reactivated on June 1st. He was back a month before it was determined that he needed season ending surgery, he played in just 35 games mostly at DH due his sore knee. The Rangers went 77-85 finishing in 4th.

He spent all of 1993 at the DH position for the Rangers, he had a 5 hit game in a 9-2 win against the Brewers on May 3rd. He reached his 1500th game on August 13th in Cleveland and hit his 100th home run on September 4th in Minnesota. On September 10th he and Rosa welcomed their son Joshua Cesar born in Miami, Florida.

Franco batted .289 with 154 hits, 84 RBI, 85 runs, 31 doubles and 14 homers. Texas went 86-76 moving up to second place.


The Rangers were unsure about Franco's knees, it seemed others felt the same, he opted for free agency on October 27th. Chicago GM Ron Schueler was willing to take a chance, Franco signed with the White Sox on December 15th.


Chicago White Sox spring training in Sarasota, Florida.


The 35 year old Franco highly benefited when the Sox placed him hitting DH behind slugger Frank Thomas in 1994. He had a couple of 2 homer games, three 5 RBI games, he scored 4 runs in a game in Seattle on June 23rd. He reached a career high 20 homers and was soundly on pace to drive in 100 plus runs when the season ended on August due to the MLB strike. He finished 8th in the MVP voting while teammate Thomas took the prize. He won his fifth and final Silver Slugger batting .319/.406/.510.

He became a free agent on October 21st. A deal was not worked out to re-sign Franco and he took a two-year $7M deal to play in the Japan Pacific League signing with the Chiba Lotte Marines on December 28, 1994. One person who was not happy that Franco wouldn't be returning to the White Sox was Frank Thomas, he had harsh words for his team. He even went so far as to predict it could cost them a trip to the World Series in 1995 as their newly formatted Central Division rival Cleveland Indians had loaded up since the strike.



John Franco is tethered to Pete Incaviglia during drills with the Chiba Lotte Marines on February 16, 1995.



The Chiba Lotte Marines had it's best season during Julio's time there. He batted .306 in 127 games, and won the Japan Leagues version of a Gold Glove at first base.

On December 7th he re-signed with the Cleveland Indians. The Indians had an incredible run in 1995 wining 100 games when they took the Central Division title and the AL Pennant. Seems Frank Thomas was right as the White Sox had finished 3rd and out of the post season.


In 1996 the Tribe were now stacked with the likes of Manny Ramirez, Kenny Lofton and Albert Belle. Franco would be the primary first baseman, he collected his 2000th career hit on June 11th against the Oakland A's. He batted .322 with 76 RBI, 72 runs, 14 homers despite two stints on the disabled list losing over almost 2 months worth of playing time throughout July and August with a right hamstring strain. He came back strong and has a 3 homer game on September 12th against the California Angels. The Tribe won another division title going 99-62, in his 14th season in the majors he was heading to the play-offs. Facing the wild card Baltimore Orioles in the ALDS. He played in four games but got only 2 hits, with one RBI and one run scored, one walk and stuck out 6 times as they were eliminated 3-1.

In 1997 he split time at DH and 2B with the Tribe. On May 4th in a game against the Detroit Tigers he hit a come-backer that struck the head of pitcher Willie Blair in the sixth inning who ended up leaving the game with a broken jaw. Tigers won 2-0. He had batted .284 in 78 games when he was designated on July 29th, he was released on August 13th, later the same day, he signed with the Milwaukee Brewers.




His former team the Indians went on win another division title and the AL Pennant. They were defeated in the World Series by the Florida Marlins. Franco played in 42 games and batted just .241 with the Brewers. Combined he batted .270 but along with 116 hits in 120 games he also had 116 strikeouts. The Brewers went 78-83 for 3rd in AL Central. He was once again a free agent on October 28th.

It appears no MLB team wanted to hire him for the 1998 season. So, he went back to play for the Chiba Lotte Marines, he was named their captain and finished the season .290/.379/.464 including 27 doubles, 18 home runs, 78 runs and 77 RBI in 131 games. The team went 61-71 finishing in last place in the Pacific League.

He signed a minor league contract with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on February 19, 1999.



Batting in spring training against the Texas Rangers on March 8, 1999 at the Charlotte County Stadium in Port Charlotte, Florida. The Rangers defeated the Devil Rays 6-4.


He vied for a utility role, but was assigned to DRays affiliate Mexico City Tigres of the Mexican League where he batted .423 in 93 games. While he didn't play for the Durham Bulls during the regular season he joined them for their post season, he hit .269 in seven playoff games but they lost in the championship to the Charlotte Knights. His contract was purchased from the Bulls and he made his DRays debut on September 22nd. He got one at bat and struck out. It was his one and only appearance. Though he had nothing to do with it, the DRays went 69-93, last in the AL East.

He became a free agent on October 13th. He signed on with the Samsung Lions of the Korean Baseball Organization for the 2000 season to play first base. In 132 games he had 110 RBI, 79 runs, 22 home runs and a 3.27 BA. The team went 69-59. He then went back to the Mexico City Tigres in 2001 where he hit .437/.497/.678 in 110 games when his contract was purchased by the Atlanta Braves on August 31st. He was now 43 years old with one ML at bat in past 4 seasons. He was reunited with his manager from the Phillies and Indians Pat Corrales (now a bench coach) who reflected on how drastically different Franco was from the 23-28 year old he knew all those years ago. He disciplined him many times he recollected the time in NY when he sent a player and a coach out to hunt for Franco in the middle of a series against the Yankees. Franco had driven in the winning run on the Friday night game and they lost Saturday when he didn't show. On Sunday he drove in the winning run. There was jail time for gun possession back in the Dominican Republic. Those days of drinking, carousing and slacking were long gone. He hit .300 in 25 games starting most of them at 1B.



Franco slides safe past Phillies' catcher Johnny Estrada in the 1st inning at Turner Field in Atlanta on October 3, 2001



The Braves won the NL East division going 88-74, Julio was added to their post season roster. He batted in 3 games and scored 3 runs including a homer as the Braves swept the Houston Astros.


They faced the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLCS, Franco hit a homer, scored 2 runs and 2 RBI, but they were eliminated 4-1. The DBacks moved on becoming the WS Champs when they beat the NY Yankees in Game 7.

He became a free agent on November 5th, but re-signed with the Braves on December 17th. He collected his 1000th career RBI in a 3-2 win on June 6th against the NY Mets and played his 2000th game in a 4-3 win on August 6th in Arizona. He played 125 games batting .284 as the Braves took the division again with a 101-59 heading into the play-offs for the 11th consecutive season. Franco batted just .182 in the ALDS scoring 2 runs, one RBI, 2 walks and 3 strikeouts in 5 games as they were eliminated by the wild card San Francisco Giants, Giants would lose the WS to the "Red October" Anaheim Angels. He was granted free agency on October 28th.


This is around the time that speculation about Franco's true age really started to gain momentum. He was listed in the Braves 2002 Media Guide as being born in 1961. Since 9/11 there had been more scrutiny of people's birth certificates, passports and identifications papers after 9/11 especially when traveling out of the US. Many of the players from the Caribbean and South America were getting caught with their falsified documents and having to produce their real birth certificates depicting true birth dates. As players were coming clean, Julio admitted his real birth year was 1958, though some have insinuated he might have been born even earlier.

On January 8, 2003 he signed on once again with Atlanta to a minor league contract. On March 29th it was purchased from Class AAA Richmond and he was placed on the 25- man roster. He missed 2 weeks in August when he fractured his middle finger in the weight room. Franco explained he was in conversation with Jason Marquis, he leaned on a weight stand and an 80 lb weight rolled over his hand. He was activated on September 1st and finished the season batting .294/.372.452. He was now 45 years old, but performing (though part time) and looking like an athlete 15-20 years younger. The Braves finished 101-61 headed again to the post season. He batted .500 in the NLDS against the Chicago Cubs, he had 4 hits, 2 walks with a run scored and struck out twice in 8 at-bats. They were eliminated 3-2 as the Cubs moved on to face the Florida Marlins, only to be brokenhearted by a guy named Bartman, the Marlins won their second WS title when they defeated the Yankees 4-2. He became a free agent on October 27th and re-signed on January 12, 2004.

At the height of the steroid query who was/is using, every reporter was hounding ex- teammates of Barry Bonds. Andy Van Slyke and others with no actual proof or eye witness account fully believed Bonds had used PEDs citing his muscle growth as he was getting older. Andy threw Julio's name in the mix, again based on his age and how he was able to keep his body so fit. Franco's reply was that the only "juice" he was on was Jesus. Julio has preached that a strict diet of no sugar, no alcohol, no sodas, no desserts and an insane workout ritual was how he was able to stay so chiseled and flexible.


Julio became the oldest player in the majors at 45 when another old codger Jesse Orosco finally retired. He would pass Cap Anson as the oldest regular position player in Major League history and the oldest to hit a grand slam. Splitting time at first base with Adam LaRoche, he batted .309 in 320 at-bats and headed to the post season again with the Braves as they finished 96-66 . Once again they would lose in the first round being eliminated by the wild card Houston Astros 3-2. Franco went 0-4 with a strikeout in 3 games. The Astros lost the pennant to the St Louis Cardinals, but it would be a magical year for the Boston Red Sox as they swept the Cards in the World Series. He was granted free agency on October 29th and re-signed on December 9th.

Julio claims he played winter ball that season because he was bored. Though he played most years.

He would once again platoon first with Adam LaRoche. He hit two homers on June 18th in Cincinnati and got his 2,500th hit on July 30, 2005 against the Pirates. He also broke his own record of oldest player to hit a grand slam when he did it after his 47th birthday. Julio hit .275 with 30 runs scored, 12 doubles, one triple, nine home runs and 42 RBI in 108 games. He also led the Braves with 14 pinch-hits. The Braves went 90-72 to take their 14th trip in a row to the post season. In 9 at-bats Franco had 2 hits, one walk and 3 Ks. For the second time they were ousted by the Astros 3-1 in the NLDS, Houston downed the Cardinals in the NLCS but were swept in the WS by the Chicago White Sox. He became a free agent on October 27th.

Julio wasn't done with baseball however and at the age of 47 the New York Mets signed him to a 2-year contract worth $2.2M on December 12, 2005.

Heading into the 2006 season he ranked 78th on the All-Time Hit List with 2,521 base hits and is fourth among active players behind Rafael Palmeiro (3,020), Craig Biggio (2,795) and Barry Bonds (2,742). He started only 25 games in 2006, but managed to get into pinch hit his way into 95 games. He would make a lot of age milestones. On April 20, 2006, he became (at age 47) the oldest player ever to hit a home run in the majors. He was the 2nd oldest in League history to steal a base. The oldest Arlie Latham, accomplished the feat in a token appearance at age 49 with the New York Giants in 1909. On July 29, 2006, against the Atlanta Braves, he became the oldest player ever to pinch run, when he came in for Carlos Delgado after Delgado was hit by pitch.



Celebrating his birthday with Jeff Wilpon,Omar Minaya, son Joshua and wife Rosa August 2006.

On September 19, 2006, a day after the Mets clinched the division title, Franco started at third base in a game against the Florida Marlins. He hadn't made a start at third since 1982. He hit a three-run homer on September 30, 2006, in Washington to extend his own record, he had a 5 RBI day and a triple short of hitting for the cycle.

Teammate Billy Wagner started calling him Moses.


He finished the season with a .273 BA in 95 games, the Mets finished 97-65 for first place in the NL East. Julio was added to the post season roster as they faced the wild card LA Dodgers in the NLDS. In 2-at bats, Julio got an RBI and a K, they swept the Dodgers to face the Cardinals in the NLCS where he struck out in both of his at bats. They were eliminated 4-3 by St. Louis who went on to win the WS against the Detroit Tigers.


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[Tobywan]

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He started his 23rd season in 2007 with the Mets, Julio was always looking for new natural or organic foods, beverages or herbs to add to his diet for health and longevity. He recently discovered a dark tea from South America called yerba mate, it contained natural forms of caffeine and tannin. It tasted like crap, but with Franco it usually wasn't about taste it was about health. He discovered the benefits of herbal teas when he first went to play in Japan.

He bested himself on May 4th when he hit a home run into the the swimming pool at Chase Field against Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Randy Johnson, he also stole a base. Franco was also the oldest player ever to hit a grand slam, a pinch-hit home run, two home runs in one game, and to steal two bases in a game.On June 3rd he played his 2500th career game against the DBacks. On June 15th he faced Roger Clemens at Yankee Stadium, it was the oldest pitcher-batter match-up in over 53 years since Rube Walberg pitched to Nick Altrock in 1933. Their combined age was 93 years, 246 days. By hitting a home run run in 2007, he pushed the record for oldest player to homer to 48 years and 254 days, while he later set the mark for the oldest RBI by driving in a run 25 days after his 49th birthday. On May 16, 2012, pitcher Jamie Moyer drove in a run, breaking Franco's record by 155 days.

He was only hitting .200 going into July as well as unhappy at his lack of playing time with just 50 at-bats. When the Mets signed IF Marlon Anderson and re-called Lastings Milledge, Julio was designated, cleared waivers and then released on July 16th.

He would later recount that it was a mistake to signed with the Mets due to being sat for weeks then they expected him to come in a get a big hit to save a game late according to him. That may be a little bit of an exaggeration but there were times during 2007 when he would sit for days and only be used as a pinch hitter then weeks before he was released he was in a game maybe once a week. He just didn't get many starts. So, the feeling was probably mutual while the Mets liked the occasional boost of parading the old man out for the milestones realistically at his age there was no way he was going to be an everyday piece of any team's season.

On July 19th he signed again with the Braves and placed on the ML roster. In his first game back with the Braves, he went 1-for-3 with 2 RBI and received 2 standing ovations in a Braves 10–1 rout of the Cardinals.



On August 1st he was designated for assignment, accepted on the 8th and sent to the Single-A Rome Braves of the SALL. It was the first time he had been back in the minors since 1982. He played in four games and was sent to the Triple-A Richmond Braves in the IL for another four games, he was then recalled to the major club. He batted .250 in 40 at-bats, the Mets missed the post season finishing 2nd with an 88-74 record. He declared free agency on October 29th.


In 2008 signed on to play with the Tigres de Quintana Roo in the Mexican League, it was his 31st season in pro ball.




He played over a month hitting .250 in 128 at-bats when on May 3rd an official announcement was made of his retirement.


His final Major League game was with the Atlanta Braves on September 17, 2007 at the age of 49. He spent 23 seasons in the majors, he finished with a .298 BA, 2,586 hits, 407 doubles, 917 walks, 173 home runs and 1,194 RBI in 2,527 games.

He was the last active player who was born in the 1950's. On the list of players over 45 who have hit home runs, Franco did it 19 times, Cap Anson three times and Jack Quinn and Carlton Fisk once each. His 2,585 hits were most by a player from the Dominican Republic until Vladimir Guerrero passed him in 2011. With those 2,586 hits in the majors, 626 in the minors, 358 in the Mexican League, 286 in Japan, 156 in Korea, and 267 in the Dominican Winter League he amassed 4,279 hits. This put him in a very elite over 4,000 club with the likes of Pete Rose, Ty Cobb and Hank Aaron.

In 2006 Franco was the only active player who had faced a pitcher that also had pitched against HOFer Ted Williams. In Jim Kaat's rookie year he pitched to Williams on the last day of the 1959 season. Franco faced Kaat in his limited first season in 1982. Though Franco was the last player eligible to wear a batting helmet with no ear flaps, he elected to wear the new version with a flap for his entire career. He was the oldest to steal a base and appear in a postseason game at 48 years, 51 days.


In 2009 he joined the Prime Time Sports Performance organization and athletic training facility in Boca Raton as director of baseball operations. He later opened an academy in the Dominican and split his time between teaching, playing and managing in the Caribbean Leagues. He also managed the rookie Gulf Coast League Mets, they went 22-34 finishing in 14th place.

He managed the Caribes de Anzoátegui in the Venezuelan League for the 2010-2011 winter season, they went 34-29 in regular season, 11-5 in semi-finals and took the Championship series 4-3 against the Tigres de Aragua.



They also played in the 2011 Caribbean Series where they finished last going 2-4.



He turned down an offer to manage at Double-A level in order to devote time to oversee his son's push to be signed by a major league team.



Julio and Joshua Franco


The Seattle Mariners signed Joshua in November as a third baseman. He was back to manage the Caribes de Anzoátegui but when the team that won it all last season lost 5 games in a row putting them below .500 he was fired on December 21, 2011 and replaced by Ariel Prieto.


He managed the Pericos de Puebla of the Mexican League in 2012 finishing 52-57 and then in 2013 they went 58-47.


Franco was ejected on March 25, 2012 in a game against the Broncos de Reynosa



He became eligible for election to the Hall of Fame in 2013 but received only 1.1% of the vote and was dropped from the ballot. He was a bench coach for the Tiburones de La Guaira of the Venezuelan League during the 2013-2014 winter season.




On May 16, 2014, the Fort Worth Cats of United League Baseball announced that Franco had been signed him to be a player/coach during a nine game home stand.



Since he was in the area he threw out the first pitch before a Texas Rangers game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Arlington, Texas, Sunday May 18, 2014.

In his first game on he went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored, this made him only one of very few to play a professional game in five decades.



Leading off second in a game against the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings on May 20, 2014.




He had a five game hitting streak before he went 0-7 during a double header on May 26th, he missed his last 2 games due to knee issues.



He played for sixteen seasons in the Dominican Winter Leagues, but has not been asked to manage a team there.



Many reporters have picked his brain for stories, memories and opinions on the game, former teammates up and coming prospects. He played briefly with Pete Rose in Philly during his one season in the bigs with them in 1982, he remembers him as a great teacher, believes he should be in the HOF, that he did more good for the game than harm. Bobby Bonds was his hitting coach in Cleveland, when he was asked if he thought his son Barry would pass Hank Aaron. At the time he was hopeful that he would and that he should be left alone because he hadn't tested positive for anything and in the US you are innocent until proven guilty. He might have changed his mind since. He stated his younger self wasn't even close to the talent of Jose Reyes, His favorite manager was Bobby Cox. He places the Braves 18-inning NLDS Game 4 loss to Astros in 2005 and never making it to a WS as the biggest disappointments in his career. His best memory was that his mother was in attendance at the 1990 All-Star game when he got the MVP. His favorite time playing outside of MLB was in Japan. His idol was Roberto Clemente.


On February 9, 2015 he joined a Japanese semi-pro team named the Ishikawa Million Stars in the Baseball Challenge league as a player/manager. The season starts in April 2015.


Julio and Rosa split time between homes in Miami and San Pedro de Macoris, they have one son Joshua.
Joshua has played in the Mariners instructional Dominican Summer League and rookie Arizona League since the 2012 season.

[Tobywan]

Tony Graffanino #26-INF


Anthony Joseph Graffagnino was born June 6, 1972 in Amityville, New York to Doug and Tina Graffagnino. He has an older sister Donna. He grew up in East Islip on Long Island, just a few doors down from former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason. He began playing baseball as a short stop when he was 5 years old. His father Doug was a narcotics office for 2 decades in Suffolk County, his parents always made sure he got to his games and practices. He grew up a fan of the Yankees, his first job was part time as a stock boy at Marshall's while he attended East Islip High School graduating in 1990. He had his heart set on going to Clemson University.

He was selected in 10th round of the June 4, 1990 MLB amateur draft by the Atlanta Braves, he still wanted to go on ahead to college, but with persuasion fromthe Braves and the support of family he decided to sign on July 6th.


While Tony was being recruited by Clemson they visited the area in South Carolina and his parents loved it, they bought a nice home and settled there. So, they ended up not being very far from many of the Atlanta Braves farm teams. Tony was assigned to the Rookie Class Pulaski Braves (Virginia) of the APPY, a far cry from what he dreamt about playing professional ball. A tiny town, with a tiny ballpark, sharing a large room in a house with five or six other people, no car, no friends, no family. He called home fearing he had made a big mistake, they tried to console him, telling him to just stick it out, he'd be fine, he did and eventually things got better.

Playing shortstop, he batted .206 with 27 hits and 23 runs scored in 42 games. The team went 37-35 finishing in 5th place. He was sent to the Rookie Idaho Falls Braves of the Pioneer League in 1991 and he was moved to second base. In 66 games he collected 95 hits, 53 runs, 56 RBIs with a .347 BA and was named MVP of the league and an All-Star. He was 4th in the league in hits (95), 5th in triples (4), 5th in total bases (131), 5th in doubles with 16 and 8th in average with .347. The team went 39-30 for 2nd in the Southern division. He would spend 1992 with the Single-A Macon Braves in the SALL, after starting his career as a short stop he was switched to second base, he batted just .240/.333/.378 in 112 games. The team finished an abysmal 58-81 for 6th place in the division.



Graffanino was born Anthony Graffagnino but dropped the "g" after numerous mispronunciations from minor league announcers. His Dad had been suggesting it since the end of last season, so he finally got it legal. He stayed in touch often with his folks, they came and saw him play regularly, he credits them being close by during these years in keeping him grounded.



1992 Classic Best Tony Graffagnino.

He was sent to the Advanced A Durham Bulls in the CARL in 1993, he batted .275 with 126 hits, 69 RBIs, 78 runs, 30 doubles, 15 homers and 24 steals in 123 games. He led the CARL in extra-base hits with 50 and was 2nd in doubles with 30 and was an All-Star.The team went 69-69 finishing in 3rd place. He was promoted to the Double-A Greenville Braves of the Southern League in 1994. He was named to the All-Star team.



1994 Bowman #601 Rookie Card


He had 132 hits, 52 RBIs, 66 runs, 28 doubles and 29 stolen bases batting.300 in 124 games. He was 6th in the league with a .300 BA. He led them as they finished first in the East division with a 73-63 record, but they lost in the semi-finals to the Carolina Mudcats. Tony's back had been bothering him through the end of the season, but he pushed through he went to the Arizona Fall League playing with the Mesa Saguaros, they were defeated in the championship by the Peoria Javelinas. The pain worsened, he had ruptured a disk and had surgery in December. He rushed his rehabilitation to be ready for spring training.

In 1995 he was promoted to the Triple- A Richmond Braves in the International League but he was still having back issues as he didn't give it enough time to heal, he had nerve and muscles pinches as a few of the vertebra had locked up. He again went on the DL in July but it was determined his back was just strained. He played just 50 games batting .190. The team went 75-66 finishing 2nd in the West division, they lost in the semi-finals to the Norfolk Tides.

Tony married his fiance Nicole. His father Doug became a municipal judge.

He began the 1996 season back in Richmond, he got a call up to Atlanta making his major league debut on April 19th with a start at second base and batting second in a game against the San Diego Padres at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Facing Joey Hamilton he was hit by a pitch in his first at bat and then scored on a double by Fred McGriff. He singled in the second for his first career hit then he struck out twice in he 7-1 Braves victory. It was a short stay he went back to Triple-A on May 4th but was back on May 24th where he got his first RBI during a 5-3 win in Pittsburgh. He stayed through til mid-June. He spent 96 games with Richmond where he batted .283 with 100 hits, 29 doubles and 57 runs. He was the Triple-A player of the year but the team finished just 62-79, 5th place in the IL West. He was recalled to Atlanta on September 17th to finish the season, he batted .174 in 22 games with the Braves.

He went back to the AFL to play for the Tempe Rafters.


He made the 1997 Braves opening day roster as a bench player, predominantly at second, he made spot appearances at first, third and SS. He collected his first stolen base on June 6th in a 9-5 win in San Francisco. He hit his first career home run, a solo shot off Phillies' Ron Blazier in a 9-8 win in Philly on June 21st. He hit his first career pinch-hit home run on July 19th off Dodgers' pitcher Pedro Astacio.

He and Nicole welcomed their first son Anthony Joseph Graffagnino, Jr. (AJ) in July in Atlanta. His father Doug stepped down from being a judge and accepted a position as the Seneca Police Chief.

He suffered from tendinitis in his left knee throughout the season he eventually went on an exercise program to strengthen the area.



Otis Nixon is tagged out on a double play at second by Graffanino during a match between the LA and Atlanta to end the first inning on September 9, 1997 at Dodger Stadium. Braves won 4-3.


He finished the season .258/.344/.446 predominantly as a pinch hitter, making just 46 starts. The Braves were in the middle of their long run of domination of the NL East as they took the division title with a 101-61 record. Graffanino was added to the post season roster, they faced the Houston Astros in the NLDS, Tony made 5 plate appearances where he walked twice and struck out once as the Braves swept. In the NLCS against the wildcard Florida Marlins he had 8 at-bats in 3 games, he had 2 hits, scored a run with 3 Ks, his run was the 6th scored in a 7-1 win in Game 2. They were eliminated 4-2 as the Marlins went on to become the WS Champs.

He was used in the same role for the 1998 season, though he made more starts with 67. He struggled through much of the first half. When he injured his back during that 1995 season in Triple-A he altered his batting stance to lessen the strain, it worked alright for him through the minors but not so much against major league pitching when he hit 8-for-56 he knew he had to do something, He called his father Doug who didn't like the mopey tone of the conversation. Dad drove to Atlanta from his Seneca, South Carolina home to see if he could help. Doug had been telling him he needed to go back to his old stance which had worked to get him where he was in the majors. After the tweak he had a career high 4 hit game with a home run, 3 runs scored and 2 RBI on July 19th. against the Milwaukee Brewers. On July 29th he collected 4 RBI at Cincinnati.


Graffanino is knocked off his feet after a force out of Cardinal Placido Polanco at second base and a throw to first for a double play ending the sixth inning on August 30, 1989 in St. Louis. The Cardinals won 8-7.


Due to his early struggles he batted just .211/.275/.318, but was still added to the post season roster as the Braves took the division title going 106-56. They faced the wild card Chicago Cubs in the NLDS, Tony got just one plate appearance where he made a sacrifice, but the Braves swept the Cubs. Against the San Diego Padres in the NLCS, he got into 4 games where he he hit a double off Donnie Wall to bring in John Rocker and scored himself on an error in the 7-6 win of Game 5, he also had 2 walks and one strike out, but they were eliminated 4-2. The Pads lost in the World Series getting swept by the NY Yankees.

He spent the spring training season in the Braves camp in Orlando, Florida, but was released just before the start of the season on April 2ndand was signed to a minor league contract by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on the 9th. He was assigned to the Durham Bulls, he was batting .313/.379/.499 when he was called up, he joined the team in Oakland, to make his team debut on July 30th, he got a hit but the DRays lost 1-4, he spent the rest of the season in the majors. He had an 11 game hitting streak from September 9- October 2 where he hit .429 with 9 RBI. He batted .313 in 87 games for the Bulls and .315/.364/.492 in 39 games for the DRays, a consistent year with both clubs.

He and Nicole had another son Nicholas.


Batting in a spring exhibition against the Atlanta braves at the Florida Power Park in St. Petersburg, Florida on March 4, 2000. The Devil Rays defeated the Braves 4-2.

He was in serious contention for a utility spot on the 2000 25-man roster it came to the last day, when he and Herb Perry were chosen over Bobby Smith as the utility infielders.



Disappointed in himself as he goes 0-4 in a game against the Orioles on April 20, 2000 at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. DRays lost 4-8.


Though he was batting .300 in 20 at-bats when the DRays traded Dave Martinez they decided to bring up two outfielders Jose Guillen and Quinton McCracken, there was no room for Graffy so he was designated on May 13th, he cleared waivers and accepted assignment to Durham.He was batting .286/.405/.543 in 10 games when he was traded to the Chicago White Sox for Tanyon Sturtze on May 31st. He was expendable once the DRays acquired Russ Johnson on May 27th, besides needing pitching with all the injuries to the staff. He joined Herbert Perry who had been traded to the White Sox in April, Tony played his first game with Chicago on June 3rd and stayed with them the rest of the season. He hit his first career grand slam on August 9th off Seattle pitcher Rob Ramsay. He batted .270 in 148 at-bats as the White Sox won the Central division 95-67. They would face the wild card Seattle Mariners in the American League Division series. Tony was a pinch runner for Herb Perry and then in defense at 3B in Game 3, which they lost and were eliminated in a 3-0 sweep. The M's were eliminated by the Yanks in the ALCS as it was a Subway Series in NYC with the Yankees taking the championship.



He made the Opening Day roster for 2001 in a bench role used primarily at 2B and 3B. He batted .303/.370/.407 in 74 games, the team finished 83-79 for third place in the AL Central division. He made 3 appearances in LF he had never played the position in his career.

He had always been active in charity work and while in Chicago he coordinated and led baseball clinics for boys and girls from Mercy Home at U.S. Cellular Field and worked with the James R. Thompson Center to promote the need for organ donors. On December 21st he re-signed a 2-year deal for $1.25M. He spent the 2002 also in a utility role.



Graff turns a double play as Tiger Wendell Magee slides during the game at Comiskey Park in Chicago, Illinois on April 20, 2002. The White Sox won 12-5.


On May 14th against the Texas Rangers he had a 4 hit, 6 RBI day, 2 of the hits were home runs in a 15-4 romp. His season was cut short when on August 25th against the DRays at Tropicana Field he injured his right knee in the first inning when he got his cleat caught on the turf chasing an errant throw in an attempt to catch DRays Carl Crawford from stealing. He tore his ACL, had surgery on September 9th ending his season. The Chisox won 8-3. The Sox called up D'Angelo Jimenez from Class AAA Charlotte to fill the roster spot. Graffanino had batted .262 with six home runs and 31 RBI in 70 games. Though the team finished right at .500 with an 81-81 record they were second in their division.


Kansas City shortstop Angel Berroa and Tony make their cases during the first inning of a game between the Royals and White Sox on April 3, 2003, the verdictwas safe, but the game went to KC 12-6.

In 2003 he was used all over the infield, on May 7th he reached base in all 6 plate appearances in Oakland, he went 2-2 with a double, 4 walks, a stolen base and 2 runs scored. On the 13th he played in his 500th career game in a 1-0 win against the Orioles. The White Sox went 86-76 and finished in 2nd again. The team went in a new direction firing Jerry Manuel and some of his staff to bring in the Ozzie Guillen era. Tony became a free agent on October 27th and was not offered arbitration.


Though the Boston Red Sox offered him more he signed with the Kansas City Royals for a 2- year contract worth $2.2M on December 16th. When asked about his reason for chooing KC, he said he liked how they had played in the previous season and like the heavy Christian presence among the roster especially Mike Sweeney.

He started the 2004 season with the big club, he had a 10 game hitting streak from April 17-29 where he batted .435 with 5 RBI. He went on the disabled list on May 1st, he had surgery on the Meniscus in his left knee. After a four game rehab with the Triple-A Omaha Royals (PCL) he was activated on May 28th. He was batting .263 with 278 at-bats when he had season ending surgery to repair a tear in his rotator cuff and damage to his labrum cartilage in the right shoulder on August 3rd.

Like many players that have suffered multiple injuries Tony got involved in the Bikram style of yoga. Developed by Bikram Choudhury it consists of 26 poses performed in a room heated to 90-105 degrees.

He was excited to get started he showed up early for spring training in Surprise, Arizona, He didn't get to play in the opening game of the season in Detroit, but started strong, when he had a 4 hit game on April 6th when they defeated the Tigers 7-2. He got quite a bit of playing time and on May 29th he had a 5 hit game with a double, run scored and 3 RBI, though they lost in Anaheim 6-7. On July 17th in a game between KC and the Detroit Tigers, Tony had to hold back Tigers' SS Carlos Guillen from his teammate pitcher Runelvys Hernandez after he hit Carlos. The Royals were leading into the bottom of the 6th inning at Comerica Park, Guillen led off, he though the first pitch from Hernandez hit him, but home plate umpire Marty Foster thought otherwise. Tigers' manager Alan Trammell barked but to no avail. The next pitch hit Guillen in the helmet, screaming when he got up the two charged each other, benches and bullpens cleared. Hernandez and Guillen were separated.


Royals' Graffanino and Tigers' manager Alan Trammell hold back Carlos Guillen during a melee between the clubs on July 17, 2005.


It seemed to be subsiding when it escalated again, all of a sudden Tiger reliever (and future Ray) Kyle Farnsworth charges KC pitcher Jeremy Affeldt hoisting him in the air and slamming him to the ground. By the end of the brawl, Hernandez, manager Buddy Bell, Emil Brown and Alberto Castillo of the Royals and Guillen, Farnsworth and Jeremy Bonderman were ejected. Hernandez had hit two batters in the first without incident, when Tigers' pitcher Mike Maroth hit center fielder David DeJesus, benches were warned. The Royals won the game 5-0. In the aftermath Hernandez was suspended for 10 games, Bell got one game, Farnsworth got 6 games, Bonderman 5 games and all were fined, Guillen received no suspension but was fined. In 59 games he was hitting .298 when he was traded on July 19th to the Boston Red Sox for Juan Cedeno (minors) and Chip Ambres.


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[Tobywan]

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It was a good move for Tony as he was leaving a team at 33-60 and going to one that just got into first with a win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He was in the line-up at second base the next night against the DRays, he went 1-for-3 with an RBI in a 9-4 win. While KC bounced him around the infield, he was exclusively at 2B in Boston replacing the injured Mark Bellhorn.

In recent weeks Tony's family had a medical scare with their younger son Nicholas, a lump had formed in his neck and it was being monitored. When it suddenly doubled in size within a few days, surgery couldn't wait. Tony received full support from his new team, GM Theo Epstein and manager Terry Francona assured him he could take whatever time he needed to spend with his son. Tony was reminded of June 1998 when the Braves rallied around teammate Walt Weiss when his then 3-year old son Brody contracted E. coli bacteria and it was unsure if he would make it. A week later little Brody was in the stands of the All-Star game at Coors Field. Weiss relied on his faith and now so was Tony. While the team was gearing up for a Thursday afternoon contest against the KC Royals, he was waiting with his wife Nicole as 5-year old Nick was in surgery at Children's Hospital in Boston. Once the boy was in recovery and the prognosis good, Tony rushed to Fenway, even though he had been given the day off. He arrived in the second, but the team had already planned for his absence. Being at work though helped keep himself from going crazy. After the game he stayed the night in his son's room before heading off with the team to Minnesota. He fit right in with the team, players were sporting razor cut hairdos as a bonding ritual and he went along.


He played most of September nursing a right hamstring and left groin sprain, but didn't go to the DL. There was a bizarre moment during a game on September 14th against the Toronto Blue Jays when he hit a home run in the 5th inning with Gabe Kapler on first. Kapler wasn't sure if it was going to go that far so he high tailed it and as he was rounding second came up lame stopping Tony in his tracks, he couldn't pass him. They used rule 5.10 (c) (1) and inserted a pinch runner for Kapler to finish the play. Sox were dropping like flies, Kapler had been playing because Johnny Damon was hurt now Kap's season was over and they were in a division race. The lead went back and forth between them and the NY Yankees, they played each other in the last series at Fenway, they won the last game giving them both a 95-67 record. Due to the Yankees better record in head to head contest against Boston they would get the Division title and the Sox were the wild card. They would make the post season to try to defend their 2004 WS championship.

He was added to the post season roster, he batted well got three hits, two of them doubles in 12 at-bats. His usually solid glove however was cursed bringing up memories of Bill Buckner, in Game 2 the Red Sox were up 4-0 heading into the 5th, the White Sox scored two quick runs. With one out and Joe Crede on first, Juan Uribe hit a grounder up the middle, but Graffanino hastily setting up to try for a double play and checking on Crede lost sight of the ball and it went under his glove and between his legs.




Boston pitcher David Wells then got, Scott Podsednik to pop out to third, it looked like they might get out of the jam.


Graffy gives encouragement to pitcher David Wells.


The next batter Tadahito Iguchi launched a Wells curve ball over the left field wall giving up the lead. Wells was more angry that Francona lifted him in the seventh with 2 outs The Red Sox had plenty of chances including a double in the 9th by Graffinino, but he was stranded and the Chisox won by the 5-4 score to take a 2-0 lead in the ALDS.



The agony of defeat, Tony feels pretty alone as the White Sox celebrate advancing, Johnny Damon, Kevin Millar and David Wells watch their season slip away.


Unfortunately for them, they were swept by the Chicago White Sox, who ended up becoming the 2005 World Series Champions. He was granted free agency on October 28th, he was offered arbitration in December, he accepted, but they avoided the process when both sides came to terms on a one-year deal for $2.05M on January 11, 2006. A month later it was unclear if he was even going to have a position. He also wanted to play in the upcoming World Baseball Classic for the Italian team, both of his parents were born there. Due to his father being from an area that was in a war zone some of his original documents were unavailable and for some reason what he sent for his mother was insufficient. There were rumblings that Boston offered Graffanino arbitration only because they thought he would decline and by doing so the team would be granted a compensatory draft pick from the team that eventually signed him. He did bite though and then they were forced to negotiate with him. They had traded Doug Mirabeli to the SD Padres for Mark Loretta. Then throughout spring there were rumors he might be traded, then he was placed on waivers at the end of March but he was selected by the Royals on the 28th. He was sad to leave Boston, he liked it there, he liked that even though he had made a horrible error in a play-off game he got a rousing standing ovation the next night from the Fenway faithful. On the other hand he wanted to play everyday and it didn't look like that was going to happen there. He blasted a grand slam in a spring game just after rejoining KC and was added to the 25-man roster.



Tony is congratulated by David DeJesus after hitting a grand slam off Seattle's Jamie Moyer on March 30, 2006.

Between July 2-16 he had a 10 game hitting streak batting .395 with 6 RBIs during that period.


Graffanino shows the ball after tagging out Brewer's Corey Hart on an steal attempt during the third inning of a "Turn Back The Clock" game on June 25, 2006.
KC wore a 1949 style Monarchs uniforms while the Brewers donned 1923 Milwaukee Bears unis to honor the Negroe Leagues.KC won 6-0.



He was used mostly at third and first he was hitting .268 in 69 games when on July 25th he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for Jorge De La Rosa. He was the Brewers Player of the Month in August when he led the team in hits with 30, doubles (10) and batting .286.



Avoiding the slide of Cardinals center fielder So Taguchi as he completes a double play in the 3rd inning in St. Louis, a 9-4 Brewers victory on September 28, 2006.




He finished the season with the Brewers batting .280 in 60 games. The Brewers went 75-87 for 4th in the NL Central, Boston didn't make the post season either.

The Brewers had made a two-year offer to Tony, but then signed Craig Counsell, according to GM Doug Melvin they put a deal out for Graffanino but his agent Dan Lazano didn't respond quick enough for their taste. On October 29th he elected free agency. They offered him arbitration and on December 7th he accepted. Then on January 19, 2007 he signed a one-year deal with the Brewers for $3.25M avoiding a hearing.


He suffered through a few minor injuries in the 2007 spring camp, but still made the opening day roster. he struggled in the beginning but when the team called up it's big prospect Ryan Braun, it seemed to light a fire under Tony. He was posting a measly ,200 BA but had raised it considerably within a month. He had made three appearances in left in 2001 this season he made three starts at the position.


Makes the catch on May 12, 2007 at Shea Stadium.The Brewers defeated the Mets 12-3.

He had a 4 hit game on June 10th in a 9-6 win in Texas then two days later he struck out 4 times in a 0-4 loss in Detroit.

Tony's dad, Doug Graffagnino retired as the Seneca Police Chief in June 2007.


The Brew Crew had a 7 1/2 game lead over the Chicago Cubs on June 30th after a 2-6 on a road trip they managed a short win streak but incinsistant play brought their lead down by the beginning of August. Frustrations were building coming to a head during a game on August 2nd when they were hosting the NY Mets. The Brewers were already doen 5-3 in the 7th Carlos Villanueva now relieving gave up 3 runs on as the result of a grounder missed by JJ Hardy. It's unclear
even from the video which players was the recipient of manager Ned Yost's stern comments, but Graffanino attempted to come to the defense of a teammate. Then C Johnny Estrada stepped in and things got heated between him and Yost with shoving and yelling up into the tunnel. They had to be separated by coaches Mike Maddux and Dale Svem with Ben Sheets, Graff and Dave Bush assisting in getting things back under control. The team downplayed it, no one wanted to talk, but Yost didn't want Estrada being painted as the bad guy, in fact he praised him and Tony for speaking up in defense of a teammate they felt was being singled out and admitted he was wrong to do it. They lost the game 12-4 losing their lead in the division briefly.

In a game on August 8th Graffanino tore the ACL and the medial meniscus in his right knee while leaping to head off a line drive at second in the first inning of a game in Colorado. He would once again lose the rest of the season. The team called up Rickie Weeks as his replacement, Weeks himself coming off a wrist injury. the team had been struggling to keep hold of first place in the NL Central. He had surgery first to repair the meniscus. He had batted .238 in 231 at-bats and his season was done. In the meantime Milwaukee lost first place permanently on September 19th as the Cubs would take the division, the Brewers finished 83-79 in 2nd. He became a free agent on October 30th. In December he had the surgery on the ACL , it was done by specialist Dr. Richard Steadman. Instead of procuring a ligament from another area of Tony's leg he used a donor bone graft to make a new smaller bone tunnel where the ACL attaches the knee.


He spent the off season and the first half of 2008 rehabbing from surgery. On June 24th he signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians and played for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons in the International League. He batted .315 in 89 at-bats as the Bisons went 75-67 finishing third in the IL North division. He became a free agent on November 8th. He re-signed with the Tribe on February 15, 2009 to a one-year minor league deal for $0.55M with an invitation to spring camp.

He was optioned to the Triple-A Columbus Clippers but when Jamey Carroll went to the DL with a broken bone in his left hand just before the season opener on April 6th he was recalled. He made the first recorded error in the new Yankee Stadium during a game on April 16th. He was designated for assignment on May 2nd after batting .130 in seven games. He was sent outright to their triple-A affiliate the Columbus Clippers of the IL on May 7th, he batted .264 in 69 games. The team finished 57-85, last in the International League West. He was granted free agency on October 13th. He didn't officially make an announcement of retirement but he didn't end up playing anywhere.


He made his last MLB appearance with the Cleveland Indians on April 26, 2009. In 13 seasons he batted .265, with 746 hits, 145 doubles, 58 home runs, 302 RBIs, 442 runs and 275 walks in 981 games with 2, 810 at-bats.

He and Nicole established the Tony Graffanino Foundation which helps children's charities. They are also contributors to the Garth Brook's Touch 'Em All Foundation and to the National Center for Fathering.


The Graffagninos: Nick, Tony, Nicole and AJ.


Tony had been involved in Unlimited Potential, Inc. (UPI) since he played with the Atlanta Braves, he participated in his first misson trip with the group to Mexico in November 2009. He joined the staff full time in 2011 and moved his family to Arizona. With UPI he has been on mission trips to Italy, Germany, Mexico,and the Dominican Republic. He assists in ministering and conducting Bible studies with current and former players around the Phoenix area during Spring Training, Extended Spring, Summer League, Instructional League, Fall League and during the off season.

On February 12, 2012 Tony was invited to attend the annual prayer breakfast fund-raiser held at Tucson International Airport hosted by the 162nd Fighter Wing Chaplain's office of the Arizona Air National Guard. He along with Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Stephen Drew and pitcher Ian Kennedy of the 2011 National League West Championship team addressed the large crowd.



Tony along with Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop, Stephen Drew and pitcher, Ian Kennedy, share their personal stories of faith.



He became an assistant coach for the DBacks Elite Scout team, he coached his son AJ when he played for them. AJ plays for the Northwest Christian High School in Peoria, AZ. and signed a letter of intent to the University of Washington on Nov 12. 2014.


Proud day for papa.

Tony resides in Peoria, Arizona with his wife Nicole, they have two sons Anthony Joseph (Jr.) and Nicholas.

[Tobywan]

Jose Guillen #30-OF



José Manuel Guillén was born on May 17, 1976 in San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic to Elvido and Modesta Guillén. He had 4 (maybe 5) brothers and a sister. His dad worked in a bottle-making factory, mom owned a small market. His mother encouraged his love of baseball, dad thought it was foolishness. Jose would walk to the local ball fields for Little League practice, his mother got him a plastic glove and paid for his lessons behind his father's back. Jose's hands became sore and calloused because he had no batting gloves. Modesta bought him his own bat when he was 12, aluminum. An older kid that lived just a couple blocks away from Jose used to make sure he got workouts and drills. He gave Jose his first real glove after signing with the Dodgers as the only equipment most kids had were leftovers from big league scouts or players that came through the area. That older kid, Raul Mondesi (now the Mayor of San Cristóbal) gave Jose encouragement after scouts told him he was too scrawny to ever make it to the bigs.


A month later on August 19, 1992 he signed as an amateur free agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates for $2,000, he was 16. He spent the 1993 season with their Dominican affiliate. They brought him to the US in 1994 and placed him with the Gulf Coast League Pirates, he batted .264 in 30 games. The team went 25-35 finishing 4th in the Western division. He started the 1995 season with the Minor-A Erie Sea Wolves of the New York-Pennsylvania League, playing his last 10 games with the Single-A Augusta GreenJackets in the SALL. They finished 76-62 for second place in the Southern division. Jose finished the season batting .305/.361/.524 in 76 games. The team defeated the Columbus Red Stixx in the semi-finals and then the Piedmont Phillies for the League championship.

During this time the future of the Pirates was uncertain, they were up for sale and through the off season there were tensions between the ownership and a potential buyer, Kevin McClatchy, He had given them a $1 million deposit for exclusive bargaining rights for a short period of time. He had met the deadline for handing in paperwork, but the team wanted to entertain other offers. Finally, the two sides came to an agreement and McClatchy took ownership in February 1996.

Jose was promoted to the High-A Lynchburg Hillcats of the Carolina League in 1996, he had 170 hits, 30 doubles, 21 homers, 78 runs and 94 RBI with a .322 BA in 136 games. He was the Carolina League MVP but the team went 65-74 for third place in the Northern division. He impressed in the 1997 spring camp, making the jump from Class-A to the starting right fielder for the Pirates.


1997 Fleer Ultra


Collector's Choice


He made his major league debut on opening day, April 1st in front of 41,996 at 3Com (Candlestick) Park in San Francisco, CA. A reliever in the game for the Pirates was another future DRay Matt Ruebel who replaced starter Jon Leiber. Al Martin and Midre Cummings were also on the Pirates roster that day, both later played for Tampa Bay. Jose was batting seventh facing Giants pitcher Mark Gardner he struck out swinging in his first at bat. He went 0-4 but the Pirates won 5-2 with Ruebel being the winner. He got his first hit during the same series (April 3) off reliever Rich DeLucia in the 6th, he scored later in the inning on a double by Dale Sveum closing the Giants lead at 6-5, but they couldn't get closer and lost 7-5. His first RBI was against the LA Dodgers, when he came into bat in the third inning, the Pirates were already down 12-2. Mark Johnson was on third, Jason Kendall on first. He singled up the middle off Hideo Nomo to score Johnson. Jose ended up scoring another run in the 8th but the Pirates fell 14-5. On April 19th in a game against the Cincinnati Reds he hit his first home run, a solo off Pete Schourek over the left field wall at Three Rivers Stadium. It put the Buccos in the lead 2-0 in the second and they went on to win 6-5. He got his first stolen base on June 3rd at Wrigley Field in a 3-2 win over the Cubs.



BP before a game against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 15, 1997 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, PA.



On August 16th he had a 5 RBI day at Pro Player Stadium against the Marlins, 2 off future DRay Tony Saunders and a 3 run homer off reliever Rob Stanifer in a 10-5 victory for the Buccos. He had a very good rookie season, he played 143 games with 133 hits, 20 doubles, 14 homers, 70 RBI, 58 runs and a .267 BA. He was named to the Topps All-Star Rookie Team and came in seventh in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. The Pirates went 79-83 finishing in 2nd.

Jose and his girlfriend Yamel Marie (Ros Acevedo) welcomed a son Jose Manuel Jr.

Back in the starting line-up in 1998, he played in 153 games with a an almost identical batting line as his rookie year (.267/.298/.414). With the added playing time, he jumped from 20 to 38 doubles. He had a 4 hit game on July 27th.



Batting against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium on August 16, 1998 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Pirates defeated the Cardinals 4-1.


He had another 5 RBI game on September 19th. The Pirates did worse going 69-93 for last place.


He missed much of spring training in 1999 due to visa problems, during the off season he claimed he and Yamel had married and he lost his father on February 23rd to prostate cancer less than 2 weeks before he was to report. His marriage status was being questioned. Once he got to camp two weeks late there was tension between him and the front office. Guillen claimed no one on the team side had helped with his predicament. Manager Gene Lamont and GM Cam Bonifay begged to differ, they claim they actually got help as high up as Senators Rick Santorum and Arlen Specter and the matter was cleared up quickly after their phone calls to the state department. The story goes that Guillen was traveling with Yamel and he claimed they were married, but there was insufficient proof. She was pregnant with their second child at the time. While it appears they had not legally gotten married then, it is unclear if they have ever been legally married or if she just took his name over a period of time.

After arriving his shoulder got sore he had hurt it in a winter league game, he got himself righted and was in the line-up opening day. Three weeks later he was demoted, then recalled and sent down again in late June to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds of the Pacific Coast League. In 35 games he brought his numbers up significantly and on July 23rd, 1999 he was traded to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays with P Jeff Sparks for two catchers, Humberto Cota and Joe Oliver. The Pirates needed help behind the plate following a season-ending injury to starting catcher Jason Kendall, but it was still puzzling to trade a player who had established himself as a major leaguer at such a young age.Had the blow up over the visa business not completely been put to rest or had he put himself behind other players and prospects with his poor play early in the season as the Pirates stated?

The Devil Rays were excited, he appeared to be just the anchor they needed in right field. At first he was sent to Triple-A after having a minor surgical procedure. He was crushing the ball at a .382/.476/.676 pace in 9 games for the Durham Bulls, then was called back to the majors for the remainder of the 1999 season. He didn't quite show the same power with the DRays, but he did play hard and wowed everyone with his cannon of an arm. On September 19th during a 15-2 romp of the Rangers in Texas, Guillen was hit by two pitches, (he also homered later in the game) it would be the first of many hits he would take but one of the few times it didn't lead to a fight or an all out brawl. It was the same game that teammate Steve Cox made his ML debut. He batted .244 in 47 games for the Devil Rays, the team finished 69-93, last in the AL East.


He and Yamel welcomed another son, Jose Manuel.

He beat out another crowd of outfielders and it appeared he would be the starting right fielder in 2000, but an injury just before opening day caused inflammation and tendonitis in his right shoulder. He was placed on the DL April 2nd, the DRays replacements were playing well so when he was activated on April 12th he was assigned to the Bulls. On April 22nd he hit for the cycle in Durham, the second Devil Rays player to achieve it. Once again tearing it up in the minors batting .423 with 9 HRs and 31 RBI in 19 games, he was recalled on May 12th and was the 4th outfielder.



Tampa Bay right-fielder Jose Guillen tries unsuccessfully to catch Seattle Mariner Alex Rodriguez's home run in the sixth inning on May 20, 2000 in Seattle, WA. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays went on to win the game 4-3.


When the DRays gave up on Jose Canseco, placing him on waivers and moved Greg Vaughn to DH, Guillen got more time in right field. His stats were comparable to Canseco, he was younger and more flexible being able to play in the field. He hit three triples in a June 6th game in Philly but it was a 4-5 loss for the DRays. He finished the season .253/.320/.430 in 105 games, the DRays went 69-92, again last. He was hit by a pitch 13 times, a new team record.

When the Rays made a huge trade in January 2001, acquiring the 1998 ROY Ben Grieve from the Oakland A's, it left Jose's position with the team on rocky ground.


Photo Day with the TB Devil Rays on February 24, 2001 at Florida Power Park in St. Petersburg, Florida.


He had signed a one year deal before the season for $975,000, with the DRays retaining rights. Though he had a very good spring, leading in BA and slugging percentage, he made the 25-man roster being bumped to the bench. There was drama with the team but Jose was not part of it, two weeks in, manager Larry Rothschild was fired and replaced by bench coach Hal McRae. Jose played in his 500th game on April 25th in a 5-3 win against the KC Royals. To make matters worse, his hustle and all out playing style to prove himself, bit him when he suffered an injury to his left knee while running out a a ground ball on May 16th in Kansas City. He landed on the disabled list the next day after an MRI showed he had a severe sprain. He was hitting .252 (26-for-103) with a major league-leading seven outfield assists before the injury. Jason Tyner was called up to take his roster spot. He began rehabbing in Durham on June 10th, he went 3-for-9 with a homer and 3 RBI in three games. In the 3rd game on June 12th in Louisville he was ejected after his first plate appearance for using an illegal bat. He was given a 10-game suspension, he was reinstated on June 24th. He continued his rehab and was activated on August 1st, but the team sent him to Durham. On September 2nd, he was recalled and spent the rest of the season with the DRays.


Batting against the Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida on October 3, 2001. The Red sox won 10-3.


He was limited to just 41 games with Tampa Bay batting .274/.317/.378. The team went 62-100, last in the division and the American League. He was designated for assignment on November 20th in order to make room for other players on the 40-man roster and released on the 27th.

Jose possessed a cannon of an arm with superb accuracy that left teammates, opposing line-ups and fans in jaw dropping awe when he would get the chance to show it off. He played hard and hustled on the bases but his power at the plate was inconsistent. There was evidence of a quick temper while a DRay. Rumors of a bad attitude came to light, which many speculated was why the Pirates gave up on him as well. Looking back, the DRays had handed the RF job to Ben Grieve while paying him a hefty salary, any back up was expendable and less of an investment, so Jose was out.

On December 18th he signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The reigning world champions gave him a shot as their starting right fielder for 2002.



Batting during a spring training game against the Chicago White Sox at Tucson Electric Park in Tucson, Arizona on March 2, 2002.


He struggled though, batting just .229 in 54 games when he was released on July 22nd. He signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies on the 26th, he was immediately put into the line-up for the Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox of the PCL, played 5 games, batted .412 and was released on August 1st. He signed with the Cincinnati Reds on August 20th and was sent to the Triple-A Louisville Bats of the IL, he batted .310 and was called up on August 27th.He had a 5 RBI game on September 9th in a 9-8 win against Pittsburgh. Finishing out the season with the Reds he batted .248 in 31 games with 4 homers, the Reds went 69-93, in fifth place in the division.



With Ken Griffey Jr during the Cincinnati Reds' spring training camp in St. Petersburg, Fla. in March 2003.

He was released by the Reds in the middle of spring on March 13, 2003 and then re-signed a minor league contract the next day.


He was edged out for a spot on the big club roster, starting the season in Louisville, he played just four games batting .333 when he was recalled on April 8th.
He was finally beginning to show the power and consistency of his minor league numbers at the the ML level. He had a 2 home run game on May 22nd, though it was a 9-4 loss to Atlanta. During an inter-league match against the TB Devil Rays on June 10-12th he was the victim of the team's relentless Gentleman Heckler, Robert Szasz. The Heckler picks one guy to taunt for every series and this time it was ex-Devil Ray Guillen's turn. In response to Guillen's yearly rant about lack of playing time the taunt was "How's it feel to still be the No. 4 outfielder?". After the first two at-bats in the first game where he lined out and grounded out he was on deck waiting to lead off the 6th inning. He asked Szasz what he could do to get him to stop. They agreed on a bat, Szasz let up and Jose hit a homer to break a 2-2 tie. Szasz turned his attention to Adam Dunn for the rest of the series.The DRays were swept.

He got hit twice in a game against the Phillies on June 14th, but it didn't end up in a brawl like the game the previous evening, but it ended up in a 12-2 loss. He had another 2 homer game on July 4th against the New York Mets also a loss 7-2. He had 106 hits and 23 home runs, batting .337/.385/.629 in 91 games when he was suddenly traded to the Oakland Athletics on July 30th for Aaron Harang, Joe Valentine and Jeff Bruksch (minors). The A's were in the hunt for the AL West division title, Guillen was decent with a .265 BA with 8 homers in 45 games. He had another 2 HR game on August 16th in a 6-4 win against Toronto, he injured his wrist on September 15th, but played after 6 days rest, it was still sore but he played.

His combined numbers for the season were .311/.359/.569 in 136 games, with 28 doubles, 31 homers and 86 RBI. However, he didn't walk much, he was one of only four players to have a 30 home run season and have less walks with just 29, joining Alfonso Soriano, Garret Anderson and Ivan Rodriguez. They would be joined later by Joe Crede (30-28 in 2006), and Ryan Braun (34-24 in 2007). The A's finished 96-66, topping their division for their 3rd consecutive appearance in the post season. Guillen was added to the ALDS roster as they faced the Boston Red Sox, he went 5-for-11 batting .455 with a run and an RBI in 4 games, but they were eliminated 3-2.


Jose consoles teammate Billy McMillon in the ninth inning of Game 5 in the ALDS against the Boston Red Sox on October 6, 2003 at
Network Associates Coliseum in Oakland, California. The Red Sox defeated the A's 4-3.






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[Tobywan]

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The Red Sox were then knocked out in the ALCS by the Yanks who lost the World Series to the Florida Marlins. He ended up having surgery for the fractured hamate in his left wrist on October 8th. He was hoping for a fat contract but the A's weren't willing, he was granted free agency on October 30th. The Anaheim Angels were willing, they failed to make the postseason in 2003 after winning it all in 2002. On December 20th they signed him to a 2-year deal worth $6M with a 2006 club option and a buyout clause.


Photo Day at Diablo Stadium on February 26, 2004 in Tempe, Arizona.

He started the 2004 season strong as the Angels put him primarily in left field, he was named the Player of the Week on May 9th. It didn't take long before his temper had him at odds with his new manager and the Angels pitching staff after he had been hit by pitches six times in just 7 weeks of the season. After a rough weekday series in Toronto in the last week of May where he was hit, he lashed out about the staff not retaliating on his and teammate Vladimir Guerreo's behalf. Though after he was hit, pitcher John Lackey and manager Mike Scioscia were ejected after Lackey brushed back and then grazed Simon Pond in the 6th inning or so the umpire thought, replay showed he was not hit. The Angels went on to lose 6-5 in 10 innings. Where Guillen went wrong was cursing about the team to the press. He turned it on in the summer he had a 2 homer game when he brought in 5 runs in a 12-0 win over the White Sox at Comiskey on July 7th. On the 23rd he hit his 100th homer and another 5 RBI in an 8-2 win in Seattle. He had a 5 hit day on July 31st in a 9-8 win over the Mariners. There were still grumblings of issues between him and Scioscia. The situation came to a head in crucial game on September 25th against his former A's, when Scioscia lifted him for a pinch runner during a crucial series.

Guillen threw a tantrum during the game on the field and in the dugout, visible to everyone. The Angels won putting them just one game behind Oakland for the AL West division lead. Scioscia and GM Bill Stoneman felt this latest outburst was the last straw and suspended him for the rest of the season. There had been a couple if incidents throughout the year. Jose had always prided himself on never lying, his father was strict and that was one thing he drilled into his children, always tell the truth. Well, he fibbed to the press that he skipped a team meeting called by Darin Erstad, insinuating it was a waste of time, yet he was actually in attendance. The always truthful Jose Guillen doesn't seem to know the actual meaning of truth. Jose had started 135 games (148 appearances), with 166 hits, a career high 104 RBI and 27 homers with a .294 BA. The Angels took the AL West division going 92-70, but due to the suspension Jose would not join them. They were swept in the ALDS by the wild card Boston Red Sox.

He was traded to the Montreal Expos on November 19th for Maicer Izturis and Juan Rivera. Guillen played in the Dominican Winter League for the Tigres De Licey and continued to blame the whole issue during the season on Mike Scioscia One of the requirements of his suspension was taking anger management classes, while he stated got a lot out of them, he felt they weren't necessary. They didn't seem to work in the long run.

Montreal was in transition, when the 2005 season opened they would be the Washington Nationals and Jose was back to right field.


Jose and Cristian Guzman pose for photos during a press conference to unveil the Nationals' new uniforms at the ESPN Zone on February 2, 2005 in Washington, DC.


He began the season strong, he had a 2 homer game on April 13th in a 11-4 win in Atlanta.


President George W. Bush visited the Washington Nationals in their locker room prior to their "Inaugural" home opener at RFK Stadium on April 14, 2005.



By the end of the month he was batting .303 with six homers and 14 RBI, the Nats were so impressed they exercised his 2006 option. He had another two home run game on May 25th in Cincinnati but they lost 12-3. On June 14th the Nats were to start a three game series against the Angels in Anaheim, it was the first time Guillen would face his former team after his blow up with manager Mike Scioscia. In the days leading up, both Scioscia and Gullien claimed no hard feelings, but it became evident that was just a show for the public. During the second game Angels pitcher Brendon Donnelly came into relieve in the seventh inning with a 3-1 lead. Nationals manager Frank Robinson asked that his glove be inspected, umpires found an illegal substance on his glove. When Donnelly was ejected Scioscia flew out of the dugout and after he called for another reliever he had a few words for Robinson. Frank then followed Mike and the two began shouting in each other's faces as both benches cleared. Guillen was restrained by coaches and teammates as he and several Angels got into a shouting match. Some of them figured he was the real instigator in having Donnelly's glove checked, Donnelly felt he was always targeted because he had crossed the "picket line" during the 1994 strike.


Jose Guillen is held back by bench coach Eddie Rodriguez and other Nationals coaches as things got heated. The Nationals defeated the Angels, 5-3, at Angel Stadium in Anaheim.


Nats manager Frank Robinson, umpire Dan Iassogna, first base coach Don Buford, Carlos Baerga and pitching coach Randy St. Claire try to get Guillen and the brawl under control.

Order was restored and the game continued but Scoscia had the umps check the next Nats reliever's glove as well, but it was clean. In the eigth Gullien hit a two-run homer to tie the game, the Nats went on to win. At first Guillen denied giving the heads up to Robinson, the team claimed they had their suspicions through video tapes. In the weeks that followed Guillen did admit he was still hurt, holding a grudge, what he truly thought of Scioscia and that indeed he had alerted manager Frank Robinson of the possibility of a substance on Donnelly's glove. Both Sciosca and Robinson were suspended a game and fined for screaming at each other, Donnelly was suspended for 10 games later reduced to 8.

He began to have nagging minor injuries throughout the summer and into September, mainly soreness and inflammation in his shoulder. He still managed to have two more 2 homer games both against Pittsburgh. On June 29th he collected his 500th career RBI against the Pirates.


Guillen is tended to by the team trainer as umpire Troy Fullwood stands by. He was hit by a pitch in the 9th inning of the game against the Houston Astros on July 24, 2005 in Washington, DC. The Astros defeated the Nationals 4-1.



Jose and manager Frank Robinson chat in the dugout prior to a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on August 4, 2005 at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC.


He played his 1000th game on August 3rd against the Dodgers and got his 1000th hit against the Braves on September 9th.


Hector Carrasco, Brian Schnieder, Ryan Church, Guillen, Michael Harreld and Livan Hernandez at the Washington Life-sponsored Nationals Diamond Gala on September 29, 2005.


He finished the season batting .283/.338/.479, with 32 doubles, 24 homers, 76 RBI and 81 runs scored. However, the Nats would go home after the last game of the season and the Angels got as far as the ALCS before being eliminated by the Chicago White Sox, who went on to take the WS.

He had surgery on November 21st due to a rotator cuff tear and frayed labrum in his left shoulder. Unfortunately, he was hampered almost all of the 2006 season with injuries. It started in spring training, he was out 2 weeks with an injured left wrist but got healthy enough to start the season. On April 6th a bean-war started between the Nats and the Mets, most of the venom between Guillen and Pedro Martinez. Pedro has been known to be among the leaders in hitting batters throughout his career. Jose has been on the receiving end often through his time in the game. After the second hit Guillen charged the mound.


Jose Guillen wants piece of Pedro as Mets' catcher Paul Lo Duca and home plate umpire Ted Barrett hold him back on April 6, 2006.



No one was tossed, the result was a 10-5 loss and weeks of verbal media fighting. The Mets won on the scoreboard though outscoring the Nats 22-12 during the series. Once again Guillen was angry that his pitchers most especially Esteban Loaiza didn't do more to retaliate. By the end of April he was nursing a sore oblique. On May 3rd while Jose was playing in a game at RFK Stadium, Yamel was mugged as she was leaving a Money Mart, the thief got away with $12,000 of his paycheck that she took out as cash. She and two other National players' wives that were outside waiting for her, were unharmed. The worst part for Yamel was her entire purse was taken containing her passport and visa. Jose had another 2 homer game in a 7-1 victory in Cincinnati. He went to the DL on May 26th with a strain in his left hamstring. He rehabbed a few games with the Advanced-A Potomac Nationals of the CARL and was reactivated on June 10th. His arm started bothering him in early July and he really injured it on July 18th. It was determined he needed Tommy John surgery after a tear in his UCL was found which ended his season. He was limited to just 69 games and a .216 BA, the team finished 71-91 in last place. He became a free agent on October 30th.

He signed with the Seattle Mariners on December 4th, one year $5.5M with a 2008 mutual option, signing bonus, buyout clause and performance bonuses. He would be the starting right-fielder for the M's in 2007 as Ichiro would move to center. It didn't take long for Jose's rage to rear his ugly head, he was ejected in a 14-3 loss against the Red Sox on April 10th while facing none other than Brendan Donnelly, the two exchanged words after Guillen struck out, Jose stared down Donnelly. The next batter catcher Kenji Johjima, was plunked and benches cleared, but no punches were thrown.


Home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi and Johjima attempt to block Jose Guillen from getting to Brendan Donnelly while he is being held back by Jason Varitek, M's manager Mike Hargrove and umpire Brian O'Nora. Tossed from the game were Donnelly, Guillen and Terry Francona.
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[Tobywan]

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Jose celebrates after hitting an RBI double against the Los Angeles Angels of Anahiem on May 15, 2007 at Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington.


Guillen robs Chicago White Sox's Jim Thome of a first inning home run on Friday, August 10, 2007, in Chicago, Illinois.



He had a four hit game against the DRays in a 5-1 win, he had three more 4 hit games, all wins and a 5 RBI day on August 19th against the White Sox an 11-5 win. He ended up having a good year, he stayed healthy and played 153 games which he hadn't done since 1998 in Pittsburgh. He was batting so well the M's moved him up in the order to the three hole in May. He hit .290 with 28 doubles, 23 homers and 99 RBI helping the team stay in the play-off hunt but eventually they were edged out by the Angels and Yankees. He also led the AL in being hit by pitches with 19.

He publicly stated he wanted to stay in Seattle and urged his agent to do his best, but Guillen wanted a long term deal and Seattle either couldn't or wouldn't provide it. They declined his 2008 option making him a free agent on October 30th. His gushing of the the M's organization, teammates and fans was different from his usual venom spewed at former clubs. The long term deal came from an unlikely source. The commissioner's office had been scolding a few teams for not spending some of their revenue sharing money on payroll, one of them being the Kansas City Royals. They decided to give Jose some of that money when they offered him a a 3-year, $36 million contract signed on December 4th. He had a physical on the 6th and just hours after, was handed a 15 game suspension by MLB for steroid use after he was named in the Mitchell Report. They had evidence he had PED's sent directly to him at the Oakland Coliseum back in 2003. After investigations it was determined that Guillen had bought more that $19,000 worth of HGH and other PEDs from the Palm Beach Rejuvenation Center between May 2002 and June 2005.


When questioned about his feelings on steroids in interviews before this report he'd stated he had been approached by others to try them but declined to use them saying they are bad for the game, will ruin a career and reputation. He missed a week of spring due to a flu, then he was sitting out the beginning of the season until his suspension was rescinded on April 11, 2008. The MLB Players' Association and MLB owners came to an agreement to modify the current drug testing program. As a condition, all players implicated in the Mitchell Report would be given a clean slate. There were also concerns about his weight, he seemed to be putting on a bit too much. He was performing well, but the team had issues. He had a 5 RBI game in a 9-5 win against the Rangers in Arlington. He was the AL Player of the Week on May 18th. He had a four hit game in an 11-8 loss in Boston on May 22nd. Between May 19-30 KC had lost 12 straight, during a post game interview Guillen went off in a profanity laced rant about there being too many babies on the team that don't know how to play or how to win as to being the reason they have been so bad for years. He made sure though to let everyone know he was not including the new manager Trey Hillman in his disgust with teammates. He had a big game on June 7 at Yankee Stadium where hit hit 2 home runs and 7 RBI but KC lost 11-12. He suffered with back spasms and a sore groin in July and started August with a sore hip.




His now familiar tantrums were directed to a fan during a game in Kansas City on August 26th against the Rangers. The fan heckled him for lack of hustle but threw in some cursing and insults to his family. Jose began to yell obscenities and make vulgar gestures at the fan as coaches and teammates had to physically restrain him. Security removed the fan. He had another 2 homer game on September 12th in Cleveland but it was a 12-5 loss. He ended up hitting .264 with 20 homers, 97 RBI and a career high 42 doubles and matching his 153 games despite the leg problems as the Royals finished 75-87, fourth place in the AL Central.


He played in the Winter League for Tigres De Licey.

As soon as he got to camp in February 2009 his shoulder started getting sore, his foot was sore from an ingrown toe nail and there were more steroid rumblings. He had been given amnesty along with many players after the Mitchell report, the Feds were now targeting trainer Angel Presinal who had a close relationship to ARod and many Dominican players, Presinal was being banned from major league clubhouses. Guillen admitted he also used him for many years. He claimed not to have had a working relationship with him since 2004, but that they were still friends and that Presinal never gave or even offered him any substances.

Jose participated in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, he scored the first run of the only Dominican Republic win by reaching on an error by Panama's Rubén Tejada and scoring on an error by Javier Castillo. He went 1-for-12 in the series his only hit off of Leon Boyd. They were eliminated in the first round.



Guillen, Damaso Merte, Jose Reyes and Robinson Cano are the agony of defeat as they were eliminated in the first round of the WBC at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico on March 10, 2009.

Now it was time to hunker down in Kansas City, he wanted to redeem himself with the Royals fans after last season. He had changed his diet and lost some weight. There seems to be two Jose's, the doting father, generous with his time and money to charities, liked by teammates. Then, the other guy, capable of excitement on the field but suddenly gives up, quick tempered and always ready for a fight.


In March, he and Yamel welcomed a third son Derek.

Just a few days into the season he suffered a strained flexor in his right hip putting him on the 15-day disabled list, he was activated on April 25th. Two days later he had a 2 homer game in a 7-1 win against Toronto.


Yamel and Jose's mother, Modesta on Mother's Day 2009

He once again began having soreness in the groin area. By mid-July he hadn't been as productive as his paycheck hitting just .243 with nine homers and 37 RBI. On July 23rd he had one of those freak kind of injuries when he tore the ligament in his right knee while putting on a shin guard during the game that kept him on the DL until September 1st. That first game back was his 1500th game. He had just missed 10 weeks and the hits just kept coming, he had to have a cyst removed from his lower back on September 2nd and a few weeks later he had surgery on his left ankle which ended his season. He was limited to 81 games and batting .242/.314/.367 as the Royals finished an abysmal 65-97, fourth place again.

After all the injuries and surgeries he started suffering from blood clots in his legs, he spent 20 days at St Luke's Hospital in Kansas City receiving treatments for circulatory issues. The medications he took for the clots left him weak, he lost a lot of weight and muscle.

Along with being worried about his health he was afraid it might affect his career, it might take him a long time to recover from all his body had been through.After treatment though, he felt good, it didn't take him long at all to feel normal again. He started out strong in 2010 helped by manager Trey Hillman giving him most of his starts at DH to help his legs. He had a two homer game in a 8-6 loss on April 11 against Boston, he hit his 200th career homer in a 7-3 win on April 14th in Detroit. Royals officials decided to make a change, Trey Hillman was fired and replaced with Ned Yost in mid- May.



Alberto Callaspo is congratulated by David DeJesus and Jose Guillen after hitting a home run during a game against the Cleveland Indians on May 13, 2010 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.


On May 21, 2010 he reached his 1,500th career hit at Kauffman Stadium against the Colorado Rockies while hitting 2 homers in a 9-2 win. On May 23rd Jose was taking batting practice at Kauffmann Stadium getting ready to face the Colorado Rockies when a reporter gave him the news that his friend, pitcher Jose Lima had suddenly died of a heart attack. Lima was only 37. He had just come off a winter league season playing for the Aguilas Cibaenas in the Dominican Republic and was in Los Angeles attending a series of the Dodgers over that weekend. He woke up in the middle of the night, in pain and not being able to get comfortable. His wife called 911, but by the time they got to Lima he was in full arrest and pronounced dead at the hospital. Guillen and Lima had played together for the Escogido Lions in the DR, he honored his friend by wearing "JL" on his helmet.


The Joses during a series between the Dodgers and Angels in June 2004.


He went on a hitting streak between June 4-June 27. He batted .378 with 31 hits, one homer and 13 RBI. He put himself 6th on the list of Royals hit streaks at the time.By July he was moaning about a lack of playing time, bad mouthing the team to the press and on August 5th he was designated for assignment. He was batting .255 with 16 homers and 62 RBIs when he was sent to the San Francisco Giants for a player to be named later and cash on August 13th. Jose seemed positive and ready to be on a winning team, Tim Lincecum greeted him with a hug and he picked out the empty locker right next to Juan Uribe, he was downright jovial. He started experiencing neck pain in September and had an injection mid-month.





Running to first base against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on September 3, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. Dodgers won 4-2.


On September 19th he brought in 6 runs in a 9-2 win over the Brewers. He continued to have neck issues but played through. He finished the last 42 games as their starting right fielder hitting .266 as the Giants blew passed the San Diego Padres to win the NL West division with a record of 92-70. It came as a bit of a surprise that he was then left off of the post season roster. Giant's claimed it was due to Guillen's neck. The Giants cut through the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS (4-1) , just before the start of the NLCS they sent Kevin Pucetas (minors) (October 14, 2010) to the Kansas City Royals to complete the August trade for Guillen.

As they were battling to eliminated the Philadelphia Phillies (4-2) news was leaking about the real reason Guillen was abscent from the play-offs. San Francisco went on to become the 2010 World Champions defeating the Texas Rangers 4-1, their last appearance in a WS was in 2002 when they were defeated by the Anaheim Angels.


The full story emerged at the end of the World Series, just before the start of the post season SF was given a heads up that Guillen was under a federal investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration. They were tracking a supplier out of Miami and intercepted a shipment addressed to Yamel Acevedo at Guillen's home address in September. DEA agents arranged for a controlled delivery and once Yamel signed for the package, they identified themselves and she consented to a search of the home. The shipment contained syringes pre-filled with HGH. He became a free agent on November 1st.

During the off season he continued to train hard and under the delusion that there would be offers coming to play in 2011. He felt he was ready despite the "inconvenience" of the investigations of his PED use. In February he instructed his agent to consider all offers, but when nothing produced, he retired. There were reports out of the DR that customs officials were to prevent Guillen from traveling out of the country.

He had played his final major league game on October 3, 2010 at the age of 34. Guillen played 14 seasons with 10 different teams. He has a career .270 BA with 1,591 hits, 748 runs, 214 HR and 887 RBI in 1,650 games played. He is currently ranked 23rd on all time HBP list with 145. He had five 20-Home Run Seasons: 5 (2003-2005, 2007 & 2008), one 30-Home Run Season (2003) and one 100 RBI Season (2004).


It appears that Guillen has been quiet and off the grid since it was reported in 2012 that he was still training hard hoping for a comeback, that never materialized. There was a report on a Dominican news site claiming that Jose had been in poor health possibly cancer, losing between 70-90 pounds. He has rarely been seen outside of his villa in Duveaux (a suburb of San Cristobal). Those that have visited him were shocked and concerned over his deteriorating physique. His health was so precarious there were reports in June 2014 that he had died.

He and his wife/fiance/GF/baby mama Yamel had three sons together, Jose Jr., Jose Manuel and Derek. Yamel has been the owner of the Blush Hair Center in Santa Domingo DR since 2010. It is unclear if the two are still together.

[Tobywan]

Cory Lidle #27-RHP


Cory Fulton Lidle was born on March 22, 1972 in Hollywood, California eight minutes after came his twin brother Kevin arrived. His middle name has been handed down through the family generations as they are descended from the historic inventor of the steamboat, Robert Fulton. Cory and Kevin were the oldest of Doug and Rebecca (nee Wilson) Lidle's children, Elizabeth (Lisa) and William (Billy) would bring the family to half a dozen.


The Lidle twins turn 4.

Cory and Kevin were very active in youth baseball playing in the West Covina American Little League, Mustang Pony, Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth Leagues. They grew up following the Los Angeles Dodgers. They attended South Hills High School (West Covina, CA) together, Cory pitched for the Huskies and Kevin was his catcher. Though Cory and Kevin were fraternal not identical, they looked a lot alike, many outside of the family had trouble distinguishing between the two at times. It was not uncommon for the them to try to pass themselves off as the other in class and on the field. According to Kevin the only time they ever got caught was by a blind teacher. He also said they were never able to fool the ladies.


Kevin with Mealnie Verela,they had been sweethearts since junior high.


In his senior year Cory went 12-2, with 100 strike outs and only 26 walks. He had an earned run average of 1.02, was named All San Gabriel Valley Pitcher of the Year and All CIF team. He was the starting pitcher in the CIF Southern Section 4-A division championship game against San Luis Obispo, though the Huskies were defeated 4-0. Some notable South Hills teammates of the Lidles were Aaron Small, Shawn Wooten as well as Jason and Jeremy Giambi, all making it to the majors.

Neither of the Lidles was drafted out of high school, Kevin decided to go on to college and enrolled in Mount San Antonio (Walnut, CA). They both play for 1990 USA Baseball team, he was the winning pitcher in the SBS tournament in Stockholm, Sweden, they beat the Swedish national team in the championship game. This team spent 17 days in Europe in Amsterdam, Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm and for some, Switzerland.


Some members of the 1990 Baseball squad on a ferry between Copenhagen and Oslo.



Cory wanted to play and signed as an amateur free agent with the Minnesota Twins on August 25, 1990. It was a day that neither Cory or Kevin thought would be possible after an incident during a game with Minnesota Twins scouts in the stands. Cory threw a wild warm up toss that hit teammate Aaron Small's father
Art right in the forehead. It didn't seem to effect their interest.

In 1991 was sent to the Rookie GCL Twins, he made 4 appearances with a 1-1 record and a 5.79 ERA. In 1992 he was assigned to the Rookie Elizabethton Twins (Tennessee) of the Appalachian League, he went 2-1 in 19 games (2 starts, 11 GF) with a 3.71 ERA in 43.2 IP. The team finished first in their division going 49-17 but lost in the finals to the Bluefield Orioles. His brother Kevin was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 24th round of the June 1992 MLB Amateur Draft.

Cory was released by the Twins on April 1, 1993. To earn money he tended bar working nights, he got a call from the manager of the Pocatello Posse (Idaho) an independent Rookie class club in the Pioneer League. He was asked to come for a tryout, he brushed it off and overslept. The phone didn't ring with offers from any ML clubs so when he was given a second chance for a tryout with the Posse, he took it. This was the low end of semi-pro ball, not really where he wanted to be but he would look back on it fondly as it did lead to a second chance at a career in the majors. It was his first year being used almost exclusively as a starter, in 16 starts he went 8-4 with a 4.13 ERA and pitched 3 complete games in 106.2 innings pitched. The team came in 2nd with a 37-38 record. Pocatello lost the team for good when they moved to Ogden, Utah to become the Raptors.

On September 17th his contract was purchased by the Milwaukee Brewers. He was determined this time to stay in a ML organization, he would work hard and make himself valuable. He started the 1994 season with the Single-A Beloit Brewers of the Midwest League after posting a 2.61 ERA in 13 games he was promoted to the High-A Stockton Ports in the CALL, he finished the season with a 3.30 ERA and a 4-6 record. He made 38 appearances with 10 starts, one complete game, one shut out and 4 saves. The Ports would finish in 5th place going 54-82.

The 1994 season was suspended when the players went on strike, the off season and the spring of 1995 was tenious as there was no resolution when spring training arrived. Cory made a decision that would follow him the rest of his career. According to Cory he was given two choices by the Brewers, be available to play in replacement games or his name would be high on the list of release candidates. He had already been scared once of not making it to the big leagues when he was released by the Twins, so he crossed the picket lines. He sat on the bench for one game and pitched one inning in a another spring training game. That one inning cost him inclusion in the Players Union and on occasion repect from future teammates with the "scab" taunts rearing up once in awhile. Lidle wasn't paid like some others, he never signed a replacement contract, he got $80 in meal money for a label that followed him the rest of his career.

He spent the season with the Double-A El Paso Diablos of the TL, he pitched 109.2 innings in 45 appearances with 9 starts, he collected 2 saves and a 5-4 record and named to the Texas League mid-season All-Star team. He posted a 3.36 ERA which was fifth in the TL. The team finished in 2nd with a 68-68 record. He got even more work when he went to the AFL to pitch for the Mesa Saguaros who took the championship defeating the Sun Cities Solar Sox.

On January 17, 1996 he was traded to the New York Mets for Kelly Stinnett. He was assigned to the the Double-A Binghamton Mets in the EL he pitched 190.1 innings (league lead), led the staff with 14 wins (14-10). He had 141 strikeouts and a 3.31 ERA (7th in EL) in 27 starts.



1996 Best Binghamton Mets


He was used exclusively as a starter and pitched 6 complete games (tied with Carl Pavano) with one shut out. They finished in 2nd going 76-66, went to the play-offs but lost in the semi-finals.

On January 7, 1997 he and Melanie were married.

Lidle began the 1997 season with Triple-A Norfolk Tides in the IL, in 7 starts he went 4-2 with a 3.64 ERA with one complete game in 42 innings when he was called up to the Mets and made his debut on May 8th. The Mets were facing the Houston Astros in front of a sparse 12, 842 crowd at the Astrodome with starting pitchers Rick Reed and Mike Hampton. Heading into the bottom of the 7th the Astros were leading 4-2 when Lidle relieved Reed. He got his first batter Craig Biggio to fly out to center, he gave up just a single to Jeff Bagwell, but got out the inning unscathed. In the 8th he let up three singles in a row to Bobby Abreu, Ricky Gutierrez and Brad Ausmus but muddled out of the inning with no score. The Mets failed to get on the board in the 9th and the Astros won 4-2. He got his first win against the St. Louis Cardinals when he pitched one scoreless inning of relief on May 11th at Busch Stadium. He made 54 appearances during the season with 2 starts going 7-2 with a 3.53 ERA in 81.2 IP. He was left unprotected and selected as the 13th pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first round of the November 18th expansion draft.



Photo Day February 1998



March 4, 1998 spring training, Arizona Diamondbacks against the Chicago Cubs at Hohkam Stadium in Mesa, Arizona. The Diamondbacks defeated the Cubs 9-8.

He injured his right elbow near the end of spring training in 1998, he tried working through the elbow and shoulder problems but it was determined that he needed Tommy John surgery. The procedure was performed on August 20th, he never got to pitch for the DBacks but did rehab a couple of games with the Advanced-A High Desert Mavericks of the CALL and the AAA Tuscon Sidewinders of the PCL. On October 7th he was selected off waivers by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.



Photo Day during Spring Training at Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida on February 25, 1999.

He had a set back in his recovery and was out most of the 1999 season, he had 5 rehab games between the St. Petersburg Devil Rays and the Durham Bulls and was finally activated on September 18th. He made his Devil Rays debut on September 19th, he pitched an inning gave up 2 hits, no runs and struck out one in a game against the Texas Rangers in Arlington.

He posted his first win in 2 years on September 26th when he pitched 2 perfect innings in relief against the Yankees in New York. He made 5 appearances (one start) and went 1-0 with a 7.20 ERA after getting roughed up in his last two outings.

He was part of the second round of cuts in spring training 2000 and assigned to minor league camp. He started the season with Durham but was recalled on April 14th. While the label of being a replacement player never seemed to have a huge impact on his career, he would reflect that it damaged his relationship at times with teammates. He claims the treatment was mixed, those that treated him as any other in the clubhouse, those that were polite, but distant and others that would flat out ignore him. One incident he claims was the worst, happened to be with the Devil Rays in the 2000 season, the only names revealed were those that were positive, it happened during the first series which took place in Minnesota. The players were on the team bus heading back to the hotel, some players had already started drinking. One player called out in front of the entire team for Cory to deny that he been a scab,others joined in with the name calling.

The fight was broken up before any real punches were thrown, but the line was drawn and Lidle states the majority of players stayed clear of him. He was grateful that a few days later Roberto Hernandez while not condoning Lidle's actions in 1995, told him he felt it was handled wrong. Hernandez relayed to Cory he thought the one that started it should have stated his piece one-on-one not in front of the group. Cory also said it helped that one of the most respected vets never treated him as a pariah, Fred McGriff would often lunch and play golf with Lidle that season. He tried to keep a low profile around most of them the rest of the season.


Turn Back the Clock day featuring the uniform of the St. Petersburg Saints against the White Sox on August 12, 2000. Chicago won 5-4.

Lidle drew a suspension and a fine when he was cited for intentionally throwing at batters during a match against the Boston Red Sox on August 29th. It involved a brawl set off by teammate Gerald Wiliams being hit by a pitch from Pedro Martinez while leading off the first inning. During the game Lidle was one of three pitchers ejected for retaliation after warnings had been issued. Lidle's was directed at Brian Daubach, also one of those detested replacement players. He threw behind Daubauch, bench coach Bill Russell (who took over when Larry Rothschild was tossed earlier) was ejected with Lidle. The ire at Daubauch was due to his diving into the pile of players during the melee where he injured his own teammate Lou Merloni. Lidle was not entitled to any appeal on his behalf from the union and started serving his three day suspension on September 5th. On top of the shenagans, fighting and ejections the DRays were whooped 8-0.

When he came back he pitched very well. He was available by the time the DRays were to play in Oakland on the 8th against his old high school buddy Jason Giambi. He stymied the team with seven innings of shut out ball, the only 2 hits he gave up were to Giambi in a 4-0 victory. The A's won the next three games of the series. They would miss him in the the rotation when it was their turn to come to Tropicana Field the following week, the A's took the first two games of the series, but a hurricane was bearing down on the Tampa Bay area. Even though Hurricane Gordon ended up not making a direct hit to St Pete, the final game was postponed due to most of the streets and the Trop parking lot being under water from a surge. The game was rescheduled for October 2nd but never replayed as it was not nessecary. It was the second season in a row that the A's had games postponed in September due to Hurricane threats when two were postponed in Baltimore in 1999 because of Hurricane Floyd. Oakland easily won their division and the DRays finished 69-92. It remains the only game ever postponed at Tropicana Field due to weather. Lidle split time throughout the season as a starter and reliever finishing the season going 4-6 with a 5.03 ERA with 31 appearances (11 starts) and 96.2 IP.

Cory and Melanie welcomed their first child Christopher Taylor on September 18th.

On January 8, 2001 Lidle was part of a three team trade involving Tampa Bay, the Oakland A's and Kansas City Royals. TB sent Lidle to the A's, they also got Johnny Damon and Mark Ellis from KC. TB got Ben Grieve from the A's. KC got Angel Berroa and A.J. Hinch from the A's and Roberto Hernandez from TB.

It was nice being reunited with his high school friend/teammate Jason Giambi and he looked forward to them playing together in the majors. He was making an impression during spring training with the Oakland A's but he had options while many other candidates for the starting rotation were out.



Cory and Kevin meet up during spring training in Arizona March 2001.


He was named the 5th starter behind Tim Hudson, Barry Zito, Gil Heredia and Mark Mulder. Due to scheduling his first turn to start was an off day. To keep him working he was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento River Cats for one start. He went six innings with a win and was recalled on the 13th to go against the Texas Rangers, he didn't pitch well. He started slow going just 1-4 though June but got hot though the summer. Statistically, it would be his best season. He went 13-6 with a 3.59 ERA (10th in the AL) helping Oakland to a wild card spot. In almost any other season their 102-60 record should have been a dominant division title if it had not been for the astounding 116-46 record put up by the Seattle Mariners. Oakland faced the New York Yankees in the division series, Cory pitched in Game 4 but he didn't last long. In 3.1 innings he allowed 6 runs on 5 hits, and three walks in the 9-2 loss. They were eliminated from the play-offs 3-2. The Yanks went on to topple the Mariners to go head to head with the Arizona Diamondbacks in a dramatic 7 game showdown.


Lidle had now gotten a taste of the postseason and was determined to once again be a productive member and help the team get another run in 2002. He started April strong but after 2 outings in May, he began having soreness in his shoulder and finally went to the disabled list on May 13th. After one rehab game with the River Cats he was activated on May 30th. He had a bad start on June 10th, his next appearance was in relief but quickly went back to the rotation. On July 19th he pitched a one-hit, complete game shutout against the Texas Rangers, the lone hit came in the 8th inning off Juan Gonzalez.


Oakland A's facing the Anaheim Angels on July 25, 2002 at Edison Field in Anaheim, California. The Angels defeated the A's 5-4.

In August, Lidle pitched some of the best games of his career, it appeared that the stars were aligned for the entire Oakland Athletics team. On August 13th they were in third place in the AL West, 4.5 games behind the Mariners. That night that began an historic run of 20 straight wins. Lidle himself set a franchise record for consecutive innings without an earned run. Through six starts he went 5-0, with 29 Ks in 45.1 IP. He pitched another one-hitter on August 21st against the Cleveland Indians. He gave up just one run the entire month and from July 30-August 26 he pitched 32 consecutive scoreless innings, his ERA in August was 0.20. Lidle was awarded AL Pitcher of the Month in August. Lidle's 2 complete game one-hit shutouts put him in company with Vida Blue the only other Athletic to do it. He had always had a habit of eating junk food between innings of his starts or while sitting in the bull pen as a reliever, but it was his A's teammates that officially gave him the nickname "Snacks". He finished with a 8-10 record in 30 starts, 2 complete games, 2 shut outs with a 3.89 ERA in 192 innings. The A's once again would make the postseason winning the division title with a 103-59 record. They faced the Minnesota Twins in the ALDS, Cory in the bullpen pitched one inning in Game 1, he gave up one run on two hits. The A's were eliminated 3-2.

Even though they didn't go far in the post season the 2002 A's season inspired the book "Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game" by Michael Lewis and later a movie starring Brad Pitt. Unfortunately, the streak and the players were a back drop to the story about GM Billy Beane. His assistant Paul DePodesta, who was very instrumental in those seasons of success on a shoe string budget got zero mention in the movie version and manager Art Howe was portrayed as a downright villainous saboteur of Beane's vision. Another instance of Hollywood poetic license altering a story that was epic on it's own factual merit.

Lidle was probably hoping to get a pay raise especially after his performance during that infamous winning streak but with the thrifty A's it wasn't going to happen. On November 16th he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for Chris Mowday (minors) and Mike Rouse.



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