The Tampa Bay Devil Rays, then and now.

[Tobywan]

In recent decades, it has been rare for players and personnel to stay with the same ball club for their entire career or even a majority of it. The Rays are one of the two newest teams and even in their short history have had many names and “no-names” come through the ranks. Some had careers with other teams before TB and some made their debuts as Devil Rays/Rays. Some of my favorites I continue to follow, once in awhile a familiar face will show up in another uniform or in a Fox, ESPN (or some team’s TV affiliate) press box. While many continued in some form or another with the game of baseball, some did not and have faded off into anonymity.

This thread will be mostly devoted to those past names and faces that roamed the halls, offices and turf at Tropicana Field whether their stay was an extended period or a brief stint.

[Tobywan]

We’ll start at the beginning with the 1998 Tampa Bay Devil Rays and at the top with….


Vince Naimoli
Managing General Partner and Chief Executive Officer



Vincent Joseph Naimoli was born on September 16, 1937 in Paterson, New Jersey, his father was a second-generation Italian immigrant working for the NYC subway system. Vince’s team growing up was the Brooklyn Dodgers.

He studied engineering at Notre Dame graduating in 1959 and after serving in the United States Marine Corps earned a Masters in Mechanical Engineering from the NJ Institute of Technology in 1962. Went on to receive an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1964 and completed Harvard University Business School’s advanced management program in 1974.

His ties to Tampa Bay started in the late 1970’s when he was an executive for the Jim Walter Corp.

He had a knack for turning around companies that were floundering, most notably Anchor Industries International, Doehler-Jarvis Inc., Harvard Industries and the Laddish Company and in 1995; he was named “Florida Entrepreneur of the Year” in the “turnaround” category.

Unfortunately, he was never able to obtain the same kind of success with the TB Devil Rays. In the beginning, there were seven failed attempts starting in 1984 to bring a team to the area and finally losing out on the expansion to Miami in 1991, (It was learned that the financial package used in the expansion bid relied too heavily on borrowed money.) Naimoli who had made Tampa Bay his home for over 20 years was persuaded to jump on board and bringing a Major League team to the Tampa Bay area became his number one mission in 1992. He started by attempting to buy the SF Giants from then owner Bob Lurie for $115 million but the NL owners voted against the sale and a SF based group headed by Peter McGowan got the team for $100 million.

In November, Naimoli filed a lawsuit against the City of San Francisco as well as the investor group. He also filed suit against MLB claiming they broke promises and acted in bad faith before rejecting Tampa Bay’s bid for the team. The Florida Attorney General went to battle against MLB over their Anti-trust exemption. It has been rumored that a verbal agreement between Naimoli and MLB stipulated that his group would be given serious consideration and likely be given a team within 5 years if the lawsuits and threats of forcing the league to “open their books“ went away. Tampa Bay was awarded the expansion franchise in 1995 along with the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was also rumored that the raised expansion fee from $100 million to $130 million and the relinquishing of $5 million a year from the league’s central fund for the first 5 seasons was in direct retaliation against Naimoli. In the end, the ransom was paid by both clubs and the 1998 expansion franchises were born.

By hook or by crook, Vince did live up to his promise of bringing a ML club to the Tampa Bay area.
His time here was clouded with controversy. While many revered him for bringing a team to the area, others reviled him for the lack of competitive success and his tight fists. On one hand, he was generous with his money and time for charities and causes yet would pinch pennies when it came to running a ball club in modern times. He personally oversaw the design of the 15-month, $85-million renovation of Tropicana Field. He insisted on providing greater access for the handicapped by adding 40% more accessible seating than the (already 10- year old) “Thunderdome” held and earning an award from the Committee to Advocate for Persons with Impairments in 1996. On the other hand he bucked for many seasons at purchasing Internet access for the Trop because he felt it was too expensive since email was going to be “just a passing phase.“ As late as 2003, much of the front office dealings with season ticket holders, sponsors and other team business was done through employees personal email accounts instead of anything official from the team. He was criticized for strict “outside” food policies and insisting that ushers chastise fans (all several hundred of them) if they moved to different seats during games. There were run-ins with scouts, opposing team personnel, members of the press and even the police that became fodder for the local media.

In 1999, he received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor from the Ethnic Coalition of Organizations, joining Hillary Clinton, John Glenn, and William Rehnquist.

At the end of April 2001, it was announced that Naimoli was stepping back from the day-to-day operations, but would still be the “control person” for the club. Though the media hinted that a sale of the team was a “possibility”, Vince insists there was never any intention at the time to sell the team. There was a lot of head butting going on between the ownership group mainly over the failed “Hit Show” and increased payroll of the 2000 season.

The lean years continued through the Naimoli “controlled” years until 2005 even after current owner Stu Sternberg purchased 50% interest from the other bailing investors in May of 2004. He finally let go of the reins shortly after the end of the 2005 season selling the remainder of his shares to the Sternberg group.

Naimoli was inducted to the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.

He has made many contributions from 2006-2009 to projects involving sports at the universities he attended, Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Teaneck, NJ campus now has a baseball complex named for the Naimoli family. There is also a Naimoli Family Athletic and Recreational Facility at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Vince came out with a book in Nov. 2009 titled "Baseball, Business and Beyond". It was an attempt to clarify what Vince felt were misleading stories and downright lies about certain events during his ownership that the media used to make him look bad. Examples are the incident when he ordered a Mets scout to be tossed from the Trop and a run in with the police when his wife was pulled over for speeding.
He also made a claim that his partners Outback co-founders Chris Sullivan and Bob Basham, and Sarasota businessman Bill Griffin went back on a promise to pay for the payroll increase of 2000's "Hit Show". Supposedly, Vince was against the signings and felt betrayed but ponied up $30 million to "save the team" from bankruptcy. He didn't want it public at the time not wanting to worry fans about the solidity of the team. Just as vehemently as Naimoli has tried to claim he has been unfairly portrayed as “cheap” and a “tyrant”, many who were the victim of some of Vince’s “episodes” just as vehemently claim they are completely true.

He has received many awards in the bay area for his charitable works from the Urban League, the Jewish National Fund, the Tampa Sports Club, Boys and Girls Clubs and the Multiple Sclerosis Society. He received the very first “Bridging the Bay” award in 1996, recognizing him as the individual who has done the most to unite the citizens of Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. He enlisted the Devil Rays in Major League Baseball’s RBI Program (Reviving Baseball in the Inner Cities) and was the driving force behind the establishment of the team’s own charitable foundation called the Tampa Bay Rays of Hope Foundation.



Vince recently put his mansion in Avila on the market for the second time; he has lived in the North Tampa exclusive community since 1995. He currently serves on the board at Fairleigh Dickinson University, where he earned an M.B.A. magna cum laude, and the board of overseers at New Jersey Institute of Technology.

[Tobywan]

Now to the other pieces of the original ownership group, first the Outback connection.

Robert Basham and Chris Sullivan founded Outback Steakhouse (along with Trudy Cooper and Tim Gannon) in Tampa and opened the first restaurant in 1988. Now operating as Bloomin' Brands, INC, they also own and/or operate Bonefish Grill, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar and Roy's.



Bob Basham Chris Sullivan


Robert Danker Basham graduated from the University of Maryland and got his start in the food business at his brother’s restaurant in Washington DC. He became a manager trainee at Steak & Ale in 1973, eventually rising to the position of Vice President of Operations of the Bennigan’s brand in the company. He also had a successful stint developing Chilli’s franchises in the southeast.

In late 2011 along with former CFO of the Bucs Nick Reader, he started PDQ, a fast-casual chicken restaurant chain. They now have 25 restaurants in

In 2005, Sullivan stepped down as CEO and Basham stepped down as COO but remained as co- chairmen in the company. However, in Feb. 2013 Basham announced he would be stepping down from the board of Bloomin’ Brands.


Chris T. Sullivan was born February 15, 1948, in Lake City, Florida. He graduated from the University of Kentucky with a BA in Business and Economics in 1972. He also started with Steak & Ale in fact three of the four founders of Outback met through that company.


In Feb. 2005, he settled a paternity suit worth more than $1.68-million filed by the promotional director for Hooter's restaurants. The relationship took place in 2003 while Sullivan was in the midst of ending his third marriage.
In 2009, he was acting mentor to Virginia-based restaurant chain Café Caturra.

*He is now expanding Cafe Carmel & Wine Bar, which he started with Terry Ryan (who was behind the posh Oceanaire) in 2010.*

He serves numerous organizations in various positions including Florida Council of 100 Executive Committee, the Florida Chamber of Commerce; Board of Directors for the Florida Council on Economic Education, Lowry Park Zoological Endowment Foundation; Chairman's Board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America; Co-Chair, Board of Directors Kentucky Speedway; the Advisory Board for the Salvation Army; and Vice Chairman for Scripps Florida Funding Board; and the Employment Policies Institute.


Bob


Chris

[Tobywan]

Now to the other pieces of the original ownership group.



Mark Bostick

R Mark Bostick's father started what is now COMCAR Industries, Inc in Auburndale, Florida back in 1953.

Bostick earned an undergraduate degree in economics in 1976, then enrolled in the Freeman School of Business at Tulane University and received his MBA in Dec. 1977. He started working for his father as director of purchasing for Comcar in Jan. 1978. Mark took over as President in 1989.

Along with running COMCAR, he is currently on the boards of Florida State Fair Authority the University of Florida Shands Cancer Center Advisory, the Tulane University Business School Council, the Winter Haven Hospital and is the founding chairman and member of the Board of Trustees for All Saints Academy. In 2012, he was named Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Florida Polytechnic University.

The Mark Bostick Golf Course is located at the University of Florida, along with being a member of the school’s board Mark has been a generous supporter of the Florida Gators athletics program.



Bill Griffin

William Griffin a graduate of Florida State University, he worked as an analyst for the commerce committee at the Florida House of Representatives, where he specialized in workers' comp and health insurance issues.

He founded Riscorp in 1988 and by early 1996; he had built the business into the state's second-largest workers' compensation insurer. In 1997, as regulators inspected Riscorp's books, shareholders dumped stock and the Florida Department of Insurance forced a sale. Griffin was ousted as chairman and chief executive; he was indicted (along with four other former Riscorp executives), found guilty and served prison time for illegal campaign donations in 1998.


In 2009, regulators suspected that Griffin was involved again in the insurance industry with American Keystone Insurance Co, which under FL law was a no-no due to his past conviction. The company denied he had any official role but when it was learned he was named as a director, the state ordered the company to liquidate.

Companies belonging to the Sarasota businessman defaulted on $9.5 million in loans from Wachovia-Wells Fargo in January of 2011. All of his business properties in the city were sold at auction in 2012 to pay off the debt.



Dan Doyle Sr.

Daniel Doyle SR (along with Frank McPeak) formed the Danka Office Imaging Company in Tampa in 1977; by 1997, the company earned $3 Billion in sales. A bad business deal to acquire the copier business of Eastman Kodak led to Doyle's resigning as chief executive in 1998 when the analog copiers became obsolete with the birth of digital technology. The company was sold to Konica in 2008.


Along with his son, Dan Doyle Jr. he founded DEX Imaging in 2002 and it has been very successful.

Dan Sr. was in the local news last year during the Pinellas County run for Sheriff when he was named as a contributor to candidate Everett Rice during an investigation into possible violations of contribution limits. Rice ended up losing the Rep primary to Bob Gualtieri who later won the position.

[Tobywan]

Chuck LaMar
Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager


Charles G. Lamar was born in Twin Falls, Idaho in 1956, but grew up in Houston , TX. He attended Madison High School where he was a three-sport captain. He played college baseball and was team captain at Texas Christian University leading the Southwest Conference in hitting for the 1977 season. After he graduated in 1978 he went to coach and teach at St. Thomas Catholic High School in Houston. While there (1979) his younger brother Dan, was selected in the first round by the Cincinnati Reds. In fact, his father and grandfather also played minor league ball and Dad also taught Little League for many years in Houston.

In 1981 Lamar was hired by Larry Smith to be his assistant coach when Smith became head coach at Indiana University in the Big Ten Conference. LaMar earned his masters degree in physical education from Indiana, then went on to become the head coach at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.

He started his ML career in 1985 as a full time scout with the Cincinnati Reds and is credited for signing the first working agreement between a Mexico and America professional baseball team.

He was director of minor league operations with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1989-1990. From 1990-1992, the Pirates won three National League East Division titles.

Lamar became director of player development and scouting (through 1993) for the Atlanta Braves. The team winning its division in both seasons. He was promoted to assistant general manager and director of player personnel (1994-95), working with General manager John Schuerholz and the club won the 1995 World Series.

After relative success in Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Atlanta, Chuck was hired by Tampa Bay on July 19, 1995 just months after the region was awarded the ML franchise.

LaMar also served on USA Baseball´s selection committee for the 1999 Pan Am Games, the selection committee for the 2000 United States Olympic gold medal team, and the advisory committee for the 2000 Major League Futures All-Star Game.

His 8 seasons with the Rays however were dismal, the Rays went 518-777 and only won more than 70 games once (2004) while he was (supposedly) at the helm. The local media and fan base balked at many of the moves. For instance, a trade of Bobby Abreu and Dimitri Young for Kevin Stocker and Mike Kelly among many other unpopular trades, signings and even drafts. Though he had some good ones as well, he was right to draft both Josh Hamilton and Rocco Baldelli, no one had the time knew Josh would succumb to drug use or Rocco would develop a crippling disease.

He was fired on October 6, 2005 when Stu Sternberg took over majority ownership.

Chuck has been a leader in the community as well. The Chuck LaMar Mercury Marine Grand Slam Celebrity Fishing Tournament, contested the past four Novembers in the waters off St.Petersburg, has raised more than $500,000 for the Tampa-based Pediatric Cancer Foundation. LaMar has been involved in a number of other local charities, including the YMCA, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay, Clearwater for Youth and the Suncoast Children´s Dream Fund.


In February 2007 Deadspin guest columnist R.J. Anderson released LaMaritis; a book about the LaMar’s reign as GM of the Tampa Ray Devil Rays. The early years of the Rays were also the subject of "The Extra 2%," by Jonah Keri.
While the Rays never garnered success on the field while Lamar was here quite a few of his players were a big part of the Rays 2008 World Series run, so he should get a little bit of the credit. One thing he didn’t seem to have was an eye for free agents.

After TB Chuck became a special assistant to the Washington Nationals GM Jim Bowden (who resigned in March 2009 after an FBI federal investigation into the skimming of signing bonus money from Latin American baseball players) for the 2007 season. In October of that year he was appointed director of professional scouting by the Philadelphia Phillies. He was promoted to assistant general manager of player development & scouting in November 2008. On September 6, 2011, just a month prior to the post season Lamar abruptly resigned from the Phillies. Reports state he disagreed with Rubén Amaro, Jr. and other personnel at the big club level over dedication to player development and budgeting for draft signings.

In November of 2011 the Toronto Blue Jays made him a special assistant to GM Alex Anthopoulos
with emphasis on amateur scouting.

LaMar still resides in Clearwater, Florida with his wife Cheryl they have a son and two daughters Their son Charlie is a midshipman at the Navy Academy and was selected in the 49th round of the 2011 MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays.


Chuck & Charlie

[Tobywan]

A few of the other execs.....
Scott Proefrock Assistant GM


Scott Proefrock was born on April 7, 1960, in Dayton, Ohio, but was raised in Norwood, Massachusetts, and Rochester, N.Y. He graduated from Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School in 1978. He then graduated from The College of William & Mary before attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he received a master's degree in sports management from the Isenberg School of Management in 1988. Scott is also a Certified Public Accountant.

He began his career in baseball as a marketing intern for the Pittsburgh Pirates in August 1987. Working under Chuck Lamar he was promoted to director of marketing information systems in November 1987 and then a scouting and player development assistant in December 1989. He would follow Lamar to the Braves from 1991-1995, at first in scouting and player development and later as assistant director for scouting and player development.

He would join Lamar again with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays as director of baseball administration on July 27, 1995, four months after the franchise's inception. In January 1997, Scott was promoted to assistant general manager. He was fired along with Lamar in Oct. 2005 when Sternberg took over operations.

He was with the Baltimore Orioles as the director of baseball administration from 2006-2008. In his role with Baltimore he interpreted the Major League Rules and Basic Agreement with the MLB Players Association, coordinated the team’s baseball data system and prepared the Baseball Operations budget. He also assisted in trades, free agent acquisitions, arbitration and contract negotiations, and player development and scouting.

Proefrock joined the Philadelphia Phillies on November 17, 2008 as assistant general manager along with Benny Looper and Chuck LaMar. He still holds the position under Ruben Amaro Jr and Pat Gillick.

Scott lives in Phoenix, Md., with his wife K.K. and their four children, Casey, Megan, John







Bill Livesey
Special Assistant to the GM/Director of Player Developement


William Livesey is 72 years old, was born and grew up in New England attending Orleans High Schhol and graduating from the University of Maine with a degree in history and political science. He played basketball as a freshman and sophmore and baseball freshman and three varsity years and captain his senior year. He earned 4 varsity letters. He also played n the Cape Cod League during the summers.

He managed 10 years in the CCBL, including eight seasons for Falmouth (1965-72) and two for Wareham (1976-77). His teams won 239 games and produced six championships, the most ever by a Cape League manager. Livesey's teams recorded 25 or more wins for six straight seasons and overall produced a 240-157-4 record, including a 28-15 mark in the playoffs. He currently stands fourth all-time in wins and winning percentage (.603). He served as coach at Worcester Academy, Brown University. Bill later led Eckerd College ( then known as Florida Presbyterian to the NCAA Division II World Series in 1977

Jack Butterfield, his UMaine coach and mentor, became scouting and player development director for the Yankees and in fall 1977, offering Bill a job managing and scouting, he was there 19 years. During that time he managed Oneonta (A) of the New York-Penn League and the Yankees' Appalachian League rookie team in Paintsville, KY. Livesey was named the Yankees Vice President of Player Development and Scouting in 1992 until 1995.

He was hired by the Devil Rays on September 25, 1995 as assistant to the GM and also served as director of player developement until 2001.

He was assisatnt to the GM for the NY Mets in 2003 and the Toronto Blue Jays 2004-2005. He rejoined the Yankees in 2008 as a pro scout.

In Jan 2012 he was honored with the George Genovese Lifetime Achievement Award in Scouting by the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation.

In Jan 2012 he was honored with the George Genovese Lifetime Achievement Award in Scouting by the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation.

In November 2012 the Pittsburgh Pirates hired Bill as senior adviser to general manager Neal Huntington.

Livesey's two sons, Steve and Jeff, both played in the Yankees organization and both still work in baseball. Jeff works in the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league system as a hitting coach and Steve is part of Tampa Bay's minor league staff.

Bill has been a long time resident of St Pete Beach, FL.

[Tobywan]

Dan Jennings- Scouting Director

Dan Jennings with his current jerkface owner

Daniel Jennings attended the University of Southern Mississippi from 1978-1981, where he played baseball for the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles. He graduated from William Carey College in 1984.
When he went undrafted he tried out for the New York Yankees in 1984 and signed. He appeared in spring training for the Greensboro Bats Class A affiliate. That was pretty much the extent of his playing career.

He coached baseball at Davidson High School in Mobile Alabama and in 1986 became a part-time scout with the Cincinnati Reds. In 1988 the Seattle Mariners hired him as an area scout and promoted him to Midwest cross-checker in 1995. In August of that year he would accept the position of Scouting Director for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and held the position until 2002.

He was hired as the Florida Marlins Vice President of Player Personnel in 2002 and promoted to Assistant to the GM in 2007 and holds that position at present. He serves on the Board of Directors for both the MLB Scout of the Year program and The Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation. He was elected to the Southeastern Professional Baseball Foundation Hall of Fame in 2004. On June 29, 2012 he was inducted into the Killebrew Root Beer Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame in Fort Myers.

Though I was unable to find very much personal information about Dan, one thing is for sure he is NOT the father of Dan Jennings who is a pitcher for the Miami Marlins.

Mitch Lukevics-Assistant to GM, player development and scouting.


Mitchell Stephen Lukevics was born on December 3, 1953 in Bethlehem, PA. He graduated from Bethlehem Liberty HS earning seven letters in three sports. He was drafted in the 14th round of the 1971 June Amateur draft, but didn’t sign. The Tigers tried again in in the 2nd round of the 1972 MLB January Draft-secondary phase, but again didn’t sign. He went on to Pennsylvania State University where he earned a degree in health and physical education. As a pitcher, Lukevics was 24-5 at Penn State, going 11-1 in 1975 (the loss came in the opening game of the College World Series in Omaha) and was the second round pick of the Chicago White Sox in the June amateur draft. He was selected for the 1976 MWL All-Star game, but did not pitch. He went 42-39 in 176 games over six seasons with minor league affiliates of the White Sox. In the off season he did substitute teaching at Bethlehem.


Appleton Foxes
In 1981 during spring training he was released but on the same day Dave Dombrowski, who was the Sox’ director of player personnel at the time, offered him a job as a minor pitching coach and instructor. He was promoted to minor league administrator under GM Ken “Hawk” Harrelson in 1986 and then under Larry Himes from 1987-1988. He then got the job of director of minor league operations for the NY Yankees from 1989-1995. When he got the job with the Yankees he moved to North Tampa.




He was hired in 1995 by the Rays as a pitching coach for for the Gulf Coast League team for the 1996 season. He was named assistant to the GM in player development and scouting in 1997. In 2006, he was promoted to director of minor league operations. He still holds that job today.

He is also a member of the Board of Trustees for the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues and is a member of the Major League Farm Directors Steering Committee.

He has won a few of the awards given for service and achievement in the minor leagues. He lost his wife Karen of 32 years to ovarian cancer in November 2012, just a few weeks later he went to Nashville alone to accept the Chief Bender Award. (A lifetime achievement award giving by MILB to those instrumental in player development). He and Karen had two children, Matt and Megan.

[Tobywan]

Now let's go to the broadcast booth.....


Dewayne Staats -Voice of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays-Play-by-play commentator


Dewayne Staats was born on August 8, 1952 in Advance, Missouri and grew up near St. Louis in Wood River. He graduated from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) in 1975 with a degree in Mass Communications. He began his broadcasting career reporting sports on WSIE, the SIUE radio station, as an announcer for high school sports on several small town radio stations in the area and as an intern at KMOX in St. Louis. Instead of supporting the Cardinals or even the next closet team the Chicago Cubs, Staats was a Houston Astros fan as a kid.



Staats began announcing professional baseball with the Oklahoma City 89ers (1973–74) while still a student at SIUE. After graduation, he was sports director at KPLR-TV in St.Louis (1975–76), then he worked for the Houston Astros (1977–84), Chicago Cubs (1985–89), New York Yankees (1990–94), and ESPN (1995–97).


With the Cubs, Staats called the first MLB night game in Wrigley Field history with Steve Stone on August 8, 1988, although the game was canceled due to rain. Among the several no-hitters Staats has announced were the Astro's Nolan Ryan's record fifth on September 26, 1981 and one-handed pitcher Jim Abbott's September 13, 1993 "no-no" for the Yankees. He was also on hand for the only no hitter to date in Rays history thrown by Matt Garza on July 26, 2010.
His three years with ESPN was calling play-by-play in a variety of sports, including MLB, NCAA baseball, basketball and football.


Staats with Carl Crawford

Staats was hired as the "voice of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays" for the inaugural season and is still in the booth at Tropicana Field.
Only two players have hit a home run for their 3000th hit, Derek Jeter (off of Rays' pitcher David Price) and Wade Boggs at Tropicana Field and Staats announced both of them.

The Dewayne Staats Award for Broadcast Journalism was established in 2008 by the Mass Communications Department at SIUE. This award "recognizes a student who exhibits Staats’s passion for sports, and who demonstrates the writing, announcing and analytical skills needed to excel in the field of Sports Journalism." He was named recipient of the SIUE Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award in 1987. He became a member of the SIUE Alumni Hall of Fame in 2006 and of the SIUE Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012.
Staats has been repeatedly nominated for the Ford C. Frick Award, the broadcasters' path to the Baseball Hall of Fame, since 2008 and was a finalist in 2012.


Staats throws out the first pitch in honor of calling his 5000th game.

Staats and his broadcast team have won multiple local Emmy awards from the Suncoast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
Staats celebrated his 30th season as a Major League Baseball announcer in 2006, and on June 22, 2010, he called his 5000th major league game.


Staats' first wife, Dee, died in 2005 after a long battle with cancer. He has since remarried to the former Carla Berry. He has two daughters, Stephanie (b. 1978) and Alexandra (b. 1984), from his first marriage. Stephanie is married to former Ray, relief pitcher Dan Wheeler, who doesn't have a team at the moment.


Dewayne and Carla

[Tobywan]

Joe Magrane -color commentator






Joseph David Magrane was born July 2, 1964 in Des Moines, Iowa. He attended Rowan County HS in Morehead, KY and graduated in 1982. On June 7, 1982 he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 3rd round of the 1982 amateur draft, but did not sign.



1983 Alaska Panners- Joe in back on the far left.
On the far right, that is Barry Bonds.




He then went to the University of Arizona making the All-American selection in 1985. He was drafted the same year in the first round (18th pick) in the amateur draft by the ST. Louis Cardinals.

He made his ML debut for the Cards on April 25, 1987, in his rookie season he helped the Cardinals win the NL pennant and finished third in NLRY voting. He led the NL in ERA in 1988 and came in fourth in the Cy Young voting with a 18-9 record in 1989.



He got injured in spring training of 1991 and underwent surgery to correct medial collateral ligament damage, he was out all of 1991 and the majority of ‘92 and never really regained his form. He spent part of his DL time working for ESPN getting his first shot at broadcasting. He returned for the 1993 season going 8-10 and was released by the Cardinals on August 15, 1993.


He signed as a free agent with the California Angels on August 20th and went 3-2. In 1994 he pitched in 20 games with a 2-6 record and was released May3, 1995. He signed as a FA with the Chicago Cubs on May 13, 1995 and released on June 8, not making an appearance at any level for the club. Signed with the Montreal Expos on June 24, 1995, pitched a dozen games for Triple A Ottawa and was granted free agency on October 16, 1995.

Signed with the Chicago White Sox on February 6, 1996, splitting time between the AAA and the ML team, making his last appearance in the majors on June 21, 1996 and was granted FA on October 15, 1996 and retired at age 32.

His career W/L record was 57-67, ERA 3.81 with 564 strike outs.


Dewayne & Joe

He worked regional games on ESPN in 1997 and then was hired in 1998 to sit beside Staats during live broadcasts and stayed there until 2008. In 2006 the Rays did a promotion of a dual bobble head featuring Magrane and Staats. Joe was best known for his white smile, colorful suits and sarcastic wit. When a fledgling station called MLB Network was recruiting, Joe didn’t hesitate, the network launched on Jan. 1, 2009. He appears nightly on live broadcasts and game recaps. Through the years Joe has also provided commentary for FOX baseball and NBC during their 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympic baseball coverage. In 2002, he served as a post game reporter for the NLCS on FOX. He also served as an analyst for NBC Sports' coverage of Baseball at the 2008 Summer Olympics along side play-by-play man Eric Collins of ESPN.



American Idol

Joe’s nephew, Jim Magrane, played minor league ball for a decade including seven seasons in the Rays organization and in 2010 played in the CPBL. Jim never pitched in the Majors. Joe still resides in Tampa with wife Renee and daughters Sophie and Shannon. Shannon was a finalist on the 11th season of American Idol, finishing in 11th place.

[Tobywan]

Todd Kalas-Pregame/postgame host-Ingame reporter-fill in color and play-by-play commentator on TV and radio

Todd Harry Kalas was born on December 31, 1965 in Houston, Texas and is the son of the late longtime Philadelphia Phillies Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Kalas.

Kalas & Staats
In 1988, he graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in broadcast journalism. He moved to Tampa Bay as sports director at Vision Cable in Clearwater and still resides in Tampa. He began his baseball career in 1991 with the Louisville Redbirds.

He was on the radio broadcast team of the New York Mets for the 1992 and 1993 seasons. and the television broadcast team of the Philadelphia Phillies from 1994-1996.

He was hired in 1997 to be part of the broadcast team for the Devil Rays and remains there today.



Todd often joins in on theme trips, introducing promotions, not even snow can deter him from his on field duties.

Todd and his father Harry were pitted opposite each other during the Rays//Phillies World Series in 2008, a time that the younger Kalas stated as one of the most enjoyable moments in his life and career. When Harry collapsed and later died just before the Phillies/Nationals game on April 13, 2009, Todd reflected about his last visit with his Dad. On a whim he drove to Clearwater on April 2, the last day of Phillies spring training so they could spend a few moments together, not realizing it would be the last time they would speak. Todd and his brothers Brad and Kane threw out the first pitch to Mike Schmidt at the next Phillies home game on April 17th.


Booth full of Kalas'


Boys pay tribute to Dad.

In the off season he also fills in as pregame host for the Tampa Bay Lightning and is part of the University of South Florida basketball radio broadcast team. He has also worked for over 10 years with Cox Sports Television in Louisiana handling play-by-play of college football, basketball and baseball.

[Tobywan]

We go to the field for the coaching staff.....

Larry Rothschild-# 11-Manager


Lawrence Lee Rothschild was born March 12, 1954 in Chicago, Illinois and grew up in the south side community of Beverly. He attended Homewood-Flossmoor High School, Bradley University and Florida State, graduating with a degree in business management.




In 1975 as a Senior he pitched for FSU in the NCAA Regional Championship then after graduation he signed as an amateur free agent with the Cincinnati Reds. He spent 11 years mostly pitching in the minors. He made his MLB debut on September 11,1981 (reportedly at the behest of Jim Leyland) in relief for the Detroit Tigers and made his last appearance for them one year later. He met his wife Jane during a road series in Boston in 1982. He made just seven ML appearances all in relief, also pitched in the minors for the San Diego Padres and the Chicago Cubs, ending his career in 1985. He is a classic example of "those who can't do, teach". He has had a lot of success as a pitching coach.



Larry's father, 84 year old Fred Rothschild, was an immigrant from Germany and served under Hank Bauer in the Marines during World War II. After Bauer returned from the war he got a tryout with the Yankees, signed to a contract and played 12 years with the franchise during their successful seasons in the 1950's. Due to his Dad's connection to Bauer the family became huge fans of the Bronx Bombers and Larry claims Mickey Mantle to be his all time favorite player.


He started his coaching career as a minor league roving instructor for his original team the Cincinnati Reds in 1986 until 1989.Then served as their bullpen coach for the 1990-91 seasons, getting the first of two World Series rings. He was their pitching coach (under Lou Piniella) from 1992-93. Even though the team finished with 90 wins for 2nd place in the NL West in '92, when the team struggled early in '93, Lou and the entire staff including Larry were fired.

He became a minor league pitching instructor for the Braves in 1994 then Jim Leyland hired him to be the pitching coach for the Miami Marlins in 1995 garnering a lot of praise for developing the pitching staff that helped the club towards their 1997 WS Championship season.



On November 7, 1997 (helped by a good word from his long time friend from his Red's days Chuck LaMar) he was hired as the first manager of the new Tampa Bay Devil Rays just a couple of weeks before the expansion draft. He was named by Joe Torre to the coaching staff of the 2000 All- Star game. The Devil Rays went 205-294 during his tenure of 1998 through April 18, 2001. Even though the team's winning percentage had increased each season Larry was let go after a 4-10 record in the first 2 weeks. There were reports that the firing was a combination of the abysmal start and three controversial managerial moves during the first road trip of the season. Bobby Smith was designated for assignment, Vinny Castilla was benched and publicly asked to be traded or released then fan favorite Gerald Williams was kept out the line up for 2 games after a verbal dugout confrontation with Rothschild. He would finish the remainder of the 2001 season as a consultant for the Marlins.


The Chicago Cubs hired him as their pitching coach from 2002-2010. The team ERA ranked in the top five of the NL from 2007-2009 and the staff led the Majors in strikeouts from 2002-2008. In the 2003 season the Cubbies made their first post season appearance since 1998 only to fall to the Marlins (how ironic) fueled by the debacle of Game 6 in the NLCS. Only the pitching staff seemed unscathed by the Bartman curse while they performed well the rest of the team floundered as well as some embarrassing incidents with corked bats and Zambrano meltdowns until 2007. During that season Larry helped Carlos tweak his delivery and the Big Z came back strong. The Cubs were play-off bound that year as well as 2008, winning the division in both seasons but were cut short both times in the NLDS.


When the Yanks came calling during the off season in 2010 offering him a 3 year deal, he didn't hesitate. The Cubs had picked up his 2011 option but supposedly there was a clause that he was free to leave if he wanted. The Yankees had fired Dave Eiland (who pitched for the Rays during Larry's stint as manager) at the end of the 2010 season. It was not only an opportunity to be a member of his childhood team but with spring training held at George Steinbrenner/Legends Field just a few blocks from his Tampa home, he would be able to spend more time close to family. The Yankees posted a 3.73 ERA in 2011, in 2012 it was 3.84 acheiving a franchise strike out record of 1,318 while issuing an AL low of 431 walks. Hughes, Kuroda and Sabathia all posted at least 15 wins, all the starters combined for 71 wins (3rd) during that season.

Larry and Jane still reside in Tampa and have three children, Charlotte Claire and Scott.

In November of 2013 the Yankees extended Rothschild for the 2014 season.

[Tobywan]

Orlando Gomez #25-Bullpen Coach

Juan Alejandro "Orlando" Gómez Tossas was born on June 24, 1946 in Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico. He spent 13 years in the minor Leagues, first signing with the Yankees in 1964 going by the name of Juan Gomez at the time. He spent seven seasons with the Oakland Athletics ending his playing career with their minor league affiliate the Tucson Toros in 1976, playing almost exclusively at catcher.

He started managing in the minors with Oakland for their short season rookie ball team the Medicine Hat A's of the Pioneer League in 1977. He then spent about 5 years playing, managing and coaching back in his home of Puerto Rico.



From 1983-85 he was a minor league manager and scout for the Texas Rangers. He did the same for the Cleveland Indians in 1986 and '87. He went back to Texas from 1988-90 where as skipper of the Gastonia Rangers he was named 1989's South Atlantic League Manager of the Year. That team saw the debut of a 17 year-old catcher by the name of Ivan Rodriguez. He also coached a young player named José Hernández who married his daughter Melanie in the back yard of his Texas home in 1993. He served as the bullpen coach for the ML club in 1991 and their first base coach in 1992.



He joined the Seattle Mainers as a hitting coach for Appleton and Bellingham in 1993 and '94. He was promoted to managing in their minor league system from 1995-97.

He was named to the Devil Rays coaching staff in November 1997, serving as the bullpen coach (also given third base duties occasionally) from 1998-2000, he was let go just after the season.

He was rehired by the Mariners as the bullpen coach for the 2003-2004 seasons, then went to the Baltimore Orioles in 2005. He threw batting practice and warmed up catchers from 2005-2006, then managed 4 of their minor league affiliates. He took the Frederick Keys to the Carolina League Championship in 2011 and the Orioles honored him as the winner of the Cal Ripken Sr. Player Development Award on September 26th of that year.

Orlando and his wife Nylsa have 6 children Jimmie, John ,Orlando, Juan, Rieny and Melanie. In 2012 he was reunited with his son in-law Hernandez when the Orioles hired Jose as hitting coach of the Keys. He has now been assigned to the Gulf Coast League Orioles marking 50 years in Pro baseball.



　

　

[Tobywan]

Billy Hatcher #22- First Base Coach




William Augustus Hatcher was born on October 4th, 1960 in Williams, Arizona and attended Williams High School where he was All-State in football, basketball, baseball and track. In his junior year Billy pitched an 11 inning no-hitter, he graduated in 1979. He was selected by the Montreal Expos on June 5, 1979 in the 30th round of the amateur draft, but did not sign. He went on to attend Yavapai Community College in Prescott where he was selected junior college All-American.



Hatcher was taken by the Chicago Cubs in the sixth round of the January 1981 MLB draft. He played one season at each minor league level before making his ML debut on September 10, 1984. He split time between AAA and the Cubs during the 1985 season before being traded to the Houston Astros along with Steve Engel for Jerry Mumphrey. He would roam LF at the Astrodome for 3 1/2 seasons. In the 1986 NLCS against the New York Mets he hit a homer in the 14th inning of game 6 to temporarily keep their WS hopes alive. Billy had his best statistical season in 1987 opening with a 16 game hitting streak. He led the Astros in hitting (.296) and had career highs in stolen bases (53, 3rd in the NL), home runs (11) and RBI's (63). Unfortunately, he also received a 10-game suspension that same season for bat corking. His explanation was that he had borrowed the bat from relief pitcher Dave Smith. He claims he broke several of his own uncorked bats in games leading up to the incident and continues to maintain it was not intentional.




In 1989 he was traded on August 18th to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Glenn Wilson. With only 27 games played for the Buccos he was traded on April 3, 1990 to the Cincinnati Reds. According to an excerpt from the book "The Wire to Wire Reds", on the night Hatcher was notified by Pirates manager Jim Leyland of the trade he was just leaving to join his wife at the hospital for the birth of his daughter Chelsea. He received a call from GM Bob Quinn and Owner Marge Schott who reportedly said " This is great, you had a baby, you got traded and we're going to win the World Series". As luck would have it he was a big part of that 1990 Championship team. He led NL outfielders in fielding percentage (.997) and during the post season he hit .519 overall (14-for-27) including a World Series record .750 in the four game World Series sweep over the Oakland A's. That broke the 62-year record previously held by Babe Ruth (.625 in 1928). Hatcher also set records for most consecutive hits in a series (7) and most doubles (4) in a four game series. He finished his career with a remarkable .404 post season batting average in 14 games and received the 1990 Babe Ruth Award.



On July 9,1992 he was traded to the Boston Red Sox, granted free agency in November, signed again and started in CF for them in 1993. On May 31, 1994 he was traded along with Paul Quantrill to the Philadelphia Phillies and only used in reserve. In October he was granted free agency, signed with the Texas Rangers the following April then played just 6 games before being released, May 9, 1995 would be his last ML appearance. He did sign with the Kansas City Royals in June but spent the remainder of the year in Triple-A Omaha and retired after the season.



He finished his career with a .264 BA, 54 HRs,399 RBIs and 218 SB in 1,233 games.





Billy began his coaching career with the TB Devil Rays when he was hired in 1996 as a minor league roving instructor just months after the franchise was awarded. He coached for the 1997 Florida State League Champion ST Petersburg Devil Rays then was named the first base coach for the main club for the 1998 season, the position he held for most of his tenure with the team. He served intermittingly as bench and third base coach. He was one of many interviewed for the 2005 search for a new manager, but the job went to Joe Maddon. Possibly feeling snubbed by the Rays then rejected after not being picked for the manager opening for the Florida Marlins he accepted a coaching position with the Reds. 2014 will be his 9th season with Cincinnati where he has been a first base, outfield and base running coach.


Hatcher and his wife Karen have 2 children. Derek was Florida's 2004 Class A Player of the Year in football at Berkley Prep in Tampa, Florida and then played safety and defensive back for the University of Richmond winning the 2008 NCAA FCS National Championship. Chelsea played soccer at the University of Tennessee and was selected to the ALL-SEC first team in 2010.

[Tobywan]

Steve Henderson #5- Hitting Coach

Steve Curtis Henderson was born on November 18,1952 in Houston, Texas where he attended Jake Yates High School, graduating in 1970. He then attended the Prairie View, TX campus of A & M University and was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 5th round of the June 5, 1974 draft. He spent his entire tenure with the Reds in the minors, playing one season for the Tampa Tarpons then was traded on June 15, 1977 to the New York Mets along with Doug Flynn, Dan Norman and Pat Zachry for Tom Seaver, this trade became known as the "Midnight Massacre". Steve made his ML debut the next day as a pinch hitter and his first run was the tying one in a 4-3 victory over Houston. Even though he didn't make his first appearance until mid-June he finished only a point behind Montreal Expo Andre Dawson in the NL ROY balloting.


In November of 1980 he and Pam Baxley were married in Texas. On February 28, 1981 he was traded (with cash) to the Chicago Cubs for Dave Kingman and was batting .293 with 5 homers and 35 RBIs when the 1981 strike shortened the season. He dropped off the following year and spent the next year platooning LF with Keith Moreland and Jay Johnstone. On December 9, 1982 he was traded to the Seattle Mariners. He batted .294 for the M's in 1983 then he was granted free agency on November 7th, resigned with Seattle on January 26th then once again given free agency on November 8, 1984.




Henderson signed with the Oakland A's on March 31, 1985 playing in just 85 games. He started 1986 batting just .077 and was released May 26th. A few weeks later he signed with the Chicago White Sox spending the remainder of the season with their Triple-A affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons, then released at the end of the season. On April 17, 1987 he once again signed as a free agent with the A's spending time between both the ML club and Triple-A Tacoma, then granted free agency on November 9th. He signed a minor league deal with the Houston Astros on March 10, 1988, splitting time with the big club and Triple-A Tuscon Toros. He was released right after the season ended making his last ML appearance on September 28, 1988.

In 12 big league seasons he posted a career batting average of .280 with 68 home runs and 428 RBIs.



In 1989, Steve played for the St. Petersburg Pelicans of the newly formed Senior Professional Baseball Association. He hit .352 with 5 homers and 55 RBIs with the club. In 1990 he played in 23 games batting .267 with 4 homers and 12 RBIs when the league folded. He became a player-coach with the Buffalo Bisons (under the Pittsburgh Pirates) in 1990 and remained a coach in the system through 1993. He then coached for the Houston Astros from 1994-96.




He joined the Devil Rays as a hitting coordinator for the minor leagues in 1997, he served as the hitting coach for the inaugural season but went back as an instructor in the minors from 1999-2005. He came back to the big league club from 2006-2009, somehow he found time to earn degrees in multimedia and political science from McMaster University in 2006. Even though the team managed to make it to the World Series in 2008 and then setting team records for runs, home runs, on base percentage and walks in 2009 he was fired on October 5th. Official releases claimed there was no blame put on Henderson for the Rays finishing 19 games behind the Yanks after winning both the division and AL Pennant just the season before. However, he was not a big stickler for situational hitting and this put him at odds with both Andrew Friedman and Joe Maddon. There was also rumors that "a change was warranted" with 2 straight seasons of declining numbers from BJ Upton. However, Upton has never quite reached his offensive numbers from 2007 again.



Henderson was hired by the Philadelphia Phillies as a minor league coordinator, outfield/baserunning coach in 2010 and hitting coach from 2011-12. There were rumors circulating in Philly that his promotion to hitting coach for the ML club in 2013 (as well as the hiring of former Rays scout Bart Braun) was designed to lure BJ Upton, if true, it didn't work. He will be starting the 2014 season in that role.

Steve and Pam still reside in Tampa, Florida.

[Tobywan]

Frank Howard #33-Bench Coach



Frank Oliver Howard was born on August 8, 1936 in Columbus, Ohio where he attended South High School and worked his way through Ohio State University playing for both the basketball and baseball teams. He excelled at Basketball but loved the sport of baseball more since he grew up watching his father play semi-pro in the Columbus area. He was a letterman, making All-Big Ten and All-American.



The Brooklyn Dodgers first scouted him in 1956 and while playing for Rapid City in the Basin League in 1957 he caught the attention of many other teams. He almost signed a contract that summer but he had promised his coach at OSU ( Floyd Stahl) that he would play his final season of basketball. When the season ended he was drafted by the Philadelphia Warriors of the NBA but wanted to play baseball instead so he put the word out that he was ready to sign with the Major Leagues. The Baltimore Orioles made an offer including a $120,000 bonus, but Frank really had his heart set on playing for the Dodgers (now in Los Angeles). He asked the same man (Hugh Alexander) that had scouted him for the club back in '56 if they were still interested he would take $108,000 bonus, $100,000 for himself and $8,000 on a house for his parents and the Dodgers agreed. He left OSU just one semester shy of a degree in physical education.



1958 would be an eventful year for Frank, after signing with the Dodgers they sent him to Green Bay of the Class-B Three-I League. While there he met a secretary for the Green Bay Gazette named Carol Johanski, after 6 months they married and made their home in Green Bay. By the end of the season he was MVP of the Three-I League and made his ML debut on September 10th. Unfortunately, six days later during an at bat he hit a foul liner off of teammate Duke Snider's head (he was standing way off base on the foul line at third), Duke was out the rest of the season. Howard was named Minor League Player of the Year by the Sporting News in 1959 and was called up to the Dodgers during their pennant run, pennant win and World Series win. He started the 1960 season with the Spokane Indians of the Pacific Coast League, he was called up in May and stayed, earning the NL ROY that year. He began wearing glasses in 1963 and wore them the rest of his career. That same year he would again go to the World Series with the Dodgers sweeping the New York Yankees. Howard started the first 49 games in 1964, but was only hitting .215 despite having 14 home runs (second in the league to Willie Mays), he began sitting occasionally against right-handed pitchers. He ended the season with 433 at-bats, 24 homers and a .226 average, asked to be traded at the end of the year and his wish was granted on December 4th. He was dealt along with third baseman Ken McMullen and pitchers Phil Ortega and Pete Richert to the Washington Senators for pitcher Claude Osteen, infielder John Kennedy and $100,000.




While he had been given the nickname "Hondo" long ago after a John Wayne character he earned a couple more as a Senator, "The Washington Monument" and the "The Capital Punisher". In 1967 Manager Gil Hodges worked with Frank on tweaking his swing and he went on to have his best season to date. Ted Williams took over as manager in 1969 and Howard would have the best season of his career. Later that year as a tribute to his popularity and his stature Nestle's Quick placed him in a commercial. Frank is drinking a glass of chocolate milk in the dugout, an opposing catcher rags on him about it until Hondo who stood 6-foot-7 hits a bomb over the left field wall. The catcher then asks how long he has been drinking "Nestle's Quick". "Ever since I was about your size", Howard responds.

Howard's prime came during the pitching dominated decade of the 1960's, his 288 home runs during that 10 year span ranks sixth behind Hall of Famers Harmon Killebrew, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson and Willie McCovey. He was an All-Star 4 straight seasons 1968-71, AL home run champion in 1968 as well as 1970 along with being AL RBI champion that year.

His numbers dropped off a bit in 1971, he came into spring camp weighing 297 lbs. The big story all season though was the sale of the team, when finally resolved it was announced in late September that they would be moving to Arlington, TX to become the Rangers. Howard would hit the last home run by a Washington Senator during the final home game on September 30, 1971, the standing ovation he received brought him to tears. However, the game was forfeited to the Yankees when the angry fans stormed the field in the ninth inning.



By the early 70's he had become one of the highest paid players topping out at $125,000 near the end of his playing career. He wasn't a Ranger very long when he was sold to the Detroit Tigers on August 31, 1972. He made his last ML appearance for them on September 30, 1973 and was released at the end of October. Frank wasn't quite ready to hang up the cleats so he signed with the Taiheyo Lions of Japan's Pacific League in 1974, unfortunately he injured his back on his very first at-bat and never played again, he was 37.

In 16 seasons, Howard finished with a ,273 batting average, ,499 slugging percentage, 382 home runs and 1,119 RBIs in 1,895 games.



With baseball still in his veins as soon as his back healed he went into managing taking the reins of the Spokane Indians (now a Milwaukee Brewer affiliate) in 1976. He was promoted to manager of the Brewers from 1977-80. He led the Sand Diego Padres in the strike marred 1981 season, but was let go after the team finished last in both halves of the split season. He coached for the New York Mets in 1982 and took over as manager in June of 1983 when George Bamberger resigned, they finished last, he then coached for them again in 1984. He returned to the Brewers as a coach for '85 and '86, then spent '87 and '88 with the Mariners, in 1989 he took a turn with the Yankees. He took some time off to deal with his divorce from Carol. They had 6 children together. He went back to coaching with the Yankees from 1991-92. He took more time off to get remarried and moved to Northern Virginia with his new wife Donna.





He coached again for the Mets from 1994-96 and then the Devil Rays hired him in 1997 as a bench coach for 1998 and 1999 and they made Senior Advisor for Baseball Operations for the 2000 season. In 2001 he was hired by the Yankees to be a player development instructor also serving as a scout, he was let go in 2008.

On April 14, 2005 baseball came back to the nation's capital. The Washington Nationals invited Senators from both former clubs to participate in pre-game ceremonies at the first home game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Howard was 68 years old when he slowly trotted out to left field during a standing ovation. In 2009 there was a statue erected to honor him placed in front of Nationals Park joining with those of Walter Johnson and Josh Gibson.

In September 2011 the Loudoun Hounds Professional Baseball Club in Virginia hired Howard to be a corporate advisor and ambassador with public and media appearances as part of his duties.

The Texas Rangers recognized him as the 2011 winner of the Mark Holtz Alumni Award with a banquet in his honor in January 2012.



When the Nationals reached the post season in 2012 they invited him to throw out the ceremonial first pitch in Game 4 of the NLDS.

Frank and Donna still live in Virginia and he now helps raise money for St Jude's Children's Research Hospital and still makes appearances at minor league games and youth sports events.