Goodbye, Johnny Oates

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Riprorin

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Apr 25, 2000
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Faith, Above All

BY JIM REEVES

Knight Ridder Newspapers

FORT WORTH, Texas - (KRT) - Johnny Oates said a strange thing to his wife, Gloria, a few weeks ago.

"I'm looking forward to this Christmas," he said, "more than I have any other in my life."

That's peculiar, Gloria thought, because as strong a Christian as Oates was, he had never really been a Christmas person.

"It usually made him depressed," she explained, "because he always worried about those who wouldn't have a good Christmas."

His out-of-character words earlier this month brought an unbidden thought to her mind.

"You're looking forward to this Christmas," she thought to herself, "because you're going to spend it with Jesus."

And with the meticulous timing that marked his entire life, that's exactly what Johnny Oates is doing today.

`That's our family's prayer," Gloria had said Thursday night, as Oates lay in a deep coma in a Richmond, Va., hospital. "That Johnny spend Christmas with Jesus."

Those prayers were answered when Oates, who was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in November 2001, died early Christmas Eve morning.

This is exactly how Johnny would have scripted it, if he could have. Three years ago, when I visited the Oateses in their Matoaca, Va., home about a month after surgery to remove the brain tumor, he told me wished for only one Christmas present.

"I believe God is going to use me," Oates confided. "That's all I can ask.

"It's the only thing I want for Christmas."

And use him God did. Oates' faith never wavered even once through his long ordeal. It was that strong personal faith that set Oates apart from anyone else I've ever met in sports.

"If anyone deserved to have a prayer answered, it was John Oates," said Rangers manager Buck Showalter, who played for Oates in Nashville, Tenn., in 1982. "He touched a lot of lives.

"People are always asking who affected you the most, and I try to avoid answering that because there are so many. But there was never any question for me that it was Johnny."

I know exactly how Buck feels. I've covered and been around the Rangers since they first came to Texas, but no manager ever touched me like Johnny Oates did.

We hit it off from the moment we met. Maybe the fact that he was almost exactly a month older than me - he would have been 59 next month - had something to do with it.

But mostly I think it was the fact that Johnny was already taking giant steps along a spiritual journey that I was just beginning.

It was during his six-plus years of managing in Texas that Oates became comfortable with who and what he was. A crisis with Gloria's health in his first spring as Rangers manager in `95 put him on the fast-track to understanding life better than most.

Oates' single-minded devotion to baseball was killing his marriage, and he didn't realize it until he almost lost Gloria.

"Baseball doesn't stop for death," she told him when he rushed from Port Charlotte, Fla., to her side in the spring of `95. He took several weeks off, missed the season opener and came back a changed man.

He talked openly and frequently about his relationship with the Lord. Baseball was still important to him, but God and family had moved to Nos. 1 and 2 on his ever-present list of things to do.

Our relationship, at first based on business, blossomed into friendship. We were equally comfortable together talking about baseball or faith.

My trip to the Oates home in Matoaca three Decembers ago was one of the highlights of my life. Never have I seen such strong faith in a family facing such a devastating crisis.

Instead of presents under the Christmas tree, Gloria had carefully set up photos of the family. Johnny with son Andy. Johnny with daughters Lori and Jenny. Johnny with Gloria. Johnny in his baseball uniform.

"I wanted to put them there to celebrate life," Gloria said at the time. "And to celebrate the life that was given to us and for us."

Doctors at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore had told the Oates family that patients with a Grade 4 tumor, like Johnny had, usually died about 14 months after diagnosis. They weren't sure then whether that would be Oates' last Christmas or not.

Turns out, he would be there not just for that one, but for two more after that. He had not 14 months, but 37.

He lived each day, each hour, each minute, each second, in the present. It's a lesson we all should learn.

"If we have 14 months or two years, why waste a day?" Oates asked while I was there three years ago. "We spend so much time in our lives taking care of the baggage of our past, or worrying about the future, we forget to live today.

"This has brought the present into focus for us. We don't worry about yesterday. We've quit being concerned about our schedule tomorrow."

Oates' faith, and that of then-Rangers closer John Wetteland was such an inspiration to me, I wrote a little 12-line poem one day and dropped it into a Sunday column in 1997.

Johnny liked it so much, he had it done up in 8 x 10 calligraphy, had three copies made, and had them matted and framed. He gave Wetteland and me each one and hung the third on his office wall.

It's called, "The Closer".

"When I've reached the final innings

And the day is getting late

When the foe has the bases loaded

And ol' Satan's stepping to the plate

And the Manager strolls to the mound,

To the ump growls, "He's had enough,"

And turns to wave to the bullpen,

`Cause it's plain I've lost my stuff

As the bullpen gate swings open

And The Closer looms into view

As the crowd rises with a roar,

Lord, please let it be You."

Johnny lived the life he talked. He put it all in God's hands.

"There's no reason to feel sorry for me," he said. "I know this is going to end up being good. I don't know how he intends to use me, but I just want God to get the glory, because this isn't me.

"I don't fear death, because I know there's a better place. I will follow God's will and do what he wants me to do."

The Closer came in for the save Friday. Just as Johnny had it planned all along.

For the Oates family, it was a prayer answered.

For Johnny, it was a Christmas wish come true.

---

© 2004, Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Visit the Star-Telegram on the World Wide Web at http://www.star-telegram.com.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.

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I watched Johnny Oates play as kid. He was one of the good guys in sports.
 
R

Rogue

Banned
Jan 28, 2000
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Do us a favor, find somewhere else to post your religious ramblings and articles. Thanks.
 
C

cavemanmoron

Lifer
Mar 13, 2001
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http://www.kansascity.com/mld/...aseball/3260074.htm?1c


"We were about five minutes into it, and all of a sudden I felt like I'd never talked before," Oates says. "I knew I wanted to say something, and I knew what I wanted to say, but not one single word would come out."

Oates caught his breath, cleared his throat and said on live radio that he didn't know what was wrong, but he couldn't talk. About two minutes later, everything seemed normal. Following the interview, he went to the hospital where doctors discovered the golf-ball sized mass in his brain. On Nov. 5, further test results revealed the mass was cancerous.
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ed21x

ed21x

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Oct 12, 2001
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Originally posted by: Rogue
Do us a favor, find somewhere else to post your religious ramblings and articles. Thanks.
Click to expand...


someone died here. Yet, at the sight of a religious reference, you become so consumed with hatred as to overlook the original, mournful nature of this article. Honestly, a militant anti-religious zealot who hates christians is about as annoying as any other fanatic you find on the streets.
 
R

Riprorin

Banned
Apr 25, 2000
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Originally posted by: nakedfrog
Oh, I though it was about the guy from Hall and Oates.
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Johnny Oates, a former Major League manager and catcher, died on Dec. 24, 2004 in Richmond, Va. following a brain tumor. He was 58.

According to reports, Oates had been diagnosed with a brain tumor three years ago.

Oates managed the Baltimore Orioles from 1991 to 1994, finishing with a 291-270 record in 561 games. In 1995, he became the manager of Texas and led the team until 2001, posting a 506-476 record in 983 games. His Rangers won the AL West in 1996, 1998 and 1999.

In 1996, he shared the honor of American League Manager of the Year with the Yankees' Joe Torre.

He resigned from the Rangers in 2001 after Texas started 11-17 despite the signing of Alex Rodriguez.

As a player, he posted a .250 career batting average in 11 seasons. He hit 14 home runs and drove in 126 runs.

He made his debut on Sept. 17, 1970 with the Baltimore Orioles. His career included Baltimore (1970, 1972), Atlanta (1973-1975), Philadelphia (1975-1976), Los Angeles (1977-1979) and the Yankees (1980-1981).

He played in the 1977 and 1978 World Series and had one hit in two at-bats.

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I watched him play when he was with the Rochester Red Wings in 1970 - 1971 and later manage the team to the Governor's Cup championship in 1988.
 
R

Riprorin

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Apr 25, 2000
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Editorial: Johnny Oates set a good example

The Herald Staff, From The Plainview Daily Herald 12/26/2004

Because so many athletes and coaches act like jerks these days, it´s refreshing to recall the example set by former Texas Rangers manager Johnny Oates, who lost his battle with brain cancer Christmas Eve morning at the age of 58.

Teams frequently take on their personality of their leader - and that can be both bad and good. Some may be a bit too passive and, if that could be said of the Rangers, so be it.

But the Texas players have had a reputation in the last decade or so of comporting themselves well on the field - the ugly chair-throwing incident by Frankie Francisco in Oakland toward the end of last season, notwithstanding - not being a bunch of hotheads or showoffs and not being ejected from games very often.

A former journeyman player himself who had an undistinguished big league career, Oates managed the Baltimore Orioles from 1991-94 before taking over the Rangers.

His teams of 1996, 1998 and 1999 made the playoffs - unfortunately, their combined record against the New York Yankees, their first-round foe every year, was 1-9.

Oates resigned after the Rangers started the 2001 season with an 11-17 record.

About six months after leaving the Rangers, he was considering a return to managing when he was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor.

The tumor was removed in surgery in November 2001, and a device that delivered time-released chemotherapy was implanted. But the tumor returned in April 2003.

Throughout his illness, Oates remained an upbeat and deeply spiritual man, thankful for the warning that he would likely die from the disease, but celebrating the chance to be with his wife, Gloria, of nearly 40 years, their three children and grandchildren.

Oates and his wife began each morning studying the Bible in the sunroom of their home on Lake Chesdin, about 30 miles from Richmond, Va., and were active in their church.

Among his former players was Buck Showalter, now the manager of the Rangers.

Showalter, who may be more aggressive than Oates but also sets a pattern of calm and poise that likely was a factor in his relatively young club staying in the pennant chase until the last week this year, paid his old boss a supreme compliment.

?He´s the best I ever played for. Just the whole package. He´s the most ethical, moral man I´ve ever been around.?

We suspect Johnny Oates would appreciate that judgment more than any accolades he ever received on the diamond.

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R

Riprorin

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Apr 25, 2000
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A hero for more than his baseball accomplishments

By: Chris Thompson, Sports Writer 12/26/2004

While driving to Virginia Beach with family to check out the beautiful light display on the city's boardwalk Friday, there was nothing I was looking forward to more than celebrating Christmas.

After all, I had my favorite soda in hand, a bundle of gifts sitting under a bright Christmas tree at home and a loving grandmother waiting to fill me with thick slices of ham and stuffing the next day. For a young man who doesn't know how to cook or decorate any room in a house, it doesn't get any better than that. Then, in an instant, the Christmas spirit disappeared.

A commentator on the radio said, "Former Major League Baseball manager Johnny Oates died Friday from complications of cancer. He was 58 years old."

My first reaction was why did his death have to be near Christmas? Why did the world have to go on without such a fine human being? How would commissioner Bud Selig and Major League Baseball react to the news?

That's when it dawned on me.

While the holiday season serves as a lot of things to many people, one thing is for sure. None of us should ever take life for granted. Suddenly, taking a sip of the cold beverage in my possession seemed insignificant. Suddenly, opening expensive gifts didn't seem like the proper thing to do. Suddenly, eating stuffing was the last thing I wanted to partake in. Those actions seemed selfish to me.

That's the last adjective anyone in the universe could've used to describe Oates, though, who was diagnosed with a fatal brain tumor three years ago.

After graduating as a three-sport star from Prince George High School in 1964, Oates played baseball at Virginia Tech from 1965-67. He then spent 11 years as a dedicated catcher on five major-league teams (Baltimore, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and the New York Yankees).

Upon his retirement, he moved into the managerial ranks, where he served as a skipper for Baltimore and Texas from 1991 to 2001. None of those career achievements will be how I remember Oates though.

Back in my teenage years, I worked as a busboy at King's Barbecue on Washington St. Oates, a Matoaca resident, was one of the Petersburg establishment's most loyal customers. I'll never forget the first time we spoke.

As a sports-loving teenager who grew up in Carson, I not only admired baseball managers...I loved them. Detroit's Sparky Anderson, Baltimore's Oates and Philly's Jim Fregosi were among my favorites. So one afternoon when Oates walked into King's unannounced as a hungry, average Joe, it's easy to figure out what happened next. I was fit to be tied.

While the restaurant manager, Kim Phillingane, was nice enough to get his autograph on the back of an order check for me during one of his past visits, I couldn't resist meeting him in person. It was a moment that mirrored a young boy getting to meet Babe Ruth or Ted Williams for the first time. Before Oates could finish his meal, I approached his table.

I asked, "Are you Mr. Johnny Oates?"

Oates replied, "Why yes, I am."

I melted down and said, "It's a pleasure, sir. I went to Prince George High School, too."

A gracious Oates replied, "Well, it's always nice to be in good company. Would you like to sit down?"

Bingo. That's the kind of person Oates was.

For a man who left a small town for the big city, Oates didn't act like it. Like a lot of big-league managers, Oates could've told me to respect his privacy during our encounter, but he didn't because he was unselfish and cared about those around him.

To this day, that order check remains tucked away in my high school yearbook from my senior year. And even though I have hundreds of baseball cards, featuring the signatures of everyone from Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith to Wade Boggs, nothing means more to me than Oates' signature.

The truth is it really doesn't matter how many championships you win in sports or how many digits your bank account has. Life is about sacrificing your finest moments to make a difference in the lives of others. For some, it's the meaning of Christmas.

To me, it's the defining characteristic of a hero. One of the heroes' names was Johnny Oates.

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R

Riprorin

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Apr 25, 2000
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Another tribute to a fine and decent man.

Sports comment: Even in tough times, Oates was a shining light
Commentary by JOE GROSS, Sports Editor
One of the truly good guys in professional sports died on Friday.

Johnny Oates was a very good friend, an outstanding baseball man and an even better husband and father.

He was not a Hall of Fame player nor was he a Hall of Fame manager. Johnny Oates was a Hall of Fame human being.

Baseball, every professional sport for that matter, needs men like Johnny Oates.

Oates came into professional baseball with the Orioles but played sparingly in a Baltimore uniform. His statistics were such that even he made fun of them. He returned to Baltimore as the Orioles manager for the better part of four years, taking over from Frank Robinson with the club struggling 37 games into the 1991 season through strike-shortened 1994 campaign.

Overall, Oates put together a 291-270 managerial record in Baltimore. He took the team from sixth place in 1991 to second place in 1994. After being fired, Oates was grabbed by the Texas Rangers and he took that club to its only three playoff appearances in its history.

Johnny Oates developed a cancerous brain tumor in October of 2001 and became embroiled in a battle to live since then. He surpassed the expectations of his doctors, but that was typical of Oates. He lived to walk his daughter down the aisle and to see a grandchild born, the doctors hadn't given him that much time.

He was a humble man, brutally honest about his lack of ability to have been a major league catcher. That was a most endearing quality in a world where braggarts are so common.

Certainly Oates was more talented than he let on or else he would not have been in the big leagues. It's true he was not as skilled as some catchers, but that too says a great deal about Oates' drive and determination and about his personality.

He added more than a touch of humanity to the Orioles. He was real. The Johnny Oates who sat in the manager's office was the same Johnny Oates you met on the street. He took his work seriously but he didn't take himself quite as seriously. He was thrilled to be where he was in baseball.

But his life in baseball was not all to Oates' life. He was a far greater man out of uniform, out of the stadium and that quality won the hearts of those who knew him well.

Oates was a very religious man, but he never forced his spiritual opinions on anyone else. He knew right from wrong in every situation. He could quote the Bible but only did so to those he knew shared his beliefs.

Oates was also a man of great integrity. He told the truth more than most of his peers in the game. But he also believed in the adage "If you don't have anything good to say about someone don't say anything." Somehow, he expressed his feelings despite living by that maxim.

A Johnny Oates smile, the twinkling of his expressive eyes and a tone of voice often said more than the words that came out of his mouth. That's another thing that became discernable to those who knew him well.

Oates was not above saying thank you for a favorable story, which isn't commonplace when dealing with professional athletes. But he was not the commonplace personality in professional sports. He was one of the men who made covering professional sports an enjoyable job.

You could sit down and talk baseball or life or about your kids and his kids with him. If he considered you a friend he made you feel like a friend. He was interested in what you had to say about baseball or life.

He greatly appreciated positive comments about his wife Gloria or his children Andy, Lori and Jenny: More than with most professional managers or coaches, they played integral roles in his professional as well as personal life and he was always willing to talk about them.

If you spent time with Oates you knew a lot about Gloria, his model - but not Stepford-type - wife, who was always there standing behind the husband with whom she shared an easily observed mutual admiration relationship.

And, if you spent time with Gloria, you knew how proud she was of her husband and how much they depended upon each other, how much they meant to each other.

When Johnny Oates came to Baltimore to throw out the first pitch of the 2002 season, his body had already been ravaged by his illness, but he didn't let that stop him from hugging those with whom mutual friendship had been forged a decade earlier.

He was not adverse to letting a few tears express his feelings. His movements didn't come as easily, but he said how excited he was to be back in Baltimore and among the friends he made there.

Johnny Oates was not your everyday baseball guy. He had the unique ability to allow his personal life to transcend his professional life. That made him a special person in the professional sports world. That's why so many sportswriters and broadcasters were able to feel they were friends with Oates rather than only having the usual adversarial relationship between the two professions.

Baseball and the professional sports world in general lost one of its shining lights when Johnny Oates died. There were and are too few men of his honor and integrity in the game. There were and are too few men whose values were so correctly prioritized.

There is no doubt that baseball has lost one of its truly good guys, Johnny Oates.

Rest in peace, my friend.

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R

Riprorin

Banned
Apr 25, 2000
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Originally posted by: raildogg
I remember Johnny Oates as manager of the Texas Rangers from a few years ago. Sad. :(
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I guess you're one of the few baseball fans here.

I watched him play as a minor leaguer with the Rochester Red Wings. He was a heck of a player but not quite good enough to a star in the big leagues.
 
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