John Boles--2001
The other day I had the good fortune
to run into John Boles, who managed
the Marlins during four seasons in
the 1990s and early 2000s after
serving as the team’s Farm Director
for years. Presently working for the
Seattle Mariners as a Special
Assistant to the GM in dealing with
player personnel, Boles was in
Jackson, Tennessee to see the
Mariners’ Double-A West Tenn club
take on Huntsville.
It was great to see “Bolesy”, as our
friendship dates back to 1985 in
Buffalo, before reuniting for 11 years
with the Marlins beginning in 1992.
We reminisced about the Bison days
and old War Memorial Stadium. The
conversation also turned to some
Marlins tales of the 1990s, as the
scouts settled in for a day of double-
duty with the Stars and Diamond Jaxx
slated to play two.
About the third inning of the first
game a foul ball went back over the
first base dugout and into the stands.
With numerous youth league teams
in attendance, the youngsters
scrambled in the direction of the ball,
but were too late as a man in his 30’s
corralled the ball that caromed his
way into his mitt.
Suddenly the cry went out from the
stands, “Give the kid the ball. Let the
kid have it.” A few moments passed
and the guy turned the ball over to a
uniformed youngster who ran off with
a smile on face. Unfortunately, the
guy was not all that pleased, as he
brought his glove to the game to
grab a foul ball, only to succumb to
fan pressure and hand it over to the
kid.
Visibly upset, the man who appeared
to be “challenged in life” went about
his task of watching the game and
hoping another ball would come his
way. Wearing a white long sleeve T-
shirt and long pants in the roasting
hot afternoon Tennessee sun, the
man three rows behind the Huntsville
dugout would raise his glove like a
first baseman with each pitch waiting
for the next foul ball to come in his
direction.
The scouting section watched the
remaining innings of Game One and
several innings into the second
game, but no balls came his way. It
was a sad sight to watch.
Boles could not stand to watch it
anymore. So he went next to the
Diamond Jaxx dugout and asked for
a game ball from the bat boy. He
then made his way over to the man
with the glove and handed him the
ball telling him that it was a nice thing
that he did, but that he also deserved
a ball. Reluctant at first, the guy
eventually took the ball from Boles.
A smile came to the man’s face as he
clutched the ball in one hand, while
holding his glove up with the other for
the remainder of the second game.
So when you look at this card,
hopefully you will not just see a
manager who went 205-241 in the
bigs with suspect Florida teams after
the breakup of the 1997 World
Champion Marlins. See a man who is
a good baseball man, but more
importantly an even better person.
(6/10/09)
to run into John Boles, who managed
the Marlins during four seasons in
the 1990s and early 2000s after
serving as the team’s Farm Director
for years. Presently working for the
Seattle Mariners as a Special
Assistant to the GM in dealing with
player personnel, Boles was in
Jackson, Tennessee to see the
Mariners’ Double-A West Tenn club
take on Huntsville.
It was great to see “Bolesy”, as our
friendship dates back to 1985 in
Buffalo, before reuniting for 11 years
with the Marlins beginning in 1992.
We reminisced about the Bison days
and old War Memorial Stadium. The
conversation also turned to some
Marlins tales of the 1990s, as the
scouts settled in for a day of double-
duty with the Stars and Diamond Jaxx
slated to play two.
About the third inning of the first
game a foul ball went back over the
first base dugout and into the stands.
With numerous youth league teams
in attendance, the youngsters
scrambled in the direction of the ball,
but were too late as a man in his 30’s
corralled the ball that caromed his
way into his mitt.
Suddenly the cry went out from the
stands, “Give the kid the ball. Let the
kid have it.” A few moments passed
and the guy turned the ball over to a
uniformed youngster who ran off with
a smile on face. Unfortunately, the
guy was not all that pleased, as he
brought his glove to the game to
grab a foul ball, only to succumb to
fan pressure and hand it over to the
kid.
Visibly upset, the man who appeared
to be “challenged in life” went about
his task of watching the game and
hoping another ball would come his
way. Wearing a white long sleeve T-
shirt and long pants in the roasting
hot afternoon Tennessee sun, the
man three rows behind the Huntsville
dugout would raise his glove like a
first baseman with each pitch waiting
for the next foul ball to come in his
direction.
The scouting section watched the
remaining innings of Game One and
several innings into the second
game, but no balls came his way. It
was a sad sight to watch.
Boles could not stand to watch it
anymore. So he went next to the
Diamond Jaxx dugout and asked for
a game ball from the bat boy. He
then made his way over to the man
with the glove and handed him the
ball telling him that it was a nice thing
that he did, but that he also deserved
a ball. Reluctant at first, the guy
eventually took the ball from Boles.
A smile came to the man’s face as he
clutched the ball in one hand, while
holding his glove up with the other for
the remainder of the second game.
So when you look at this card,
hopefully you will not just see a
manager who went 205-241 in the
bigs with suspect Florida teams after
the breakup of the 1997 World
Champion Marlins. See a man who is
a good baseball man, but more
importantly an even better person.
(6/10/09)
