Not many get the chance to stop by someone’s office that looks like this. Craig Stammen has one of the most 32 baseball jobs in the world. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
On the West Coast for some time away with my family, I paid Versailles neighbor and Padres manager Craig Stammen a surprise visit at the ballpark in San Francisco…just to watch him work.
San Francisco, CA – In San Francisco over the weekend to spend time with my family and in-laws, I texted friend and San Diego Padres manager Craig Stammen Friday night to let him know I might stop by the Padres-Giants game on Saturday afternoon to say hello.
He immediately texted back within the hour: “That’s great. See you there.”
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Now you just don’t text a major league manager at the ballpark and tell him you’re going to stop by for a visit – to make some time. And especially when his team is in the middle of a pennant race. And going into Saturday’s game with the Giants at Oracle Park (one of the prettiest ballparks ever built) the Padres were indeed in second place behind the Dodgers, and a half-game in front of Arizona for the final National League Wild Card spot with fourteen games to play.
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“You sure he’s going to have time for that?” my daughter asked. “You know, he’s probably busy, and look at all those people you have to get through to even get close to the field.”
Arriving forty five minutes before first pitch I knew from my own experience around professional baseball that managers don’t come to the dugout much before before exchanging lineup cards with the umpires.
“Craig?” said his third base coach Bob Henley, “Oh yeah, he’s up in his office and he’ll be down in five minutes. Guarantee it. Yeah, hang around a minute and he’ll be down.”
To get past a dubious usher, I told him, “Hey, the Padres manager is a neighbor in the next town back in Ohio. He knows I’m here and he told me to stop by the dugout.”
“Prove to me you’re from Ohio and I’ll let you go down,” he laughed. I showed him my driver’s license and he laughed again. “Go ahead,” he said, and motioned me toward the field.
The same Craig Stammen you know back in Versailles. “We’re in the middle of a pennant race,” he said. “Just what you want when you’re playing in September.”
When I got to the dugout there were about a half dozen kids and adults standing around trying to hawk autographs from Padre players. Some signed. Some didn’t.
“You gettin’ something signed?” one asked me.
“No, just saying hello to a friend,” I answered.
“Cool,” he responded, showing respect.
Moments later, sure as Bob Henley said he would, the first person of Versailles baseball and a candidate for National League Manager of The Year recognition walked through the portal and up the steps. He looked my way, recognized me, and immediately broke into a smile.
“Hey, would this be a good time to negotiate a price on a new Bush Hog in North Star?” I asked. Stammen laughed and we shook hands.
“I’m glad to see you. Thanks for coming. We’re in the pennant race, right where you want to be in September.”
And the thought did strike me as we exchanged words about baseball when winning means the most…the pressure of a pennant race could be seen on his face and in his expression. He was cordial, but he was all business. Selling farm equipment and Friday night’s MAC football scores were the farthest thing from his mind. There was no mention of amateur baseball, or who had won the ACME tournament in June. His team had won five in a row, he had fourteen games left to close out the year, and as a rookie manager in the big leagues he was goal-minded. You could see it in his eyes.
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It brought to memory other experiences I had in baseball during years in the minor leagues…with Jim Leyland, Jack McKeon, Tony LaRussa and other managers in Triple A trying to make an impression on their organization – that they were capable of an even bigger job the next year at a level higher.
McKeon told me once, “There’s only twenty four of those jobs in the world (at the time) when you get there. And every day you come to the ballpark to prove that you’re the man they want, and not somebody else.”
Leyland said: “I can’t hit and I can’t throw anymore, so I have to rely on my decision making to put the best guys out there who can. You’re damn right there’s pressure, even in the minor leagues.”
And this is what Craig Stammen lives with on a daily basis. The Padres are winning, because they have good core players – Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis, Xander Bogaerts, Jake Cronenworth, Jackson Merrill and Mason Miller. And Stammen is showing confidence in them winning. But on both Friday and Saturday they lost comfortable leads due to the bullpen, and had to rely on the closer to get the final out in a pair of 7-6 wins.
The people around me stood and listened as we spoke, but as the umpires made their way towards home plate it was time to move on.
“Thanks for the visit,” I said.
“Great to see you, and thanks for stopping by,” Craig said, flashing a smile. We shook hands again and his attention turned to the business to winning six games in a row…and then seven as they went on to sweep the Giants with a Sunday win.
Packing for the airport later that evening I texted him.
“It was fun to watch you work. A great experience.”
He responded: “Good game for us. And great to see you.”
The same Craig Stammen you see in Versailles. You know he meant it.
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