This interview between former Nashville Sounds' player and current Baltimore Orioles' manager Buck Showalter and Bill Traughber is exclusive to nashvillesounds.com and "Looking Back." Special thanks go to Sounds Assistant General Manager Doug Scopel and Orioles Media Relations Manager Jeff Lantz for setting up the interview.

There have been hundreds of players that have appeared in a Nashville Sounds uniform since the club's first season in 1978. Some players advance in the minor league system, move to other franchises, have major league careers or are forced out of baseball due to a lack of ability.

The Sounds have had their share of prominent players to make it to "The Show" and obtain a familiar name in the baseball world. One of these former Sounds players to make a name for himself is Buck Showalter. Though Showalter reached Triple-A, he never made it to the major leagues as a player. But, Showalter has been a major league manager gaining a reputation for rebuilding teams struggling without strong talent.

Showalter was born in DeFuniak Springs, Fla. and was a First Team all-American in 1977 at Mississippi State. With the Bulldogs, Showalter established a still-standing record batting average (.459). The New York Yankees in the fifth round of the 1977 MLB Amateur Draft selected him. The lefthander played his first three professional seasons in Ft. Lauderdale (Single-A), and West Haven, Conn. (Double-A). Then in 1980, Showalter was in Nashville as a member of the Southern League Sounds (Double-A).

"We had graduated to the big leagues when we came to Nashville," Showalter said recently from his Baltimore Orioles clubhouse office. "You have to understand where we came from. West Haven was one of the worst facilities in minor league baseball. We had two nails for a locker and a piece of tape with your name over it.

"One bathroom with showers was probably the size of most people's garage. It all had to do with Mr. [George] Steinbrenner. He had purchased the Yankees a few years earlier. When he came into West Haven and saw the facility. He immediately wanted an upgrade. There was also the attendance factor playing in Nashville in front of big crowds every night. It was the showpiece of the Southern League at that time."

Showalter, 55, was the 1980 opening day DH for the Sounds. In that season, Showalter appeared in 142 games, batting a league-leading.323 (178-for-550) with one home run and 82 RBI's. The 178 hits remains a Southern League record. Showalter also played in leftfield and first base. That 1980 team was managed by Stump Merrill, but lost in the Western Division playoffs to Memphis, three games to one.

"With the team we had, I was lucky to be somewhere in the lineup," Showalter said. "That was a great summer in my life. One of the best things that happened to me in Nashville was I met my wife Angela there. The crowds were so large they had to rope off the outfield to put in the overflow fans.

"I remember the Oak Ridge Boys, Conway Twitty and the National Anthem being sung by some of the best I've ever heard. One night it would be Boots Randolph; one night someone would play a fiddle or a harmonica. We all used to scrabble out to see who was going to sing. I remember the first time I heard Lorrie Morgan before she was known."

The next season, Showalter would split time with Nashville and Triple-A Columbus. He played in 90 games for the Sounds batting .264 (81-for-307) with no home runs and 38 RBI's. In Columbus, Showalter appeared in 14 games and batted .189. One obstacle for Showalter in settling in at first base was a newcomer to the Sounds in 1981-Don Mattingly.

"Donny did a lot for my career because I knew rather quickly that I was not going to be the left fielder or first baseman for the Yankees," said Showalter. "It was fun watching him play. We had some fabulous players like Willie McGee, Steve Balboni, Pat Tabler and some great pitching to come through Nashville. Back then just because you had a great season doesn't mean you are going to advance.

"The Yankees were loaded everywhere. The old joke was the only team that could beat the Yankees was their Triple-A club. I hit .323 in Nashville and was back there the next season. It was just part of the deal. There was not a sense of entitlement. You had to earn it everyday."

Stump Merrill was the Nashville Sounds manager from 1980-81. He ranks fifth all-time in wins with a record of 178-108. Merrill would become a Hall of Fame manager in the International League and became the Yankees skipper midway in the 1990 season and all of 1991.

"Buck was a real good team player in that he knew how the game was played," Merrill said from his Maine home. "Buck was a player that when you left spring training, and looked at your roster, you'd say he might not get an awful lot of at-bats because he didn't really fit the position that well. Yet, once the season began he found a way to get his name into the lineup and he'd stay there all year long. He won the batting title one year that we were in Nashville.

"He was not the protocol guy that you were looking for. Buck wasn't fast enough to play centerfield. Buck didn't have power numbers that didn't warrant playing first base or the corner outfield. That was the problem that he was up against. In today's game it might be different. He might be the fourth or fifth outfielder on a club because he could swing the bat. There was no question about that. Once he weaseled his way into the lineup you couldn't get him out because he would get two or three hits every night. His shortcoming was a lack of power. If he'd had power he would have played in the big leagues.

"Buck needed foot speed so he would be a base stealer, which he was not. In terms of knowing how to play the game and helping you win at that level he did a great job. I had him for several years. He knew the way the game should be played. He wouldn't be surprised if you gave him the hit-and-run sign or with a runner on third base you gave him the squeeze sign. He knew the scoreboard."

In 1982, Showalter was back in Nashville for another full season. Once again he led the Southern League in hits (152) while batting .294. Johnny Oates was now the Sounds manager in a year that Nashville would end the season in dramatic style. After winning the SL Western Division playoffs, the Sounds would face Jacksonville in a best-of-five final.

Nashville led the series 2-1 in Herschel Greer Stadium when in the bottom of the 13th inning with the game tied 3-3 and two outs, Showalter was on base. Brian Dayett, the league leader in home runs (34) clubbed a dinger to win the championship, 5-3.

"Not that I can remember every pitch of it," said Showalter. "But that was an old trivia question. 'Who scored the winning run in that Sounds championship game?' It was me since I was ahead of Dayett. That was a culmination of a lot of stuff.

"We probably had a better club in 1980, but got beat in the playoffs with Tom Kelly's Orlando Twins club. They had all those guys that played on the Twins world championship club. It doesn't happen that much any longer having dominating teams each year since teams don't stay together for a long period of time."

Dayett played in the major leagues for the Yankees (1983-84) and the Chicago Cubs (1985-87). In his major league career, Dayett batted .258 with 14 home runs and 68 RBIs in 118 games. Dayett also played in Japan for the Nippon Ham Fighters (1988-91). He is currently a hitting instructor in the Texas Rangers' organization.

"Buck could really hit," said Dayett. "He truly believed that he could hit .300 in the big leagues if given the chance. You couldn't strike him out. He had a great eye and was a Pete Rose type who could hit out of the crouch a little bit. We called him the 'Slasher.' He'd slash the ball into leftfield as a left-handed hitter. He was exciting to watch play.

"We were roommates on the road and at home when we lived together in Nashville. One off-season we stayed in Nashville when Erik Peterson, Buck and myself got jobs with a distributorship. Boy what a winter that was. We had a lot of fun. We had girlfriends and Buck ended up marrying Angela one of the Soundettes.

"He'd invite me down to be with his family in Florida on the Alabama border, and we'd get ready early for spring training and get into shape. His mother would cook us low fat meals and got us trimmed down for spring training. The Yankees were really strict on being in shape. We had to do something to open some eyes to make the club.

"Buck was definitely a leader by his actions. He was very smart and could knock out a crossword puzzle in just minutes. Buck knew the lineup and the players. He could tell you the lineup and say who should be hitting where. He had managerial thoughts on his mind after a few years in Double-A."

In 1983, Showalter began the season in Nashville batting .276 with one home run and 37 RBI's in 89 games. He concluded the season in Columbus batting .238 in 18 games. Showalter did have some fun in one game with the Sounds that season where he pitched. His pitching stats that season for the Sounds include one inning pitched, two hits, one earned run and a strikeout for a 9.00 ERA.

"I was one of those guys that wanted to save the pitching staff when games were out of reach," said Showalter. "I did pitch two innings in Columbus later that season and didn't give up a hit or any runs. I threw a lot of batting practice towards the end of my career. I could throw it over so they didn't have to use anybody else. It was just a matter of checking your ego and go out there and take it like a man."

Farrell Owens was the Sounds general manager from 1978-82 and introduced to Showalter a Soundette who would become his wife. They were married March 5, 1983.

"Angela worked at Opryland and had a few jobs working her way through college," Showalter said. "There are guys that will tell you, 'if you need any help, let me know.' And usually those guys cannot be found when you need them.

"Farrell was always there. He had a great way about himself. He didn't take himself too seriously and you could joke with him. At the end of the day he was a guy you could count on for help traveling around and doing different stuff. He gave great advice about a lot of things that young players were faced with. We were very fortunate to have him around. He was a great buffer for us."

The 1983 season would be Showalter's last as a player. Though he was just 27 years old, he never made it into a major league game. His total seven-year minor league stats include 793 games; batting .294 (841-for-2865), 17 home runs with 336 RBIs.

"I had one of three decisions to make," said Showalter. "I could continue to play in Triple-A with the Yankees. I could become a free agent and play in Triple-A with somebody else or I could take a job as a hitting coach in Ft. Lauderdale in the Florida State League with the Yankees.

"I had just gotten married. They gave me the opportunity to continue in the organization I had grown to love. I had always looked at myself realistically and knew the Yankees wanted guys that could hit the ball into the seats. I knew there were a lot of things I could never be able to bring to them. If I didn't take this opportunity to go down a different path I probably would regret it. Whatever reputation I had, I wanted to build on it in the same organization that knew me. I took them up on it and became a coach."

Larry Schmittou was the Sounds owner from 1978-96. As the Vanderbilt University baseball coach in 1977, he faced Showalter in the SEC Tournament a game won by Mississippi State 15-2. Schmittou retired from college baseball coaching in 1978 to run the Sounds fulltime.

"We didn't like Mississippi State very much," said Schmittou. "Mississippi State always had a good team and I would bug Buck about learning how to milk a cow at Mississippi State. I'd ask him if he brought his cowbells with him like they did at football and baseball games.

"Buck was a fine young man. He was very mature for his age and a student of the game from the very moment he arrived in Nashville. He didn't have much power or he would have made it to the big leagues as a player. Buck was sort of the unnamed captain of the team with his leadership. He formed great friendships with all the other players. He was totally serious about the game. As soon as he walked into the ballpark it was all business and he was a people person that related well with the fans.

"He was a blue collar type worker that showed up, did his job and knew his limitations. He probably knew down deep that his lack of power would keep him from the big leagues unless he got lucky. It doesn't surprise me that he became a manager. Even after it was over he never forgot where he was especially returning to Nashville to visit his wife's family and to check on the Sounds when he was the manager of the Yankees. Just highly respected are the best words I can use to describe him. His teammates, the front office, the groundskeeper, ticket sellers, ushers would gain his attention. He was just raised right."

Showalter would become a minor league manager with Oneonta (1985-86), Ft. Lauderdale (1987-88) and Albany (1989). He would see other duties within the Yankees organization including service as a coach. In 1992, Showalter became the Yankees manager replacing Stump Merrill his manager in Nashville.

In 1994, he was named AL Manager of the Year after leading New York to a 70-43 record in a season shortened due to the players strike. Showalter managed the Yankees (1992-95), Arizona (1998-2000) and Texas (2003-06).

Showalter entered the 2011 season with a career managerial record of 916-856. His minor league totals include a 360-207 record. Showalter became manager of the Baltimore Orioles during the 2010 season and is signed through 2013. He has experience working as an ESPN in studio analysis.

Showalter would wear No. 11 on his uniforms as a major league manager until switching to Johnny Oates No. 26 when he joined the Orioles. Oates was an Orioles player, coach and manager that died in 2004.

"Johnny was just a classy man," said Showalter. "He was a guy that was very competitive and understood the human part of baseball and frailties. Johnny was very driven and played a big role in my life. He showed me by example. I got to know his wife and kids. I thought with their permission it would be a nice way to honor him while keeping him in everybody's thoughts with the kind of human being and man he was."

Showalter was asked if he was disappointed in never making it into the major leagues as a player.

"I don't look at it that way," Showalter said. "I felt like being in Nashville and in other places I was in the big leagues. It was all a state of mind. It's all relevant rather it is the state high school championship or the Southern League championship. It is different stages, different coverage so to speak with the media. All things happen for a reason. I'm lucky and everyday I'm honored I get to be apart of baseball for another day."

Buck Showalter never swung a bat in the major leagues, but he has filled out a major league lineup card as a manager hundreds of times for over 12 seasons.

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