Questioning Authority with Chris Chambliss

Chris Chambliss was selected by the Cleveland Indians with the first overall pick of the 1970 Player Draft and hit .342 in his only season in the Minors with Triple-A Wichita. He was named the American League's Rookie of the Year for 1971 after batting .275 with 20 doubles, nine home runs, 49 runs scored and 48 RBIs in 111 games. He was traded to the Yankees in April 1974 and began a memorable run with the Bronx Bombers famously highlighted by his first-pitch, walk-off home run off Kansas City's Mark Littell in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 1976 American League Championship Series.

Chambliss' homer and subsequent trot around the bases, while hundreds of fans stormed the field, lives in baseball lore as one of the few home runs to ever end a playoff series. He batted .524 with two home runs and eight RBIs during the best-of-5 series and hit .313 in the World Series against Cincinnati.

A former All-Star and Gold Glove winner, Chambliss managed the Eastern League's London Tigers before becoming the Yankees' hitting coach during the team's late '90s championship run. He also served as hitting coach for the Mets and Reds, a position he now fills with the 2008 Richmond Braves of the International League.

Minorleaguebaseball.com: What do you remember most about your first time around in the Minor Leagues?

Chris Chambliss: Well, I only played one year of Minor League ball, but I do remember I hit .342 that year with Wichita, which led the league.

MiLB.com: Have times changed that much? How different are the Minors from when you were a player?

CC: Well, the setup is pretty close to being the same. I think that the players move around the leagues a lot faster today than they used to. For the most part, you had to learn a lot about the game before you were promoted to the next level. I think sometimes maybe talent is diluted because there are more teams.

MiLB.com: Life in the Minors can be surreal. What's your favorite tale of the Minors, either as a player or on the bench?

CC: I do remember a funny story about our ballpark in Wichita. There was a sign in right-center field advertising a local clothing store and if any player hit a home run over that sign, he was given a free suit from the store. I hit a home run over that sign and got a free suit, so that was pretty memorable.

MiLB.com: How have teammates you played with in the bigs reacted to your current gig?

CC: I've been lucky enough to stay in the game for my entire life. I get to see a lot of my old teammates quite a bit, whether it be at baseball card shows or conventions. The Yankees have a lot of reunions and Fantasy Camps, so I'll always run into guys there. The Fantasy Camp is especially great because we spend a week there and get to catch up over dinner.

MiLB.com: Do the guys on your team know much about you and your history as a player?

CC: You know, if I see something in another player that I learned as a ballplayer or that I went through as a ballplayer, then I won't hesitate to bring that up and use it as an example to teach a lesson. I believe that as a teacher, you have to try and relate what you used to do in certain circumstances. I've been a hitting coach for a long time, and everyone has a different way that they learn.

MiLB.com: What have the players on your team taught you? Do they keep you up-to-date on pop culture?

CC: I learn from my players a lot because each one of them has a different story. The fun thing about coaching is, one guy can be patient and another can be aggressive. You have to try and learn from everybody and make a perfect mix. What's good about most players is they usually give you an idea of their own history, where their minds are and what they're thinking about.

MiLB.com: What kind of reaction do you get from fans?

CC: Well I played in the Majors, so the reaction to me is very favorable in every town. I get some autograph requests and some fans like to know about the Kansas City ALCS with the Yankees or just my time with the Yankees in general. The home run I hit against KC was a big moment for me and the team. It put the Yankees in the World Series for the first time in over a decade.

MiLB.com: What city or cities do you most look forward to stopping in during the season?

CC: I'm actually looking forward to traveling everywhere since I haven't been in the International League since 1992. Louisville should be a nice stop.

MiLB.com: What's the toughest part of the job?

CC: There's a lot of paperwork, such as scouting reports. If you happen to manage, I think having to tell a kid that he's being released is the hardest thing anyone could ever do. In terms of coaching, the toughest part is the workload and taking care of everything on the field. There are six coaches in the Majors and three down here, so we need to pay attention to the infield and outfield workouts, work with the pitchers about bunting and things like that. Every part of the game has to be covered.

MiLB.com: What do you think of your bobblehead? Have you collected all of your baseball cards?

CC: I have a lot of bobbleheads, but not my own. There's one Yankee card where I think I look funny. But most of them are pretty favorable.