Looking Back: Buck Showalter Recalls Nashville Days

This interview between former Nashville Sounds player Buck Showalter and current Baltimore Orioles manager and Bill Traughber is from July 2011.

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. "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 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."

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 Southern League 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."

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.

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). He has been the manager of the Baltimore Orioles since 2010. Showalter's overall record as a manager in 13 seasons is 985-949.

Buck Showalter never swung a bat in the major leagues, but he has filled out a major league lineup card as a manager thousands of times for over 13 seasons.

Traughber's Tidbit: Buck Showalter's updated managerial record is 1,167-1,101 through the 2013 season. He led the Orioles to the 2012 playoffs losing to the Yankees in the first round of the American League Division Playoffs in five games. It was Baltimore's first appearance in the playoffs since 1997. Showalter was named by the Sporting News as their American League Manager of the Year for 2012. His contract with the Orioles runs through the 2018 season.

If you have any comments or suggestions, click here to contact Bill Traughber via email.