A good friend reached out the other day to tell me that Mike Brumley had tragically passed away after a traffic accident. Since that time there have been a number of news articles written about his devotion to his family and baseball. Players talking about how much of a positive influence he was in their careers. This was a terrible loss.
I met Brumley only once, briefly, in 1992. He had already been with the Cubs, Tigers, Mariners and Red Sox. Quite frankly he was already on the downside of his playing career. It was in Winter Haven Florida on the back field reserved for AAA and AA players. He was working, as he always did, talking with Jim Rice about hitting and taking BP. He ended up having only 1 at bat for the Red Sox that year and spent the year with AAA Pawtucket. He would have only 54 more MLB at bats before retiring.
On this day he cracked his bat. The barrel was wrapped with tape to prevent chipping and cracking. Players who did not get a large order of bats often did this to make them last longer. I was standing by the 3.5 foot high fence, alone, drinking in the advice from Rice. I had collected cards and autographs in the past, and I cautiously asked Brumley for the bat.
He handed it to me and said something like “they got it wrong.” This was my first cracked bat and the only bat I have ever been handed by a player after he cracked it. With over 1000 bats after this, I still remember him handing me this bat and wonder whether I would have even collected bats but for his simple generosity.
I flew back to school in Pensylvania and soon thereafter received the Sports Illustrated baseball issue in the mail. Before the internet, this was one of the few places to read behind the scenes articles. I quickly thumbed to the Red Sox discussion and read the below.
