Taylor Blake Ward - In Search of Millionaires (The Life of a Baseball Gypsy): The Accounts of Bob Fontaine Jr.

IN SEARCH OF
MILLIONAIRES
(THE LIFE OF A BASEBALL GYPSY)

THE ACCOUNTS OF BOB FONTAINE JR.

TAYLOR BLAKE WARD

IN SEARCH OF MILLIONAIRES (THE LIFE OF A BASEBALL GYPSY)

THE ACCOUNTS OF BOB FONTAINE JR.

Copyright 2021 Taylor Blake Ward.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-6632-2287-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6632-2288-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6632-2286-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021918654

iUniverse rev. date: 10/20/2021

For my kids. Bob

CONTENTS

He has been as good to the game as the game has been to him.

Bob Fontaine Jr. is one of those special people. His genuine love and passion for our national pastime and his craft remains legendary within the scouting community and beyond. Combined with an unmatched humility and selfless approach in all aspects of his being, Bobs impact on so many is immeasurable.

Often, great influencers are those who do so via their own consistency without a premeditated or conscious effort. The power of that influence is based on ones ability to listen, observe, evaluate, and formulate.

Bob Fontaine Jr. excelled in incorporating those characteristics throughout his amazing journey. And what a voyage it has been!

I acknowledge without hesitation a bias more for the character of the man than just his professional abilities. Having proudly served Major League Baseball and the Angels organization for four decades, I met few who could consistently demonstrate Bobs integrity, compassion, knowledge, and dedication. And we have had some truly special ones along the way such as Preston Gmez, Bob Clear, Marcel Lachemann, Bill Bavasi, Mike Scioscia, Mike Port, and Nick Kamzic, to name a few.

The genesis of my association, friendship, and respect for Bob dates to 1987 after his appointment by another mentor, Angels General Manager Mike Port, to become the organizations scouting director. That was the beginning of a friendship that continues to inspire and educate.

It was almost as if Bobs professional future was predetermined. The son of a World War II veteran and a former professional ballplayer, scout, and executive, Bob followed in his dads footsteps. His baseball education began well before his distinguished scouting career started with the San Diego Padres in 1973.

Bob has always spoken with tremendous pride about his father. I can think of nothing more important than having the most important role model in your life succeeding with that responsibility. Bob Sr. certainly did just that. The elder Fontaine died much too young at the age of seventy, but not before experiencing the success of his son following in his footsteps and seeing his same love of family through Bobs commitment.

This wonderful book is the journey of a man who committed the majority of his life to a career and internal passion he rarely questioned. And such can be said about so many of his counterparts and contemporaries, though their status has changed drastically in recent years.

The combined effort of Bob and the talented Taylor Blake Ward is certainly a gift for Bobs family, friends, and colleagues along the way. But it is equally an homage to the scouting community and profession.

Those long drives, early morning flights, visits to ballparks in regions where you dont know a soulthose recollections and realities pertain to an endless list of individuals responsible for locating most of the talent that has comprised Major League Baseball.

For the most part, contributors like Bob are anonymous to the general baseball faithful. However, that same group is the beneficiary of the talent, commitment, and sacrifice of folks like Bob. This book is a reflection of their efforts through recollections from one of baseballs most highly respected scouts.

Bob provides a chronology not only of his experiences, but of his own personal growth along the way shaped by a spectrum of individuals. He is gracious in the credit and attention given to others, while remaining humble regarding his own contributions and status.

There are so many well-deserved words applicable to describe Bob. Perhaps sitting atop the list is trust. It was not just the trust people has in Bob that was special, but the trust he has in others that helped set him apart.

I will always remember the 1988 draft when the Angels had the eighth overall pick. Bob relied on the expertise and opinions of scouts Nick Kamzic, Bob Gardner, and scouting coordinator George Bradley in selecting left-hander Jim Abbott. Despite a standout career, the choice was not a consensus selection within the industry.

What transpired during that decision shall remain a fond memory and important lesson: a chain of command education. Owner Gene Autry empowered and trusted GM Mike Port, who in turn provided a similar latitude to his baseball operations personnel. The ripple effect of that trust trickled down to Bob and his staff. Rarely can I recall a more fluid flow of decision-making.

A great photographer is set apart from the rest of us because of an ability to see things differently through a lens than we are capable of with our own eyes.

The same can be said by those who have proudly owned the title of Scout within a particular organization. They are blessed with the talent to evaluate a player in the present, yet also project that individuals possible future.

For years they have offered their opinions and expertise in the inexact science of scouting. It has never been a discipline where success vastly out distances failure. However, it is also a fraternity where opinions are offered without moving models, rather an investment of real-time observation and communication.

And few have done it any better than Bob Fontaine Jr.

It was a brisk winter day in the mountains of Southern California when I walked into my local coffee shop on a Thursday in December 2019. There was a slight breeze that made the already heavy door more challenging to open, but as the door closed, I began searching.

There were few patrons inside the caf, and to my left sat a man alone at a table for two. White hair stuck out of his San Jose Sharks cap, while his white Fu Manchu covered the top of his paper cup with coffee inside.

Bob? I asked the gentleman.

Taylor, he replied with a smile.

This was the first time I met Bob Fontaine Jr.

To this point our only connection had been via text messages and a mutual friend, Tim Mead. Tim asked us to reach out to one another regarding a project Bob had worked on for nearly a decade. Tims approval of the other was all we needed for this meeting.

As I went off briefly to order a green tea, I joked about Bobs hat from across the room. From a fanatical standpoint, the San Jose Sharks are my least favorite team in professional sports. The back-and-forth ribbing put me at ease. Bob may have poor taste in hockey teams, but he was all right in my book from the start. Hopefully, I was all right for his book.