Jim Campanis - Born Into Baseball: Laughter and Heartbreak at the Edge of The Show

Born Into Baseball

Jim Campanis, Jr. is the son of former major leaguer Jimmy Campanis, and grandson of long-time Dodgers General Manager, Al Campanis. Jim Jr. is a third generation professional baseball player, whose on-the-field career included All-American honors at USC, selections to the 1985 USA Junior National Team & Team USA in 1988, plus six seasons as a catcher in the minor leagues with one year on the major league 40-man roster.

From the time he was drafted in the third round in 1988, Jim rose steadily through the minor league ranks, and was destined to reach the majors as his father and grandfather had, until he suffered his toughest breaka broken wrist the very day he was told he was to be a September call-up.

Jim decided to leave baseball in 1995 and explore new opportunities. He found a new career path in advertising and marketing, and then founded his own full-service agency, Campy Media, Inc. Jim divides his time between his work, active participation in the baseball community, writing music, and enjoying his family at his home in Southern California.

Born Into Baseball

Laughter and Heartbreak at the
Edge of The Show

Jim Campanis, Jr.

Copyright 2016 by James Campanis, Jr.

Published by Summer Game Books

Published by Summer Game Books at Smashword

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any process electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission from the copyright owner and the publisher. The replication, uploading, and distribution of this book via the internet or any other means without the permission of the publisher, is illegal.

ISBN: 978-1-938545-79-5 (paperback)
ISBN: 978-1-938545-80-1 (ebook)

For information about bulk purchases or additional distribution, write to
Summer Game Books
P. O. Box 818
South Orange, NJ 07079
or contact the publisher at
www.summergamebooks.com

Front cover photo descriptions, clockwise from upper left hand corner: 1. My Grandpa Al, Sandy Koufax and Fresco Thompson at press conference announcing Sandys first contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers. 2. My Grandpa Al, my dad and I in 1985 at an event at Dodgers Stadium. 3. Oil painting of my dad playing for the Kansas City Royals by artist Matt Blansett. 4. (L to R) Me and the LEGENDARY Dave Lats Latter looking HOT on Halloween night, 1987. 5. Me and Lats in 2013. 6. Photo from Topps Baseball Card shoot at my first Spring Training in 1989. 7. Going deep at USC. 8. The medallion awarded to me by USC and installed in Heritage Hall for being named All American in 1988. 9. My dad sliding into home plate when he played for the Seattle Angels (AAA) in 1966.

To my Mom and Dad for their love and support from the beginning.

To my wife, Lisa, who decided to go on this wild ride with me over 25 years ago.

To my sons, Alex and Tommy. I love you both, and am proud of the men you are becoming.

To all the people who encouraged and supported my writingI cant thank you enough for motivating me to finish this book.

To Lats, Riles, and BilskiFight On Brothers!

Mom/Dad

Lisa/Alex/Tommy

Grandpa Al/Grandma Bessie

Grandpa John/Grandma Gladys

Grandma Tulla

Andrea/Joe/Emily

Alexa/Dustin/Dustin Jr.

Nick/Tianna

Uncle George

Matt/Skye/Leilani/Maya

Lenice/Chance

Aunt Linda/JD/Neil/Hannah

Aunt Elizabeth/Roger

Vanessa/Diane/Mary

The LEGENDARY Dave Lats Latters

Chris Bilski Billig/Martha

John Riles Reilley/Debbie

Peggy Ruley

Terrance Morgan

Eric Lenaburg

Jim Henderson

Jason Himelstein

Brian BcA Cramer

Pete/Tracy Felix

Greg/Teresa Meeder

Jimmy Von Eps

Ben Davis

Luis Loucks

Matt Blansett

Jerry Plowman

Barbara Young

Laurie Sanchez

Paul Crabb

Mike Reinberger

Steve/Keri/Maddie/Kennedy Clave

Walter Friedman

Tom Owens

Michelle Balling Smith

Michael Austin

Matt Barsanti

Tom & Debra Barsanti

And finally a HUGE THANK YOU to countless old and new friends for their support and encouragement. Special thanks to friends from Van Buren Elementary, Kraemer Junior High, Valencia High School, The University of Southern California, and my AWESOME network of professional colleagues and online amigos on various Social Media sites.

by Jim Henderson

When I first met Jim Campanis, he had a boner. But Ill get to that.

In the fall of 1987, I arrived as a Freshman at the University of Southern California intent on taking the college baseball world by storm. My first day on campus, I walked over to the baseball office with a few other players, and sitting in one of the chairs was Jim.

I was a catcher, and I knew Campy would be my competition, so I was determined to hate him. That determination, however lasted about five minutes. He was the same gregarious, self-effacing, entertaining guy that youll discover while youre reading his stories. I dont think anyone could hate him.

Over the next year, and like any teammates playing the same position, I got to know Campy well. We talked about baseball, family, college, and girlsthings that everyone talks aboutbut mostly we talked about life. He introduced me to block parties on fraternity row, the new band Guns N Roses, and, of course, cheerleaders. For me, however, the coolest thing was that Jim never treated me like a freshmen.

A clue about the kind of guy Campy was came from watching him interact with his best friend, Dave Latter. DaveLatswas a pitcher, and the two were literally inseparable. In a way, he was the mirror image of Jim: funny and sarcastic, but without a mean bone in his body. As youll see, Lats is the subject of more than a few of the stories in this book, and hes worthy of every last one. The two of the them remained best friends until Dave passed away in 2014. Jim never told me as much, but Im fairly sure this book is a final goodbye and tribute to Lats.

Even though Campy became a friend, I still wanted to be the starting catcher at USC. But a few things got in the way. While Ill go to my grave believing that Jim ended up as the starter that year because I had arm surgery, the reality was that it may have been because he hit 23 home runs and was named an All-American. The year was tough on me, but Campy never treated me with anything but respect. That was our only year together in college, because he left after being drafted by the Seattle Mariners, and I ultimately transferred to Arizona State.

While I bumped into Jim once or twice over the years, we really didnt reconnect until I found him onyou guessed itFacebook a few years ago. He knew I was a lawyer, and he told me about a little legal issue he had with a former business partner. I told him Id handle it in exchange for a lunch or two if we could get it resolved without devolving into a lawsuit. Fortunately for Campy (and unfortunately for my income), we got it taken care of without him spending a nickel.

The best part of it, though, was reconnecting with Campy. Many years had passed, and the lunches were filled with countless stories: some happy, some sad, but all told with a smile and a laugh. We talkedand still doregularly, and Jim even came to my wedding. Ill never be Lats, but thats OK. Campy has enough heart to go around.