One Mans
Dream
My Town, My Team,
My Time.
Frank White with Bill Althaus
Frank White saved as many runs as I drove in.
Reggie Jackson
Hall of Fame slugger and member of the
500 Home Run Club
Frank White is the best second baseman of his generation or any generation. He was the best. Period.
John Schuerholz
Former Kansas City Royals general manager
My man Smooth helped me win a lot of games. If the ball was hit to the right side of the infield, it was an out.
Bret Saberhagen
Two-time Cy Young Award winner
and 1985 World Series MVP
We called him the Hoover, because he swept up everything that was hit to him.
Dan Quisenberry
Former Royals reliever and Fireman of the Year
What made Frank so special was that he made the tough plays look easy and he made all the easy plays look easy, too.
Hal McRae
Royals designated hitter and former manager
I called him Smooth because he was.
Darrell Porter
Royals all-star catcher
Ive seen em all from Jackie (Robinson) to the second basemen who play today, and let me tell you this, Frank White was the best second baseman I ever saw. He defined the game on turf, had more range than anyone and hit cleanup in the World Series. Is Frank White a Hall of Famer? You bet he is.
Buck ONeil
Baseball ambassador and former Negro League great
One Mans
Dream
My Town, My Team,
My Time.
Frank White
with Bill Althaus
Copyright 2012 by Frank White
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ISBN: print book 978-0-9856314-2-0
ISBN: e-book 978-0-9856314-3-7
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publications Data Available Upon Request
Publisher: Bob Snodgrass
Publication Coordinator: Christine Drummond
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Editor: Blake Hughes
Dust Jacket and Book Design: Cheryl Johnson, S & Co. Design, Inc.
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Chapters
Dedication:
In loving memory of my parents, Frank White Sr., and Daisie White. They taught me how to be humble and loyal, to earn respect by giving respect, and to treat others the way you would like to be treated. Thank you Mom and Dad for being great parents.
I want to thank all my children - Frank III, Adrianne, Terrance, Courtney, Michael, Darryl, Joseph and Jordan. You have done a great job keeping me young! Thank you for your love and support. I am proud to be your dad.
Also my siblings - Vernon, Mona, Joyce, Dianne, and Erna. Thanks for being there for me.
I am so humbled by the outpouring of support from my fans - I can never thank you enough. I have received support from local fans and from fans across the United States. I have a great love and appreciation for all of you.
And last, but certainly not least, my lovely wife Teresa. Without her love and support it would have been impossible to get through everything that has happened the past year. I love her so much.
W HEN I WAS A KID GROWING UP IN THE INNER CITY OF K ANSAS City, I remember playing baseball every day. When the sun came up, it was off to the neighborhood baseball diamond. I just made sure I had my chores done. If you couldnt find enough guys to play a game, you either improvised, or you stayed home and hit rocks with a broomstick in the driveway. I was only 7 or 8, but Id already hit more game-winning World Series home runs than any big leaguer. My friends and I would pick the most colorful baseball names we could think of and play until our moms called us home for dinner. I was usually Diamond Jim Gentile is that the greatest baseball name ever? The year he played for the Kansas City As, we all wanted to be Diamond Jim. But there were other colorful names, too Willie (Mays), The Mick (Mickey Mantle) and Johnny Callison doesnt that just sound like the name of a baseball player? I dreamed about being a big leaguer some day, but I never dreamed about hitting cleanup in a World Series. But it happened thanks to Dick Howser and I knew from the moment he called me into his office and talked to me about hitting cleanup that I wasnt going to let him down.
I know I dont need to tell Kansas City Royals fans the year, because most of them will never forget that memorable 1985 season when we beat the Toronto Blue Jays in seven-game playoff series that we trailed three games to one. That let us know we could come back from any deficit and we soon found ourselves facing the same situation against the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. But I dont want to get too far ahead of myself. That year, the World Series didnt have a designated hitter, so Hal McRae, our designated hitter and cleanup hitter, wasnt able to make a big impact. Before the series started, I got to the ballpark for a practice and Dick Howser called me into the office and talked to me about his lineup. He said, We cant use the DH, and since you had those 22 home runs during the season and have hit fourth a few times, Id like you to hit cleanup.
My eyes got real big, my mouth dropped open and I know I kind of gave him that You have to be kidding me look. I was stunned, I couldnt believe it. I was Dicks choice to hit cleanup in a World Series that all the experts had already predicted the Cardinals would win. There was a lot of pressure on Dick, and I said, You gotta be kidding me.
He wasnt. He just looked at me and said, No, Im serious. I want you to bat cleanup. When he said that, all kinds of thoughts ran through my mind. I said, Why dont we let George (Brett) bat fourth, because Im thinking about all the times the Cardinals will walk George in key situations if Im not hitting well. What if we leave men on base because of me? George was used to hitting third and Dick wanted to keep him there. I was like, Okay, Ill do it. If we do well, they can write about your good decision. If we dont, they can write about how I shouldnt have been there in the first place. I made a commitment to Dick, and he made a big commitment to me. I was not going to let him down. Id had a pretty good power year with 22 homers, and he had confidence in me, which gave
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