Lanier a man of class and integrity

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/07/2024 (452 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When Hal Lanier fielded a call from Sam Katz in December of 1995, he had no idea how his life was about to change.

A 10-year veteran infielder in the Major Leagues with the San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees with another decade of experience in the majors as a coach with the St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies and a stint as manager of the Houston Astros, Lanier found himself on the outside looking in at the end of the 1991 season.

As someone with a World Series ring from his time on Whitey Herzog’s coaching staff with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982 and himself a National League manager of the year with the Astros in 1986, Lanier’s resume wasn’t in need of polishing.

Simply put, Lanier was perplexed at the situation he found himself in.

“After the 1991 season, I was a bench coach with Philadelphia and they made managerial changes and made some coaching changes. And that’s baseball. I understood that. But I tried throughout those next years, 1991, 92, 93, 94 and 95 to try to get something in baseball. A coaching position or a second opportunity to manage and I couldn’t get anything,” Lanier recalled in a telephone conversation from Florida. “It hurt because it was like baseball closed the door to me. There was no place for Hal Lanier in baseball at the Major League level.”

Enter Katz, the owner of the Winnipeg Goldeyes, who coincidentally was in the market for a manager after Doug Simunic departed to join the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks following the 1995 season — one year after guiding the Fish to a Northern League title in their inaugural season in 1994.

Katz was at the Major League Baseball winter meetings with his fellow Northern League owners when one of them spotted Lanier, who was pounding the pavement looking for Major League leads.

“I got a little background on him and I made the comment to the other guys that he would be a great addition to the Northern League and to Winnipeg — and before I got to say Goldeyes, the other owners said, ‘Forget about it. It’s not going to happen,’” said Katz. “I have a disease and it’s something I’ve had for a long time. When someone tells me I can’t do something, I’m going to do everything I can do to prove them wrong.”

After a few exploratory calls and an extensive lunch meeting with player personnel guru Nick Belmonte, Lanier accepted the position as manager of the Goldeyes.

Neither Lanier nor Katz could have predicted where this wild ride would take them, but the latest stop was a reunion in Kansas City at the Buck O’Neill Education and Research Center as both men were part of the 2024 American Association Hall of Fame class, with the induction taking place as part of the all-star festivities last week.

The class also included former Goldeyes right-handed pitcher Benjamin Moore (who spent most of his career withthe Sioux Falls Canaries), Lincoln Saltdogs slugger Curt Smith and David Espinosa (a hard-hitting shortstop who played for five teams in the American Association).

“I’ve got to thank the fans, especially the fans of Winnipeg for the 10 years I was there. They really treated me well, I’m still in contact with some of them.”– Hal Lanier

An unexpected surprise greeted Lanier and Katz as former Goldeyes pitcher, pitching coach and manager Rick Forney, along with his wife Erika, flew in for the event.

Forney is now managing the York Revolution of the Atlantic League after spending nearly three decades with the Goldeyes organization and missed a game to be part of the monumental moment for Lanier and Katz.

“I’ve got to thank the fans, especially the fans of Winnipeg for the 10 years I was there. They really treated me well, I’m still in contact with some of them,” said Lanier. “It was great for me to get back into baseball and Sam gave me that avenue to get back into baseball. I was out of it after the 1991 season. I couldn’t get back into it, no matter what. He gave me an opportunity to do something that I love, which is to be on the field and be involved in baseball. I spent 20 years in independent baseball and I loved it. There are so many memories that I will cherish forever.”

Many of those memories came flooding back to Lanier as he reminisced about his time in Winnipeg, specifically that first phone call Katz made to him.

“I can remember it really well. First, he asked me if I would be interested in managing his team, the Winnipeg Goldeyes in Winnipeg, Canada. I said to myself, ‘Where in the heck is Winnipeg?’ I really didn’t know,” said Lanier. “What a great place to start your career in independent baseball. That was my big leagues. You couldn’t ask for anything better.

“I can’t express how much I love the fans and the city. It was just a great situation for me.”

In 1999, 2001 and 2002, the Goldeyes won their side of the league but were defeated by the Northeast League champions, so they were never credited with capturing a Northern League title under Lanier’s watch.

At the hall of fame induction, Katz presented Lanier with a memento that included the three years when the Goldeyes would have raised a banner were it not for the crossover series.

“He is probably as classy an individual as you’re going to find inside or outside of baseball. A man of integrity,” said Katz. “The best thing is I finally got to correct a terrible thing that happened. I got a plaque made acknowledging that Hal won the Northern League championship in 1999, 2001 and 2002. I know that’s something that he’s thought about for a long time.”

The Goldeyes played in the Northern League from 1994 to 2010 before joining the American Association in 2011.

Upon his arrival in Winnipeg, Lanier brought credibility and an immense knowledge of the game.

His unbridled passion for the sport of baseball was on display daily and during his tenure, numerous members of the Goldeyes either got back into Major League organziations or had their contracts purchased for the first time.

Five of those players made it all the way to the majors, including Jeff Zimmerman, Jeff Sparks, Brian Myrow, Bobby Madritsch and George Sherrill.

Zimmerman and Sherrill would go on to be selected to participate in the MLB All-Star Game with the Texas Rangers (1999) and Seattle Mariners (2008) respectively.

Lanier’s Goldeyes teams qualified for the post-season in eight consecutive seasons before missing the playoffs in 2004 and 2005.

That offseason he was replaced by Forney and joined the Joliet JackHammers.

Lanier also managed the Sussex Skyhawks and Ottawa Champions of the Can-Am League and the Normal CornBelters of the Frontier League.

“I didn’t know how long I was going to be in it. I didn’t even know if I was going to enjoy being in independent baseball,” said Lanier, whose No. 22 was retired by the Goldeyes in 2018. “But I loved every year of it.”

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X: @WiebesWorld