Starkman never saw Hall of Fame induction coming

By: Andrew Hendriks

Canadian Baseball Network

ST. MARYS - Despite a lengthy career that featured a laundry list of impressive accomplishments, meaningful moments and prestigious accolades, Howard Starkman never saw this coming.

On Saturday, the longtime Toronto Blue Jays public relations pundit was one of six individuals recognized by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame for their dedication and exhaustive contributions to the game.

“I was shocked” said Starkman when asked about how he felt after finding out that he was part of the 2016 induction class. “I knew Scott Crawford (the Canadian ball hall’s Director of Operations) from dealing with other team related things, so I had no idea it was about this. I wasn’t even aware that I had been nominated... I mean, why would anyone nominate me? I worked in the industry for that long but I didn’t consider myself a hall of famer”.

Rounding out a diverse class of 2016 inductees, Starkman was joined by pitching greats Denis Martinez and Pat Hentgen, Canadian-born super scout Wayne Norton, influential broadcaster Tony Kubek and Brantford’s William Shuttleworth, a man whose life work earned him the moniker “Father of Canadian Baseball”.

When considering individuals for induction into the Canadian shrine, those involved in the voting process draw their conclusions based off the body of work and overall impact a potential inductee has had on the game in Canada.

Considering his stellar career with the Blue Jays, Howie certainly fit the bill.

When it all began in 1976, Starkman was the fourth individual hired by the Toronto baseball club. His tenure with the team predates the Blue Jays name, iconic logo and with exception of Peter Bavasi, and fellow Canadian Baseball Hall of Famers in Paul Beeston and Pat Gillick, every other employee that followed him.

After Bavasi was named as the Blue Jays inaugural General Manager, one of his first directives was to “sell the sizzle” of major league baseball in Toronto.  To assist him in that task, team ownership set their sights on Maple Leaf Gardens in an attempt to pick the pocket of legendary hockey man Harold Ballard.

Thanks in part to a connection he made while attending a Memorial Cup game at the Gardens, Starkman began his career in sports as a box office attendant with the Leafs in 1967.  From that point on he worked his way up the chain, serving in a number of roles including team travel, communications and Director of Publicity.

Starkman was quickly building a reputation within the local sports scene, and it was this reputation that made him a must have employee when Labatts was laying the framework for what was to become one of the most efficient and respected front offices in baseball.

“Labatts approached me in 1976 after some of the hockey media members recommended me for the job. “ recalled Starkman. “I took the baseball opportunity, moved over and it was the best thing I ever did. I love the game, and it just worked out well for me.”

Over his career with the Jays, Starkman was involved in a plethora of key initiatives involving the team.  Of these initiatives, the Name the Team contest, World Series promotions and the wildly successful Montreal exhibition games stand out among the memories.

“The group from Montreal (Evenko) came down to see Beeston, (Alex) Anthopolous and myself, and they wanted to propose us playing pre-season games out there.” explained Starkman. “Paul thought it was a great idea, Alex was from Montreal and I liked it too except I knew it would be a lot of work!”.

Starkman oversaw some of the finer details in setting up Major League Baseball’s grand return to “La Belle Province”, and is incredibly proud of the cities response to the exhibition series.

“I took on the responsibility of getting Olympic Stadium, which hadn’t been used for baseball in ten years, ready for the games.” explained the Blue Jays Vice President of Special Projects. “The attendance was way beyond what we could have expected.  We’ve done it for a few years and we’re going to continue do it for a few more.”.

Although he “retired” in 2014, Starkman still frequents the offices at One Blue Jays way. These days, the 71-year old serves as an advisor of sorts, and is playing a pivotal role in the overall transition between Beeston and (the outgoing team President) Mark Shapiro, who took over for the long-time Blue Jas boss last fall.

“Mark asked me to stay, and I’m going to stay until the end of December in a consulting role. If they have any questions, I sort of know where all the bodies are buried.” said Starkman with a laugh.

For his steadfast approach to ensuring that all media outlets received timely and relevant information, years of dedicated service and an impeccable love of the game, Howard Starkman embodies all that is a Hall of Famer. 

We at the Canadian Baseball Network wish to congratulate Howie on both his outstanding career, and a well-earned induction to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.