July 25, 2024

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

COOPERSTOWN, NY _ A lifetime baseball man once told me you are fortunate to spend your time in the game and have five trusted friends you can count on in other cities ... day or night, rain or shine.

Rain or shine, night and day, Tracy Ringolsby, Mark Whicker, Paul Hagen, Serge Touchette and Gerry Fraley were always there.

Fraley passed May 25, 2019 at the unfair age of 64. That was less than three months after I died -- twice in Okotoks -- but was brought back to life -- twice by the Okotoks angels team trainer Savannah Blakeley, photographer Angela Burger and coach Lou Pote.

And we have missed Fraley every day -- from the start of the spring training to the first possible elimination game of the World Series ... a day he always referred to as the “saddest day of the season.”

We come not to mourn Gerry Fraley, but to praise him, as Mark Whicker did so excellently Saturday afternoon at the Glimmerglass Opera house as Whicker gave a “grand-slam, walk-off homer,” accepting the Baseball Writers of America Association Career Excellence Award on behalf of Fraley’s surviving family.

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“Gerry always cared more about getting it right instead of being first ... he actually watched the game and knew what he was watching. He always framed his questions with respect and was a tireless worker who loved what he did ... and the game within the game. HE GOT IT!”

_ Buck Showalter, three-time manager of the year, former Texas Rangers manager.

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Gerry and I met in 1981 at West Palm Beach. He was covering the Atlanta Braves and I was learning the game writing about the Montreal Expos at Municipal Stadium, which the two teams shared. Not often, but maybe once a week we’d see an Atlanta Journal-Constitution in the lunch room or the press box.

We marvelled at the amount of copy and the angles he took on stories. He also had a notebook which included game details such as The Good, The Bad (and sometimes) The Ugly. Included in the categories could be anything from a hitter going 7-for-9 in his last 12 games with men in scoring position, to a reliever allowing five of the last eight inherited runners to score to a pitcher being late to cover first base and a runner beating him to the bag or not backing up third on a wild throw. (That may sound familiar as boss Wayne Parrish adopted a similar style.)

Reading his notes package in the AJC one night in Montreal I once asked Fraley how it was possible to talk to so many people in one day. In those days you could enter the clubhouse around 2 o’clock for a 7:35 first pitch. Now, clubhouse access is restricted to roughly 50 minutes, followed by the manager’s daily briefing before a 7:07 start.

Fraley explained that his daily goal was to talk to each of the 24 players on the 25-man roster -- the starter was off limits. Besides he would be available post game. I tried the ‘talk-to-24 player’ approach in a four-game road series in which each game was a night game.

Never got past 17.

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Mark Whicker’s excellent acceptance speech on the late Gerry Fraley.

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How good a friend was Gerry Fraley?

Well, he gave me my nickname. On April 8, 1986, the Expos opened the season in Atlanta losing 6-0 to the Braves, and Rick Mahler as Dale Murphy homered off Bryn Smith at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

The next day, an off day, I interviewed rookie Jeff Parrett on the top floor of the rotating restaurant atop the 52-story Marriott Marquis. Parrett was a Rule V player from the Milwaukee Brewers and the year before was on the first floor of a bus out of class-A Beloit in the Milwaukee Brewers’ system.

Gerry and I went to the Fox Theatre that night to watch Wrestlemania II on closed circuit. Early in the card, there was a three-man tag with Mr. T, The Haiti Kid and Joe Frazier going against (Hot Rod) Roddy Piper, Bob Orton and Lou Duva in a boxing match.

The announcers were always the highlight of wrasslin’ as Boxin’ Bob Orton squared off against Mr. T.

It kind of went like this: Orton gouged Mr. T in the eye even rubbing his thumb in Mr. T’s eye as he finished his punch.

Announcer Vince McMahon screamed “C’mon ref he THUMBED HIM, HE THUMBED HIM! That’s an automatic disqualification.”

Commentator Jesse (The Body) Ventura said: “What are you talking about McMahon? That’s the finest over-hand right I have seen since Rocky Marciano.”

I howled with laughter. The next day I walked into the press box, Gerry looked up and said, “It’s Boxin’ Bob,” and the nickname stuck like glue. It was later shortened to Boxer even though I only ever had one career fight and retired 0-1.

(Bobby Hunter and I were fooling around wrasslin’ during grade 5 recess at Rideau School. Tempers flared. I heard someone yell, ‘Hit him, Bobby’ I looked to wonder which Bobby this friend was cheering for and was popped in the nose. Ring the bell. This one was over.)

Of course, Serge Touchette of Le Journal de Montreal told writers in National League cities I was on the pro wrasslin’ circuit when I left for Toronto.

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Dallas Morning News VID _ Ron Washington, Joe Maddon, Jon Daniels, Stan Kasten, President George W. Bush and others pay tribute to Gerry Fraley

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How good a friend was Gerry Fraley?

Post-game in Toronto one would wait until the other finished. Then, we’d head to eat, often to Chinatown and Sai Woo’s restaurant.

About 15 years ago, the Blue Jays were headed to Arlington for a four-game series against the Rangers. Gerry phoned to see where I was staying. I had a great rate at new hotel north DFW Airport. Some place I’d never stayed before.

Gerry said it would be a large cab ride. I explained my office worried about hotel bills, but not cab rides. Gerry said not to worry. He’d pick me up. We’d go for lunch to a Mexican restaurant and then he’d drive me home.

We were driving home after the fourth game when I asked him “what did you write today?” He said, “Oh I’ve been off all weekend.” So, for four days my pal ran a shuttle service.

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How much did the Braves respect Fraley?

One spring training I asked future Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox how it was going? Really it was not a deep, probing question. It was not like how many injuries do you have? Are you dealing for another catcher. He could have taken it anywhere.

Cox’s answer:

“It’s been a little tough this spring,” Cox said, “we have some a new writer. He’s too busy covering Gerry Fraley or following Gerry’s stories rather than covering the Atlanta Braves. There is no chance of keeping up. The guy should do their own job, create their own path.”

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How much did the Texas Rangers respect Fraley?

He passed in May of 2019 and the next month -- then general manager Jon Daniels -- arranged for Fraley to be remembered on a conference call heard around the world. Kip Fagg, scouting director of the Rangers, said into the speaker phone:

“The Texas Rangers would like to dedicate their 25th round pick to the late Gerry Fraley, few writers loved the draft as much as Gerry ... the Rangers select catcher Raphael Pelletier (Mascouche, Que.).”

Gerry Fraley was respected by most. It did not matter if it was Bobby Cox or Buck Showalter, Dale Murphy or Nolan Ryan, back-up infielder or injured player, home and visiting clubhouse attendants, official scorers, scouts and umpires -- especially umpires and scouts. In umpire Dale Scott’s book he mentioned three trusted writers: Detroit’s John Lowe, Fraley and some old goat.

He did not suffer fools lightly and was as loyal as Seal Team VI. He was good to my two children when we visited he and his mom in Clearwater. He was great to me.

How many times have I heard something about the Rangers -- since he passed -- and typed in the first few letters of his email ... only to remember he was covering games upstairs with all the greats who have gone before him.

The one thing I knew for sure was … on my best day I could not carry his lap top.

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Fraley is survived by his wife, Stephanie; two wonderful twin sons, Tyson and Sam; their mom Pam and his siblings, Brad and Tracey, as well as their families.

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Some memories from his peers

“Gerry was covering the Braves for the Journal-Constitution, which had just merged and forced him to write AM and PM stories every day. He was on the New York stop of a trip and was having severe trouble with his Port a bubble, the large word processor that many ball writers used at the time. Frustrated with the quirky machine, Gerry tossed it out of the Shea Stadium press box and proceeded to dictate both stories from his notes. It was after the game, so it did not hit anyone in the stands but smashed to pieces. He told the office it was hit by a foul ball, and a replacement was sent to his hotel in Philadelphia, the next stop on the trip.”

_ Jack O’Connell, BBWAA secretary/treasurer, Mets, Yankees.

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“It’s been nearly 20 years but I’ll never forget an absolutely delightful night with Gerry at Frenchy’s in Clearwater. The man matched the place: laid back, terrific and friendly service and a grouper sandwich as good as you could get anywhere. I remember watching and listening to him there, a man in his element, wanting to be like him someday. And that hair. My god the man had great hair.”

_ Sam Mellinger, Kansas City Royals, used to cover the Royals.

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“It was impossible to read a Gerry Fraley story and not understand the game or the strategy or the people better. It was remarkable how hard he worked at his craft. He would begin first thing in the morning if he was covering a game that night, and how he gave us such insight on tight deadlines, I’ll never understand. We all have hilarious stories about Frales, about something he said or someone that annoyed him, but the bottom line is he had an incredible BS detector and did his job as well as anyone who has reported on sports. If he was your friend, he was a friend for life and would do anything for you. I’m like dozens and dozens of others in that his death leaves a hole that can never be filled.”

_ Richard Justice, Houston, covered the Orioles and the Astros.

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“For a couple of years in the mid-1980s, when Frales was covering the Braves and I was PR with the Expos, sharing spring training in West Palm Beach, we stayed at the same Cross Creek apartment complex. Most days after work I would wander over to Frales unit, bang on the door go in and watch TV from the sofa and drink his beer while he finished writing. We would talk for a while and then I would wander back to my place. Quiet conversations that were sarcastic, hilarious and oh so insightful about the game we loved. Always a highlight of my Expos springs.”

_ Richard Griffin, Griff’s the Pitch, covered the Blue Jays, worked for the Expos and the Jays.

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“I remember Frales and I standing on the field during batting practice before Game 3 of the 1986 World Series. It was his first trip ever to Fenway Park. He looked at The Green Monster and asked, ‘Do they take that thing down when the game begins?’

“I remember the Braves used to have a reliever in the 1980’s named Jeff Dedmon. Frales jokingly wrote that Dedmon wore a loud, plaid jacket into the hotel lobby one morning during a road trip. Braves owner Ted Turner saw him and said, ‘Dedmon, don’t wear plaid.’ It was a joke. But it went into Sunday notes columns across the country as fact. Frales had a big laugh over that.”

_ Tim Kurkjian, ESPN, who covered the Orioles, the Rangers and 28 other teams.

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“Why don’t you read the paper ... I wrote a column on him.”

_ Patrick Reusse, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, who covered the Twins.

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“Gerry would come by our clubhouse postgame on deadline with a question for our manager. It was usually regarding something he had just heard in his clubhouse. By the time he arrived, our media sessions were over, but our managers would give Gerry some time whether it was Lou Piniella, Joe Maddon or Kevin Cash. They knew they were going to get a serious, relevant question and respected Gerry’s work ethic and his desire to be exact. Often times what he would learn didn’t end up in the paper but he wanted to make sure he was fair and above all he wanted to make sure he got it right before he went upstairs to file.

_ Rick Vaughn, former executive Tampa Bay Rays.

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“It was very clear Gerry cared about the game, his personal relationships built within it and, probably most importantly, his readers. It showed in his work ethic and his lifetime of work. Those of us in public relations positions knew we could trust him. We all love a straight shooter.”

_ Rob Butcher, New York Yankees (1993-1995), Cincinnati Reds (1997-2023).

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“A game between the Houston Astros and the Atlanta Braves at the Astrodome in the early ‘80s was moving along without incident when management tried to scare up some enthusiasm for the home team with an image of clapping hands on the scoreboard. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw another sportswriter in the press box lean out over the railing, from whence he yelled to unsuspecting fans below.

“Clap, you sheep!”

“Who,” I asked the guy next to me, “is that?!?!”

“Gerry Fraley,” he said.

Such was my introduction to the greatest sportswriter I would ever know.”

_ Kevin Sherrington, Dallas Morning News, who has covered the Rangers.

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“Frales was universally respected and, more, universally liked. That is a tough needle to thread in that business.”

_ Hall of Fame hockey scribe Michael Farber, who used to cover the Expos.

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“Gerry Fraley was the ultimate ball scribe. Fiercely competitive and incredibly driven, Gerry was a wonderful relationship-builder and excellent writer and reporter. Beyond all that, what stood out was how he treated and took care of visiting beat writers. It would have been very easy for Gerry to put all his focus on his daily job, but he had a kind enough heart that he would always approach out-of-town writers who walked into the clubhouse that he covered. He would approach you, ask you what you needed and introduce you to players and coaches and anyone else who passed by. He obviously had respect from everybody in the room. Then during the game, he would check on you again in the press box and again ask if you needed anything. After the game, he would share whatever he gathered from his clubhouse that might be of interest to you. And then later, when it was time to leave, he would make sure you had transportation and even volunteer to drive you where you needed to go. He made you feel good about your work and industry. It was an old-school approach to covering a beat, and it certainly worked for him and was an inspiration for others. I’m sorry Gerry wasn’t with us when he won the Career Excellent Award, but I’m confident he realized what he meant to the business and so many others who respected what he did and who he was.”

_ John Shea, San Francisco, who has covered the A’s and the Giants.

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“I always made buying a newspaper the first thing I did after getting off a flight in Dallas to see what Fraley wrote. I remember standing at the baggage carousel reading his lede that started:

“Rangers pseudo-ace Kevin Brown....” The story backed up the lede with skillful writing, using but not abusing stats and as always with Fraley, made me feel like I was at the game and in the clubhouse.

“Riding cabs and going to restaurants with him, I always appreciated how nice he was to servers drivers and how generously he tipped. But once at dinner our waitress was in a foul mood, slamming plates down, etc. Frales gave it right back to her with four words: “Thank you, Nurse Ratched.”

_ Tom Keegan, who used to cover the Dodgers, the Orioles, the Yankees, the Mets and the Red Sox.

“Frales and I first crossed paths when I took over the Orioles’ section of the writers’ notes network at some point in the early 2000s. He made a point of coming over to me in the Camden Yards press box to introduce himself. From that point, Frales always took care of me. Any nugget he ever heard about the Orioles he would throw it to me, and sometimes it led to a story. I would try to do the same with any Ranger news I might stumble upon. It wasn’t an even street, though, because of how plugged in Frales was.”

* * *

“But he took that to an extreme one offseason. I woke up in the morning to an email from Gerry. Apparently he was looking through winter stats in Mexico and Venezuela -- well after midnight -- and found a guy the Orioles had signed to a minor league deal who was leading the Venezuela Winter League in hitting. He had the stats, the guy’s contract, everything. It was a slow time and I put together a little brief on it and added it to another hot stove thing. But first I emailed him back and was like, ‘Frales, what the hell are you doing? You need a hobby, man.’ It was before those stats were readily available on the internet. I still have no idea where he found them. He quickly responded to my email with one sentence. ‘It’s a sickness, Danno.’ I loved that guy, man.”

_ Dan Connolly, Sportskeeda.com.who has covered the Orioles for the past 23 years.