Earliest Baseball Memory: Hollering at utility man Frank Quilici when I was 6-7 years old. In my best Ken Simone imitation, I badly mangled the pronunciation.

Cherished Autograph or Photo Opp: I was was working in the advertising group of a local department store and we had Brooke Shields make some in-store appearances. I had a couple of MLB game balls on-hand, and when I asked her to sign, she seemed curious, as though she’d never heard of such a thing. But she was very pleasant, even cautiously asking “So you want me to write my name on this ball?” 

Brushes with Fame: Gordon Jump, Fred McGriff, Martin Mull. President Clinton, John Tesh*, Kevin Sorbo, and the guy named “Ruben” from the Subway commercials. Oh, and I saw Tony LaRussa driving the Dan Ryan Expressway—his vanity plate caught my attention: “SOX-10.”

*My son was born about six hours after this encounter.

Shirt Size: L

Biggest Trade Regret: Badly overpaid for Sterling Hitchcock.

Streaming TV Networks: Apple TV, Peacock.

I’m Loyal to This Brand: Adidas, Kirkland Ice Cream from Costco.

Favorite Vacation: Santa Fe NM, Sydney.

Best Uniform in All of Sports: 1960-80s Oakland A’s with the gold sanitary socks. Also love the Washington Bullets/Wizards with the red horizontal stripes, and the Montreal Canadiens; it’s amazing how unique they both look using common colors. I like being able to immediately identify who’s playing, so also big points for Brazil’s national soccer team, Packers, Steelers, 49ers, Cowboys, Philadelphia Flyers, Showtime-era Lakers, Browns, and the Norwegian Curling Team. Serious demerits for any team wearing all black or camo uniforms.

Why I Love PGB: Nothing in life is as amusing or absurd. Oh, and pizza talk.

MANAGER RECORD

Seasons: 23
Record: 2142-1584 (.575)
Playoffs: 17
World Series: 5
Championships: 2003, 2011, 2021
MVPs: 0
Cy Young: Pedro Martinez (2003), CC Sabathia (2009), Yovani Gallardo (2013)
Rookie of the Year: Robinson Cano (2006)
Playoff MVPs: Pedro Martinez (2003), Ubaldo Jiminez (2011)