Player Spotlight - Jon McNecirty

[felipe]

The current Louisville Slugger manager, Jon McNerity, is a former MBBA all-star player, a former inaugural MBBA player (1973), and an inaugural member of the MBBA Hall of Fame (1996 class)

The likeable Slugger manager manned third base for the California Crusaders for 14 seasons, spanning from 1973, (25 years old), until he was dealt to Greenville at the trade deadline of 1986, at age 38. He spent one more capable year in the MBBA for the Grenville club, retiring at age 39 at the conclusion of the 1987 season.

Each and every year from 1974 to 1981, he was the Johnson League all-star at third base. In those years he led the Crusaders to 4 playoffs, two league championships, and one Landis Memorial Trophy. Over his 14 year career with the Crusaders, he amassed 6 playoffs, and 3 league championships, (and one Landis title).

It seems a shame they dumped him at the end of his career; but in 1986, (after 13 years of success and manager stability) a new manager came into California who apparently didn't truck with nostalgia, Nick Porcaro.

After his retirement in 1987, McNerity kept a low profile, until his induction into the MBBA hall of fame in 1996. This prompted him to get back into baseball, and he joined the Hawaii Tropic organization with the AA level Carson City Gamblers. He managed there for four years, earning a 1st place finish, 2 thirds, and a fourth before jumping to the Las Vegas club, and managing their AA club, Reno Aces to a 2nd place finish in 2000.

This impressed the Vegas club so much that they installed him as their bench coach for 2001 - and he won the Landis for the second time in his career, first time as a coach. 2002 saw the Vegas club win their division again, and Buffalo had seen enough to pry the highly sought coach away from Vegas.

Installed as Buffalo's coach - he contributed mightily to the transformation of that club as they went from 4th to 1st in his first two seasons as bench coach. They finished second in his third year, and Louisville had seen enough.

Louisville offered him his first MBBA managerial post, and he eagerly accepted. Currently in the midst of a massive rebuilding project, his managerial record is sure to improve in the future.

(note - I knew nothing about his playing career before I started researching this piece - I was gonna can him - but not now!)

[recte44]

I forgot he was my bench coach for a while. Now, I'm grooming Hall of Famer Randy Spratt as my next manager.

[trmmilwwi]

Cool spotlight... that span of all star games is impressive. And how do you can a guy like that? That nick guy is heartless;)