NumerOlogy

Last week, I happened to write a post on my Orioles Card O’ the Day blog about the wonders of the Internet. I was recounting the various responses I’d received from people with some connection to the players I’d profiled: Todd Cruz’s godchild, a family friend of Sammy Stewart, one of Arnie Portocarrero’s children. The very next day I received an email from John O’Donoghue, thanking me for my interest in baseball and the Orioles. I wrote him back to thank him and to ask for an interview. He agreed, and shared the following uni number-related remembrance:

My initial number in spring training was 61, but when I was called up I was given 46. I was lucky enough to have spent time that spring with Mike Flanagan talking pitching and after growing up in Maryland knew 46 was his number. I felt uncomfortable wearing his number until he gave me his blessing. He was very good to me.

It’s great to hear about that sort of generational link between O’s pitchers, don’t you think? Anyway, before I start with the interview, let me give you a little bit of background. John Preston O’Donoghue is the son of John Eugene O’Donoghue, and the duo are the only father and son to ever pitch for the Orioles. The younger O’Donoghue was signed by Baltimore in 1990 out of Louisiana State University as an undrafted free agent, and pitched eleven games for the Birds in 1993, going 0-1 with a 4.58 ERA and sixteen strikeouts in nineteen and two-thirds innings. Now that you know a bit about John, here are the questions I emailed him and the responses he provided.

KB: Your father’s career ended just a few years after you were born. Though you didn’t necessarily grow up in the clubhouse like other second-generation baseball players, can you tell me what sort influence your father had on your development as a pitcher?

JO: My Dad’s career had a tremendous impact on my childhood. While I don’t remember going to watch him play, he and I went to a lot of Orioles and Phillies games. I grew up in Elkton, MD and was close to both cities. Going to the games for me meant going into the clubhouse to meet the players and my Dad’s old teammates that were coaching. I was young enough to think that everyone did this. I was fortunate that my Dad was my pitching coach while growing up and taught me good mechanics early on.

KB: Which players did you admire during your childhood?

JO: My favorite player growing up was Ron Guidry of the Yankees. Even though I grew up in Maryland my favorite team was the Yankees. As you can imagine I was on the receiving end of a lot of verbal abuse from my friends. I met Guidry while I was in college and we played a game in Lafayette, LA against his alma mater, the ULL Ragin’ Cajuns.

KB: Most baseball fans probably know your father best through Jim Bouton’s anecdotes in his bestselling book Ball Four. Have you read the book? If so, what were your impressions? Do you think that his depiction of your father was accurate?

JO: This is a very tough question for me to answer. I was asked about Ball Four only one other time and that was at the College World Series in 1990. The question was what I would do if I ever met Jim Bouton and I said that I might punch him in the mouth. Young men say and do silly things. Fortunately I didn’t see Bouton until years later when I had matured a little bit. I ignored Bouton and walked the other way. I read Ball Four in high school and one time was enough. Bouton’s method of obtaining information bothered me a great deal. Listening to conversations that you are not involved in and then writing about them is wrong. To my knowledge none of his teammates knew that he was writing a book and his questions had an ulterior motive behind them. It would be different if he had told his teammates that he was writing the book and they agreed to discuss things in front of him. I have never asked my Dad about Bouton’s allegations.

KB: Before you pitched for the Orioles, you were college teammates with Ben McDonald. Were you very close to him?

JO: Ben and I are still close. We live about 5 minutes away from each other. Our kids play at the same baseball/softball complex and our families see each other often. Ben’s family treated me great while I was at LSU. They introduced me to crawfish, jambalaya, gumbo, and etouffee. We both still bleed purple and gold, Geaux Tigers!!!

KB: Did you have any superstitions as a player?

JO: I had one superstition. I pitched with my Dad’s rookie card in my back pocket. I started doing this while at LSU. I had his card in my locker and stuck it in my pocket while walking out of the clubhouse to pitch a game. I had a good game and continued to pitch with his card. I ruined several cards due to sweat until our equipment manager gave me a card protector. I did this the rest of my career.

KB: Despite being signed as an undrafted free agent in 1990, you made it to the major leagues within four years. How did you find out that you were being called up? What was your reaction?

JO: I found out I was being called up while sitting in my apartment in Rochester, NY. The AAA pitching coach called me with the news. My fiancé was in Canada competing in a track meet, my Dad was on the road coaching the AA Bowie team, and my roommate, Mel Wearing, was out of the apartment. I couldn’t get in touch with the people I wanted to tell the most. You have to keep in mind that this was 1993 and hardly anyone had a cell phone. The biggest news of my life and I had no one to tell. I stuck my head out of my apartment window and yelled “I’m going to the big leagues”! Someone yelled back “who cares, shut up”.

KB: You made your major league debut in June 1993 against the Yankees: Bernie Williams, Wade Boggs, Don Mattingly…were you especially nervous that day?

JO: It was hard to sleep the night before the game. I stayed in the hotel behind left field at Camden Yards and walked to the stadium with the fans that arrived early for the game. I was very nervous until Rick Sutcliffe pulled me aside and gave me some great advice. He said you only get your MLB debut once, so don’t be so nervous that you can’t enjoy it. I relaxed some after that. Rick treated all the young guys great. Unfortunately, the Yankees weren’t as nice to me and hit three home runs. Maybe I should have told them before the game that they were my favorite team when I was growing up.

KB: This question is near and dear to my own heart. How did it feel to see your picture on a baseball card?

JO: I was honored to have my own card. It was exciting to see the pictures from the different companies as they would come out. While growing up I would watch my Dad sign cards that came in the mail and was very impressed. I signed autographs while in college and the minor leagues, but signing your own major league card for the first time was quite thrilling.

KB: After your only season in the majors, you spent three more years in the minor leagues before your career ended. Was it a difficult decision to walk away, or did you see the writing on the wall, so to speak?

JO: It was not a difficult decision to leave baseball. I had always told myself that when the game wasn’t fun anymore it was time to leave. My wife, Kelli, was pregnant with our first child and I was only able to see her for 3 weeks in the first 6 months of her pregnancy. I knew that there was no way that I could leave my family for extended periods of time. I still enjoyed baseball, but realized that I would continue to be a player that would struggle to make clubs and would be released when their prospects were ready for the next level. Dragging my family around the country to different minor league towns and hoping for another call up was not my idea of a stable life. Professional baseball is a business and I realized this early on in my career.

KB: What are you doing these days?

JO: I am the luckiest guy I know. I have a healthy wife and children that love me and was able to work in the only two professions I was interested in; baseball and law enforcement. I have been a Police Officer in Baton Rouge, LA now for over 11 years. I am assigned to our full time Special Response Team (SWAT) where I am a tactical operator and sniper. I enjoy my job now more than I ever did playing baseball. The men that I have the honor to work with everyday are by far the best team I have ever been on. Baseball helped prepare me for the team mentality that must exist on my current “playing field”. I stay in shape by training in jiu-jitsu, which I have developed somewhat of an obsession for. I train with current UFC fighters Rich Clementi, Tim Credeur, and Kyle Bradley. I was lucky enough to train with former champ Rich Franklin once. It amazes me that these world class athletes are willing to share their craft with anyone that asks. I have been married to my wife for almost 15 years and have two children that keep us busy. My son, Tyler, plays baseball, football, and takes jiu-jitsu. My daughter, Abby, plays tennis, softball, and takes tumbling and jiu-jitsu. They are both excellent students which is what I am most proud of.

KB: Have you stayed in touch with any of your former teammates?

JO: I stay in touch with a lot of my college teammates. I live close to LSU, so I still see many former Tigers. Pro ball is completely different from anything else I have ever encountered. You could have a best friend and roommate in pro ball, but when one of you is traded or released you never see them again. I still consider many of my former teammates friends, but I haven’t heard from them in years. Professional athletics is definitely a different world.

KB: Do you follow the current Orioles team?

JO: Unfortunately I don’t get to see many of the Orioles games. I was able to stay fairly current when my Dad was still coaching in their farm system, but he retired a few years ago. My family’s activities keep me very busy and I greatly enjoy following them. I hate to see the highlights from Camden Yards and the stadium is half full. Hopefully that will soon change and it will get back to a sold out stadium.

KB: Thanks again for your time. It’s been an honor and a pleasure to talk to you.

JO: Thank you again for being such a fan of the game. I truly believe that baseball is so great because of its fans.

Tags: 28, 46, 61, ex-Orioles, interviews

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