BACK IN THE GAME BUTLER HOPES FOR ROUND-TRIP TO BIGS THROUGH JETHAWKS.Byline: Gideon Rubin Special to the Daily News Brett Butler Brett Butler can refer to different people:
At the time, Butler was four years removed from a 17-year career as a major-league outfielder, including two stints with the Dodgers, where he was arguably the organization's most popular player of the last decade. He had already survived a bout with throat cancer, and had launched a successful career as a motivational speaker A motivational speaker is a professional speaker, facilitator or trainer who speaks to audiences, usually for a fee. The keynote speech generally takes place either at the beginning of the event, or the close of the event. that included appearances before business and religious groups. He also worked as a part-time baseball coach at Greater Atlanta Christian School Greater Atlanta Christian School (GACS) is a private Christian school affiliated with the Church of Christ that is located in Norcross, Georgia. Greater Atlanta Christian School enrolls students between the ages of 4 years up to grade twelve. . But his daughter's question caused him to reassess his life after baseball that triggered his return to the game. Within a year, he resurfaced as a Dodgers spring training instructor in 2002, and has since worked as a minor league instructor and manager in the New York Mets
The Arizona Diamondbacks (also referred to as the D-backs) are a Major League Baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They play in the West Division of the National League. first base coach last year. Butler, 48, is now managing the Lancaster JetHawks The Lancaster JetHawks are a minor league baseball team in Lancaster, California, USA. They are a Class-A Advanced team in the California League, and are a farm team of the Boston Red Sox. , the Diamondbacks advanced Class-A affiliate in the Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley , about an hour north of Dodger Stadium • • [ , a job he hopes will lead him to his goal of becoming a major league manager. "I don't just want to manage, I want to be a great manager and for me to do that I have to come back to the minor leagues and do it the right way," Butler said. "I was one step ahead as a player. I didn't have great talent but one thing I did was I analyzed the game." An overachieving outfielder whose life is a story of overcoming long odds he returned to the Dodgers five months after surgery and radiation treatments five months after being diagnosed with throat cancer, a scenario doctors told him was a 5,000 to 1 shot of occurring - Butler reached the major leagues with the Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From to the present, the Braves have played in Turner Field. within three years of being their 23rd round pick in the 1979 draft. Butler cites his Christian faith with helping overcome adversity in his personal life. Two years ago, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer prostate cancer, cancer originating in the prostate gland. Prostate cancer is the leading malignancy in men in the United States and is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer death in men. . The illness is in remission after undergoing radiation prostate seed implant treatment. Although Butler's greatest physical gift as a player was speed, his grit, hustle and aggressive playing style helped him get spot on the 1991 National League All-Star team as a Dodger and made him a fan-favorite in playing stints everywhere he went. Arizona farm director A.J. Hinch said Butler's background and ability to connect with younger players, makes him an attractive managerial prospect. "The person that is the manager and the person that was the player are the same," Hinch said. "His energy, his knowledge of the game, his personal history make him a unique manager." Butler inherits one of the most prospect-rich teams in all of minor league baseball
That group includes Carlos Gonzalez, a 20-year-old left-handed hitting Venezuelan outfielder (ranked fourth among Arizona's prospects). Justin Upton, last season's No. 1 overall pick, starts the season at low-A South Bend (Ind.), but could be in Lancaster this summer, too. Perhaps it is because of his background that Butler is more comfortable talking about his midlevel mid·lev·el n. The middle stage or level, as in a series, course of action, or career. prospects such as shortstop Derek Bruce, a 19th round draft pick in 2004 whose ascension to prominence in the Diamondbacks' system in reminiscent of Butler's. "There are a lot of (tools) you can measure, but you can't measure a guy's heart and there's nobody out there who's got more heart than Bruce," Butler said. Butler's life has not been without controversy. He has been outspoken about his faith throughout his career. He was a member of "Battin' for Dollars," an anti-abortion group made up of former major leaguers including staunchly conservative Kentucky senator Jim Bunning. Many considered statements he made about always wanting to play for the Dodgers disingenuous, after he was quoted making similar comments while playing for the arch-rival San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California that currently play in the National League West Division. New York Giants history Early days and the John McGraw era . Butler considers that perception to be a misconception. He said he grew up with a fondness for both organizations. Butler was born in Los Angeles and is the nephew of a former Dodgers bat boy. He was raised in Fremont, just across the bay from San Francisco. His decision to sign with the Dodgers after three years with the Giants did not play well with Bay Area fans. Those sentiments were exacerbated on opening day of 1991 at Candlestick Candlestick A price chart that displays the high, low, open, and close for a security each day over a specified period of time. Park. "I remember going out to shake (former manager) Tommy Lasorda's hand and he hugged me and everybody went nuts. From then on I was always booed in San Francisco," Butler said. Butler admits his faith is an integral part of his persona. It also affects the way he manages. He has asked that players not use profanity Irreverence towards sacred things; particularly, an irreverent or blasphemous use of the name of God. Vulgar, irreverent, or coarse language. The use of certain profane or obscene language on the radio or television is a federal offense, but in other situations, profanity , especially not around him. "To me, if you go out there and cuss in front of little kids out there who look up to a guy who's out there wearing a uniform I think that's going to paint you in a bad light," Butler said. "I'm not just trying to teach these guys how to be big leaguers on the field, I'm trying to teach them to be men of character and integrity off the field." Players acknowledge refraining from swearing to be an unusual request, and Butler says he is not sure if major leaguers would be willing to refrain from cussing. But for now, his JetHawks players are trying to honor their manager's wishes. Butler said he has placed put an unspecified time frame getting a major league managerial job. But for now, he says teaching baseball fundamentals to eager minor leaguers has had a rejuvenating effect. "I'm excited about being here," Butler said. "I'm excited about working with these young men for 140 games and managing 25 guys. They're still paying me to do this, and that's a wonderful thing." gideon.rubin@dailynews.com (818)713-3607 CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Former Dodgers outfielder Brett Butler hopes his new position, as manager of the California League's Lancaster JetHawks, leads to a big -league job. Gene Blevins/Staff Photographer (2) Centerfielder Brett Butler, pictured here as a Dodger, manages the Lancaster JetHawks, a Single-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Otto Greule Jr./Getty Images |
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