GEORGE SKILES HALL OF FAME SPEECH
John “Stray” Corrado’s Introduction Speech for George Skiles:
George Skiles, the Sacramento Capitals (formerly the Los Angeles Riots) owner, joined the Mid-West Baseball League in 1998 which was only the MWBL’s second season. George is one of the leagues most respected managers, not only for his ability to put a winning franchise on the field game in and game out, but as an owner who’s dedication and commitment to the MWBL is always in the best interest of the leagues. With ten (10) Division Titles, two (2) League Championships & two (2) World Series Titles, George has truly shown that his ability to build a winning franchise has not gone unnoticed. It is my honor to welcome George Skiles, just the 5th manager inducted, to the Mid-West Baseball League’s first Hall of Fame. Welcome to the show!
George Skiles’ Speech:
Thank you to the Mid-West Baseball League, for being the best league around, and to every member of the Veterans’ Committee, past and present, who voted for my induction into the Mid-West Baseball League Hall of Fame. This is truly a special day.
I am honored, and I am thankful. I am thankful for the quality of this league, and for its longevity; thankful for the friendships this league has cultivated, and for the competition it has fostered; thankful for a commissioner, and his support team, for the effort and time put into this league; thankful for Chris, Stray, Paul, and Brian—those who have gone before me, and who have taught me many a lesson; thankful for those that will follow, who promise to teach me many more; and I am thankful for Albert Pujols … but we’ll get to him in a moment.
I am most thankful for my wife, who loves baseball but can’t help but laugh every time Draft Day comes around, who rolls her eyes when I tell her I need a few hours to play Chris head-to-head because I “really need to win these games” (and then lose 11 of 12), and who has asked me on more than a few occasions why I continue playing through the heartache of so many playoff defeats. I never had to answer; she knew why. It was fun; always has been. Even before she truly began to enjoy baseball, she knew I had fun drafting, trading, and competing with Jeff, Chris, Michael, and so many others. Now, she gives me trade advice, and has always allowed me to have my fun.
This leads me to Jeff James of the Northridge Quakes, and a small cadre of inaugural MWBL’ers—including Chris Douglass (Tempe), and Michael Fauntleroy (New River)—whom I have known since high school, or well before, and who introduced me to APBA. Coincidentally, it started in middle school, on a bus trip to our state capitol, Sacramento, CA, when I played my first baseball dice game; Jeff created it using a box of baseball cards we bought. After trying a couple different games, we soon adopted APBA as our favorite. It had its faults, but there was something about it. It was awesome, and a small group of us continued playing for several years. Jeff, Chris, and Michael moved to Arizona in the years following high school and, in 1997, together joined the MWBL. They bragged that they had found the best league around. I was jealous. So, despite my long hiatus from APBA, they introduced me to Stray and, in 1998, I joined the MWBL as the owner of the Los Angeles Riots. Jeff, Chris, and Michael, you were right. This is a good league.
And, so, along came Stray … I am very thankful for Stray. We all benefit from the work he has put into this league. From the mundane coordination of weekly default and game files—week in, week out—to the extraordinary … the constant website improvements; the collection of stats from years past, and Draft Day—it seems like Draft Day is better organized and runs more smoothly each and every year. Stray gives it his all. Even when dealing with the unpleasant issues a commissioner must face now and again, the delinquent franchise owner or the “creative” rule bender, Stray handles it with poise and class.
Finally, much thanks goes to my fellow owners, past and present. Every year for the past 15 years, I look forward to Draft Day, post-draft open trading, the start of the season, trading deadlines, the pennant races and the playoffs, the weekly exchange of default and game files—and so many clever game summaries—the witty insults, and the trade announcements. Simply put, you all make the MWBL something to look forward to. And, I look forward to it all, except the trade offers from Chris, though he entices me more often than not.
I will admit, when I first joined the MWBL, I was in over my head. I didn’t know anything about minor leaguers—some of you might suggest I still don’t. It took some time, a lot of losses and some very bad trades, to get a feel for things. The Riots suffered a disappointing first season, going 48-114, but it was a good year, nonetheless. I was back, competing against some great friends once again. Success would eventually come for the Riots and, after my move to Sacramento, for the Capitals. In 15 years, I’ve compiled a 1510-920 record, the third most wins in MWBL history. I’ve been named manager of the year 6 times, won the NL West division in 10 of 15 seasons, and won back-to-back World Series Championships in 2011 and 2012. But, it hasn’t all been pleasant. Two of my best teams were victims of crushing defeats—in 2004 and 2010 I won 122 and 121 games respectively, and was crushed in 4-1 NLCS losses to Tempe and Iron City, respectively. In fact, between 2002 and 2010, we were beaten up pretty good in the NLCS, losing six straight NLCS series—three to Tempe, two to Kentucky, and one to Iron City. I’ve suffered convincing defeats by many, some of which took some time to get over.
Despite the ups and downs, I’ve found the best part of the MWBL to be the friendship, competition, and enjoyment of the game. It’s been a blast playing head-to-head against old friends and new. I’ve enjoyed the rivalries built over the years … with Northridge, Tempe, Camarillo (the old “West Coast Connection”), Iron City and West Coast, and the now defunct Kentucky Head Hunters, among others. Looking at these teams, the National League has truly been awesome.
Over the years, I’ve learned quite a bit about what it means to succeed in the MWBL. The most important lesson, however—and I understand the risk of sharing this with all of you—is, at any cost, acquire Albert Pujols. What can you say about a guy who has won the Rookie of the Year and 8 MVP awards and over the course of 11 seasons? Simply, I couldn’t have done it without him. Over this time, he compiled a .316 Average and .406 OBP; he hit 490 doubles and 488 home runs; and he knocked in 1,314 RBI and scored 1,438 runs. That’s a lot. Keep it up, Albert.
But, even the best needs a supporting cast. Indeed, Albert had a lot of help. In 15 seasons, we brought home 8 Most Valuable Player, 4 Rookie of the Year, 3 Cy Young, 2 Rolaids Relief, and 14 Gold Glove awards. Sure, Albert is responsible for most of these, but he couldn’t have done it without pitchers like Justin Verlander, Cliff Lee, Kevin Brown, Jason Schmidt, Jarrod Washburn, and Randy Wolf; or without the bats of Robinson Cano, Jason Bay, Scott Rolen, Kevin Youkilis, Carlos Lee, Ichiro Suzuki, Bret Boone, and Sean Casey.
Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t recognize two managers—Mike Roberts and Steve Cutler—who have helped make this league what it is today. For the past several years, Hall of Fame voting was split between us three; some years Steve would receive more votes; in other years, it would be Mike; and in others, myself. I felt proud to be in your company, lucky to be the one to finally make it in, and humbled knowing what you can do. Without endorsing anyone in particular for the next round of voting, I have to say that the two of you are absolutely two of the best managers around, and the two managers I’ve had to beat in the 2011 and 2012 World Series to be here today. I truly enjoy watching what you can do, and truly dread seeing you in the playoffs.
Thank you, everybody. Good night.