Tony Saladino Jr. - Godfather of Tampa & Ybor baseball

• Mark introduces Tony Saladino Jr an educator, historian, baseball enthusiast, and advocate of the game
• Tony is highly respected in Tampa's baseball community and known for his contributions, including the Tony Saladino Senior Tournament.
• Tony's Baseball Beginnings:
• Tony fell in love with baseball in Ybor City, inspired by Al Lopez.
•  He played in a recreational league before Little Leagues existed, directed by Andrew Espolita, who also influenced Lou Piniella and Tony La Russa.
• Hillsborough County's Baseball Legacy:
• Hillsborough County boasts over 95 baseball players who made it to Major League Baseball.
• Tony reminisces about the vibrant baseball culture and the facilities like Cuscaden Park in Ybor City.
• Personal Connections and Memorabilia:
• Tony shares personal stories and mementos from his home, including connections to Wade Boggs and the Al Lopez statue project.
• He recounts memories of Al Lopez and the impact of the Al Lopez Field
• Tony Saladino Senior Tournament:
• Founded in honor of Tony's father, the tournament has been running for 44 years.
• The tournament started with 11 teams and now features 42 teams from Hillsborough County.
•  The Saladino family, especially Tony's wife, Bertha, played a crucial role in hosting scouts and supporting the tournament's success.
• Community and Support:
  • The Saladino family provided free admission, programs, and home-cooked meals for scouts 
  • The tournament became a significant scouting event, known nationwide for its hospitality and talent showcase
• Expansion and Collaboration:
  • The Tampa Bay Rays front office proposed moving the Saladino championship game to Tropicana Field 
  • Tony suggested an All-Star game between Hillsborough and Pinellas County instead.
  • The All-Star game continues to strengthen community ties and promote local talent.
• Notable Players and Awards:
  • The tournament has seen many players go on to Major League Baseball, including Doc Gooden and Dave Magadan. 
  • Tony recounts the story of Dave Magadan signing his Alabama scholarship at Tony's home.
• University of Tampa's Success:
  • Tony shares the pride of seeing his grandson, Nico Saladino, play as a shortstop for the University of Tampa (UT)
  • UT victory in the NCAA Division II World Series.
• Legacy and Future:
  • Saladino's son now manages the tournament, continuing the family tradition. 
  • Tony reflects on his lifelong dedication to baseball a
  • His motto: "I'm slowing down, but I'm not stopping."
• Special Thanks to Williams Ross Chernoff's Nomads for the music Makie Elkino
• Show Notes created in part by ChatGPT

Transcript

Tony Saladino j
 godfather-of-tampa-ybor-baseball

[00:00:00] Mark Corbett: Welcome to BaseballBiz On Deck. I am Mark Corbett host, and with me today I have the great Tony Saladino. This man is I, he's fantastic. He's, he's been an educator, he's a historian, he's a baseball enthusiast advocate, and he's done so much for the game, not just. Cataloging it all, but for students and for anybody who loves it, including the Tony Saladino Senior Tournament.

[00:00:30] So welcome, Tony. Glad you're here today my friend, and, and thank you for inviting me here in your home. My pleasure. You know, I said educator, historian, baseball enthusiasts, but to me, you have been so involved. If somebody personally asked me what's Tony Saladino do, I said, he's a godfather of baseball in Tampa because all of the great players have come through here.

[00:00:52] Many of 'em have gone through your tournament, and many probably were students yours too, when you were teaching. 

[00:00:58] Tony Saladino: That's 

[00:00:59] Mark Corbett: true. [00:01:00] Where, where were you teaching? How'd you, let's, let's step, take a step back. Let's look at Tony Saladino. When he first found out and discovered baseball as a young man in Ibor, what was, how did that come to be?

[00:01:12] Tony Saladino: I fell in love with the game because a small man can play and, uh, we had perfect setup at Cuscaden Park in Ybor City. We had Mr. Al Lopez as our idol. And everybody thought they could make it like he did, and that was a good inspiration. But anyway, I, I fell in love with the game because a small man can play it and it stuck with me and I tried to help other kids along the way.

[00:01:42] Mark Corbett: Well, as, as a young, uh, youngster, I mean, did, did you see other kids playing? Was it recreational ball? What was their, uh, to get involved with? That 

[00:01:49] Tony Saladino: was before little leagues. It was a recreation league. We happen to have a great man directing that league there and taught me a lot about baseball as a [00:02:00] 10-year-old.

[00:02:01] And who, who was that? Andrew esp. Andrew esp. Who also helped Lou, uh, Ella and Tony Larussa. Oh my gosh. Many others. 

[00:02:11] Mark Corbett: Man, that kind of history, that, that is rich. And uh, I'm gonna just insert here real quickly. Tony shared with me a while back that Hillsborough County alone here in Tampa, Hillsborough County, has over 95 baseball players who've made it to Major League Baseball.

[00:02:28] That number's probably growing as we speak. Could be, there's some trade deadlines going on right now. So who knows, maybe somebody's being pulled from a minor league team and, and up to the major league level. Well when you played in that recreational league, uh, was there, see cus Skadden Park and there were a few others.

[00:02:48] It wasn't my, it wasn't little league, it wasn't travel league, it wasn't, um, wasn't even American Legion I guess at that 

[00:02:55] Tony Saladino: point. 

[00:02:55] Mark Corbett: No, no. 

[00:02:55] Tony Saladino: This was strictly recreational 

[00:02:58] Mark Corbett: and to me that's what baseball needs [00:03:00] to be anyway, so I'm glad you had that opportunity. And in Ibor, what was life like day to day that, you know, just getting around and that sort of thing.

[00:03:09] Tony Saladino: Well, uh, we had a male director and a female director at the park, Cuscaden park with a city recreation. They would set up, uh, practices and we'd show up. Somehow we'd get there and, and thought we were in the big leagues as 10, 11, and 12-year-old. 

[00:03:28] Mark Corbett: You had no attraction to going over that big swimming pool over there.

[00:03:31] Tony Saladino: Never been in that swimming pool. Never been in the boys club. Well, I did. I take it back. I went in the boys club when it rained. Well, there that, that sounds like a, a good idea, but, uh, it was a beautiful setup and great, great memories that I'm living on now. You know, 

[00:03:51] Mark Corbett: a big part. I mean, anybody who walks in your home is definitely gonna see your allegiance to the game of baseball.

[00:03:57] I mean, uh, all the different [00:04:00] mementos and, and a lot of these, I think you told me, have a very personal meeting. It isn't just something that came off of a shelf in many cases. It's something that's personal. Can you, can you tell me, gimme one or two the stories with that? 

[00:04:14] Tony Saladino: Well, Wade Boggs has a, an award that he gives out.

[00:04:19] Sponsored by the County County Commission, and I'm mis representative of that, and that keeps me busy with that. But it, it's a, a good thing. I, I was fortunate enough to be the chairman of these statute for Al Lopez and those are personal things that, uh, memories, more memories. Oh 

[00:04:42] Mark Corbett: yeah. I want to talk a little later about that statue.

[00:04:47] But can you tell me a little bit about kind of your first introduction to Al when you, you first became aware of who he was and, and uh, basically seeing him as a ball player? 

[00:04:59] Tony Saladino: My father used to [00:05:00] tell me about Al all the time as I was a kid and everybody in Tampa was looked up to Mr. Lopez. He was, he was his first one in the big leagues outta Tampa.

[00:05:10] And uh, he was always busy managing. Playing and would only come home, uh, off season to play golf with his buddies and dominoes. I didn't meet him till he got out of baseball completely at banquets and it was nonstop, and he came to the tournament every year. He's still my idol. 

[00:05:33] Mark Corbett: That says a lot. I know.

[00:05:34] What was the, the, uh, no, I wanna phrase the term that they would use a term, term of endearment for, to al. What was it? L Senor. 

[00:05:43] Tony Saladino: Always El Sinor. That's all I read in the papers and magazines when I was a kid, is El Sinor. I didn't know who El Sinor was until my dad told me, and then I realized as I got older that he was El Sinor.

[00:05:58] Mark Corbett: That is so cool because I [00:06:00] mean, it's a term of respect that's given to him. I'm looking here at, at Al Lopez and, and let's see. When Al Lopez Field was created, you were probably. Late teens, early twenties when, uh, that was 

[00:06:14] Tony Saladino: put together 

[00:06:14] Mark Corbett: here 

[00:06:15] Tony Saladino: in Tampa. We played ball on that field too. We had a old timers game against the Tampa smokers and, uh, he was devastated when they tore that down.

[00:06:24] Yeah. 

[00:06:25] Mark Corbett: Yeah. They would, they put it together, what was it, in 1955, I believe. And then, uh, if I remember correctly, the last game played there was in 1988. Uh, so had had a good stretch, but. I know that there was more interest in trying to get a major League team to come to Tampa, I think, instead of investing in what was happening with spring training and minor leagues here.

[00:06:50] So I was very disheartened to find out that it was turned into a parking lot. That's what I heard. But you, you stepped up, man. I mean, you [00:07:00] weren't going to let that just pass. Tony, you, you made a difference, you said, okay. This, this is almost, you have to do something to show that respect again to al to, to go ahead and make sure that Tampa remembers him.

[00:07:14] And what was the project that you worked on? 

[00:07:16] Tony Saladino: Well, we were at the tournament at the time and, and Ted Webb, uh, was the one outstanding out radio announcer in Tampa. We got together and he said, we gotta do something for Mr. Lopez. Didn't know what we're gonna do, but he says, I think we ought to build a statue.

[00:07:33] I had no knowledge about a statute and all of a sudden I get appointed chairman of this committee and it was like going to college. I learned a lot and uh, we finally did it. Had a lot of memories from that too. 

[00:07:49] Mark Corbett: Man, I, I'm just thinking of the, the contacts, I know you probably had some already, but the contacts you would have to make, the people you'd have to meet.

[00:07:57] And then, you know, some folks get a little, a little, [00:08:00] um, nervous about asking for donations and money, but you know, you guys were very straightforward and you had a, a very honorable thing you were trying to achieve, and I think that made a difference and being able to put it out there. But none of that would've happened if it didn't have the spark that Tony Saladino has.

[00:08:15] Tony Saladino: Well, my wife and I spoke to him about the statue and told him we were gonna do it. 'cause if would've asked him, he would've said no. And then we started mailing out for donations, mailing out invitations for congratulations for him and. It was like going to college all over again. 

[00:08:33] Mark Corbett: Wow. You were, Tony was, um, kinda enough here to share with me a book on the development of getting everything ready for that statute and the event, but one of, some of those are the letters that were submitted.

[00:08:47] From organizations, from players and from other folks as well. And I told Tony earlier, one of my favorite ones is one that from Peewee Reese, he sent back in regards to all [00:09:00] this. And it wasn't just the glad you're going ahead and, and recognizing Al, it was a personal note about something between him and Al.

[00:09:09] Tony Saladino: Several of 'em were. Good memories for me. I mean, we got letters from Ted Williams and a lot of the owners of the teams and our local boys, uh, Tony Larussa and Luella. It was amazing. 

[00:09:25] Mark Corbett: Well, it's good to see that kind of support and what I was alluding to, I don't actually have it in front of me at the moment, but the thing with, uh, Peewee Reese was he recounted a special memory with Al and he was talking about during PeeWee's rookie year.

[00:09:40] Al tagged him off at second and he said, I haven't made that mistake since. You know, it was obviously a moment he still cherished, uh, of that, that al gave him an education, I think, that day. So I was glad to see that. Uh, let's, let's go back to the tournament 'cause that's [00:10:00] an important part of where you're making a big difference in baseball and certainly here in Tampa.

[00:10:04] Tony, it's a tournament that you started in honor of your father and. If I got that right, can you tell me what brought that to mind? What, what's, how that evolved? 

[00:10:15] Tony Saladino: My father and I were very close. He was my idol. He died at 46 years old and I was grieving very badly and that's when I met my wife to be, and she said, why don't we do something to honor him and start a tournament?

[00:10:31] I went to the school system and applied for the tournament through them, got their, uh, permission. And that's, uh, going on 44 years now. Wow, 

[00:10:42] Mark Corbett: that's amazing. I mean, I mean, you had a lot of great support, I mean, with your family, obviously with your wife, and now it continues on with your sons managing the, the tournament now.

[00:10:53] Correct. 

[00:10:54] Tony Saladino: I passed the baton over to him and he is got it going and he is doing a good job and I'm, [00:11:00] uh, retired. Uh, I show up and be there with them and still enjoy it. 

[00:11:08] Mark Corbett: And remind me what, what's the growth like? What, what did you see that first year as far as the number of teams? 

[00:11:13] Tony Saladino: We started with 11 teams, and this is all Hillsborough County.

[00:11:18] And, uh, we got a lot of support from a lot of people, law enforcement and educational system. And it was a pleasure. It was, uh, my wife used to cater to the major league scouts that were taking care of our boys there. So it was just a warm feeling that, that we enjoyed all through these years. 

[00:11:41] Mark Corbett: I was glad to see that about the whole thing with the scouts because your tournament has really become a place for them to come and see the future of baseball, you know, to find, uh, future people for their own teams.

[00:11:55] Because think, let's face it, okay, it's, we're in Florida, we get to play [00:12:00] baseball years as far as, uh. Minor leagues, et cetera. But still, I still look at Tampa and the surrounding areas as an incubator for great baseball talent. I read a story, and you can share this if you like, it was about a scout and a chicken patty sandwich.

[00:12:21] Do you remember that one? 

[00:12:23] Tony Saladino: Yep. My wife used to cater to these scouts, and in those days they were a little older than. Now there's a lot of young scouts, but she always used to prepare something for them to take home to their wives. Dan Cressman was a scout for the Orioles, so she put her arm around him and gave him a doggy bag to take home to his wife.

[00:12:45] Ruth, when, uh, I was ready to have my heart surgery, I saw in the paper where Dan k Craftsman died. And I was wondering if it was the same man or not. 

[00:12:55] Mark Corbett: Right. 

[00:12:55] Tony Saladino: And it was, but the reason I found out was that I called, 'cause [00:13:00] I had all the names of these scouts 'cause we were in the Florida Diamond Club together and uh, I got my mail returned from that.

[00:13:09] So I had a phone number for Ruth and I called her, I said, this is Tony Saladino. She said, yes, uh, you called it the right time. Now I'm wondering what happened. 

[00:13:21] Mark Corbett: Mm-hmm. 

[00:13:23] Tony Saladino: Uh, he, he's in the bathroom, so now I know he's alive, but she says he didn't remember you, but he remembered your wife, Bertha, from chicken patty sandwiches.

[00:13:38] I love that. And that went on all, all these years. Oh man. 

[00:13:44] Mark Corbett: Family is obviously a big part with, of the Saladino family, uh, as far as supporting one another and baseball in general. But you know, your wife, I, if I remember you said she was really kind of the impetus 'cause at a time when you were grieving at the loss of your father [00:14:00] and that she helped you find something to Exactly.

[00:14:04] So that was a way of you being able to give something. Go ahead, please. 

[00:14:07] Tony Saladino: Dedicated my life to my father. Community service and service of mankind. 

[00:14:14] Mark Corbett: Well, it's, it, it is interesting you say that too. 'cause I keep looking at, at different philosophies. I know kind of going off the deep end here, Tony, so forgive me.

[00:14:22] But I've been looking at a few things and I found something called ae and it's, it's simply put reason to live and it means something, basically find something that's worthwhile for you and then if you can feel like you're giving back to on top of it. So it sounds to me that. Finding something like this tournament was certainly you and, and your family were able to do as well.

[00:14:44] Exactly, yeah. The tournament itself, again, well, when that first year, you know, you're, you're looking at players and there's probably not rec leagues. So the students that are coming at did, did you say they're all from Hillsborough area? Hillsborough County. [00:15:00] From those first 11 teams, what, what's the number now that they're at?

[00:15:05] Now we have 42 cheese and crackers. How many ball fields do you have to have? Seven. 

[00:15:09] Tony Saladino: Sorry, with one 

[00:15:13] Mark Corbett: respect, sir. Respect to you and your family for that. You know, I, I was interested too in hearing that above and beyond the tournament, you know, there's a, there's some things you were looking at somebody to ask you as far as what, doing something with the raise, with the your, your team.

[00:15:30] Was it the season finale here? 

[00:15:33] Tony Saladino: Well, uh, I invited some of the raised front office people to come out and throw a first pitch. They enjoyed that. They took a liking to me and then they asked me for a meeting here at my house and we met my wife, cooked a nice meal for them. The reason they wanted to come here was proposing for us to go to the Tropicana Field for our championship game.

[00:15:56] Wow. And I was flabbergasted, [00:16:00] proud, happy. I told 'em we could not do that 'cause we're strictly Hillsborough County for the Hillsborough County educational system, for the law enforcement, for everything else. But, uh, I got to know some of the people there and they were great to us, supported us. They used to print our programs for us and, uh, it was a good relationship.

[00:16:25] And, uh, I said I can't, I can't move my tournament there, but I can start you an all star game between Hillsborough and Pine Ellis County and they were interested. So I started calling our athletic director and he called the other athletic director from Pine Ellis and it was a goal and it's still going on now.

[00:16:46] Wow. 

[00:16:47] Mark Corbett: That's fantastic man. I look at this, you know, when you're talking about some of the early days, obviously with Al, but then also with Tony Larussa and Lou Pinella, and then coming up through your tournament, you know, you saw some, [00:17:00] some great players. One of the first MVPs that you guys have, who was that?

[00:17:03] Uh, doc Gooden. Wow. Hillsborough High School, and I mean, how many names do you, you, how many times do you think you can look back at the results from one of the Tony Saladino tournaments and say, oh, that team? Yes. Three, these three guys are now there. They're now in the show. I got a 

[00:17:21] Tony Saladino: scrapbook on some of that.

[00:17:23] Uh, every write up ever in the paper I've got, I've got an every year's program and, uh, what my wife and I did the first year. We were talking to the scouts and asked them to go through their travel experience for scouting. Well, we gotta buy admission, we gotta buy a program, we gotta buy food. So my wife and I came home and talked about this.

[00:17:51] These guys are here to scout our kids, right? We gotta roll out the carpet. So we started free admission, [00:18:00] free programs. My wife, we rented a trailer, she made a kitchen out of it, home cooked meals for these scouts. They would go all over the country talking about our turnover. So that's part of, part of why we 

[00:18:15] Mark Corbett: were successful.

[00:18:17] Well, you know, it's about taking care of people that, that you need to help promote the pro program. But by the same token, there's a sense, I think of a goodwill and appreciation with 'em as well overall. Tony, you know, I'm looking here again at the legacy of you with your family too, with, with a tournament.

[00:18:36] But he goes above and beyond that. We talk about some of these players have gone forward and there was a special award, was it Dave Mag? What was, what was that? 

[00:18:43] Tony Saladino: Dave Mag and, uh, 

[00:18:45] Mark Corbett: won 

[00:18:46] Tony Saladino: our award from Jesuit High School, but every year we have one player designated as the best player in the county and voted on by a committee.

[00:18:56] So, uh. He was getting our award here at [00:19:00] the house, and I got a knock on the door from a football coach from Alabama. What I'm, I'm so and so, and I'm here to sign Dave Magda. Need your permission? I'm saving the baseball coach a trip. And I said, well, of course. So he signed his Alabama scholarship in this home.

[00:19:22] Mark Corbett: Oh 

[00:19:23] Tony Saladino: man. 

[00:19:24] Mark Corbett: Well, when I walk into your home, it's almost like sacred with baseball. So I'm not surprised that there, there's moments like that that have taken place here as well. 

[00:19:34] Tony Saladino: The president of the Hall of Fame at the time, he is retired now, came here. To my home and called it Cooperstown South. 

[00:19:44] Mark Corbett: Well, I can see that.

[00:19:45] Goodness gracious. Yes. And folks, you know, when you, when you pull up in front of Tony's house, there's no doubt to Manless baseball. I mean, your front yard's turf in the shape of a diamond, man. I mean, I, [00:20:00] I love this. When I pulled up the first time, I said, this is great. This is somebody who enjoys the game.

[00:20:07] Tony Saladino: I hit that I had that bill so that I can finally hit a home run.

[00:20:13] Mark Corbett: Oh, oh goodness. You know, there, there's, there's, there's so much, again, with the game if you're in the Tampa area, Florida area, and certainly Hillsborough area. 'cause as, as Tony mentioned earlier, the number of players that come through here. And like I said, I looked at your book, I think it was 95 plus. Uh, and as it's growing, but.

[00:20:32] Florida this past year, you've probably seen where USF and University of Florida both made it up into the NCAA double, uh, NCAA Division One looks like they were gonna go to the, uh, world Series, but NCAA division two. Had a World Series winner and that began right here if with the team of the University of Tampa.

[00:20:58] And I would [00:21:00] love for you to share a little bit of that story with us, Tony. 

[00:21:02] Tony Saladino: Well, I had gone through a lot of medical problems with my heart and uh, we found out that University of Tampa was going to the nationals in c in, uh, North Carolina. So I did make it, and luckily they won. My grandson was at shortstop, and that was a great big thrill in my life.

[00:21:26] Wow. Is has he graduated now or will he He's, he's got another year at the University of Tampa. All right, folks, you hear that My wife wanted him to go to the University of Tampa, 'cause I graduated from there. So that worked out. 

[00:21:40] Mark Corbett: Well, I'm sure the University of Tampa is appreciative too with, you know, having that kind of talent on there as well.

[00:21:46] So that's been fantastic. So Nico Saladino shortstop with the University of Tampa, we got another year we can watch him, it sounds like. So I'm looking forward to that. Tony, is there anything else special that I neglected [00:22:00] to address that you'd like to say something to the baseball business audience? 

[00:22:03] Tony Saladino: Uh, we're still doing, uh.

[00:22:06] As best we can with the tournament. The format has changed, but my son can handle that. As far as I'm concerned. My slogan in life now is that I'm slowing down, but I'm not stopping. 

[00:22:18] Mark Corbett: There you go, brother. I like that a lot. Okay, well once again, thank you Tony Sino for joining us here today on Baseball Biz On Deck, and I wanna thank all of Y all for joining us here as well.

[00:22:30] Uh, remember, you can find us on Apple iTunes. You can find us on Spotify. You can find us on iHeartRadio. Heck, we're everywhere. And of course, at baseball biz on deck.com. So thank you for joining us and we look forward to telling you again real soon. Special thanks to X Tank, RUX for the music rocking forward.

[00:22:55] That was pretty good, [00:23:00] man.