As a rookie with the Chicago Cubs in 1996, Doug Glanville didn’t receive a whole lot of respect from superstar teammate Sammy Sosa. In fact, there were even times when Sosa would ask Glanville to fetch him water from the clubhouse between innings.
The dynamics of that relationship abruptly changed during a rain delay in Chicago when Glanville received a surprise visit from a minor league washout.
“I was sitting in the clubhouse when they told me I had a visitor outside,” said Glanville. “I thought, ‘Who would be visiting me during a game?’ So I walked out and it was Michael Jordan. I knew him from the minor leagues. He told me that he had been following my career and he gave me his phone number.”
By the time he returned to the clubhouse, Glanville had suddenly become one of Sosa’s favorite teammates.
“Sammy kept asking me, ‘How do you know him?’ He would follow me around and ask if he could have Michael Jordan’s phone number,” said Glanville with a big smile. “I’d say, ‘Man, I can’t do that.’ He would even send a car to pick me up before games. I thought, ‘You know, I kind of like this.’”
The Jordan/Sosa tale was just one of numerous entertaining stories Glanville shared with an audience of nearly 40 people last week at the Holly Springs Community Library.
The former Major Leaguer and current ESPN analyst spoke as part of the library’s baseball-themed programs being held in May to coincide with the “Pride and Passion: The African-American Baseball Experience” exhibit.
The traveling exhibit, which runs through June 2, illustrates the many challenges African-American baseball players faced in the first half of the 20th century.
Library manager Elena Owens worked on bringing “Pride and Passion” to Holly Springs for more than four years.
“I felt this exhibit was important because Holly Springs is historically an African-American community,” said Owens. “Baseball also played a very major role here. There used to be a field on Highway 55 and teams would come from all over the area to play.
“I also think baseball is still important to this community. Holly Springs High School won the state championship last year. So the exhibit seemed to me to be a perfect fit for our library.”
Several programs have been held in recent weeks with actors, authors and scholars discussing the history of African-Americans playing baseball.
But Owens was especially interested in getting Glanville, a Raleigh resident, to speak at the library.
“He is a former ballplayer and a great thinker,” said Owens. “I didn’t know if it would work out because of his ESPN schedule but, thankfully, we were able to make it happen.”
During an eight-year stay in the big leagues, Glanville played with the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers. The speedy centerfielder collected 1,100 hits and finished his career with a streak of 293 consecutive games without an error.
But Glanville also proved to be a success in the classroom. The New Jersey native graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in systems engineering.
He considers the walk across the stage to receive his diploma as one of his proudest moments.
“It was a very memorable day and very powerful to make that walk,” said Glanville.
Glanville credited his parents for instilling within him a love for reading and writing. He said his parents believed it was important for him to become a “well rounded and balanced” person despite his athletic prowess.
“Power is in education and the ability to figure out what you want to do in life,” said Glanville.
It was his interest in writing and research that led to a new career following baseball. After he retired, Glanville began writing columns for the New York Times and ESPN.com. He even penned a book, “The Game From Where I Stand,” which was published in 2010.
While Glanville offered some important insight on the pitfalls of the game, he also related some wonderful anecdotes about former managers, such as Buck Showalter and Terry Francona, and ex-teammates like Alex Rodriguez.
He even shared what it was like to play for several seasons in Philadelphia, a city notorious for its tough fans.
“I love Philly fans but you have to be on your toes,” said Glanville. “They always had advice. I was walking down the street and this guy says, ‘Hey, man. You need to take more pitches.’ Then he started showing me his (batting stance and swing) right in the middle of the street.’ I just laughed and said, ‘Okay.’”
At the end of his career in 2004, Glanville even signed a one-day contract with Philadelphia so he could retire as a member of the Phillies.
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