University of Richmond Athletics
Behind The Web - Tanner and Mike Stanley
05/01/2014 | Baseball
Behind The Web takes a special look at Spider student-athletes, focusing not only on their success in athletic competition, but on their accomplishments, achievements and interests away from the field, court, pool and track.
This Month's Behind The Web features RichmondSpiders.com sitting down with sophomore outfielder Tanner Stanley and his father, 15-year Major League Baseball veteran Mike Stanley.
Recently, RichmondSpiders.com sat down with Spider sophomore OF Tanner Stanley and his father, 15-year Major League Baseball veteran Mike Stanley.
Tanner Stanley has been a standout for the Richmond baseball team since stepping foot on campus. Tanner has started every game his first two years, earning Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, First-Team All A-10 and Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America honors a season ago.
Mike Stanley played 15 years in the MLB, seeing action with the Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and Oakland Athletics. Mike won the 1993 Silver Slugger and was an All-Star in 1995 with the Yankees. In 1991, Mike caught the last of Nolan Ryan's no hitters with the Texas Rangers. After his playing days, Mike was a bench coach with the Red Sox in 2002 and also helped coach Tanner's Little League Team that made it all the way to the Little League World Series in 2005. A three-time All-SEC selection, Mike was inducted in to the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame this past March.
In a wide-ranging interview, Mike and Tanner discuss among other things handling life as a family in the MLB, their memories from that time, Tanner growing up in baseball and how Tanner came to enroll at Richmond.
RichmondSpiders.com: Where did you grow up?
Tanner Stanley: I was born in Teaneck, New Jersey when my Dad was playing with the Yankees, but we've always lived in Orlando, Florida. That's always been home, but when my Dad was traveling, we'd sometimes go visit him, so I remember Boston mostly, when he was with the Red Sox.
RS.com: When did you know that your Dad had a little bit different of a job than the other Dads?
Tanner: When I was nine years old, that's when I was like “Wow, this is pretty cool.” He had already retired but he was a bench coach with the Red Sox that year and for my birthday I got to go to Fenway Park. Being a little bit older, I started to really understand it. While he was playing, it didn't really click that much because most of the time I spent with the other players' kids. We'd be in a kid's clubhouse, watching “Lion King” and stuff like that.
RS.com: What was it like during the MLB season while your Dad was playing?
Tanner: We'd try to go visit him when we could. I remember being around my mom and my grandparents a lot and we'd be sightseeing in the cities.
RS.com: How much did you enjoy having Tanner and the rest of the family coming to visit you on the road when you were playing?
Mike Stanley: I looked forward to being together as a family. We had them in good schools in Florida, so our time together was during their spring breaks, when school got out for the summer or any other weekend they could manage to get out. But the trips don't happen unless you have a great wife who is willing and able to make them happen.
RS.com: What's the first clubhouse interaction that you can remember?
Tanner: I was known in the Red Sox clubhouse for doing impersonations of everybody. I used to imitate everyone's batting stance and how they approach the plate. My favorite one was Nomar Garciaparra. I used to be able to do his pretty well, with the gloves, sweatbands and everything – the toe tap. I used to do that in the clubhouse and my Dad says that the players used to have a pretty good laugh at that.
RS.com: How big of a hit were Tanner's batting stance impersonations in the clubhouse?
Mike: Tanner spent a lot of time in the kids' room during the games but he must have been watching the TV and studying the players' stances. Because once the game was over and the kids were allowed in the clubhouse, he would pick up a bat and start mimicking them. The players loved it. They asked for it.
RS.com: Are there any other stories of Tanner interacting with you or other MLB players that you'd like to share?
Mike: I remember taking Tanner out to center field at Fenway and throwing batting practice to him and letting him try to hit balls off or over the Green Monster. We also played catch and Tanner always ended up asking to throw the ball just a little out of his reach. He loved to dive for balls. Pretty soon he was diving all over that outfield making catches - even getting a little applause from a TV cameraman who was setting up for the game.
RS.com: How young were you when you started playing baseball?
Tanner: I started playing tee ball when I was about five years old. I don't remember this, of course, but my family has always told me that I always had a ball in my hand. They said it was pretty cool to watch my hand-eye coordination. They use to throw me stuff and I'd hit it at a really young age. People outside the family would watch and be like “Wow." Baseball has always been a part of my life.
RS.com: Your Dad coached your Little League team, right?
Tanner: My Dad has been my coach until I came to Richmond. He's always been my coach. Sometimes it's tough because not only was he a big leaguer, but he's also my Dad. And when he has to do his coaching time, sometimes it's hard to separate because he has to tell me some things that aren't easy to hear; especially as I got older. In little league, he was always the father that said whatever you want to do, you do. I also played soccer, basketball, football, everything. He never said “No, you have to swing today." It's a blessing because I've seen Dads who are out of their minds over their sons' performances and my Dad was never like that. If I wanted to do something, he was going to help me. That was huge for me.
RS.com: Was your Dad one of your coaches on the Little League World Series Team?
Tanner: Yeah, he was one of the coaches. We also had Dante Bichette and his father, who was one of the coaches. It was pretty cool. One of my best memories from that experience was when we won the Southeast Regional, the game to go to the Little League World Series, both Dante and I ran on the field, jumped on the dog pile, but then I ran right to my Dad and gave him a big hug. There's nothing like having your Dad there in that kind of a moment – a moment where you are absolutely happy and get to share it with him.
RS.com: How much did you enjoy being Tanner's little league coach?
Mike: It's never easy coaching your son but I wanted to be the one who taught him how to play the game and play it the right way and it was easier for me to do that on the field as opposed to the stands. We had some tough times as father/son, coach/player but looking back on it now I wouldn't have changed it.
RS.com: How was the experience of helping coach Tanner and his team to the LLWS?
Mike: It was a great experience. We had a special group of kids and their families who were committed to being the best they could be. There are a lot of tournament rounds to get through in Florida, each one more and more challenging. Getting that final out in the Regional that sent us to the LLWS will be something that I will never forget.
RS.com: When did you know you wanted to play baseball for a living like your Dad?
Tanner: Pretty early on, it's always been Plan A. Of course, I've always had a Plan B and Plan C, but I've always had my sights set on playing professional baseball. My Dad has helped me and taught me the kind of work ethic that it takes to get there and how hard it is to get there. He's an unbelievable tutor to have.
RS.com: When did Tanner tell you he wanted to pursue baseball for his career?
Mike: I'm not sure you ever had to ask Tanner. From an early age, you could tell that he had a passion to play baseball. He played other sports and played them hard and played them well, but you could tell that he loved baseball the most.
RS.com: How did you come to Richmond?
Tanner: I was getting looked at by High Point, Stetson and Richmond. Wherever I went, I wanted to be able to play right away. I'm not afraid of competition or anything, but wherever was going to give me the best opportunity to play right away. Richmond provided that opportunity and I've never really lived outside of Florida and I really wanted to experience seasons. And of course the academics here.
RS.com: What did it mean for you to contribute the way you did your freshman year?
Tanner: It was huge. That's what I wanted to happen my first season. I didn't necessarily have in mind be all these things, I just wanted to come in, compete for a spot, win a spot and earn it. I was happy that I was able to come right in and play every day and establish myself as part of this team. After the year's over, I call my Dad and tell him about the accolades and he says “That's great, but now that the season's over you might as well put them in the closet because it means nothing. Every year is a clean slate.” That's what I'm working on this year, doing it again and getting better.
RS.com: When you were looking at Richmond, your Dad called Sean Casey?
Tanner: Yeah he did. I don't know how he got his number, but of course he knew Sean went here. He was able to get Sean's number and they talked back and forth about Richmond, trying to get a little more information on the school because we didn't know much about the school other than that my great, great grandfather may have played football here back in 1901 or something. They called and texted back and forth, but I wasn't allowed to look at the texts.
RS.com: When you reached out to Sean Casey about Richmond, what did he say about the University?
Mike: When I found out that Sean had played here, I knew I needed to call him. Being from Florida, we just weren't familiar with the school or the A-10. Even though I had never met Sean, I respected who he was and valued his opinion. He couldn't say enough good things about the campus, the community, the education and of course the baseball program. He was also able to enlighten us about the level of play in the A-10 and the exposure Tanner would have playing here. I can tell you that that phone call made a huge impact on us deciding that UR was the place for Tanner.
RS.com: What does it mean to you to be a captain your sophomore season?
Tanner: It's a huge honor. With my Dad being the coach and everyone knowing who my Dad was, I was always put in that role as a leader. When I came here, it was a fresh start. We aren't around my Dad all the time here, it's just me. It was big for me that not only did the coaches want me to be a captain, but that the players voted too. I didn't take that lightly.
RS.com: How do you balance your Dad's legacy and creating one of your own?
Tanner: It's always been tough. It was a joke in high school, you know I was Mike Stanley's son. It never really bothered me because my Dad was always supportive. The reason I was able to make one of my own is because of him. Not because of his name, but because of what he teaches me. How he taught me, how he raised me. Even though I'm doing my own thing, it's still because of him. It put me a step ahead of everyone else because of the knowledge he knows of the game. It's become instinctual.
