Blue Jays Day 1 employee Duane Larson on the day he walked his daughter, Leslie, down the aisle.

May 20, 2021

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

Duane Larson always competed.

It didn’t matter if it was scouting Colombia in winter ball where he spotted Kelly Gruber, who went on to become the next in a long line of successful Rule V draft selections by the Toronto Blue Jays.

It could have been managing the likes of 27 future Blue Jays in the minors including Jimmy Key, Jesse Barfield, David (Boomer) Wells, Pat Borders, Rob Ducey, Paul Hodgson, Mitch Webster and Greg (Boomer) Wells.

Or it could have been on a dusty Dunedin field. In 1977, Bobby Mattick was teaching the Jays first-round pick, Tom Goffena -- selected 25th overall -- how to straddle the bag on a stolen base attempt. Or maybe Mattick was showing him how to side step a runner trying to break up two as runner slid in hard on a double play.

There may be many versions of the story. They have the same ending. That fall Mattick was running instructional league. As Mattick, a former major league infielder, was instructing, he told coach Larson to go to first base and take off as a runner attempting to come into second.

“So Bobby is in his early 60s, Duane is 33 years younger,” said Day One employee John McLaren from Peoria Az. “Duane takes it easy on the slide. Bobby screams at him ‘When I tell you to slide ... SLIDE. I TOLD YOU TO SLIDE INTO ME ... SO SLIDE INTO ME!’”

Larson headed back first and off he went a second time. As a player Larson was quick like a bunny stealing 47 bases with the Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks in 1970–1971.

“Bobby is straddling the bag, here comes Duane who went in hard and did a pop-up slide that sent Bobby rolling,” recalled Rocket Wheeler, the hardest working Jays coach we ever saw in the Jays minor-league system.

Hall of Famer Pat Gillick recalls when Larson stood a foot came down on Mattick’s mitt accidentally, which made it all the more difficult for Mattick to get to his feet.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU LITTLE RUNT?” Mattick yelled at Larson.

Then, there was the time the Jays were running a split tryout camp with Cleveland. Mattick told Larson to pick up the equipment and Larson replied: “I’m here to coach ... not pick up equipment!”

Stories about Larson abounded this week. How after years of near misses (1985, 1987, 1989 and 1991) the Jays knocked off the Oakland A’s 9-2 to win the 1992 American League Championship Series. Candy Maldonado homered twice, while Joe Carter went deep once and Juan Guzman allowed one run in seven innings in Game 6 putting the Jays into their first World Series.

The turning point of the ALCS was Game 4. After being down 6-1 the Jays rallied to win 7-6 in 11 innings. The day after their first Series berth was clinched, I spoke to Duane’s first wife Susan. Susan told me Duane did not watch Game 4. Rather he paced the backyard practising with his golf club, a pitching wedge. Every 20 minutes or so, he’d rush inside and check the score.

On the day of Game 6, the clincher Larson was scouting a college game in Asheville, NC. Usually he would bare down on the game, but for Game 6, the clincher, he borrowed his daughter Leslie’s headset to listen.

I asked Larson about the drive home to Charlotte, NC, smack dab in the middle of Atlanta Braves nation, where neighbours flew Braves flags in the yard.

“I’m on the way, the sportscaster says ‘the Braves host Pittsburgh tonight in Game 7 to decide who is going to the World Series and meet the AL winner this afternoon ...’ Then they played a clip and it was Tom Cheek’s voice ‘Your Toronto Blue Jays are headed to the World Series for THE FIRST TIME!”

Larson said he had to pull over to the side of the road.

Oh? Was traffic really bad? Did it start to rain?

“Ah, it was wet inside the car.”

He wiped away his happy tears and stopped at a house with a giant Blue Jays flag on his property. He was home.

Why so many stories from day one Blue Jays employee and ex-workers? Larson, 72, passed away April 30 in Powell, Tenn. (near Knoxville) where he has lived since managed the double-A Smokies in 1980-81. A Day One employee, he worked for the Blue Jays for their first 26 years of existence.

* * *

His second ex-wife Gail phoned former Blue Jays scout Ted Lekas, who signed Cy Young award winner Chris Carpenter. And then the phone calls from one ex-Blue Jays employee to another began ... it was like the night in 1992 when the Jays acquired David Cone after the trade deadline.

Lekas always said about Larson “a Blue Jay through and through,” how scouts would tease Larson that “he was a such a loyal worker for the Jays that he even even wore Blue Jay underwear.”

Except these were not excited calls looking ahead to the future as they were in Cone’s case. These were conversations filled with sadness and memories.

“Duane and I threw a lot of batting practice, we would work out in St. Petersburg come back and have extra hitting,” McLaren said. “Our arms were dying. One day I walked over by the backstop and this young blonde kid said ‘I can throw better batting practice than you guys can.’”

Mattick was told of the pronouncement. They gave the “blonde kid” a chance and he was a strike machine hitting all kinds of bats. “Bobby took a liking to him and we hired him.”

The blonde kid grew up to be Tim Wilken, who was given an area where he signed Jimmy Key, then he became a cross checker and then scouting director of the Jays before moving on to the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks.

* * *

Larson earned World Series rings in 1992-93 with the Blue Jays. Sadly Larson’s daughter Leslie died in 2020. He is survived by his step daughter, Lori (Rader) Yarbrough and seven grand children. Leslie had three children: a 10 year old boy, Cameron and twin girls, Carlie and MacKenzie, eight years of age, while Lori has two girls and two boys. Lori’s also has twin girls in Lindsay and Peyton, 17, plus sons Jacob, 12 and Jackson 10.

Duane helped raise Lori from the time she was three years old until Lori departed for college. Father taught daughter the game and they shared a love of the game.

“Duane was a true pro continually striving to improve his own knowledge of the game,” said Hall of Famer Pat Gillick from Michigan. “As a manager you knew your son was in good hands and would enjoy playing, learning and having fun being with Duane.

“Duane was multi-talented in scouting with the ability to evaluate amateur as well as pro talent. Not every scout can do that. He was a dedicated and loyal Blue Jay employee. He was a loyal Blue Jay through and through.”

Larson was not a golfer — good baseball people seldom are — because they are too busy being at the ball park. But like that day in 1992 when he chipped gold balls around the back yard, he used to take his pitching wedge in the front yard and hit the ball across the yard. One day he yelled to us, “Watch this, I’m going to hit my truck.”

Knowing full well he’s not a golfer, he went for it. Soon his family heard the sound of glass shattering as the ball went through the side window. “Duane stood there with a look of defeat on his face, we were laughing of course,” Lori said. “That’s how he ended up with a duct tape window on his truck.”

* * *

Drafted in the 17th round from Santa Clara University by the San Diego Padres in 1971, the infielder played in the Padres system five years at class-A Alexandria, triple-A Hawaii, class-A Reno and class-A Walla Walla. In 1975-76 he was a player coach at Reno. The Blue Jays hired him for their inaugural season.

“He played for Roy Hartsfield (the Jays first manager) at Hawaii, he was a company guy, a very loyal type,” said Bob Engle, former scouting director from Tampa. “He was always prepared and balanced in his job.”

Engle tells the story of being in Utica for a tryout camp 10 days before the season opener with scout Jim Ridley.

“There weren’t any bullpens, there wasn’t any fence, I remember thinking, ‘I wonder if we’re going to make it?”

Engle drove Blue Jays president Peter Bavasi to the home opener.

“Peter was excited about the crowd we drew,” Engle said. “I was totally amazed: the fence was up, the bullpen mounds were constructed and I was told Duane did a lot of the work.”

Larson managed two seasons at class-A Utica, one at class-A Kinston, two at double-A Knoxville, three at rookie-league Medicine Hat winning the Pioneer league title, turned to scouting and returned to manage class-A St. Catharines in 1998.

Managing in the Toronto system he wrote down the names of 27 future Jays on his lineup card. Some had cups of coffee. Other won the World Series MVP or the AL home run crowd.

Names like Dave Baker, Pasqual Coco, Ted Cox, Mike Darr, Steve Davis, Jeff DeWillis, Mark Eichhorn, Pete Hernandez, Glenallen Hill, Paul Hodgson (Marysville, NB), Dane Johnson, Pat Kelly, Felipe Lopez, Fred Manrique, Brian Milner, Greg Myers, Geno Petralli, Steve Senteney, Matt Stark and Eric Yelding, as well as the aforementioned Key, Barfield, David Wells, Borders, Ducey, Webster and Greg Wells.

Plus another nine -- Tom Brown, Taylor Duncan, Frank Gracesqui, Ike Hampton, Larry McCall, Jeff Richardson, Charlie Puleo, Kevin Pasley and Dave Walsh -- who reached the majors with other clubs.

Miami Marlins scout Paul Ricciarini, who worked for the Jays was shocked at the news and said he always held Duane in “high regard.”

Duane holding Leslie’s son Cameron the week he was born

“Our camaraderie always lead to discussions about the greatness of the opportunity to work in pro ball in Toronto that always lead to conversations about players,” Ricciarini said from Florida. “He really had a keen eye for evaluating as a manager and a scout which is a unique talent. I loved the fact that he had no issues as the contrarian on several ‘can’t miss’ types, who he nailed due to his value of makeup or lazy fundamental play, which reflected his own commitment in a variety of roles over his own career.

Larson had a good heart, always showed great work ethic in his prime and always gave an honest independent opinion, according to Ricciarini.

“I really believe he was driven by a fear of letting down Patrick Gillick and Bobby Mattick, as they really brought out his best during his best years in Toronto,” Ricciarini said. “Duane is definitely one I’d get in the foxhole with, as he would always have your back. A quintessential loyal teammate who I always had respected.”

* * *

Larson managed the Utica Blue Jays to a 43-28 record and second place in the New York-Penn League with 11 teenagers on the team, including Canadians RHP Remo Carindale (York, Ont.), LHP Tom Dejak (Toronto, Ont.), RHP Robert Oravec (Toronto, Ont.) and OF Paul Hodgson (Marysville, NB), who were all signed by Canadian scout Bobby Prentice (Toronto, Ont.).

RF Jesse Barfield, 1B Greg (Boomer) Wells and Hodgson were the only three to make the majors from that inaugural Utica team. Hodgson remembers Larson “our first minor league manager, as still a young man himself, in his early 30’s.”

“He came packed full of baseball and general life experience,” said Hodgson. “He had forgotten more than we had learned in our lifetimes. I remember the night he saved the lives of two young Canadians, myself and Oravec. I was 17, Bobby, 18. We were regulars at a biker bar in Utica called Spilka’s.”

They had stopped in after their nightly visit to the library. A misunderstanding developed and the pair of teenage Canucks were faced by three or four mature looking motorcycle enthusiasts.

“As we mumbled prayers, the crowd was forcefully parted by a bristling and determined man who was also the shortest in this circle, who said ‘If you son of a %#$@&’s wanna fight my boys, you’re going to have to go through me,’” Hodgson said. “It reminded me of a cat confronting a large dog; serious energy, attitude and blazing eyes.

“Duane held them at bay with shoves until bouncers arrived and the crowd dispersed.”

The New York State Liquor Authority suspended the liquor license for Spilka’s Hotel in 2009 due to a homicide tied to the establishment.

“The skipper took that attitude into every inning of every game, he taught us how players should carry themselves at the park and in the community,” Hodgson said. “Most importantly, he spoke of never giving up, to always bust our butts because somebody could be watching ... maybe a scout opening a door to new opportunities in the game or post-baseball.

“It was pretty heady stuff for young guys starting out, but as I’ve gone through life, Duane’s advice has held true and he’s always been an inspiration. R. I. P. Skipper.”

* * *

Remo Cardinale was an undefeated 19-year-old that season at Utica. He returned home after being released, began playing again, then coached a powerhouse team with the Mississauga North Tigers. He was named Baseball Canada’s coach of the year in 2001.

A number of Cardinale’s players went off to school Billy Hurley to the Binghamton Bearcats and Wayne State Warriors, Sean Pisarski to University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, Michael Cardinale -- whose arm was well rested -- to Oakland City Mighty Oaks, Gianfranco DiCeglie to Cisco Wranglers, Willy Bargell to St. Clair Saints and Kyle Porter to the Brock Badgers.

“Duane had many good qualities as a manager but for someone who wasn’t far removed from playing in 1977 he had a very good baseball mind for a manager,” Cardinale said. “I remember Duane always wanted his players to understand and be students of the game first. He felt your skill and athleticism would follow and carry you as far as you could take it.

“He was definitely a players’ coach, one who would love talking about baseball off the field or share your personal issues with. He always had his office door open.”

* * *

The first two years of managing Larson split time between scouting and running short-season Utica. He was involved with selecting a 15th rounder in 1977 from Eugene, Ore. That pick was infielder Danny Ainge who played 211 games in the majors. Shortly after the final instalment of his bonus had been paid he headed for hoops and the Boston Celtics.

Former Jays boss Peter Bavasi took the Celtics to court. Ainge was a Celtics guard for 14 years winning NBA titles in 1984 and 1986. He also played for the Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns. Ainge coached Phoenix and then became the Celtics GM.

Larson drafted reliever Jay Robertson as a third rounder in 1977. He spent five years and 208 games in the Toronto system making triple-A Syracuse.

The Kansas City Royals came looking for outfield help in 1983 and wanted Leon Roberts. The Royals suggested a couple of minor leaguers. The call went out to Jays scouts for suggestions. Larson suggested 1B Cecil Fielder, who had hit 20 homers the summer before with the Butte Copper Kings. The Roberts-Fielder deal was completed.

Fielder hit 31 homers for the Jays, 319 in all in the majors -- including 51 for the Detroit Tigers after he returned from Japan where he slugged 38 homers.

After eight seasons managing in the Jays system, Larson moved to scouting full time. His assignment at the end of the 1983 season was to go winter ball in Colombia to see if there was anything there that the Jays could add in the December Rule V draft.

Larson scouted Cafe Universal de Barranquilla, managed by Jose Martinez. (One day in West Palm Beach Montreal Expos hosted the Kansas City Royals. Expos broadcaster Claude Raymond approached Martinez a Royals coach and said “I’m Claude Raymond, do you remember me?” Martinez replied: “I hit one home run in the majors, I hit it off you -- of course I remember you.”)

Duane Larson, 1980 manager of the class-A Dunedin Blue Jays

And so when the Jays got to Nashville for the winter meetings they drafted Kelly Gruber from the Cleveland roster on Larson’s say. Gruber became the best third baseman in the game for a short time and won a World Series ring in 1992. He played 939 games in the majors -- all but 18 with the Jays, who dealt him to the Los Angeles Angels.

Larson also drafted reliever Dave Weathers in the third round of 1988. Weathers pitched for 19 seasons, working in 964 games. And two years later the scout selected RHP Paul Menhart in the eighth round. Menhardt worked 41 games with the Jays, Mariners and Padres.

One day Larson decided to go see daughter Leslie’s high school team play in Charlotte, NC since her boy fiend was scheduled to pitch. When he got there, he saw several area scouts he knew and spoke to them. Turns out they were there to see the pitcher -- Leslie’s boyfriend. Duane spun around and looked at her like, “Uhh ... you didn’t tell me he was that good.”

The Jays drafted the starter from that day — lefty Ronnie Bost — in the 11th round and he was sent to rookie-class Medicine Hat to play for manager Marty Peavey. He was slated to pitch for Duane at St. Catherines, but Bost required surgery and missed the whole season. He returned to St. Catharines in 1999 under manager Eddie Rodriguez In all, Bost pitched in 18 games in the minors, returned home, coaches high school and wed a woman from his hometown.

“Duane was a baseball guy through and through, he loved the Blue Jays, he was a grinder,” said McLaren.

McLaren and Larson were close like all those Jays employees from the early days: one scouted northern California, the other southern California, both managed Utica, Medicine Hat, Kinston and Knoxville.

This summer McLaren will manage the San Antonio Flying Chanclas in the Texas Collegiate League. Match-ups against the Amarillo Sod Dogs will be fierce for that’s where Rocket Wheeler is managing.

“I grew up with Dennis Holmberg, John McLaren and Duane,” said Wheeler.

Larson was honoured in 1996 with the Al LaMacchia award for excellence in scouting as part of the since-discontinued Webster awards.

* * *

Didn’t matter if it was a visit during the spring, the regular season or in October. We’d see Braves manager Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox and it was as if he was reading from a script.

“How’s Cito?”

I’d answer.

“How’s Paul?”

I’d answer.

“How’s Pat?”

I’d answer.

That would be the lineup: Cito Gaston, Paul Beeston and Pat Gillick. Once in a while Gillick and Beeston split time hitting lead off.

However, one spring Cox floored me when he greeted me by asking:

“Bobby do you know our scout Duane Larson? What a heck of a job he did for us last season,” Cox asked that day. “He was doing advance work for us. Man, he gave us everything we needed.”

Now, it would be wonderful if I could say Larson was scouting Team X. But I don’t remember. Neither did two others I asked.

* * *

Larson joined Atlanta Braves as a scout and special assistant to the GM in 2003, after 26 years with the Jays. His final season scouting was 2007 with the New York Mets.

John Schuerholz, former Braves president and general manager, and now vice chairman emeritus, said that former Jays and Braves minor league manager Wheeler phoned with news that Larson had passed.

“Duane had many friends and though I was his boss we had a good relationship,” Schuerholz said. “Bobby (Cox) was right on about Duane: he was a hard worker dedicated to doing all that he could to make our Braves better for the stretch run.

“I do know this: Duane was a real pro and as good and hard-working scout as I have ever known. He served our Braves and the entire industry with honour and passionate dedication making tons of friends along the way. May he Rest In Peace.”

* * *

Now the boss of the Kansas City Royals, Dayton Moore, was the assistant GM of the Braves when Larson was employed by Atlanta.

“Duane was always a key member on our most crucial assignments,” said Moore. “He was always very detailed and had a terrific recall. When I was over seeing scouting and player development I’d always had him see our minor league clubs. He was extremely unique because of his expertise in player development and his elite scouting judgement. That was very rare even during that era.”

Moore said Larson had a reputation for believing in players and “was willing to pound the table for a player when no one else would.” Moore said it was Larson who recommended Charles Thomas, from Western Carolina University. A 19th rounder in 2000, Thomas played 113 games in the majors with the Braves and the A’s.

“He gave his life to the game,” said Moore. “We talked openly about some regrets. Although he loved the game, he wished he would have had a better balance between baseball and family. He was thoughtful, very sincere and had great heart.”

* * *

Dennis Holmberg, the longest serving member of the Blue Jays, spent he 1972 season as an infielder with the double-A San Antonio Brewers, part of the Milwaukee organization. He noticed Larson across the field with the Alexandria Aces, a Padres farm club.

“I knew Duane as a player, but you don’t really form relationships in the Texas League, then in 1977 I was managing Newark, while Duane and John McLaren were running Utica in the New York Penn League,” said Holmberg.

Holmberg joined the Jays as a coach at class-A Dunedin under manager Dennis Menke in 1978. The last time Holmberg saw Larson was a few years back at Tropicana Field.

“Duane was working for the Braves, I caught up to him on the concourse, I didn’t bother him during the game when he was working,” said Holmberg, whose son Kenny Holmberg is managing triple-A Round Rock (Rangers) this year.

“Duane and I knew each other from afar and we knew each other first hand,” Holmberg said. “His thought process was all fundamentals. He was a mentor to me. I respected Duane as a player, as a manager, and as a coach. In this inner circle of the baseball world we live in we forge so many great relationships.

“Let’s face it, Duane was a handful of the founding fathers that put this great organization together.”