Five-time all-star Frank White always thought he would finish his baseball career at the Royals. He was the hometown guy who played second base with the team for 18 seasons, starting in 1973. White helped the Royals win the World Series in 1985. His number 20 is one of only 3 retired by the club. Frank White went on to coach with the Royals and the Red Sox, and managed the minor league Wichita wranglers.
He always hoped to become a Royals manager. White was back with the team working in community relations and broadcasting when their relationship soured and finally split at the end of last year, when the Royals decided not to continue his contract.
But now, there’s a new chapter in Frank White’s baseball career. He is now coaching for the T-Bones, a minor league team in Kansas City, Kansas. KCUR's Susan Wilson sat down with White to talk about his split from the Royals and his new career.
Interview Highlights
“ I’ve been a fry cook, I’ve been a dishwasher, I’ve been a busboy, I’ve been a waiter, I’ve dug potatoes, I’ve picked peanuts, I’ve done a lot of things… it’s about surviving and I think that I’m a survivor.”
“When you lose a lot of games I think there is always a tendency for upper management to pretty much play on any word that you say as being negative. And a lot of times when you look at an organization who‘s lost as much as the Royals have over that past 20-30 years, then sometimes they’re the negative ones, and not the people that are actually talking about what’s actually going on on the field.”
“I feel great about what I’ve done, I feel great about my accomplishments, I feel great about being here with the T-Bones. Because all I want to do is live the next rest of my life happy. You know, I don’t want to deal with all the paranoid stuff that goes on in Major League Baseball, I don’t want to deal with that stuff anymore.”
“I think in the end I’m not going to be remembered for what I did on the field, I think I’m going to be remembered for what I’m going to be doing in the community in the next 10 years.”
“You know you hope you bring credibility you hope you bring a touch of class with you when you come to another organization..”
This story was produced for KC Currents, which airs Sundays at 5pm with a repeat Mondays at 8pm. To listen on your own schedule, subscribe to the KC Currents podcast.
