Tony Beasley – 3rd Base Coach for the Texas Rangers

Former MLB pro and current third base coach for the Texas Rangers, Tony Beasley opens up about his battle with cancer, how faith has made him the man he is today and the struggle of making it in the majors.

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Guys, Kevin mention here on theBig Head Pot, just sitting down,
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This stuff is amazing and welcome toanother addition of the Big Head Pot

(00:50):
here on the dub Network. Today'sguest is a good buddy of mine.
He has been around baseball for along long time and recently Rangers fans would
know him as the third base coachand nobody better than the mister Tony Beasley.
Bees. How are you, sir? I'm doing great, Men City,

(01:11):
Thanks for having me on this morning. Looking forward to talking to you.
Man. I appreciate you jumping onBees. It's us bald people got
to stick together, you know.It's one of those things where I remember
Stuart Scott always said, bald isbeautiful. It's just a nice I don't
know. It's like I remember growingup as a kid shaving my head just

(01:33):
out of high school and people arelike, what are you doing? I
just I don't know. It justwas something that just happened and it just
stuck. I don't I don't gethair. I mean you think it.
Look at baseball players now bees fullI mean a wig, These things that
these guys are doing. I mean, can you imagine did you get bet?
You had hair like that growing up? But I mean it can't be
comfable which you had on. Imean, you got guys, but then

(01:56):
guys got dregs. Scott's got likethe shanks, they got everything is going
on. So I mean, Ilook at Manaiah his head, he's got
the big bush and I mean yougotta change hat size, and you would
think, like every week, ifyou cut your hair, you gotta get
a different hat. If you letit grow out, bigger hat, they
drive the clubby's nuts. So we'reeasy man. Once we get a hat

(02:16):
and stays it, does you getit? It's just those flex fits.
I mean, when they get wetor something, you pull them, they
stick up in the back and theydon't right after a clean shave. So
it's but I see too many hatsflying off of players. Are you noticing
that? I mean, guys throwinga pitch, they want to cross,
they just they just covering the hair. They're not fitting the head. I

(02:40):
think it's this generation is just differentfrom from when we were coming out right.
But he's just so is it afascist statement? I mean, is
that what it's about? I guess. I mean, you know, everybody's
got their own individuality and everybody wantsto express themselves. So I guess you
know, it becomes it comes downto that. I mean that's why you

(03:01):
know, I even saw something theother day, but somebody even made a
statement about the Yankees, you know, their policies being kind of outdated and
what have you. But I respectwhat the Yankees do because they require everyone
to be groomed and respect the uniformand and how you present yourself kind of
like you have to put yourself onthe back burner and put the your baseball

(03:25):
organization first. And so that's yourjob. That's that's the organization that you
work for. And so you know, they have the right too, in
my opinion, to to set downsome guidelines about how they want to be
represented. Uh as far as aparents and uh, I always respected that
about the Yankees. Yeah, it'sthere. You're an employee, right,

(03:46):
you should follow their their protocols thatthey have and I get it too,
But guys tell the line right andyou talk about I think they can't have
hair below the lips, so guyswould grow a mutton shop. Which we're
not your seventies anymore, right,OK? Team Yeah, but it's so
so let's go back to Tony Beasley'splaying days at Liberty University baseball powerhouse kind

(04:11):
of like Delaware. I was,you know, and that was you were
drafting eight was it eighty nine?Eighty nine? And who was who drafted
you? The multiple Orioles in thenineteenth row. Yeah, I was a
senior sign man, you know,It's like I got hurt my junior year
and hurt my ankle, and uhdidn't get drafted that year. And then

(04:34):
so as a senior, you know, back then, like the senior signs
like maybe maybe now you get drafted. So I wasn't really sure i'd actually
signed up to go to the MarineCorps. Yeah, I tryed to go
to Officers School, and I justhappened to get drafted and they allowed me
out of it and gave me achance to pursue that dream. So here,

(04:56):
um thirty five years later, stillstill doing it. So just a
blessing, Just a blessing. Soyou think you did make the right decisions
at that time? I think so, yeah. I mean I you know
what, I think that you knowin life, like you don't know,
like at a young age, what'sright, what's wrong, like what path
you're going to take. But Ithink that, you know, sometimes I

(05:17):
always walk by faith and just tryto trust God to put me where he
needs me, and and I thinkthat things always work out when you do
it that way. But at thesame time, you know, from a
biblical standpoint, says everything that wedo we should do to God's glory and
so no matter what, no matterwhat area of life. When I think
as long as we're putting God firstand trying to serve him in it,

(05:41):
then it works out because it's forhis glories. So yeah, you're right,
because it's the lies you've changed,either through baseball or could have been
through the military or yeah, likeyou said, you never know what what
you're gonna do. It's the paththat you go down. So you're twenty
two at the time, twenty twentyone, I think, okay, December

(06:05):
birthday, Okay, so you're you'rea late late one there, so that
so that decision you go to andat that as people they're listening when you're
drafted as a scene, you're basicallyit's like a bucket of bass at that
point, right, because they don'thave to really offer you anything. No,
it's just you want to play ornot. Basically, that's just just
you know how it was, anduh so I wanted to play and uh

(06:26):
just took a shot at it anduh just felt like, you know that
I could make the most out ofit, and I did. So I'm
just just grateful that, you know, it was I had the opportunity to
do it and Uh, it's workedout. You know, it's worked out.
It hadn't been an easy ride.I can tell you that, you
know, just been a grind throughthe minor leagues and you know, nine
minor league seasons and you know,didn't play in the big leagues. Up

(06:50):
the Triple A I played, andthen uh, transitioned into coaching and just
the grind of that, go backto the bottom of the barrel and start
all over again, and then youknow, eventually it was fortunate enough to
work my way to the top.You know, that's kind of not the
rouge that that people take anymore.But I'm thankful that I that I had

(07:12):
to do it that way. Sothat conversation you said, you know,
your last year playing Triple A ball, is it did a coach or somebody
just come to you and say,hey, Tony, you know this is
the you know, the writings onthe wall. Do you want to get
into this or is it just adecision saying hey, I see it,
this is what I want to do. Yeah, Well it was more I
think in my situation, it wasmore me. Kim Bonifay was the general

(07:36):
manager at the time, and sohe um he had told me that whenever
I was done playing that you know, there was a coaching opportunity for me
if I wanted it. And uh. But you know, but he said,
but play as long as you wantto play, and uh. And
I got to the point where Iwas married at a kid and I free

(07:56):
agency was just starting to be athing or you bounced around. I didn't
want to bounce around. Um,I had made money, I wasn't stable,
and I just I just wanted somestability. And I felt like at
that point coaching was a little bitmore stable than playing, and so I
just I went into it. Ididn't really know what to expect out of

(08:18):
it. I just know I stilllove the game and I wanted to be
a part. And so I wasa player coach in ninety ninety eight,
and because I wanted to see it, and so they gave me the chance
to see both sides of it,to be an active player but at the
same time be involved in the coachingside of it as well, which is

(08:39):
kind of rare unique. They don'tdo that much anymore either. But you
know, at the end of theday, I felt like, Yeah,
this is something I would enjoy doing. And after the ninety eighth season,
I was full fled coach. Youknow, some guys when they're done playing
that it seems as if they're chasingsomething that they never got to write.

(09:00):
Seems like they're they're they're trying tofulfill something. But it doesn't seem like
that's what you were trying to do. It just it's like you talked about
it felt like this is where Iwanted to go. You know, guys,
hang on the hang on. Youweren't hanging on the hang on.
You were hanging on because you lovethe game correct exactly. I mean I
didn't, you know what. Ialways felt like, you know, whatever

(09:20):
I do, I'm gonna I'm gonnado it to my best and uh,
and you know, whatever comes outof it comes out of it. I
felt like as long as you leaveit all out of the field. We
tell players at all the time,like excuse me to leave it all out
there and then accept the results.And so I you know, I looked
at my career that way, youknow, just leave it all out there
and uh and let the chips farwhere they may. And it's like I

(09:43):
said, I felt like God wasalways in control, and so I never
like wondered like, well, whydid this or why not? Why me?
And why not me? None ofthat stuff was just I'm just gonna
take every day and enjoy the dayand give my best today and we'll deal
with tomorrow or winning if it getsthere. And uh that's kind of how
it did it. But I knowthat my love and passion for the game

(10:05):
was not to be questioned, andI wanted to be a part of it.
I feel like, you know,when when I decided to do something
of my life, I wanted tobe I wanted it to be a career
and I just, you know,something that was a flash in the pan
of yea of helping, of helpingothers and doing that. So as you
go through your coaching, the progressionsand stuff. Were you a coordinator um

(10:30):
infield guy um and everything? Sowhat you know doing all that, what
seemed to be your little niche thatyou liked the most? Was it the
coordinating part of it or the stable, consistent coaching part where you in one
spot. Well, you know,it's weird because I started out as a
hitting coach, and uh, Iabsolutely loved it, and uh, you

(10:50):
know, even then, I thinkit was I think it was like two
thousand maybe because either ninety nine ortwo thousand I had to go to Lynchburg
just because J. J. Daviswas there and he was a number one
prospect and I was like a secondyear hitting coach, second year of coach,
and they put me in charge ofhim to get him right. And

(11:13):
it was a process, man.So it was the first time I really
had like a like a job specifictask, like get this guy right,
this is our number one pick,and and the first half was slow,
and then the second half he tookoff and all the work that we put
in paid off. So it wasthat was gratifying. But you know,
I just felt like the passion thatthat you have to do the job.

(11:37):
Like the hitting coach thing, man, I just loved. I love to
see the kids grow from start fromscratch and then finished stronger at the end
and make adjustments in season. Sothe hitting coach thing lasted for about three
years, maybe four years. Thenum really starred You was with the Pirates
then and he was like, byou got to manage and I was like,

(11:58):
I don't really want to manage.I like what I'm doing. He
was like, number to trust me, you'd be good at manager, and
he said you have a way withpeople, and uh and and the kids
respect you, say you should manage. And so I wasn't going to manage.
And then Dave Lord Mclinton got thebig league job. Dave Clark was

(12:18):
the short season a manager, andLloyd wanted Dave won the staff, and
so he took Dave Clark to thebig leagues. And so William's sport job
came open, and I was toldbecause I think Willy probably talked to Cam
and uh he said, beast,you're going to manage a short season.
And so they didn't extend it.And that was like my managerial trial to

(12:41):
get some experience at it. Anduh, I fell in love with it.
I didn't know that it was somethingthat I wanted to do, but
you know, it was a differentlevel of impact on the on the guys,
and it was not just hitters.It was the totality of the game,
uh, going off the field,everything, And I fell in love
with that part of it. Andjust building those right relationships with with with

(13:05):
all these young kids and and tryingto grow them into men and to show
them, you know that this isthe life that you've chosen, that it
can be rewarding, but it's notabout all about making it to the big
leagues. And because that's everybody's goal, but I told them everybody's not going
to make it. It's a smallpercentage that makes it. But everybody can
be productive in life. Everybody canmake an impact in life. And uh,

(13:28):
that was always my message to them. And so I guess I kind
of took on a father figure tothe kids. And that's just the way
I enjoyed doing that. Man.And so we had success, we won,
but at the same time, Ifelt like, you know, we
were winning in life as well.So I love being a manager in uh
and uh, that that was thatwas what kind of really propelled me into

(13:50):
everything that came out to that.You know, I was a manager until
I had an opportunity to in twothousand and six to be Frank Robinson's third
base coach with the Nationals, andthen the coordinating came after that, you
know, and stuff like that.So I've won many different hats in the
game. Thankful that I've seen alot of areas of the game, so

(14:13):
you know, it makes you versatileand flexible, so you know, it's
benefited me in the long run.It seems like the impact that you talk
about, especially on those the kidscoming out of you know, the Arizona,
the Fire League, or the GulfRoast. So these kids are some
of them, these Latin kids,some of them are seventeen eighteen years old,
young kids, high school kids.So the impact that you have at

(14:33):
that point right there, they reallydon't have the attitude. You know,
there's today's the attitude. So you'reable to really start from scratch as as
a young as a young man,being able to teach these eyes look guys.
And it's amazing though, the impactthat you can have on them.
I mean, it's the guys.So is there you know with those young
guys, is there anybody that reallystands out from that core group of that

(14:56):
first few years of managing that reallystands out in your man? I had
to hose it Batista when he wasas a young kid, and and hose
he loved the game. And man, I'll tell you what, he was
a fireball. Like he was sotemperamental, it was unbelievable. Like it's
very talented, but he could notaccept theory. Like he was a perfectionist.

(15:18):
Very intelligent guy, but man,he'd be like four for five and
he made it out, which wasa lineout, and and he was so
irata but that you know, hecould not accept not being perfect every night.
And so you know, just tryingto teach him how to be a
good teammate. And you know thatyou four for five with the lineout and

(15:39):
the guy next to you he's oldfor five with maybe three strikeouts, Like
he don't really want to hear you, wanting about blinding out, you know,
so stuff like that, and youknow, just trying to let them
understand it. You know, beinga good teammate is important, and uh,
and you had to look beyond yourselfand recognize that the guy next to
you, like he's he's in thebattle with you, and that you've got

(16:00):
to be cognizant of of of who'sin that clubhouse each and every day.
So he was he was one guythat you know, I felt like I
had an impact on, helped himto grow up a little bit and and
turn him, try to turn youknow, boys the men, and so
he became a man. And uh, you know he's he's always reached out
and thanked me for that, andand you know, we still remained close

(16:25):
to this day. You know,we actually talked last this offseason. He
wanted me to come and manage inrunning ball with the team that he is
connected with and so things of thatnature. But there are many other guys
that didn't make it to the bigleagues. Uh, you know Brandon Agamanoni.
Uh, he still reaches out tome. Uh he he reached out

(16:45):
and it was maybe three or fouryears ago and he said, uh,
you know, thank you for teachingme. Um that you know that can
be got the men in the game. And uh, he said, because
of my experience with duty say gotyou know, I went into the minister
like I'm a pastor now and youknow, so they're doing different things in
life. But you know, bothguys were very successful and productive in their

(17:08):
lives and that's that's what makes itall worthwhile. Yeah, the impact that
that has of somebody coming to youafter even though they never made it as
the baseball side, they made iton in life itself because of the I
said, the impact that you had. I mean, you never thought about
that going into coaching. I'm gonnaI'm gonna change lives somebody. These guys

(17:30):
are gonna be x y z asopposed to I'm just gonna take this one
day at a time and you seethe fruits of your labor. But I
think that must be the most rewardingparts when somebody can call and say,
hey, bees, thanks for everythingyou did, regardless of the baseball side.
And I mean, how does thatmake you feel as far as just
as a coach and just as aperson in general. Yeah, that's that's

(17:52):
way more rewarding than the guy thatwas super super talented that you know,
you know he was gonna make itregardless. And uh, it's it's the
it's the guys that, man,were the grinders and the guys that were
organizational guys and that you know,you made them feel like they were special
and they were a huge part ofthe team and you impacted their lives and

(18:14):
they were successful in other areas.I mean, those those are the guys,
man, that that made it allworth raw. I mean there's a
ton of guys that played in bigleads, Ryan Domant, you know,
Chris, Chris Duffy, those guysthey still reach out as well. They
all reach out. So you know, I'm grateful for all all that,
you know, but it's it's guysthat didn't make it that reach out as

(18:34):
well, and so I think that'sthe greater impact. And uh, because
this this game is tough. Man, it's tough, and uh, the
numbers are against you, you know, from day one, and so you
know, it's important that we createvalue in people and uh and something Jeff
Fantasy used to say that I didn'tforget like we value people over products,

(18:57):
and you know, we don't don'ttreat them like pieces. Everybody's a human
and uh, yeah, that meanta lot to me. And I try
to try to keep that alive.And that's that's it. That's the relationships
that you build, especially with theplayers, because players, especially the younger
words, can see the forest throughthe trees of knowing coach bees in this

(19:18):
more for them than just what's onthe surface. There's more there, right
so, and you're able to developthat at a younger age with these guys.
And that's what helps help propel youright from a from short season a
manager to a big league coach.Because of the relationship you have, the
guys respect you, which means they'retalking, which means somebody else is hearing.

(19:38):
Other coaches are hearing. Hey,Beasley will be a great guy for
this job's and that's what it is, and that's so that's where it's carried
you. But and you never thoughtit would have taken you where it has.
Yeah, I mean I never hadto be honest with you, like,
after not planning in the major leagues, I never I never anticipated that
I would coach in the major leagues. I was just I was pretty much

(20:00):
content with like, you know what, I'm gonna be a minor league coach
and I'm going to impact you know, people's lives, and I'm gonna get
the most out of these kids,and I'm going to develop major league players.
I'm gonna develop you know, greathuman beings and that's my calling.
And uh, I was. Iwas very content with that, you know,
because the way that you used toget a major league coaching job was

(20:23):
you had to be connected with someoneback in the day, and uh,
I didn't. I wasn't connected withyou know, major league managers or none
of that. And uh and endup on Frank Robinson's staff was like,
that's a god sin because like Iknew no one to understand. I knew
who Frank was obviously by I havea relationship with him. You know,

(20:44):
I didn't know David Lows. Iknew who he was, didn't know him
personally, you know, and um, Jim Bowden interviewed me. I didn't.
I didn't know who Jim Bolden was. You know, he did who
didn't know who I was? Anduh, he just happened to tell me
that he was. I was likemy league coach of the year, manager
of the year, and he said, I was just happy to be the

(21:06):
Yankees had hired me as an infieldcoordinator. Yeah, before that, I
take that back, because they hadhurted me his infield coordinator. I don't
know if it's sparked interest or what, but he said, he said,
like, you don't know me,and I don't know you, and you
wondering why you're here today and howdid you get a chance to this interview?
And I said, yeah, Ikind to him, and he said
that, you know, I sawthat, you know, the Yankees had

(21:30):
interest in you, and then Isaw the fact that my league manager a
year. So I just kind ofstart digging and seeing if I could find
something negative and he said, Icouldn't find anything negative. Your team at
all had always won every year,he said, And I called around.
I just wanted to hear one badthing and I said I couldn't find it,

(21:51):
so he said, so I said, this guy deserves an interview,
and because of that, he gaveme an interview based on my reputation,
and he hired me, you know, the next day to be the third
base coach. Like he Jim Bowden, in my mind, took a shot
with me and he gave me anopportunity and it kind of propelled my career

(22:12):
career and to you know, givethe opportunities that I have that led up
to where I am today. Soyou know, I'm thankful to Jim Bowden
for that. I really am.And I don't know if people understand what
minor league coaching is like, becauseyou wants the season end. It's not
as if you're gonna if you unlessyou have something else. It's season ends,
you're done, right, you gohome and then just wait to see

(22:33):
if I'm going to get a callagain. So it's almost is uh,
you know, it's almost you're hopingfor something, right, the feeling of
I guess it's the uncertainty of aminor league coach because if you're hoping that
if you do well, you're youget to move up right. It all
depends on it because there's a lotof turnover. So I mean, now
you have this and all of asudden that you've got a general manager calling

(22:56):
you say, hey, Tony,we'd like to talk to you about well,
almost it's like a principal calling youinto the office, Hey, what
did I do wrong? As opposedto know right you get that? Is
that the feeling you get as acoach going through that process. Yeah,
I mean I think you know,for anyone that doesn't know, it is
an absolute grind. There's no there'sno security or longevy in it. I

(23:18):
mean, it's it's it's pretty muchit's year to year. We worked from
We work on one year contracts.Uh. You know, when after you've
spent some time in it, you'relucky enough to maybe sometimes you get a
two year deal, and once ina while there's a three year deal,
but that's very rare. And so, you know, there's not a lot

(23:38):
of like stability as far as likeI know that I'm going to be doing
this for the next twenty years orthirty years and I'm gonna retire. You
don't know that. And so butI remember one thing my father used to
tell me, like like always justbe good at your job. He said,
be good at what you do.He said, you'll always have a
job. Thinks. Don't worry aboutstuff. And so I just focused on

(24:02):
trying to be good at whatever I'mdoing and uh, and not not worry
about where I'm going or what thenext step is. Just be good today,
you know, and uh, earnyourself a chance to put the union,
you know, one more day,and just keep doing that day in
and day out, day in andday out, and you know, before
you know it. Man for methirty five years of past and you know,

(24:27):
still still putting the uniform on.And I'm just grateful and thankful.
But it is a grind. Andso the way you carry yourself and the
way you treat people, and justjust the way that you, you know,
just give of yourself and your timeand invest in others, it comes
back to you. Whether it's goodor bad, it's coming back to you.

(24:48):
So your if your father always instilledthat in use from a from a
faith perspective of understanding, you know, you can't worry about tomorrow. Tell
the kids all the time, youknow, tomorrow's already take care of you
haven't enough problems today. So that'sand that has always been instilled in you
from the time you were a kidor is that just something that you just
came within, you know, whileyou were playing baseball. You know my

(25:11):
dad and he kind of instilled thatin usum as a kid. Um.
Yeah, my dad was a lumberjackman and uh we we we I still
do that in the offseason for mybrothers. So he worked hard. But
you know my father, you know, he was he was a godly man,
and you know, he loved theLord. He made us go to

(25:32):
church. You know, something makeme go, you know, but he
made us go to church. Andhe you know, there was principles and
everything wasn't was revolved around your faith. And like he was like if you
if you don't, if you don'tgo to church today, like you can't
go out and play. You can'tdo nothing. Like unless you're sick,
you go to church, you know. And I baseball like back in the

(25:53):
day playing you didn't have travel ballthen, but we had reck ball and
stuff and games on Sundays. He'sthat you go to church first and then
you go play baseball. And he'slike if you skip chers to go play
baseball, you're not gonna be blessed. He's always instill that, you know,
So everything was God first, Godfirst, God first, God first,

(26:15):
and that's just that just stuck withme. And uh, I don't
want anything to get in front ofGod, no matter what it is.
I don't want anything to get infront of God. And uh and I
think that that's that's what's helped methroughout my life and my career and everything
that I've done and been through anexperience because it's God first. You know.

(26:37):
Even I dealt with cancer, itwas God first, and h That's
how I got through it. Anduh so I'm just grateful and thankful.
You know that my father and mymother they instilled those values in me,
and uh, I don't ever wantto forget that. Try to instill that
in my son as well, youknow, with God in front of everything
man and you and you and wetalk, you're talking about that now,

(26:59):
that's it was gonna be. Mynext topic was um the rectal cancer.
Correct, Yes, you were diagnosedwith how you know just that leading up
to it finding out and during Idon't know if it's during the season and
and that time off leading up toit. What what kind of precipitated this
the process of you finding out aboutall this? Yeah, man, I

(27:22):
didn't. I didn't have a clue. Look what was going on in my
body? I M I'd never likehad hemorrards before in my life. And
then then twenty fifteen, which wasmy first year here with the Rangers,
like mid season, Yeah, Istarted developing him ards and it's like,
what's going on with that? Ididn't know what it was. So I
talked to doctor Hunter and he checkedTCL you have some hymorroords a multiple hymboards

(27:47):
and uh they were bleeding hymnboards andso you know, Steve Bushell had it,
so he knew it was all about. And he's like, oh,
there's a paint in the butt,but you know the literally yeah yeah,
literally U. And so doctor Huntertold me that you know, they would
they would ease and go away,and if not, then he felt like
I probably had some internal internal polypsand we could go in and and move

(28:11):
those, remove those if need be. And so the off season came then
they never subsided, and uh itwas you. I was I was starting
to feel like like a sharp paingoing down my right leg. It's like
a nerve. So I was seeinga chiropractic in the stretch. I was

(28:32):
doing other stuff like something's just notright, and uh, I was having
a little blood in the school.I didn't pay much attention to that.
And because I have no family historyof cancer, so you know, I
kind of ignored some signs. Ireally did, and just nothing got better.
And then my wife's like, youneed to get get checked if something's

(28:52):
not right. And so when wefinally got a colonosophy and uh and when
we got that, I was fortynine time, so I was like one
year away from getting one anyhow.And so we got the philosophy. They
found a tumor in my rectum andit was very low and so the doctors
said immediately that from his experience thathe knew it was cancer. So it

(29:15):
did the biopsy and everything, andit did come back that it was cancer.
And uh so at that point,it was like, let's beat it.
That was my whole thing, man, like, let's beat it.
And I just I just trusted Godthrough that process. And uh, it
was two thousand and sixteen, wasit was January two thy sixteen, was

(29:37):
when I found out, and thatwhole year was you know, chemotherapy and
radiation, and I would asked meback temporarily. So it was just it
was a different year. It wasit was a year in which I would
never anticipated experience and in my life. But man, it was a year

(29:57):
that I learned some much about myself, so much about others, and so
much about who God is. AndI could truly tell you that's probably the
best year of my life. Andit probably doesn't sound right, but you
know, because I could have neverlearned. I could have never known God

(30:18):
the way I know him now ifI had an experience going through cancer.
My doctor told me last year,after six years of getting you know,
treatments, and six I mean aftersix years of getting scans and updates and
checkups, last year I was Iwas clean and clear. And that was
the last checkup. And so afterthat last checkup, he told me that

(30:44):
I was right at stage four cancer. I didn't I know that. I
didn't know. I was thinking Iwas maybe stage two or so. And
he said, You're an absolute miracle. The tumor that was in my rectum
was very low and the reconnection process, but the tumor is low, it's

(31:04):
almost impossible to reconnect the person.And so because your vale movements just won't
function, and so they have toput it aus to me back permanently,
and I was I was telling mydoctor, I won't wear it. Ask
me back permanently. I said,my body's gonna function the way God designed
me to function, like nothing clean. It's gonna do all on my body,

(31:26):
like cancer is not mine. Likeif someone said your cancer, I
would correct that right away. It'snot my cancer, it's something that's in
my body, doesn't belong on mybody. Nothing. Then Queen's going to
do it all on. Mean,my body is the temple of the hole
of spirit. And that was myresponse to that. Doctors, I think
kind of thought I was crazy becauseI'd never accepted any thing that they said

(31:48):
to me about symptoms or you know, after treatments, you're going to experience
this sh It's going to be coldnessof touch, numbness, you know,
lose your appetite, lose way,you're gonna tie year, you're going to
vomit. Everything I did none ofthose things. I had no symptoms whatsoever.
My platelets never went down, mymy red and white blood count state

(32:09):
consistent. The doctor amazed every time. But I was just covering myself with
the blood of Jesus and trust inGod that that he had healed me.
Okay. I went to I wentfor the surgery to remove the tumor.
And so before that surgery, wedid scans on a Friday. The surgery

(32:30):
was scheduled for Monday. And afterwe did scans at MDI Anderson, and
the tumor Friday was still there.The doctor was disappointed. The radiation hadn't
done anything, that Kimo hadn't doneanything to the tumor. Nothing. It
was as pretty much the same asit was from the beginning, and so

(32:51):
he was very concerned that he couldnot perform the surgery. And I said,
you will. I said you will. I said, and maybe you
won't. I said, but you'llbe used. I said you'll. It'll
be fine. Don't worry. Andhe said that I just can't promise you
that I can do what you wantme to do. I said, it'll
be done. I didn't. Ididn't doubt it. I never doubted now

(33:12):
once. And I went my wifeand I went to the hotel that evening
and because we Saraday and Sunday justwhich is a waiting period. And I
prayed and we prayed, and Isaid, Lord, I've done everything medically
that's been required of me. Youknow, all their radiation and keimo And
I said, but I claimed thehealing back in April. I said,

(33:36):
I'm standing on that healing. Isaid, I believe that that you do
everything that you said. And Ihaven't doubted. I haven't way, but
I just trust and believed in you. And I know that you've healed my
body. I could feel it.I just know it. In the name
of Jesus, I said, Mondaymorning, when the doctors get into my
body, you're going to receive glory. I just know it. It's your

(33:57):
time to show up and show out. And said, no can receive the
glory about you. And I said, in Jesus name, Amen. And
Monday morning I went in there.I had a robotic tectonomy was this type
of surgery I had, and thedoctors he got inside and got everything positioned.
Man he came out, came outand told my wife after three hours

(34:20):
that there was no tumor. ThereAfter Friday, seeing it, he couldn't
explain that. He said, itwas just scar tissue, and he cleaned
it up and my margins were claaning, and he said he's going to be
good, and so that's God.And can't nobody tell me anything different because
the tune was there Friday, welooked at it, we saw it,
the doctor was the scarist by it, and then Monday morning it was just

(34:45):
scar tissue. So it's it's amazingout. Like you talked about being able
to not even worry, right,not having too because of understanding unless you've
been through that mock right, peopledon't know and like you said a minute
ago, that year was the bestyear of your life, and people go,

(35:05):
how can he say something like thatbecause they don't know Jesus and what
the power is and people can questionthat, but you know him saying,
because maybe it gave you an opportunityto step away from baseball that you've been
tied up in for what fifteen yearsat the time, twenty years at coaching,
where you were able to get kindof get back on track. Maybe

(35:30):
maybe that's why it was right.We don't know why things happen, correct,
We just we just trust and knowthat it's just part of the process.
But seeing that and hearing that fromyou, that's that seems like it
was just kind of where maybe youwere off track a little bit and it
was one of those hey bees,this is what's going to bring you back
on track. And that's why you, like I said, you look at

(35:50):
it as, hey, this wasa great year for me, right,
And it's it's to make your storywhat it can do for one person.
Right. We always tell the kidsto tell people all the time, if
I changed one person's life, I'vedone my job. You've done it,
right, that's right. So Idon't and I don't. I don't know

(36:12):
that I was off track, butI think with me, it's I was
asking. I think sometimes we've gotto be careful we asked for because semester
I didn't get it, But Iwas asking God. I was praying the
prayer of Jay Bass that guy wouldhave increased my territory and enlarged my platform
and let me do more for him. And uh, and maybe that was
the way it manifested itself, becauseyou know, I was, I was.

(36:36):
I considered myself faithful and uh,you know I wasn't. I wasn't
living a messed up life or justdoing weird stuff. Just that's why when
when I was diagnosed, people likeeven David Low's called me and David los
like like, if that can happento you, it can happen to anybody
like that, you have no andI and I was, I was.
I was immediately like why not me? Like none of us are empt from

(37:00):
a hardship or or illness or nothing, like we don't know. I just
think that you know, you know, I wanted. I wanted to do
more for the Lord, and heallowed me to go through something that gave
me a bigger platform for him becauseI've been able to help people that are

(37:20):
dealing with cancer and and I've beenable to touch lives that I that I
didn't have an avenue to touch beforeand so and and I've been able to
know God more intimately as well,because just actually, you know, when
you hear about healing, it soundsgreat, but like you don't really know,
like like I always hear, Iwas like that, I really believe

(37:44):
like healing like that, because butwhen you actually deal with it, and
then you know, like God showedhimself to me and he did a miracle.
He did a work in my bodythat only he could done. And
so it just made me just lovehim that much more and be that more

(38:06):
on fire to serve him and tolet people know who he is and what
he's all about. You know,my favorite verse in the Bible, and
I used to tell people Second Corinthiansfive and seven before we walk by faith
and not by sight. And Isaid that before cancer, but I had
to actually live that out. Andso you know, I mean we say

(38:28):
things all the time, but thenGod say, okay, that's your favorite
verse. Let's see, let's see, you know, and so you know,
just understanding that through faith, man, all things are possible, and
that God can do anything if webelieve and we don't doubt and we don't
waiver, because he says a manthat doubts and waivers, you know,

(38:51):
he can't believe. That man shouldn'tthink that he can receive anything from the
Lord. And so I think itwas just solidifying and you know, my
faith and and and believing in thetrust and knowing who God truly is.
And he showed himself to me man, I mean, he took a tune
more away from my body, youknow, from a from Friday to Monday,

(39:15):
it was God that's nobody but God. And I know that through that
whole experience. You know, Iwas so in tune with His word that
I'd wake up in the middle ofthe night sometimes just just raised my hands
up and say thank you Lord forhealing me. Like in June and July,
just never losing sleep and nothing.Just I just knew I was going

(39:39):
to be good. I don't Idon't know how I had peace through that,
but I just had peace because Ijust trusted God through the whole process.
But you know, I guess itwas one of those times of my
life was like maybe the enemy cameto them and say, what about can
I mess with him like he didwith Joe. You know, he'll he'll
denounce you if we touch his bodyor we do something. I don't.

(40:01):
I don't know. Maybe when Iheaven, I can ask God about that.
Yeah, maybe give me some insight. But I'm just thankful that that
I was able to be faithful througha tough time because it's easy to give
God glory when everything is great,But can we give him glory? You

(40:22):
know when we on the backside,on in the valleys of life and through
the tough times of life, canwe still praise him and be faithful to
him. It's it's easy when thingsare going great, but whatever, when
things are not going so great inyour life, can you still you know,
give God glory? And so I'mthankful that I was able to to

(40:43):
keep him first, even through themidst of hardship's weather in that storm.
And I guess, I guess offtrack was maybe a bad term, but
you know, it's just a letI guess. Literally, you had a
bump in the road right for you. Uh, you know, it's one
of those things of talk about youknow, what you live by. You
know, you know a two rivalverse I love. I lived by a

(41:05):
proverb three to five, you know, trusting the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding. And the um I saw I'm forty
verse two. He lifted me outof the pit of destruction and placed my
feet upon a rock, making myfootsteps firm. And you know you talked
about job. I always I alwaystell people when things go you know,
why is it? Why aren't thingshappening? You know, why is it

(41:27):
not? I said, Look atJoshua in the Battle of Jericho, Right,
you heard that story about what theydo they just keep just keep walking?
Really, really, what's gonna happen? And that's and that's what it
is. Until you've been through thatmuck. You know what it's like when
you know people, you know,he said, Beasley's been hey, right,
we've all had that that believers understand. They've had their moments of where

(41:52):
something bad has has really happened,and it's it's weathering that storm because it's
I remember Pastor telling me. Hesaid, it's not gonna be easier,
but it will be better. Ithought about that for a secondment. That
makes sense, So you know what, it's right because there's times when you
want to yell and just just bewhy is this? And he realized And

(42:14):
when you do that, all ofa sudden, you sometimes the answers come
to you. You go, Iunderstand, I get it. I got
it right. So that was yourmoment where you had it and understanding.
But it's um but how people cansee it and you did it with a
smile on your face. I rememberthat year you were gone of you know,
you know, where's bees? How'she doing right? And all this?
So were you really during that timewere you in touch with baseball at

(42:38):
all or is it just a completestep back for a year. No,
I was. I was. Iwas still with the team. I just
you know, I wasn't coaching third, but I was, you know,
the doctor because I had the portin here from the treatments. But the
doctor wouldn't meet him, want mestand because I would have actually stood out
there and I would you know,Spike, Spike coach third that year.

(43:00):
I was SPI going, But Iam. I felt like I was.
I didn't want to like succumb tocancer. Like I was like, I'm
gonna keep doing my stuff, LikeI was still going to practice. I
was still hitting ground balls. Likewhen I was having treatment. I used
I used to have to wear thethe treatment that the drip for forty eight

(43:20):
hours. Yeah, and so Ithink my my batters getting trying to get
a little here and I um andI was still doing They were like,
what are you doing out here?Well? I wanted to maintain a normal,
my normal lifestyle. And uh,I wasn't gonna lay down and be
like, oh I'm down and out. I wouldn't do that. The bobbles
just did then, habitten, sheshould not should not say I'm sick,

(43:44):
don't say it, And I neversaid it. I just I did what
I could do, you know,I just had treatments and stuff like that.
Then I just respected that process.But I wasn't Uh, I wasn't
going to lay down and to cometo it. And it's and the amazing,
Like I said, the story thatyou can tell people of of asking

(44:07):
about how right, because you know, we're seeing a lot more and more
cancer, you know, coming upwith people and stuff. And the story
that you tell, well, youknow, when somebody comes up to you
and they just say, hey,hey, Tony, how did you How
did you handle this? And youtell them you start talking about Jesus and
God and so it's a hard pillfor some people to swallow. It is
so so when when it is,when it is that hard pill for them

(44:28):
to swallow, how do you navigatethat? I just tell my story,
man, and uh, I don'tnavigate it. I just tell it.
And uh, because if someone asked, then I have to tell the truth.
And uh, the truth is thatyou know, everything that happened to
me was God. It wasn't.Nothing that I've done on my own is
not that I'm deserving. Well,it's his grace and his mercy, and

(44:51):
I'm thankful that, you know,tried to live a life that's that pleases
him and that he find favor andhe found favor in me man, and
that the blood Jesus healed healed mybody. And I don't I don't sugarcoat
it, and I don't navigate it. I just tell it. And because
my story is what it is,and it can only be told one way,

(45:13):
because it only happened one way,and and I just hope people can
see that and accept that. ButI have to tell it. It's like
the Gospel. We have to tellthe Gospel as it is, and people
have a choice to accept the rejectChrist. And so our stories. You
know, when Christ has dump somethingin your life, you have to tell

(45:35):
that and give him glory for that. And hopefully people can accept that.
But I won't. I will nevernavigate it. Yeah. And here you
are now it's what eight years now, ye seven? Yeah, year seven
of this and here you are justcontinuing stronger than ever of you know,
third base coach with the Rangers thisyear. I've never the last few years

(45:58):
have been kind of a struggle,to say the least, as far as
you know, on the field,um, you know with bringing in Boat
an old school guy. You're anold school guy. You know mad Dogs
there as well, another old schoolguy. You hopefully you can kind of
flip this script to get back tobaseball and when we were playing it,

(46:19):
right, I'm yeah, and thatand that's what you want. That's what
the fans. The fans want us. They want to see the old school
of the small ball stuff. Andyou see and and you know the rules
and how they've changed, and Idon't. It's tough, right, It's
sometimes it's still hard to watch,you know, and I'm sure it was
for you for a while watching outthere how the game was going, um

(46:42):
and seeing that, but you're understandingif like you said, there's there's life
the end of the tunnel of seeingit right, it's just about having that
faith and understanding that it's there.Guys, we've just gotta so. I
mean, so there's you know,let's let's last year. I just real
quick that you're the managing part ofit. Well you were when you got
those the last one was at fortyor fifty games, eighty forty eight games?

(47:06):
Did that change the juices that theadrenaline back to Tony Beasley minor league
manager. Did you have that orwas it just I'm still just the third
base coach feeling mentality or did itkind of just flip? Yeah, you
know what, it was kind ofweird. Um, I think when you
take over the interim spot, likelike we had forty eight games left,

(47:28):
and uh, the season was alreadytough, and a lot of you know,
it had kind of been the oneto say was lost, but it
was you got forty eight games,not that you have one hundred and forty
eight. You have forty eight left, and it's kind of tough to It
was tough to to find like howto make change with forty eight games left

(47:52):
too, And so there were certainthings I felt like we could do,
but then there were certain things Ifelt like you just can't do in forty
eight days with a team that's alreadykind of set and how it's how it's
going to be in its personality andidentity. It's it's tough to change the
identity with that little bit of timeleft and pretty much no hopes for the

(48:13):
playoffs, and so, you know, I just felt like, you know,
let's enjoy the last forty eight games. Let's play hard, let's try
to you know, finish the seasonwith some dignity and keep our heads up
so that we could get some momentumcoming into this year. Uh, there
were some things internally that we wantedto do differently. It just just from

(48:35):
a team concept, you know,and just have a good atmosphere in the
clubhouse and make sure that that youcreate a brotherhood and that everybody's together and
playing for each other. I didn'twant the forty eight games to be you
know, bloom and doom, youknow, coming in the clubhouse with a
bad feeling, a negative attitude andjust not feeling good about your day.

(48:58):
And so we wanted to have wewe wanted to have fun, enjoy those
last forty eight Thames. But itwas it was it was a challenge because
there were certain things that that Ijust didn't have the freedom to do.
Um stepping in at that point,and uh, there were things that you
were asked to do. Is like, you know, you didn't know if
it was the timing was right,and you know, being the third base

(49:22):
coach and now being the manager andbeing the interim manager and the prospect of
you know, what's going to happennext year, so it's a fine line
between the compromising relationships and certain things. Uh. So I could this year,
I'm the third base coach again,so you know, there were certain
things that I could have done itpossibly compromise you know, you know,

(49:43):
my relationship with players and things ifI've been too strong in certain areas.
And so I feel like I wouldhave loved to have the opportunity to have
a whole spring training to to getthe team, uh with my thoughts and
the I felt like we should approachthe game and play fundamentally and and things

(50:04):
of that nature. But you know, Boat is here now and he's doing
a great job, and I'm justthankful that you know that I'm still here
with him. But uh, itwas it was it was tough, it
was fun, it was fun.It was it was a learning experience for
me. Um. But it wasn'tthe same as when I'm managed it in
my leagues because I just didn't havejust the ability to start from scratch and

(50:30):
to to to really build a teamchemistry and identity to what I would have
wanted to be. Uh. Butyou know, I'm thankful for the opportunity
and just tried to make the mostout of it. Yeah, it's yeah,
it's kind of one of those wherehe was fired and hey, beast,
you're managing more and you've right,You've got a short amount of time,

(50:50):
so you're right there as far asyour philosophy, what what do I
have time? Do I have moretime here to get these guys just to
because it could have been the characterbuilder for them. Guys. This this
is going to define, you know, how you handle yourselves right twenty years
from now, you know the lastforty eight games where you were out,
but this is the maybe this isthe mark that you had a chance to

(51:10):
do that and you won't now rightaway to see, but right now it
looks like it's been a good fitso far from for maybe those forty eighth
that you had last year carrying itinto this year. Yeah, yeah,
I mean I felt like that wedid bill some momentum. U. I
felt like we kept them around upand you know, we kept some guys
going, some guys finished and hadhad good years and didn't want guys to

(51:34):
waste the rest of their season.One of guys to finish strong, and
a lot of guys achieved a lotof stuff. You know, Nate Lowell
won the Silver Slugger Award at hisbest offensive year so far, and things
of that nature. So you know, Marcus finished strong, Seeger finished strong.
You know, those guys played tothe end, man, and they
played hard to the end, youknow. So you know, our core

(51:57):
group of players, they continued topost up and do good things for us.
So I feel like I felt likeit did and it did. Record
wise, it didn't end like wewanted it too, but I felt like,
you know, effort and things thatwe need to accomplish as far as
team unity and camaraderie, I feltlike it went well. Yeah, I
think it the whole finished up here. I think it goes to Tony Beasley

(52:22):
as a man of weathering the stormright you. It was already a bad
storm at that point, and you'regiving the keys to this saying here you
go, Bees, and it wasjust you were able just to keep it
right you. As players, youknow it can go south really quick.
Managers fired new guys in, andeverybody can just kind of go their separate
ways. But it seems like youwere able to weather that storm. It

(52:45):
goes back to your faith and inall of this and and seeing where it
where it led because I saw theinterviews with you, Like I said,
you always have a smile on yourface. It's it's it's a fun part
of what it does. And it'sand that's a testament just to you and
how you were raised and you know, and if and the what you have,
the impact you have on all theseplayers and everything else. So I

(53:05):
really commend you for that. Andit's like I said, that's probably one
of the hardest things to do inall sports. It's just to jump up,
Hey, you gotta go right now? Wait what so? And it's
and like I said, I commendyou for that and and the effort you
did with that and what you didwith it. So you know, because
I, like I said, alwaysseeing you with that smile on your face.
Man, never it never changes,never ceases to amaze me with it.

(53:25):
See there it is, man,It's always there. But you know,
I didn't one thing I didn't wantto happen, um, because I
wasn't you know, I didn't askfor that. Um, I was asked
to do that, and uh Ididn't want. Uh I want I didn't
want to become a situation where itlooked like I was lobbying to get the
job. I still want, youknow, players come first, and I

(53:49):
want the players understand that that itwas. It's not about me. It's
still about you guys, and uh, you know, I'm going to back
in support you. And you know, I want to take care of the
players in the clubhouse. And youknow, I wasn't going to do things
that for my sake and because Ididn't care about that. I care about
the coaches that were left there,and hopefully I want to help, you
know, preserve their jobs and thingsof that nature. And so it felt

(54:13):
like we did a pretty good jobbecause most of the staff is still here
as well. So grateful for that. Yes, And sure the fans are,
like I said, you've been grainedyourself here in this community for a
while now, and they said,the impact you have. And it'll be
amazing to see how the Tony Beasleystory finishes out here in the next twenty
five thirty years, right just tosee how you know, like you talk

(54:34):
about your platform or what you cando with it, so you know,
help fans on there get a chancejust go say how to Bees and ever
you see he's like always has asmile on his face. Just yeo,
hey Bees, and you know it'sjust but like I said, you're having
fun. You're a kid, andit's always tell people you've got to have
a lot of little boy. Youneed to play this game that's becoming a
business. And you've and you've donethat, like I said, you've instilled

(54:55):
done a lot of players and theimpact you've had throughout your career. And
you know, it's like I said, it's always fun. And I'm glad
you're able to jump onto that beesand and tell this story because like I
said, one person, one person, here's this and change them right.
You've done your job, amen,Amen, So then I appreciate it,
I said, jumping on here anduh, you know, off to a

(55:16):
good start here at the Rangers.Like I said, you guys just just
keep going right, one day ata time, one picture at a time.
Right, can't we can't look,can't get if you're there to corral
them in, right, guys,hey can't get ahead of ourselves. Like
I said, it seems like they'rehaving fun. Yeah, fans are enjoying
it. Yeah, it's it's it'sit's really good right now. It's good
atmosphere, it's fun. Uh,you know, the belief and who we

(55:38):
are is is strong right now.And uh, like you said, we
just got to keep going one dayat a time, and and and bringing
that inergy and passion and and andplaying the game between the lines. We
know we still have to play goodbaseball. We can't just take anything for
granted, no matter what. Youknow, Oakland's coming into town for us
now. And if you take themfor granted, you get beat professional baseball

(56:00):
team, the major league team.And uh, so you know, you
gotta play the game. You gottaplay right, play hard, play smart,
and be fundamentally sound and just dothe right things and do what the
game's asking you to do. Anduh, we always say when means what's
important now. And that's that's allit takes. And so just stay humble

(56:20):
and make sure that we approach todaylike it's that last day, because yeah,
because we never know, because itmight be. That's the best advice
I give my kids. You playevery game like it's gonna be the last
one, because one of these daysit will be. That's right, exactly,
right, man. But I appreciateBees jumping on here man and taking
the time, and uh, youknow, good luck the rest of the
way, and I'll be out there. I'll come see you. Come out

(56:43):
there, come out there and giveyou a big old hug. Man,
Come see yourself. Our relationship goesback a long long way. Come come
see me. Please. Yeah,I will. But I appreciate it,
bees Man, and good luck man, and we'll be in touching guys.
Check out Tony, check out aRangers game, go out and just say
hello. So but I appreciate it, bees, Thanks Mann, thanks man,
Thank you for having me on.Sir, Yes, sir, absolutely,

(57:05):
thanks man. All right, let'ssee it