By Joseph Pompeo

Tinkey said, “Being drafted that year was the furthest thing from my mind.” His amazing game, where he threw a one-hitter with 14 strikeouts, got his name on that clipboard of recruiters. He was later drafted by the Angels in 1983 in the 12th round.

The Angel’s recruiter asked him if he would sign the contract if they drafted him. Tinkey responded with, “Hell yeah I would sign. It would be crazy not to.”

After spring training, he left as a junior in college to take his opportunity in the minors playing two years with the Salem Angels in Oregon. His manager was Joe Maddon, who later won the World Series with the Cubs in 2016.

Most of the guys who were drafted came from Arizona State, Texas, and California who played in the College World Series. Tinkey said, “It took a couple of weeks to get settled in to know what you’re doing and that you’re a part of this.”

Now, Jim Tinkey is the Athletic Director for La Roche University.

After playing for three years with the Angels minor league teams, Tinkey said he was released. The San Jose Bees, an independent baseball team, signed Tinkey after a month of his release, he added.

Mike Norris, a two-time Gold Glove winner for the Oakland A’s, was also a part of the team. Tinkey said, “We had a game on the road, Mike was pitching. I had pitched the night before and Mike showed up without his [atletic] cup to pitch.”

Thankfully Tinkey came up with a solution, “Here, just use this Mike.”

He gave Mike Norris his cup.

The next day Tinkey showed up to the park for the game. “He put a new Mizuno baseball glove in my locker for me,” Tinkey said.

 Tom Verducci, an American Sportswriter for Sports Illustrated, ended up doing a story on the San Jose Bees. Tinkey said, “I got a call, I don’t know how they got my phone number. But I got a call from Tom Verducci’s assistant, and he explained to me what was going on.

“That was wild,” Tinkey said. “I couldn’t believe it.” You can still read the article online and Jim Tinkey is on the cover.

“There was a couple of guys who lived under the stadium,” Tinkey said. “They did team laundry and that’s what they sort of paid for rent, but they did a painting in that room that they stayed in. It was a banner with the San Jose Bees with everyone’s name on it.” That painting is in the article as well.

After the season ended, Tinkey’s contract was over. “Professional baseball is a business,” Tinkey said. “At that time I was 27 and it was time to go. The writing was on the wall.  It was time for me to move on.”

During the winter, Tinkey would go back to Youngstown State to finish his degree. “1987 was when I finally got done with that,” Tinkey said.

“I was really aware of the fact that I wanted to get into coaching at the college level where the players were at that next level.” Tinkey said, “You could recruit who you want and you’re putting your own team together.”

Tinkey wanted to get out of Youngstown and started to look for jobs in Pittsburgh. Tinkey said, “I came across this job where it was an admissions counselor, slash, baseball coach at La Roche College.”

Tinkey ended up coaching the baseball team from 1988 to 1996.

Tinkey spoke about the adjustment from playing in the minors to coaching baseball. “It took me a while to understand what the level of competition was and how good the players was.”

Tinkey said, “I had to feel my way through the first couple years to see who where the athletes that were La Roche College athletes at the time.”

“Big Difference,” Tinkey said when asked about the difference between golfers and baseball players.

“When I took the men’s golfing job, I’m not a PGA certified professional,” Tinkey said. “When they sat in my office with their parents I let them know right then and there that my background is baseball, I’m a good golfer, I get it, I get the middle side of it, the focus and all of those types of things. I’m not somebody who is going to sit here and fix your golf swing.”

“The better players that I had over my life,” Tinkey said, “they came in here at a level that was different that I had ever seen. They had swing coaches, they where competent players at the time.”   “I’m not going to be here forever,” Tinkey said. “When I retire I want to be able to do the things that I want to do at a different level. I want to go hunting like I never done before. Take ten days and disappear.”