Pat Tabler
Encyclopedia
Patrick Sean "Pat" Tabler (born February 2, 1958 in Hamilton, Ohio
Hamilton, Ohio
Hamilton is a city in Butler County, southwestern Ohio, United States. The population was 62,447 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Butler County. The city is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area....

) is a former Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 player and currently a color analyst
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...

 for the Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....

 on the Canadian sports television network Rogers Sportsnet
Rogers Sportsnet
Sportsnet was launched on October 9, 1998 as CTV Sportsnet. The name was chosen to match the regional "Fox Sports Net" operations across the United States...

 and formerly with Rod Black
Rod Black
Rod Black is a Canadian sports announcer for TSN and CTV Sports. He calls games for the CFL, occasionally for the The NHL on TSN, and used to call games for the Toronto Blue Jays, ending in 2009. He also calls Canadian golf tournaments for the PGA, on occasion bowling tournaments, curling, boxing ...

 on TSN
The Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...

.

Playing career

Born in Hamilton, Ohio
Hamilton, Ohio
Hamilton is a city in Butler County, southwestern Ohio, United States. The population was 62,447 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Butler County. The city is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area....

, Tabler graduated from Archbishop McNicholas High School
Archbishop McNicholas High School
Archbishop McNicholas High School is a parochial high school in the Mt. Washington neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. The school was opened in 1951 and named in honor of John T. McNicholas, fifth bishop and third Archbishop of Cincinnati....

 in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...

. Tabler was a first round draft pick of the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

 (number 16 overall) in 1976, and entered the organization as an outfielder. Tabler never reached the majors with the Yankees and in 1981, they traded him to the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...

 for players to be named later (the Cubs sent Bill Caudill
Bill Caudill
William Holland Caudill is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. One of the wackier players to play the game, Caudill was also one of baseball's top closers from to . Caudill is perhaps most notable for being agent Scott Boras' first client.-Early years:Caudill was drafted by the St...

 and Jay Howell
Jay Howell
Jay Canfield Howell is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds , Chicago Cubs , New York Yankees , Oakland Athletics , Los Angeles Dodgers , Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers .Howell was a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers when they won the 1988 World Series...

 to the Yankees to complete the deal).

Chicago Cubs

He made his debut with the Cubs in 1981 as a second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...

. In 1982, the Cubs moved him to third base
Third Base
is a 1978 Japanese film directed by Yōichi Higashi.-External links:...

 but he never found much success at the plate in limited playing time.

Cleveland

In 1983, he joined the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...

 and became their starting first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...

. That year he hit .291 in 124 games. He became quickly known as a line drive
Line drive
In baseball, a line drive is a type of batted ball, sharply hit, and on a level trajectory. The threshold between a line drive and a fly ball can be subjective....

 hitter and continued to have modest success at the plate. His best season was in 1987 when he became an all-star
All-star
All-star is a term designating an individual as having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry...

, hitting .307 with 11 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

s and 86 runs batted in. Along with first base he was well suited for the designated hitter role he inherited from Andre Thornton in 1987. He gained attention for his amazing success in bases-loaded situations: 43 for 88 (.489) with 108 RBI. He played in Cleveland until 1988, when he was traded to the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...

 for pitcher Bud Black
Bud Black
Harry Ralston "Bud" Black is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher and current manager of the San Diego Padres.-College:Black played two years at Lower Columbia College in Longview...

.

Kansas City

He played for Kansas City until the 1990 season, when he was traded to the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...

.

Toronto

Tabler finished his career with the Toronto Blue Jays (1991–1992), winning a World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...

 championship with the club in his final year as a player. In his career, Tabler was also known as a remarkable clutch
Clutch (sports)
In American sports terminology, "clutch" means performing well under extreme pressure. It often refers to high levels of production in a critical game, such as Game 7 of a best-of-seven series, the last hole of a Major Championship golf tournament, or the final minute in a close match...

 hitter and for his uncanny ability to hit with the bases loaded, batting just under .500 in such situations (43 for 88).

Twice in his career Tabler had 6 runs batted in in one game, on September 25, 1983 and June 8, 1985, both versus the Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...

.

Broadcasting career

After his retirement, Tabler joined the staff of TSN as a studio analyst for the Blue Jays in 1993. After the network's color man, former Jays catcher Buck Martinez, was named the team's manager in 2001, Tabler replaced him in the broadcast booth alongside play-by-play announcer
Announcer
An announcer is a presenter who makes "announcements" in an audio medium or a physical location.-Television and other media:Some announcers work in television production , radio or filmmaking, usually providing narrations, news updates, station identification, or an introduction of a product in...

 Dan Shulman
Dan Shulman
Daniel "Dan" Shulman is a Canadian sportscaster, currently employed with the American network ESPN as well as Canadian network TSN....

. He continued as the TSN color analyst after Rod Black
Rod Black
Rod Black is a Canadian sports announcer for TSN and CTV Sports. He calls games for the CFL, occasionally for the The NHL on TSN, and used to call games for the Toronto Blue Jays, ending in 2009. He also calls Canadian golf tournaments for the PGA, on occasion bowling tournaments, curling, boxing ...

 replaced Shulman when he took a job with ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

. In 2005, Tabler began doing occasional color analysis for Blue Jays games on TSN's main rival, Rogers Sportsnet, alongside play-by-play man Jamie Campbell (sportscaster)
Jamie Campbell (sportscaster)
Jamie Campbell is a Canadian sportscaster with Rogers Sportsnet. He provided the play-by-play voice on the network's Toronto Blue Jays telecasts from 2005 to 2009.-Youth and education:...

 and Sam Cosentino
Sam Cosentino
Salvatore "Sam" Cosentino is a Canadian sportscaster who currently works as a junior hockey analyst on Rogers Sportsnet. Cosentino resides in Mississauga, Ontario.-Baseball:...

. He remains as the chief color analyst for Jays broadcasts on TSN.

For the 2010 season he continues to be a color analyst on Rogers Sportsnet sharing that role with Rance Mulliniks
Rance Mulliniks
Steven Rance Mulliniks is a former Major League Baseball player.Originally drafted as a shortstop, Mulliniks made his major league debut in for the California Angels, batting .269 in 78 games...

 and now works with the man he originally replaced in 2001, Buck Martinez who has taken over as the Blue Jays play-by-play man.

Personal

He has mentioned on a few occasions that he is a fan of band Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (band)
Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...

. It was rumored that a residential quad was named after him on the Stony Brook University campus; however, the quad was built and named in the late 1960s, long before his MLB career began. He is married and has five children.

Nicknamed 'Mr. Clutch' and 'Tabby Cat'.

External links

  • List of baseball nicknames
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