Warren Cromartie
Encyclopedia
Warren Livingston Cromartie (born September 29, 1953, in Miami Beach, Florida
) is a retired American
baseball
player.
of the Major Leagues
on September 6, 1974 after being picked 6th in the 1973 amateur draft
. Expectations were high for the outfielder
, but he was, in his own words, "a .300 hitter on a team of superstars." On December 28, 1983, the then-30-year old Cromartie signed with the Yomiuri Giants
of Tokyo
, Japan
. Cromartie was perhaps the most prominent American player still in his prime to sign with a Japanese baseball team. Cromartie spent seven seasons with the Giants. In 1989, he had a .378 batting average with 15 home runs and 78 RBIs and was named MVP of the Central League
. In 1991, he returned to Major League Baseball, playing with the Kansas City Royals
where he hit .313 in limited action. Cromartie was the manager of the Japan Samurai Bears
, an all-Japanese team in the independent U.S. Golden Baseball League
which existed for one season.
, the manager was legendary Japanese slugger Sadaharu Oh
. Oh had such an influence on Cromartie that he named his third child, a son born in Japan, Cody Oh Cromartie http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/sb20081030j2.html.
In 2005, Cromartie sued the makers of a film based on the manga
/anime
series Cromartie High School
in Japanese court. The series does not feature Cromartie himself but does depict students who "smoke, fight with students from other schools and are depicted as ruffians" which he says defames his character as the school shares his name http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/national/archive/news/2005/06/30/20050630p2a00m0na001000c.html.
A reference to a Warren Cromartie Secondary School appears in the cover art for Rush
's 1982 album Signals.
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
) is a retired American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player.
Baseball career
Warren Cromartie debuted with the Montreal ExposMontreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
of the Major Leagues
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...
on September 6, 1974 after being picked 6th in the 1973 amateur draft
1973 Major League Baseball Draft
-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1973 Major League Baseball draft.* Did not sign- Background :Four dominating players of the late 70s and 80s were selected in the June regular phase...
. Expectations were high for the outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
, but he was, in his own words, "a .300 hitter on a team of superstars." On December 28, 1983, the then-30-year old Cromartie signed with the Yomiuri Giants
Yomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
of Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Cromartie was perhaps the most prominent American player still in his prime to sign with a Japanese baseball team. Cromartie spent seven seasons with the Giants. In 1989, he had a .378 batting average with 15 home runs and 78 RBIs and was named MVP of the Central League
Central League
The or is one the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consists of six teams from around the country,The Central League...
. In 1991, he returned to Major League Baseball, playing with 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...
where he hit .313 in limited action. Cromartie was the manager of the Japan Samurai Bears
Japan Samurai Bears
The Japan Samurai Bears are a defunct traveling professional baseball team that played in the independent Golden Baseball League, which is not affiliated with either Major League Baseball or Minor League Baseball. They were based in the Arizona Division...
, an all-Japanese team in the independent U.S. Golden Baseball League
Golden Baseball League
The Golden Baseball League, based in San Ramon, California, was an independent baseball league. It later merged with the Northern League and the United Baseball League to form the North American League in the western United States, western Canada and Mexico....
which existed for one season.
Popular culture
During Cromartie's time with the Yomiuri GiantsYomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
, the manager was legendary Japanese slugger Sadaharu Oh
Sadaharu Oh
Sadaharu Oh, or Wang Chenchih , is a retired Japanese-Taiwanese baseball player and manager. He batted and threw left-handed and primarily played first base. Oh, who was born in Sumida, Tokyo the son of a Taiwanese father and a Japanese mother, had originally signed with the powerhouse Yomiuri...
. Oh had such an influence on Cromartie that he named his third child, a son born in Japan, Cody Oh Cromartie http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/sb20081030j2.html.
In 2005, Cromartie sued the makers of a film based on the manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
/anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series Cromartie High School
Cromartie High School
by Eiji Nonaka, is a Japanese comedy manga, which was subsequently adapted into an anime and a 2005 live-action movie titled Cromartie High - The Movie directed by Yūdai Yamaguchi. It follows the everyday life of Takashi Kamiyama and his odd classmates at Cromartie High School, an infamous school...
in Japanese court. The series does not feature Cromartie himself but does depict students who "smoke, fight with students from other schools and are depicted as ruffians" which he says defames his character as the school shares his name http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/national/archive/news/2005/06/30/20050630p2a00m0na001000c.html.
A reference to a Warren Cromartie Secondary School appears in the cover art for Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
's 1982 album Signals.
Broadcasting
- Currently hosts a radio show on WAXYWAXYWAXY is a radio station licensed in South Miami, Florida broadcasting on 790 kHz with a sports talk format. The station is owned by Lincoln Financial Media, which was previously known as Jefferson-Pilot Communications...
790 AM in Miami, FloridaMiami, FloridaMiami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
. "Talking Hardball with The Cro" currently airs on Saturday during baseball season. Cromartie's previous broadcasting experience includes one year (2004) as the television color commentator for the Montreal ExposMontreal ExposThe Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
. - Has his own segment on the Team 990 in Montreal. He regularly airs at 4:00 PM Eastern on weekdays with Mitch MelnickMitch MelnickMitch Melnick is a radio sports broadcaster in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.A 30-year veteran of radio in Montreal, Melnick is a star of Montreal’s English all sports radio station, Team 990 and can be heard providing insight and analysis every weekday from 3pm-7pm as host of Melnick in the Afternoon;...
.
Trivia
- Nicknamed "Cro."
- He mentioned once in an interview that he wanted a candy bar named after him. Shortly afterwards, he got his wish; the Cro-bar was a popular item sold at the Olympic Stadium.
- The fictional "Warren Cromartie Secondary School" is part of an equally fictional subdivision plat that serves as the back cover for the RushRush (band)Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
album Signals.