Background: In August of 1991, when I was living in Fairfax, I was the sports editor and columnist for the Northern Virginia Alumni Association’s newspaper, "Hokie Headlines." Each issue, we tried to include a story about a current or former Virginia Tech athlete, who might be of interest to Hokies living in the Washington area. On a whim, I decided to ask the Baltimore Orioles’ public relations office if I might be able to interview Johnny Oates, who was the manager at the time (Oates currently manages the Texas Rangers and is a two-time winner of Manager of the Year.)

To my surprise, they came back with an offer of 15 minutes of Oates’ valuable time. All I had to do was to show up at Memorial Stadium at the appointed date and time. During the interview, Oates seemed genuinely impressed that we wanted to write a story about him, and was very interested in talking about what was going on at Tech.

We became so engrossed in conversation, that Oates’ assistant (who had stuck his head in the door several times after we passed the 15 minute mark) finally had to come in and plead with Oates’ to move on to his next commitment. As the assistant escorted me back to the front office to pick up some promo materials, he let me know how lucky I had been to have garnered so much valuable time in the life of a Major League Baseball manager. "Heck," he said, "Even George Michael only gets 15 minutes!"

Entering Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium team dressing area, visitors can see familiar names posted on lockers: Ripken, Olson, Evans, Flanagan, McDonald. At the far end f the team area, in a paneled office is a quiet, youthful looking man in his Orioles uniform – this is John Oates, manager of the American League’s Baltimore Orioles and Virginia Tech Baseball Hall-of-Famer.

The Virginia Tech baseball program remembers Oates as a dynamic baseball catcher on teams of the 1960’s, who went on to play on five different major league teams and now manages in the pros. At Tech, Oates led the Hokies in hitting two years in a row. He batted .410 in 1966 and .342 in 1967. Among his many feats was the fact that he struck out just once in 56 at bats in 1966. Oates’ coach at Tech, "Red" Laird, said he was "as good a player as I ever had. He could do it all."

After leaving Tech, John Oates played 11 season in the majors with Baltimore, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and the New York Yankees. He went on to manage with several clubs, both in the majors and minors.

Oates entered Tech in 1964 on a baseball scholarship after turning down a football scholarship from then-coach Jerry Claiborne. He majored in Health and Physical Education with a minor in Business.

Oates recalled two professors who had an impact on him: Dr. Thomas Martin, head of the HPE department at the time, who gave him "much encouragement and support," and an English professor, Dr. Kohler, for his public speaking course. Oates says this freshman level course, which was required in order for him to complete his degree, was something he had put off each year because of his dread of speaking in front of people.

Like many Tech students before and after him, he enrolled in the class at the end of his senior year. Under Kholer’s instruction, Oates found that he actually enjoyed the class and excelled in it. He says that this class, as much as any he had taken, helped him in many aspects of his career, "whether it was ‘discussing’ a play with an umpire, talking to his players or speaking in front of large crowds."

Oates said that what appealed to him most about Virginia Tech, was that it was just the perfect place for him to develop. Having come from rural Southside Virginia, the atmosphere at Tech was ideal for him in those days. He was able to concentrate on studying and baseball without the distractions that might be found at larger or more urban universities or, for that matter, the Virginia Tech of today.

When asked about his reaction to being inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 1983, his voice became hushed as he described how hard it was for him to believe that he, being so much younger than most of the other inductees, was to be honored on the field at Lane Stadium. He says he looked around at his fellow inductees – Mack McEver, Frank Peake, Red Laird, George Preas and Bob Schweikert – and thought of the others who had come before him, and was just astonished that he could be in such company. He said, "It just sends shivers through me, even now, to think about the honor."

In remembering his playing days at Tech, Oates regrets that he was not able to play in more games. In those days, the schedules were much shorter than the 70-game seasons that are common today. He says one season he only played 13 games due to the abbreviated schedule.

Oates describes the last game of the 1966 season as the most memorable moment in his career. The Hokies were trailing the North Carolina Tarheels in the bottom of the ninth inning, with two outs. Oates came to bat and promptly smashed a three run homer to lift the Hokies to a one run victory.

He recalls that Jerry Claiborne, who had barely spoken to him since he turned down the football scholarship, came down to the field and personally congratulated him on the home run. He says that Claiborne’s gesture was most gratifying and that they have been close friends ever since.

Another Hokie that Oates keeps up with, is former Tech star Franklin Stubbs, who plays for the Milwaukee Brewers. Stubbs had just hit a home run for the Brewers the night before this interview, in a win over the Orioles. He says that he and Stubbs keep in touch and trade good-natured barbs when their respective teams play each other. Oates also keeps tabs on George Canale, another former Hokie who plays for the Brewers, as well as former Tech basketball great, Allen Bristow, head coach of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets.

Oates is excited about the Orioles’ future. He cites the impending opening of the new spring training facility in Naples, FL and several promising rookies who could make a major impact next year. The most noticeable change next year, however, may be in the team’s venue. A beautiful new stadium will open at Camden Yards in the harbor area of Baltimore. Virginians will, no doubt, appreciate the fact that the new stadium will cut 30 to 60 minutes (depending on traffic) from their drive time to see the Orioles play. Oates said that the large numbers of Virginians in the stands is "definitely noticed" by the folks in the Oriole’s ticket office.

It’s been said that Oates is a "player’s manager," that is, one whom the players enjoy playing for. When asked if it is hard to draw the line as to when to be a friend, and when to be the boss, Oates made an interesting comparison. He says, "It’s much the same as being a parent. Sometimes it’s necessary to be the disciplinarian, but it’s always necessary to be a friend."

This philosophy is not lost on his players and peers. In the May 25^th Washington Post, Oriole Craig Worthington was quoted as saying, "He’s a great guy to play for. He’s a great baseball man. He treats the players right all the time. With him, you’re close to the manager, but he doesn’t try to be too close. You can’t be peers; he has to be above you, but you can talk to him about anything." First base coach Curt Motton, in the same article said, "He’s a very good manager. He’s prepared. He’s focused. He knows how to get the most out of players. Above all, he wants the players to understand that his position requires respect."

Oates points to the door, which has been open during the interview. He says, "I have an open door policy with my players." They are welcome to come in and discuss anything with Oates. Even with the door open, Oates says there can be an invisible barrier that some players are hesitant to cross. For that reason, Oates says he tries to go out to them as much as possible. He says that what you find out about people in personal situations and relationships outside of the game, often help as much as what you observe about them on the field.

In talking to Oates, his attributes become immediately apparent. He is a soft-spoken, humble man, who tempers authority with compassion. He is an organizer and inspires respect from his players and peers. He is a man who is obviously destined for success in whatever he sets out to accomplish.

• As I was getting out of my car in the parking lot of Memorial Stadium, Frank Robinson was exiting a limo. Wearing a dark (obviously expensive) suit, it was hard for me to imagine him as a former player. Working in "the front office" can certainly change a person’s aura. Interestingly, however, Robinson looked as comfortable in the management role as he had on the field in years past. Impressive guy.

• While waiting for Oates to be available for the interview, his assistant left me free to look about the locker room while he tended to some other business. Seeing Cal Ripken, Jr.’s locker only a few feet away from me, I thought, "Wow! I’ve got to get a picture of this!" I popped off a few shots of his and a couple other lockers and turned to see a tall, rather stern man with white hair staring at me. I nodded at him, he nodded back and walked away. It was only after some time had passed, that I realized that I had been stared down by none other than Cal Ripken, Sr. who was 3^rd base coach at the time. Seems I was unaware that there was this little rule about the press taking pictures in the locker room, and Ripken couldn’t quite figure out what I was doing there.

• During the course of the interview, Oates and I talked about what it was like to have been brought up in small Virginia towns. When I mentioned that I was brought up in Culpeper, Oates got a gleem in his eye and said, "I’ll be right back!" When he reentered the room he had brought with him the regional sales representative of one of the large athletic shoe companies with which the Orioles have a contract. The shoe rep was assigned to the Orioles and was usually in town when the team was. Oates, almost as excited as a little kid said, "I’ll bet you know this guy!" Lo-and-behold, the regional shoe representative was my former high school phys-ed teacher, Hi-Y Club Sponsor and Culpeper’s ex-basketball coach, John Averett. We all just shook our heads and marveled at what a small world it was.