Sure, there was that one pitch on baseball’s biggest stage, the one that clipped a little too much of the plate, the one that Jim Poole would’ve loved to have back. Of course, sports rarely offer up the chance for a do-over, so we’re left to ponder that nagging question.
FILE - Former Baltimore Orioles pitcher Jim Poole, center, poses for a photo with his wife, Kim Poole, left, and their son Hayden Poole, prior to a baseball game between the Orioles and the Seattle Mariners, Thursday, June 2, 2022, in Baltimore. Poole, who pitched in the big leagues for 11 seasons and surrendered the deciding homer to Atlanta’s David Justice in the 1995 World Series, died of complications from ALS, Friday, Oct. 6, 2023. He was 57.
Assenmacher just wanted everyone to know that Poole was as fine a human being as he’s ever encountered. He even threw out the word “perfect,” if there is such a thing. He certainly doesn’t think it’s fair to focus on that one pitch in a life so well lived before it was cut so tragically short by an insidious disease at the age of 57.
Poole had a degree in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech, and he gave back to his alma mater in countless ways — calling games on the radio, raising money, counseling athletes — after his playing days were over. He worked for a time at a suburban Atlanta high school, teaching math and coaching baseball. He could often be found at youth fields around metro Atlanta, eagerly passing along the lessons learned during 11 seasons in The Show.
“During rain delays, we’d be trying to kill time in the locker room,” Assenmacher said. “You’d have guys playing cards, but I look over at Jim’s locker and he’s pulled this thing out and plugged it in the wall. I lifted this thing up, punched at it, wondering ‘What the hell is that?’ I found out years later it was a laptop.”Poole was never a star, but he was a effective enough as the always-valued lefty out of the bullpen that he hung around the majors far longer than might’ve been expected.
“Gee, his life was like a day trader,” Assenmacher quipped. “He was traded around so much.” Yet, “he was very persevering,” his friend added. “He was not going to be a quitter.” “He pulled me aside and said, ‘I want you to know before the news gets out in public,’” Assenmacher said. “He was so calm and strong. He told me, ‘Hey, I’ve had a blessed life. I’ve got no complaints. I’m truly blessed.’ He was so strong, and I’m crying like a baby in front of him. That’s just the way he was.”
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