Mike Barnett played one year at Ohio University (1977?) as a back-up catcher before a shoulder injury ended his career.
I met Mike in 1979 when I was the bat boy for the Columbus Clippers. I ran the scoreboard 1980-82. The year before Mike had approached the Clippers and inquired if they were interested in having a bullpen catcher. They scheduled Mike to audition and he caught future major league pitcher Odell Jones. They hired Mike for either $15 or $20 per game and he was allowed to eat with the team in the clubhouse following the games. For three years, Mike scheduled am spring quarter classes and would drive his pick-up truck back and forth from Athens to Columbus and back to Athens after midnight. He travelled with the team on the road the rest of the summer and after graduation he took part in spring training and was able to warm-up many of the Yankee Greats including Gossage, Guidry and Catfish Hunter.
I became very good friends with Mike in 1979 and he encouraged me to check out Ohio University as he thought it was a great fit for me.
Eventually Mike moved up to New York and was in charge of the video taping of the hitters for hitting coach Lou Pinnella. By this time I had moved to Virginia and it was hard to keep in touch pre-internet days.
Years later I am flipping channels and I see the Blue Jay's playing and they show the dugout and I jump up in my seat and yell to my wife, "There's Barney" in the Dugout. My first thought was why was in in the main dugout and not the bullpen. By this time we have internet and I go on the Blue Jays website and am shocked to see he is the Hitting Coach. Mike is about 5'9", squatty build and just does not look like an athlete. He could catch, chew and zip the ball back to the pitcher, but that was about it. We used to pitch a few balls to each other in 1979 and I always thought, how the hell did he play for Ohio U for a year.
Lou Pinnella was wonderful to Mike and really kept him involved in the meetings with the hitters. It was not so much how to hold the bat and the physical aspects, but a lot of information inventory on opposing pitchers.
Mike left the Yankees and was a coach at Tennessee for two year and was the interim head coach for part of the second season. Mike was then hired by the White Sox where he met a young manager named Terry Francona. I saw a 30 for 30 on Michael Jordan's baseball stint and they interviewed Mike.
Mike was the major league hitting coach for Toronto, Kansas City and Houston. Whenever he was between jobs, Francona hired him in Boston and now Cleveland where Mike main responsibility is reviewing plays and making the decision on the challenge. He still does a bit of secondary work in the batting department.
Mike and I reconnected on Facebook and it has been fun following him. He is an example of how hard work and determination can pay off even if you are not actually born with God Given talent.
Danny Schmitz who had played at Eastern Michigan was an infield for the Clippers in 1979 and has been the Bowling Green Manager for years. Hop Cassady was a coach on that team and for many years in Columbus. I used to catch for him while he hit fungos to the outfielders
http://m.mlb.com/news/article/161922290/indians-add-mike-... /
Some short video clips of Mike talking about hitting and coaching.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mike+barnett...
Last Edited: 3/16/2017 5:52:42 PM by Bobcat Grad 86