August 25, 2011
Butterfield is Toronto's 'Maine' man
by David Laurila/
Toronto third-base coach Brian Butterfield (left) greets Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista on a home run last month. (photo: Getty Images)
Brian Butterfield is one of the most respected coaches in professional baseball, and it all traces back to his roots. The 53-year-old “Butter” was born and raised in Maine — and still lives there during the offseason — and he credits his New England upbringing for much of his success.
Currently the third-base coach for the Toronto Blue Jays, he is known throughout the game as an excellent infield instructor. During his return to Fenway Park last month, Butterfield spoke with New England Baseball Journal about growing up in Orono, playing in the Yankees’ organization and his continuing Patriots tradition.
On his baseball beginnings: “My dad was the head baseball coach at the University of Maine, in Orono, which is where I grew up. It was a great environment, because I was always around older players, as well as coaches. A disadvantage New England kids have is that there are only so many games during your high school season and many of them are played in poor weather. You don’t get to play as much baseball, which is why you don’t see many position players from New England playing in the big leagues. The weather is a big disadvantage, but a lot of the kids are talented enough. They simply need more repetitions.
“If I could do it all over again — if I had my choice of where to live — I would choose Orono, Maine. The whole thing, growing up with my dad being right there, and being around those players in a college town, was just fantastic. Maine is a great place to grow up, as well as to raise a family.”
On entering pro ball: “I was drafted by the Yankees in 1979 and played for them for five years in the minor leagues. I told myself that (a team) wasn’t going to release me once, they were going to have to release me twice before I would decide to call it quits. I was let go by the Yankees, then hooked on with the Padres. We were in camp, in Yuma, Ariz., and they were going to send me back to ‘A’ ball. I had a talk with the farm director and told him, ‘I’m a little too old now and had my sights set on Double A or Triple A, so if neither of those are possible, I’ll ask for my release. They accommodated me and I went home.
“I wasn’t at home for very long when I got a call from the Yankees, saying they needed help in the minor leagues. More specifically, the (Triple-A) Columbus Clippers needed a coach who could throw batting practice, and do some other things, so I jumped in the car. That’s how my coaching career started.”
On mixed loyalties: “I learned how to hate the Red Sox when I was with the Yankees. I grew up a big Red Sox fan — I loved the Red Sox — but when I started competing against them as a player, I learned to dislike them a lot.
“I have a huge amount of respect for the Red Sox organization. I love what Theo Epstein has done; I love the type of players they draft and put on the field; I love the environment, with all the passion. I always enjoy coming back here, but I also love beating the Boston Red Sox. It’s important that we win games when we come here, because I take a lot of heat from friends. Even people I leave tickets for come to the games with Red Sox hats on, and I get on them for that.”
On a Patriots tradition: “I’m a big New England Patriots fan and always have been. Each time we come here to Fenway, (visiting clubhouse attendant) Tommy McLaughlin has the name of a Patriots player on my locker instead of my own. This year, they drafted Nate Solder in the first round, so today my nameplate says, ‘Nate Solder.’ Last year, it was ‘Devin McCourty.’ Other times it has been ‘Tedy Bruschi’ and ‘Tom Brady.’ It’s always interesting to get here and see what Tommy has on my nameplate.”
On the Stanley Cup: “I’m not as big of a hockey guy as my youngest son, Chris, but as soon as the playoffs start, I get infatuated with it. I was cheering for the Bruins right from the get-go. When they fell behind the Canadiens, 2-0, I told a few people that they were going to come back to win that series and then the Stanley Cup.
“I’m really happy for Claude Julien. When I was back home for the winter, they were talking about firing him and that disappointed me because I’ve always liked what he represents, and how he is. I’m very respectful of Claude Julien and happy that he won the Cup.”
On coaching and respect: “Communication is vital. As a coach, you’re a liaison between the manager and the players, and the players need to trust you. You have to be detailed and prepared. They’re going to see your body of work, and if you’re willing to prepare, work hard and show the players you’re looking out for their best interests, they’re going to respond to you.
“It’s an honor to put on a big-league uniform. I take every day like it might be my last time doing that. My dad was really important to me in that regard. I watched how hard he worked and how he treated people. One of the biggest things I learned from him is respect — respect for other people, respect for your work, respect for this great game. Something I always challenge players with is to respect what they do. That’s a lesson I learned growing up in Orono.”
This article originally appeared in the August 2011 issue of New England Baseball Journal.
David Laurila can be reached at feedback@baseballjournal.com
