EL1 Reading Fightin Phils

Magee is still a champion

Published on March 2, 2005 under Eastern League (EL1)
Reading Fightin Phils News Release


Reading, PA -- In the fifth and deciding game of the 1995 Eastern League Championship series against New Haven, leadoff hitter Wendell Magee went 4-for-4, with a home run and 4 RBIs, spearheading the R-Phils' 13-2 victory, He also caught the final out of the series.

In the eight playoff games against Trenton and New Haven, Magee hit .379, with two home runs, eight RBIs and ten runs scored. Splitting the regular season between Clearwater (where he won the Florida State League batting title with a .353 average) and Reading (where he hit .294), Magee shared the 1995 Paul Owens Award with Dave Doster as the top position players in the Phillies' minor league organization.

Thanking Coach Pierce

What was particularly notable about all this, as was observed by current readingphillies.com writer Tony Zonca in a Reading Eagle column appearing the next day, was that Wendell Magee was cut by his high school coach (who he only knew as Coach Pierce) three times.

During the celebration in the locker room, Magee told Zonca that he had found it in himself to "Look at it (being cut three times) as a blessing. Things happen in certain ways." He went on to say that "It made me work even harder. It's a blessing. I kinda thank Coach Pierce."

Magee's determination was inspirational, as he stated in the column: "I knew I could play the game, and I would not be denied." It also showed a lot of class in the then 23-year old prospect.

Memories of '95- "The Name of the Team Was ‘Togetherness'" Magee related to readingphillies.com how he approached his role as a leadoff hitter in that fifth and pivotal game: "I was leading off and I needed and wanted to keep up with DJ Jones, who was the leadoff hitter on New Haven. I knew that if he got on he was going to score. I knew if I kept up with him that we would stay even by getting on base."

"So much love was in that 1995 season. So much of it came from Bill Dancy (center), Bill Robinson (left) and Larry Andersen (right)—they were all good coaches. It was a lot of fun. They kept us together." - Wendell Magee Jones went 2-for-5. It's safe to say that Magee more than kept up with him.

Magee's memories of 1995 run deep and rich in their emotion: "That four hit game was my most memorable game of my career. I remember afterwards how happy we were. How crazy we went. We were putting peanut butter on each others heads in the locker room and we were just having a real great time.

"The whole team was together. The name of that team was ‘togetherness'. We came together like one big family. It was awesome. There was a lot of love. The whole time the whole team was just a family. That's how we won the championship. We connected like that. My memory of the team is how we connected. We had togetherness. We had fun.

"So much love was in that 1995 season. So much of it came from Bill Dancy, Bill Robinson and Larry Andersen—they were all good coaches. It was a lot of fun. They kept us together.

"Playing in Reading was great. The fans came out every night. I loved that stadium. A lot of guys were not fortunate enough to move up beyond AA. Playing in that stadium was a great place. I was fortunate enough to move up the next year to Scranton then to the Phillies."

Onward and Upward- With the Phillies and the Tigers Magee started the 1996 season in Reading. He hit .293 and by midseason was moved up to Scranton where his continued offensive success resulted him joining the parent Phillies and playing in 38 games. Over the next three seasons, he split time between Scranton and Philadelphia. In spring training of 2000, he was traded to Detroit.

Remember this?

Modern Equipment Rentals and Sales, long-time supporters of the R-Phils, hung this banner from a hi-lift in their parking lot during the playoffs. The sign was easily visible from every seat in the ballpark and symbolized the support from all the fans.

Spending the next three seasons with the Tigers, Magee was released after the 2002 season in which the team suffered 105 losses, being one of a number of casualties of a youth movement that was launched the next year—this, despite hitting a respectable .271.

In 2003, Magee split his time in AAA ball between Colorado Springs, Scranton and Toledo, hitting above .300 at Scranton and Colorado Springs.

In 2004, Magee played for the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League, which were managed by Don McCormack, his former manager at Scranton (and former Reading Phillies manager). The Ducks won the league championship, and Magee has fond memories of the season: "In Long Island we also came together as a team. It's hard to win a championship without having harmony. If you come together and have the harmony—then it will flow."

On a personal note, Wendell Magee has been married to his wife Nicole for two years. He has a 13-year old son, Joshua, with whom he has enjoyed sharing his time in baseball, "I have had lots of fun taking my son to games. He loved going to the games and seeing things there. It was great when I would take him."

Reaching Back Again

Magee is currently at his home in Birmingham, hoping to hear from a Major League organization. He sums up his dilemma: "I would still love to play, but I just have to wait. It is real frustrating."

Recalling his determination after his experience of being cut in high school, Magee related that, "I'm trying to get back what I had then. You need to have the same fire...you try to get back what you had when you were younger. I said then, "Don't hold me down --I can do it. That's what I had then. I need to get back to it."

Aside from his charitable view of the "contribution" of Coach Pierce to his career, Magee says he has learned much from a number of other coaches he has encountered along the way. "My most influential coach was Tommy Walker at Samford University (where Magee also starred in football). He first allowed me to step on the field and gave me a chance to be a big time college player. He had the patience to let me split between football and baseball.

"The Phillies were like a family to me. They gave me a shot. It was home. As a young player it was very important to me. Don McCormack was great to play for, along with Bill Dancy. They kept the game fun. They were very patient.

"I have learned a lot from the patience of both Bombi (Mark Bombard, who managed Magee at Scranton, and is the Phillies new first base coach) and also Phil Garner (his manager at Detroit). In order to be an effective coach you need to be patient and realize that in baseball you need to endure. Sometimes we just forget that. Young kinds don't remember that. When they come up they expect things. They have to learn to work. On the other hand, we sometimes forget that the young kids coming up are just kids."

Asked about coaching or scouting, Magee said he has considered neither specifically, and that there is a good possibility he would end up doing something other than baseball if things don't work out with finding a spot to play. "I can write books, and I want to be in movies. My wife and I want to make music together. There are so many blessings out there on the table, I can go ether way." (However after talking to Wendell Magee for even a brief time, it is hard not to conclude that in a coaching role, he would have a lot to offer young players by way of insight and leadership.)

Ultimately, Magee is now focused on continuing to play, saying, "I've never really considered what would be exactly involved with (scouting). I'm keeping the faith that all this will work out. I'm working with an agent and he's looking for a spot for me. I have experience and leadership; I still can hit. I've been on two championship teams – the Reading Phillies and the Long Island Ducks."

Magee paused at that point and said, "Just talking about this, just talking about what it takes to win a championship--- it has me pumped up again and has me thinking what I need to do as an individual. I was down; I've got to get over that."

Following the 1995 Championship, Wendell Magee said that even after being cut three times in high school, "I knew I could play the game, and I would not be denied." Now, ten years later, he again is facing a challenge; whether he will be able to continue his career.

You have to believe that if anyone can succeed under the circumstances, Wendell Magee will find a way.

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Eastern League Stories from March 2, 2005


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