FOOTLOOSE AND…
How many 92-year-old workers do you know still being highly productive and admired? Now meet another: Tom “T-Bone” Giordano, senior advisor to pro scouting for the Atlanta Braves baseball organization.
For a guy who has advanced dozens of players to the Major Leagues, T-Bone has narrowed the key ingredients for Major League success to uncovering quality skill players with a bright, flexible brain, strong heart and a tough stomach.
Interestingly, one year after advancing his personal career in the majors, T-Bone the player was back in the minors and became T-Bone the manager, then T-Bone the scout.
Since then, he has scouted successfully for the As, Reds, Seattle Pilots, Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers and now the Braves. He is responsible for players from Cal Ripken Jr. and Manny Ramirez, and coaches and executives including John Hart.
When asked, T-Bone will demure from selecting his top players of all time. But he rarely forgets to mention Jim Palmer, and he knew a few Hall of Famers in his playing days, from Connie Mack, who he played for with the As, and Heinie Manush, who managed him in the minors.
When will he retire? Forget it! That won’t happen, and his endless travel schedule keeps him in great shape.
Hats off to T-Bone! He’s one of a kind, and baseball is thankful for him.
