Photo courtesy of Warren Brusstar
By MARTY JAMES
Warren Brusstar of Napa retired in 1986 after a major league career that spanned nine years as a pitcher with three organizations.
But his life in baseball continues, as he has been an assistant coach for Napa Valley College for over 20 years.
He also spent six years as a pitching coach for the Philadelphia Phillies in their minor league system, working for teams in the Gulf Coast League, New York-Penn League and Florida State League.
He coached for San Bernardino, an independent team, for one season in the California League.
He spent one season in Atlantic City, N.J., in the Atlantic League, an independent league.
"It's been very rewarding," said Brusstar, a reliever on the Phillies' 1980 World Series championship team. "I've really enjoyed being able to teach the game and give back – the things that I've learned."
Brusstar, a 1970 Napa High School graduate, said his favorite week of the year is when he goes to Spectrum Field at the Carpenter Complex in Clearwater, Fla., for the Phillies Phantasy Camp. It's an annual camp that is held in January at the Phillies' spring training facility.
Brusstar and other former Phillies players serve as coaches and managers during the camp – called "the sports experience where anything becomes possible," according to the camp's website, www.philliesphantasycamp.com.
"You and your teammates will learn from the best while participating in major league-style drills, practices and games. Take the field in your own personalized Phillies uniform," the camp's website said. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to show your major league stuff to baseball legends."
This year's camp was held from Jan. 22-26. Those registering for the camp, available to both men and women, can attend as either a player, general manager, or as a Phan.
"All three experiences create memories that last a lifetime!" the camp's website reports.
Brusstar was invited to the camp 15 years ago by Dickie Noles, his teammate on the 1980 Philadelphia team. Noles works in the Phillies' organization.
"I look forward to it every year. It's a lot of fun," Brusstar said by phone from his home in Napa on Monday, April 27.
He works with many of the same people, who return to the camp as players, year after year. They are from all around the country.
"It's become almost like a family," he said. "You see guys – it's good to see them after a year.
"You make a lot of friendships, not only with your own team, but the other people that come to the camp every year. We stay in touch with each other all through the year.
"I've spent so much time in Clearwater – it's good to go back and see Clearwater for a week, every year, and see how it's grown and see what's new around the area."
Players attending the camp get to work right away – hitting in the cages, fielding ground balls and catching fly balls, throwing off of the mounds.
"They have a workout for the new rookies that come in, so we get to see what they can do, so you get an idea of who can play and how good they are," said Brusstar, a right-hander.
After having lunch, there is a draft that same day, where teams are assembled, with games starting later in the day. Each team plays five games in three days.
"The big league players that can still play, they play against the campers, and against each team," said Brusstar. "All the campers get one at-bat against an ex-major league pitcher."
Hall of Fame career
Brusstar is in the Napa High Athletic Hall of Fame, NVC Athletic Hall of Fame and Fresno State Wall of Fame.
After his senior year at Napa High, Brusstar was selected in the 27th round of the 1970 draft by the San Francisco Giants. He was selected by the Giants in the sixth round of the secondary phase of the January 1971 draft.
He played for NVC in 1971, a team coached by Larry Bailey and a member of the Golden Valley Conference.
Brusstar was inducted into the California Community College Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2012.
He transferred to Fresno State and was a starter there for two years, a time when he learned so much about pitching from Bulldogs coach Bob Bennett.
"The two years that I spent with him were very influential in my career," said Brusstar. "He got me headed in the right direction. He gave me the basic fundamentals of pitching. And I went out and applied it, when I was coming up through the minor leagues."
Bennett led Fresno State to the College World Series in both 1988 and 1991, with 21 appearances in the NCAA Regionals, 32 winning seasons, and an all-time 1,302-759-4 record in 34 years.
Brusstar played for the Peoria Pacers of the Central Illinois Collegiate League after completing his junior year at Fresno State.
He signed with Philadelphia after being selected in the fourth round of the secondary phase in the draft in January of 1974. He came up through the Phillies' system, pitching in Spartanburg, S.C., Rocky Mount, N.C., Reading, Pa., and Oklahoma City.
He got the call to the majors in 1977. He made his major league debut against Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium on May 6, 1977. He was with the Phillies from 1977 to 1982.
He's in the Philadelphia Hall of Fame as a relief pitcher for the 1980 world champion Phillies.
Brusstar, who worked primarily as a middle reliever, also pitched for the Chicago White Sox (1982) and Chicago Cubs (1983-1985) during his career. He was released during spring training in 1986.
He appeared in 340 games, compiling a record of 28-16 with 14 saves and a 3.51 earned-run average over nine years in the major leagues.
"I was very fortunate. I was on some really good teams. I was in the right spot at the right time most of my career," he said.
Learning about the game at home
Brusstar learned about the game from his father, Gordon Brusstar, a commercial artist, who passed away in 1987.
"He was my main influence," said Warren. "He was always there to play catch with me, if I wanted to throw. Living out in the country, there weren't too many kids around.
"He'd always take a half-hour or an hour every night and we'd play catch or shoot baskets or throw the football – whatever season it was."
The two also spent some time in the family's driveway at home playing catch after Warren got to the majors. It was usually right before the start of spring training, when he was able to get home.
"He'd get the gloves out – 'OK, spring training is right around the corner. You've got to get your arm ready. Let's go. You've got to go out and play catch,' " Warren recalled.
He and his dad would also listen to Giants and Dodgers games on the radio at home.
"We always had the radio on, listening to baseball, whenever it was on," said Warren.
Helping out at Phillies Phantasy Camp
There are 12 or 13 players on each team during the camp. For the last five years, Brusstar and Jim Eisenreich, a first baseman-outfielder who played in the majors for 15 years, co-manage a team together.
Brusstar works with the pitchers, providing instruction.
"The biggest thing is to get them to throw strikes," he said.
"The guys figure out what positions they want to play and then they just go about it themselves, subbing in and out between innings. It's great fun."
Brusstar gives an award each year. It's the Tug McGraw Award, and it goes to the best pitcher of the camp.
Brusstar's wife, Jennifer Brusstar, is the CEO and President of the Tug McGraw Foundation, which has its headquarters at the Veterans Home of California in Yountville.
McGraw, who grew up in Vallejo and pitched in the major leagues for 19 years (1965 to 1984), passed away in 2004 in Brentwood, Tennessee. He was 59.
He won World Series titles in 1969 with the New York Mets and 1980 with Philadelphia.
He compiled a 3.14 career ERA and had 180 saves in 824 games. He was inducted into the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame.
The Tug McGraw Foundation was established by Tug McGraw in 2003 to enhance the quality of life for kids and adults diagnosed with debilitating neurological brain conditions such as brain tumors, traumatic brain injury, and post-traumatic stress disorder, according to its website, www.tugmcgraw.org.
"Through fundraising, education and collaboration, TMF continues to create opportunities focused on improving the lives of patients, along with their families, in effort to extend and improve their standard of living," www.tugmcgraw.org reports.
* Marty James is a freelance writer who makes his home in Napa. He retired on June 4, 2019 after spending 40 years as a sports writer, sports editor and executive sports editor for the Napa Valley Register, a daily newspaper in Napa County. He is a 1979 graduate of Sacramento State and a member of the California Golf Writers & Broadcasters Association, Associated Press Sports Editors, and California Prep Sports Media Association. He was inducted into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame in 2016 and the Vintage High School Athletic Hall of Fame in September of 2019