Frank Thomas
Appearances
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
And from afar, people think big, black, famous, lot going on, interracially married. Something's going on with that guy.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Thank you, Dan. I've been pulled a million different directions. I had one of the first baseball players along with Ken Griffiths Jr. to have big marketing campaigns, and that went all year long. There was no downtime. So I would end the season, I'm doing stuff with Reebok, I'm going around the world, you know, to Asia, to England, wherever they wanted me to go, you know, promoting another brand.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
So, you know, like I said, I wasn't hard to get along with. People just didn't take the time to really get to know me.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Thank you. And like I said, once again, I've got to thank Michael Jordan for that because Michael has started doing something no one has ever done, to market and promote a sport. And they wanted to do the same thing with baseball when I got with Reebok. So it took a lot of time from family times. And the same thing happened to his family. He ended up getting divorced.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
But as for growing up there and keeping everything, you know, under wraps, but not falling in the same traps, because I grew up in a semi-bad neighborhood, but not a real ghetto neighborhood. You know, I wouldn't call it middle class, but I would put it somewhere in the middle of middle or lower class.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
And there's no happiness when you're never seeing your wife. It's tough. You grow apart. And that's just what happens. So like I said, I tell people, the best thing you can do right now is be a great father. I've been a great father for many, many years. And I hope to be a great father for many, many years to come.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
You know, I look at it as not being perfect. You know, you come in and out of college, all these expectations. You want to get there. You want to do it. You want to make that money. You want to be famous. I would say the first seven years, I never got caught up in being a leader.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I never got caught up being a guy that everybody wanted me to be because I was doing stuff to try to be something different. I sat down around my 28, 29 years and like, hey, it's time to become a leader. You know, it's time to lead this team. Because I was hearing people, he's not a leader. He's all about himself. He's selfish. He cares about numbers. He cares about stats. It wasn't about that.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I just believed in if I go out and have the best stats every night, our organization, we're going to win. And we're going to win consistently. I cared about being consistent. And today, with anything I do, I care about being consistent.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I didn't enjoy the first 10 years like I should have. But I got older. I had much more fun in the game. I remember my favorite year in baseball was 2006 with Oakland A's, and it brought something different out of me. Everybody thought I was done. I ended up having my best year in a very long time because I was happy again. I was relaxed.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I didn't deal with the Chicago media every day, you know, because that became a season that we can fire him up. Let's push him. How many buttons we can push? You know, that's what that was all about. I got to Oakland on the West Coast. Everybody's laid back. I went six straight weeks and didn't do anything. There was no bullying. There was no nothing. And I'm like, are you kidding me?
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Fans are in the parking lot going, don't worry, Big Hurt. We know who you are. We know it's going to come soon. And you know what, I went home that night, I told my wife, Megan, I said, it's time for me to turn this thing on. Like I've never turned it on. And I ended up having one of my best years of my career. And from that day forward, I hit like 400 all the way through.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
They don't know that. Because the walks of life I came from, I mean, there were the lower, lower class. There were, you know, lower middle class, and there was middle class. So for me growing up, I just wanted to stay out of trouble.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Ended up in like another 35 home runs or something crazy and had an unbelievable season. Ended up 41 home runs, like 118 home runs at 118 RBIs as a 36, 37 year old. So for me, that was, I felt blessed and it showed my true talent again, just by being happy.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I can just tell you right now, Ozzie had told me about my first two years, you're in trouble. And I'm like, dude, what are you talking about? He said, you hit 350, 360, 40 home runs, 130 RBIs. You can't have a down year. if you don't achieve those numbers, especially in the city of Chicago, they're going to lambaste your ass. And he was right. And I still have a great relationship with Ozzy.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
We do TV together. But he told me, and he'll tell you that on TV, you did too much at an early age after those seven straight years that no one has ever seen before. It's just, you know, you can't keep up with that. I don't care who you are as a player, especially on the baseball field, but that's how locked in I was. And I laugh at Ozzy every day because he told me that my second year in the game.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Right. You know, like I told you, when you're the biggest guy, they talk about David and Goliath all the time. I was Goliath. And I was supposed to do those things. After you do it for seven straight years, you're supposed to do it every year. I don't care if you're getting older. I don't care if you're slowing down. You have set that standard.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
And when you set that standard, people look at that standard and say, hey, that's where you need to be and that's where you got to be. And for me, I took it upon myself to be that guy. And when things weren't as good, I remember getting divorced in 97. That was my first down year in baseball. And it wasn't really a down year. I hit like 30 something home runs. I hit 277 and drove in 100 runs.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
But everybody was like, oh, he's finished. He's washed. Something's going on. He's lost his focus. You know, I'm like, I'm going through divorce with three young kids. So I was going to the plate like this every day because it was left and right, stuff over here, stuff over here, not being able to focus on that little white baseball.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
So for me, once all that cleared the air, I was back being who I was. And that was tough on the organization because that got a lot of organization strain going with me in the front office, managers, everything else. So I was a little defiant there for a year and a half because I had to be. Because I'm like, why are you guys treating me like this when you saw what I did for your first seven years?
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
So my mom knew a lot about family. You know, when you're talking about family gatherings, mother, aunts and uncles coming over, it was a huge clan. It was a lot of people, a lot of cousins, a lot of we had a big family. So you learn a lot from from those situations and and learning about family.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I'm going through something. Everybody goes through things. Once it's over, you're going to get the player back that I was. And I had to prove people wrong every day. So after that point forward, I felt like I was always proving people wrong and not being that happy player that I possibly can be.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
They took it for granted. They really took for granted of being locked in in the zone for 162 games a year. They took it for granted. And they've tried to replace it. They tried to replace it forever. And... A couple years they got away with it, but the majority of the time they didn't.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
So as for me, that's one of the things I do regret is not finishing my career in Chicago because I felt I had earned that. And to be released after the World Series in 2005 with a broken ankle, coming back healthy because they knew I would be healthy again. They thought I was done, but I knew I wasn't done. I just needed to take some time and get healthy.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
And that explosion happened in Oakland, and it finished out the rest of my career until I was 40 years old. I mean, I'm proud to play this game for so long, you know, 22 to 40. That's a long time playing a baseball season. I mean, a baseball career. So I was blessed with it, and I tell people all the time, What a ride it was. I enjoyed the ride.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Yes, there were some turbulent times, but that's okay. It made me a stronger, more professional, and a tougher person. You were pretty professional, frankly. Well, I always cared about being professional. I always cared about the other man. I always cared about respect and respecting the game. That's why when I hit a home run, you saw me sprinting around the bases.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I cringe now watching guys hit home runs and flipping bats and all that other crazy stuff. You hit the ball pretty far. I hit it consistently pretty far. You know, like I'm saying, it's just like been there, done that. I don't want to show up the other man because they feel just as bad as you give up a home run. You know, they got to feed their family. You know, they're in trouble.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
You know, too many of those, they're going to be out of here. You know, but now the game is all about fun. I get that. But, you know, the flipping of the best disrespecting of the man, I still have a hard time with it.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Oh, I love those experiences. Don't get me wrong. I'm so happy I had that experience at Oakland because it revived my career and probably got me to the Hall of Fame. Toronto was a great experience. You were already in the Hall of Fame. Well, I just wish I had more to give to Toronto because that organization was first class. They treated me like a king and I gave them everything I had.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I just hadn't gotten old and my arthritis in my ankles. I just couldn't do what I could do early in my career. So, So hats off to Toronto. They were patient with me as long as they possibly could. Yes, I could have gave them average numbers, but like I said, once you set the bar so high, people are not looking at you to give them. Stop apologizing.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Come on. I know, but when you set that bar so high, people can't understand you've been an average player. They can't.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Come on. But still, they still want to make numbers. My first year in Toronto, I hit 27 home runs and 96 RBIs for a 39-year-old. I mean, that's pretty dang good. It is pretty good.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
You know, I'll be honest, it sucked. Because that fan base is tiny. But they support. You know, they're screaming and yelling at the top of their voice every night. I understand it because it was time to get rid of that stadium. It's time to move up. And I think going to Vegas will be a special moment for the organization. I do think half of that fan base still will support.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
And they will go to Vegas because it's a good time and it's close enough that they can get there, spend three, four days, go home. And it's drivable. So I just – I really feel – Oakland having a big time situation like the Raiders, like the WNBA team and the Golden Knights. Trust me, I lived in Vegas for 15 years, a special town, and they care about sports 24-7. They're going to be fine.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I just really feel the backlash is they lost the Raiders and they lost Oakland A's. It's going to be tough for the city of Oakland. I feel bad for it because I adored the city of Oakland, and they revived my career. So, yes, they were the best, smallest crowds I've ever seen in my life because it didn't matter. The energy was unmatched.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
It was my favorite season of my career. It really was. I had a young team that – re-energize me guys like Nick Swisher Bobby Crosby Jason Kendall um Milton Bradley, who was crazy but fun. Who else had on that team? Jay Payton. I mean, we just had a team of guys that just cared. Mark Ellis. I mean, those guys really cared about playing the game. It wasn't about money out there.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
It was about winning. And I had fun with those guys, and they just needed Mark Kotze, who's managing now. You know, those guys were special guys, and that's why we played so well. And I'll be honest with you. I think we could have got to the World Series that year if we didn't have that five-day layoff like these guys about to have to start the World Series now.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Yes. It was basically, you know, like dog catcher. You know, dog, cats, you know, would keep them in control for the city. But his biggest job, I really feel, was at Georgia Crown, which was a big distributor of alcohol. He had a huge keg route that he would do for a lot of the bars and restaurants around town. So dad was a man of many talents, but he was very stubborn with me.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Honestly, I mean, what Billy Bean does out there and what Billy Bean did that year, I've never seen a general manager bring guys up ready to perform. I don't care how young they are. They can come pitch seven innings, send them back down, bring another one up, bring a bat in who could do something to help us. We had a team full of that.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
And we had Ron Washington, the base coach, who made the game fun daily. I mean, I've never been around a coach. People are like, what's the magic of Ron Washington? Just think about this. I'm always the first guy there every day, and he's always the first guy there. Ron would sit there with his long white underwear, with his cigarette. Gets you going every day.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
What happened to you last night, Big Hurt? A boy stuck it to you. And he would run and laugh. But that's the motivation he provided on a daily basis. I had fun again.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I had fun again. And that whole clubhouse was like that. It was about winning. It wasn't about who's got the biggest check. It was about winning. And we didn't care about anything else. We had a lot of fun. And that's why we had a great team.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Kid Maka was sitting there in the seventh inning one day. Milton had a bad day. He had struck out three times already. He walks off the field, goes up to the clubhouse. He says, I'm done for the day. And I was like, what, man? You can't. I'm done, Hurt. I'm done. So he walks up to the clubhouse, took a shower in between innings. We were like, we're about to start the inning.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
And no one was in right field. He just quit. He just went home. And Michael was like, Frank, go. I said, Ken, it's over. He's going home. He took a shower. He's gone. He's like, what? So it was the longest in between anything because we had to get off the bench, warmed up to go to get out there. And that was the funniest Milton Bradley story of my time.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
He's just like, I can't help you guys today. I'm done. I'm done. Went up, took a shower, went home.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
That was unbelievable. It really was. I'm done for the day.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Some days he couldn't get out of his own way, but I'm telling you, what a ball player who cared about playing the game of baseball.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Yes, that really hurt me in 86, not getting drafted. I was the best player in the area, and six or seven guys in the area got drafted. I had no idea what happened. I was the biggest, strongest, fastest. I already had signed a football scholarship at Auburn University. I guess they thought back then, Big guys like me didn't play baseball. Tight end.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Yes, they were like a football player playing baseball. I remember talking to the late Cam Bonifay and Cam said, you know, at the time I thought you were just a football player trying to play baseball. I knew you could hit the ball consistently and hard, but, you know, didn't think you would end up being a baseball player. You already signed that football scholarship. We passed.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
And I was, like, shocked because they couldn't sign me out of high school for anything. I would play baseball. But Pat Dye gave me a chance in football. They grew me up there. They worked my butt off. I got bigger, faster, stronger. Toughened me up a lot. I tell people, try to block Andre Bruce every day.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
As a freshman going to college and a man who was the number one draft pick in the draft, you grow up in a hurry.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I could have played in the NFL, but it wouldn't have been long. I mean, three years and out was not enough for me. Baseball, Pat Dye told me himself. Pat Dye retired me from football. He said, my team is four deep in every position. What I saw on the baseball field with you, he watched me for like two straight weeks. He said, I've never seen anything like it from a big man.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
He said, baseball could be your career. It could be 15 to 20 years. That's how long you could play at the next level with your size, strength, and athletic ability. And he was right. So God bless him. Coach Ty made that decision for me. He kept me on football scholarship. He kept me there. So nothing changed for me and my family. He knew. He loved my parents. Nothing changed.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
You know, he was the real, real strict disciplinarian. My mom took care of me, but if I ever stepped out of line, you know, dad was quick to smack me back.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I had no idea what happened. I have no idea what happened. The man upstairs had a plan for me, and it was going to be bigger and better than coming out of high school because I never probably would have got that growth in the minor leagues. You know, you think about the physicality of the SEC football, being in that weight room, you know, lifting 300, 400 pounds, you know, growing up.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Baseball became very easy after playing SEC football for two and a half years.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Well, I didn't get to play with Bo, but Bo was a senior that year, and that's when he took the trip to Tampa Bay. I was supposed to play my freshman year with Bo. It was disappointing because I had lived in Columbus. I used to go over and watch him all the time. I had never seen an athlete like that, never. His speed, his size, the way, the tenacity.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I had never seen anything like that on the football field. But I got to play Major League Baseball with him. I just saw him last week. He still gives me a hard time. But Bo's my guy. I don't care. I told him last week. I said, you know I love you, even though you're an a-hole to me all the time. Why is he giving you a hard time? How can anybody be giving Frank Thomas a hard time?
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
He gives me a hard time just to give me a hard time. Bo is Bo, though. Bo's a tough son of a gun.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Bo Jackson was probably the most athletic guy of our time. of our time, football, baseball, could dunk a basketball, could do, I mean, if you see him hunt and shoot a bow and arrow, he could do that professionally. It's like the guy, his gifted talent, I feel sad because I think we got robbed of seeing his greatness for a long period of time.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
But you saw him with the Raiders, you saw him with the Royals, just a mix of talent that you'll probably never see again, that he could do it all. He really could.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
That's second to none. My work ethic was crazy. I looked like a football player my entire baseball career. I would go in, legs one day, arms next day, but it was intense. And I wasn't blocking 300-pound linemen anymore. But I cared about physical because I felt if I'm physically prepared, hand-out coordination, all that came easily for me. So that's what you saw with me on the baseball field.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
A guy big, strong, faster than everybody else, basically hitting a small baseball. And that's why consistently I could do what I could do.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I was obsessed. First guy there, last guy to leave. But like I said, working out, wanting to be great. I've always wanted to be great. I didn't want to be good. I wanted to be great. And that pushed me my entire career. And that's why I accepted, like I said, from the media, because they knew how obsessed I was. So they were happy to take jabs if I go 0-4 for a couple of days or 0-3, 0-4.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
What's wrong with Frank? No other players went through that. It was just... And, I mean, I remember Jerry Manuel as my manager. I mean, that was his out most of the time. If team's struggling, Frank's got to do more. You know, because he knew I accepted that. You know, I was mad at him a lot of times, but he would do that. And that would just send the media right to me.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Like, what the heck's going on? You need to do more. I'm like, you know, okay, I'll deal with it. So we had a couple conversations about that. But, hey, I mean, he felt that a great way to motivate the team and get the team going. All he had to say was Frank needed to do more. And I had a good time doing it some days, and some days I didn't.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Biggest man on the field. You look at Aaron Judge right now, and I watch it, and I just shake my head. I mean, this guy's put up astronomical numbers year in and year out, and when he's in a slump, the world has stopped. He's not working hard. Something's wrong with him. What's going on? You look at his numbers, it's like, are you crazy? Are you crazy what this guy's doing?
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
And I feel for him sometimes because I know he's going through that same thing, and he's consistently done it over and over and over. His numbers are ridiculous.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Thank you for bringing that up because it's important to me.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Well. is growing up with not having everything you really want. And knowing to be better than everyone else on the field, you can always have what you want. You can always fit in where you want to fit in by being that guy. And it drove me. It drove me to be obsessed to be great. I'm sorry. I tell guys, I tell my son now, be obsessed with being great. And he is. It's kind of crazy.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
And some days I'm like, OK, just take a break. No, let's go. That's the way he is now. He wants to be great. So for little Frank, I'm like, I'm coaching him daily. Hopefully, I tell people, not to overhype your kid because I'd never want to do that. But what I'm seeing and watching him respond right now, I'm seeing this on a day-to-day basis. I think he's got a chance to be on a great one.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Well, I teach the same way I was taught. He uses a line-to-line hitter, but he's a lefty-lefty. That's the difference. He'll be hitting 60% of the time against right-handers, 70% of the time against right-handers. That's just what it is. I wish I could have hit lefties all the time. You're talking about the numbers I had. I probably would have hit 360, 370.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
If I had left-handed hitting all the time, like a left-handed hitter gets the right-hand pitcher. So watching him hit and watching him respond, yeah, I don't think he'll be the power guy that I am, but I think he's between 30 and 40. But I consistently looked at myself as 40 to 50. And if they didn't give me that kryptonite inside fastball that far inside, I would have hit 50 consistently.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
But I look at it as the biggest, strongest guy in the room. So everyone wanted to be the guy that's hitting the ball in the ballpark consistently, batting practice game, but also getting hits and stuff. I was different. I was a different animal. But I'll tell you where all that started. I grew up in the boys club because both my parents worked 9 to 5.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
So I tell people now, I watch the game and I'm like, oh, these guys are complaining about a ball a little down over the plate or whatever else. If I consistently got that ball out of the plate, there's never, you know, that little box, that little shadow box there. I wish I could have got that ball in the box all the time for a strike. I tell you that right now. It would be unbelievable.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Your plate discipline was extraordinary.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Yes. It's important. You know, I tell guys, you just want to be great. I mean, I didn't second guess anything. I just wanted to be able to say, hey. I'm laying on the table every day. And I did it for my family. I did it for my friends. I just wanted to be consistently great for the organization. I wanted to win. Well, first of all, it's about winning because I never really lost in my life.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Always high school champions, college SEC champions. When I got to the major leagues, it was about winning. And I got to the White Sox. We were a doormat at the time. And within like five years, we were a team everybody was talking about. Winning the championship, actually winning it, joy or relief? It sucked because I was injured, 2005. I played a little over a month that season.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I had a huge impact. I had 12 home runs and 12, 13 home runs in like 30 days. But I knew that team was going to win the World Series. That was the first time I looked at a team that had just as good as pitching, as hitting, defense, relief. Everything was there. And I came back early. So I knew that I was taking a chance of coming back, refracturing an ankle.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
The doctor said I needed two more months of healing. But I told Herm Snyder that year, I said, Herm, this team's going to win it. I said, I'm not going to miss this. I got to play on this team. And I ended up playing. And then the rest of the year, I basically was a coach. You know, I really helped my teammates get better. So, you know, it was humbling.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
After driving the bus for so many years in that White Sox uniform to being a bus rider, the last down the stretch in the World Series. But it made me a better teammate. Like I said before, I watched guys sit on the bench all the time, didn't think much of it. But it's hard to sit on the bench and not make an impact that you're used to making and watch success happen.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
So Ozzie and I talk about it all the time, but I think it made me a better man. It made me a better person, better man. And that next year I went to Oakland, healed. I was able to do that because that year I helped coach, and I helped coach a lot of young kids. I helped get them better. Extra BP every day. We're out there working on things. Nick Swisher, he couldn't hit a changeup.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
You know, I would get him out there early, make him hit every ball over the shortstop head, and before long he was starting hitting changeups. And, you know, not trying to pull a yank. He was starting to get line drives, hit 33 home runs that year. So, like I said, I watched these guys. I had a lot of fun with those guys. And 2005 was really maturing and growing up for me.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
So after school at 2 o'clock, I went to the East Columbus Boys Club. And that's where that real competitive sports edge began. And we played everything, basketball, football, baseball, foosball, pool, ping pong. We just had that atmosphere.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
He's getting all of it. Yes, he is. I help other kids around if they want it. But I'm saying he's the one that's getting – Day-to-day basis, yes.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Injuries. I tell people, and this is going to blow your mind, all the numbers I put up, we're done in 16 years. I had 19 and a half years. I was injured three and a half years of my major league career. And I tell people everything I did was within 16 years. So I look at my numbers for 16 years.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
If I'd had those extra three and a half years of playing, you know, you're talking six something with, you know, crazy.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Well, I'm just saying people think I just played nine and played 19 years. I played 16 full years on the field. Rested three and a half years. I was I was injured.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
You know, I had a bad ankle from football. That started there. You know, I had ankle surgery out of high school, and then I had another scope job. So, you know, that hurt me down the line from playing football. So that's why little Frankie was like, Dad, I don't want to play football. He's very good at football. He said, I don't want to play any more football. He said, I want to play baseball only.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
So – I'm here to cut up coach, but I understand. Staying healthy is everything. If you can stay healthy on the field with great, incredible talent, you can do a lot of great things in this game.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Well, you start chewing Tylenol like it's Tic Tacs and Skittles, you know what I mean? But bottom line is, my first seven years, I didn't miss many games at all. I was playing 161, 162 consistently, and it takes a toll on your body, and that's how injuries happen. But I always felt I needed to be on the field.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I don't care if I'm making a huge impact that day, but I'm taking pressure off the guys around me, and we've got a chance to win baseball games.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I was in a lot of pains. I played many hurt days on the baseball field. But that comes with football. So my mentality was if I got a job the first, but I'm in that lineup, it helps this team win. So it helped, and it helped set a culture in our locker room that the biggest guy on the team who's doing the most damage normally is playing hurt. Other guys can't complain about themselves being hurt.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I really don't know. I've been very blessed. I'm still, you know, I got a Nugenics campaign. When they first brought this thing to me, I thought it would be over within two years. We've been 10 years straight as the number one Vitality product for men. And I had no idea this thing has grown. And people look at me now, walk to the airport, hey, there's a Nugenics man.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
You know, it's not Frank Thomas, the baseball player. It's the eugenics man. So, I mean, I've been blessed. I've had a great baseball career and now I've hocked products with some of the best companies in the country and I've had a lot of success. So for me, I just, I've always wanted to breathe success. And I believe that I can do things that others can't do because I am who I am.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Trust me, my brother Mike was three years older, so I wanted to hang with his crowd all the time. So I had to hold my own. I'd always been that young kid or they'd push me out of the way. So I played basketball against them, football against them, everything.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
And like I said, there's nothing fake here. There's no fraud here. This is real. And I love people and I love the fans. The fans have made me who I am. And that's why I used to sign autographs until the last kid leave. Because once you go up that mountain, a lot of guys come crashing down when it's over. For me, I've walked down Grace Lee for years. And I love that.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
And that's the biggest joy I have in life is walking down that ladder and people still knowing, hey, that's Frank Thomas. There's a big hurt. I retired in 2009. And I tell people that. And I'm just as well known today as I was in almost 2025 as I was in 2009. And that says a lot about the person.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Well, I mean, starting with the White Sox, I just think, you know, Kenny Williams and I got off on a bad foot when he became general manager. We were friends before. I think one of the first days he said, I'm taking over as general manager. Things need to be done. You might have to take a pay cut. And I took that like, whoa, are you nuts? And I handled it the wrong way.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
So when I started growing up and getting bigger and stronger and faster, I was not, I guess, intimidated of the older players because I grew up in that environment, and that made me who I was. So wanting to succeed, wanting to be better than everyone else, it started there trying to compete with older kids.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
And we became a little argumentative there. And then I said, well, why don't you just trade me? And that never went over well, you know, because he knew I was a cornerstone on that team. And taking over as general manager, you're not going to get rid of your cornerstone right away. And so I just think that put up a bravado there that was negative from the start.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Exactly. Ken and I had a great relationship before that. When he ran the minor league, we were great. His father was great. I loved his family. But we got off on the wrong foot when he became general manager.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Just by saying, maybe you just need to trade me.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
No, because I was a franchise guy. And, you know, when a general manager comes in, he can't lose a franchise guy. What are you going to tell the public? Oh, I just traded the best player on the team? No, it's hard to do that. But why is he telling the best player on the team he's got to take a pay cut?
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Well, it went downhill from that, and it shouldn't have because I've always had respect for him, and I think generally he had respect for me, and we just came – More of a pissing match in town, and the media loved it. And they would always put us against each other. And it went down a hill that it shouldn't have. Later, as we both matured in our jobs, we realized what the hell's going on.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
But I think it was too late at that point, because it was the last couple years. But as for him, like when he was released last year, people thought I was going to have a field day and blah, blah, blah. I'm like, no, I don't disrespect people like that. That's just not who I am. I respect him. I thought he brought a championship to 2005 to the White Sox.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I took my hat and respected him because he did a hell of a job. He had a job for a very long time in the city of Chicago. But as for the organization, I thought it was time when that whole regime was over, I thought it was time for them to bring me back. in a front office position because I see the game differently than a lot of other people.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
And I know I could have been had a huge success in the front office and helping them do some things, but it just has never happened. But I'm not gonna lose any sleep on it. I mean, I've been around doing TV with them, doing local stuff. But like I said, I got a lot of pride for myself and respect that I just don't let things hold me down like other people do.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I'm not going to go in the corner and go, oh, they don't want me around. No, I'm not going to do that. I'm just going to keep living my life being who I am and being a positive effect on as many people as you probably can. As for Fox TV, that was kind of devastating. You know, I look at that. 10 years we did this with the ratings.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
And yeah, we had one of the most incredible postseason shows ever with different parts. But I was part. Kevin Burkhart and I was there the entire time. And you know, I had one year left of my contract. And I was looking for a big raise like everybody else. You go 10 years a decade with somewhere. Didn't happen. So I guess it was time to release me. And they did.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I just it was I felt like a gut punch because I'm like, whoa, I think I thought I was one of the main, you know, mainstays of the show. But it ended up not being that way. And team moves on. I mean, it's, you know, TV business, the agent driven business. And certain agents have a lot of power and they have other clients and they can move things around. That's just how it goes.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
So I'm not disrespecting anyone or upset about it anymore. I was upset for last year, but it was time for me to go back into the tool shed and say, hey, break out some more of those tools of yours and figure out what you want to do now.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Well, the number was, what I did was historical. Like how do you tell a historical player he's going to take a pay cut? I mean, are you serious? Why would I do that? You know, I'm not asking for more money. I never was paid what I was supposed to be paid by the organization. So you're asking me for a pay cut. I'm like, are you kidding me? That's what it was about.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
You know, like I'm still way underpaid for what I do on a daily basis. So, you know, it wasn't one of those things that disrespect and saying, oh, I'm not taking a pay cut. It wasn't one of those things. It was like I was already I always felt underpaid. So you told me to take a pay cut. I just, you know, I got things off on the wrong foot and it shouldn't happen.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Yes. Great foundation of love, but it was very disciplined. I saw my other brothers and sisters screw up a few times, and I'm as a baby going, oof, that wasn't pretty. Because back then, parents could put hands on their kids to keep that discipline in line. I didn't want any part of that.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I felt I deserved a lot more money over there, and I didn't get it. It was time to move on. They brought in Derek Jeter, who I have a lot of respect for, and nothing but I talked to him before he took the job. I said, well, some days you got to deal with some stuff that you might not want to deal with. But they couldn't replace me with a better player. You know what I mean?
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
He was respected captain of New York, big media town, big media market for national TV. So hands off. I got to move on.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
No, I didn't get an explanation. But like I said, I know I was great at my job. And it's disrespectful. If you're bad at your job and you get fired, you don't understand it. But like I said, the numbers and the ratings was up. I had a big fan base. Just didn't understand how I was let go the way I was let go. Period.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
You know, Poppy and I have got a great relationship. Alex and I never had a good relationship. You know, we are okay. But TV is TV. We put on great TV moments, great entertainment. It's not their decision. It's the front office decision. They made the decision. You move on. I don't have any disrespect for any of those guys. It's just one of those things that –
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I don't understand how I was released, but I was released, and I dealt with it. A lot of people didn't understand it, but life comes at you fast. You've got to react. I'm a big boy, so I reacted in doing what I do. Kept quiet, get back in that tool shed, and do what I do.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I'll bet on myself. I'm a talented man. I know how to market myself. I know how to get myself going. I'm one of those things. There's a lot of things out there in the world that you can be successful at. How do you deal with failure? Just like everyone else. You hate to fail. Everyone hates to fail. But that's part of life. And if you fail at something else...
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
For me, I've always pivoted, keep it moving.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Bad day, you've got five minutes to get over it, move on to the next day. That's just the way I am.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I don't know about that. We had a good relationship at times. But sometimes I always thought he just wanted to be bigger than the show. And, like, you know, that's just the way he is. I mean, he... He demanded a lot more attention than everyone else, and it's always been that way. I always felt that we could just pass the rock and keep it moving.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I knew what I had to do to stay out of trouble, and I stayed out of trouble because I didn't feel trouble was where I wanted to be. I wanted to be successful. I wanted to be somebody. I wanted to be something different.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
That's what made the show better, and I talk to Kevin about it all the time. Let's keep passing the rock. Let's keep moving it and not feel like it's somebody else's platform. A great list of Hall of Fame guys that did a lot in this game keep passing the rock. That's just the way I felt.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Well, like I said, everything that's happened over there has been documented. There's nothing I can tell you differently. But like I said, it's one of those things that I always felt like, let's be great teammates and just keep passing the rock.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
No, I'm just saying, but the conversation on a TV desk, it is what it is. The more you keep passing around with great players, the better the show is. And that's just the only thing that bothered me at times with the show. But as for him, you know, he wasn't alone. You know, Alex wanted to be great. He spent his whole life wanting to be great. So there's no disrespect.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I don't want people to just come across as disrespectful. It's not.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I've known him since he was a high school kid, and I know he wanted to be someone very special. He's doing well now. He's doing TV. He's a co-owner of a basketball team. He's doing himself great. And he's reinvented himself, you know, and that's important for him and it's important for his family.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
And like I said, I don't spend time over spilled milk and got to continue to keep negativity going because there's no negativity there for me.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I can be honest with you. I was naive to the fact of how many guys were doing it, you know, because, like I said, I always minded my business. I had no idea so many guys were doing it because, like I told you, I was the biggest guy on the field, basically, the strongest. I wait room nonstop. I had that explosive power. So I was shocked when all of it came out. I had nothing to hide.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
That's why the mission report came out. I had nothing to hide. I didn't know what was going on. And when I went and met with these guys, they're like, I'm like, what are you talking about? I had no idea. So when all that unfolded, I was as shocked as any other people. I mean, there was guys like Nseko, they were saying we're doing it, blah, blah, blah.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
You know, I wasn't totally 100% naive, but that was a lot of people throwing arrows and stones saying, well, that guy's on it, that guy's on it. But it wasn't. all the guys that came out. You know what I'm saying? So I was really shocked at the whole process of how to handle. And like I said, I didn't make a big stink of it because I didn't need it. I didn't need it.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
My numbers were the same throughout the whole era. And I stayed consistently who I was the entire time. And it was important to me to keep up with the guys. When I found out later that these guys were doing it, I still felt I had to work harder. And I did work harder just to make sure and maintain that I can keep up with these guys regardless.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
been a clean player in that era. It's got to be. You know, I put up tremendous numbers in that era. Like I said, but I don't throw stones at people because of what they did. Like I said, they did it for their families, and everybody's goal wasn't to be in the Hall of Fame. I had many guys that my goal wasn't to be in the Hall of Fame.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Well, I look at, I have three boys and three girls. I've been married twice. My first marriage, you know, right in the middle of my career, things just weren't right. I mean, I had a lot to do with that because of baseball. But I tell people, My biggest take of that is be the best father you possibly can be. And I've been that guy. I've been a role model, sitting there with my kids.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
It was to make as much money as I can and take care of my family. You got to respect that. I played football, and I saw guys did the same thing because they had to because they had to block the 300-pound, 400-pound line, and they did what they did to survive. But as to baseball, I was just shocked that so many guys did it just to hit a baseball.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I'm telling you, I have no bitterness towards it because I got a kid. My son wants to play Major League Baseball, and I'll be damned if he's a carbon copy of who I was. He's going to be better. Like I said, he's a more athletic kid because my wife played sports, too. She was a volleyball player and a softball player. So he's naturally gifted, and I'm telling you right now,
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Why would I try to burn Major League Baseball? I have no respect in that at all. I would never do that. You know what I'm saying? Bottom line is my kid wants to be a Major League Baseball player, and I'm pushing him as hard as I possibly can to be the best he possibly can. Because Major League Baseball has done everything that he possibly can to clean it up.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
But when you dang like here, $500, $600 million, you're going to have a lot more guys doing the same thing trying to get it. I promise you that.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
No. Life's too short. Life's too short, Dan. I tell people every day, life's too short. I'm happy being a happy-go-lucky guy and loving people because I love people and people love you back when you love them. That's important.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Right, exactly. It's just one of those things that, like I told you, going to that all-white private school and coming back to the ghetto every day, I got to see both sides of that fence. I got to understand people and learn people. Money meant a lot differently over here than it did over here. And people, it was about being who they can be in their areas.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
And for me, I was in the middle of that fence. I got to see the world with both eyes. And that's who I am. You know, I see things from both sides of the fence. I have just as many white friends. I have black friends. I just, Latino friends. I understand the world, how it clicks and how it goes around. And my insight is a little different than everybody else. It really is.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Exactly. I can tell you right now, there's racism on both sides of the fence. I was able to sit in this room because of who I was and learn some things because I had a lot of white friends that said, oh, you're not like that. And I'm looking at it like, what do you mean? I'm black. You know what I mean? But I'm not like that.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
On the other side of the fence, oh, you go to school with all those white kids, blah, blah, blah, blah. There's racism over here. There's racism over here. Then you mix in the Latino friends. All this racism is everywhere. But like I said, I'm one of those guys that I was more of a sponge. I can take this. I can take that. I understand the world.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
But I took it as education and learning people and learned a lot about people. So I've never been able to see color like the other people.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I invite them to everything I do. I keep them with me. Obviously, he's always had them with me. I care about being a father because I have good parents who cared about being a good mother and father. And so that's something that I really care about. My wife now, Megan, she really cares about the kids. She's the same way.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
You know, I don't think you're wrong. But I didn't think about it the way most people did. I felt it was motivating. I always felt they're trying to push my buttons to make me better. That's the way I looked at things. I never looked at it as a racial situation. I always looked at it. Some guys, you push them. They'll go to a corner and cry. Some guys, you push them, they come out with vengeance.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
And I always would come out with vengeance. And I think it became, let's see how much we can piss him off to see what he can do this week on the field. And that's just the way I looked at it. And most people didn't look at it that way, but I did. I just felt like I was always being pushed, buttons were being pushed to be better. And that's just the way I look at it.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I didn't have time to worry about people trying to say this or that.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Yeah, it was always fuel to my fire. It really was. And I always looked at all-time greats and said, hey, you think they didn't have to deal with some of that? When people want you to be great and you've proven to be great, they're going to make sure that you don't have days off of not being great. And that's just the way I looked at it.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
What a pleasure to be here talking to you again. I wish your pops were here.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
She grew up in a great household who mom and dad were very, very great people with their kids. And they still are today. They taught me a lot about being a good father.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
He makes me laugh. I wish pops were here, but you're incredible at what you've done in your job. I've loved you for years, and thanks for having me back. Thank you, buddy. Thank you, my friend.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I'm a little light on my feet to my dad. You got to understand when there's not much finances going on, there's a lot more stress. So I've been blessed to have finances for years and not be as stressed as my father and mother were trying to keep food on the table for a lot of kids.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Yes. I mean, there were times. I mean, there's good times or bad times. You know, high times we're eating great, low times we're not eating as great. But you enjoyed everything your mom and dad put on the table for you, and you respected that. And I never disrespected my parents because I kept myself busy with a ball in my hand, and that was more important to me than anything.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
And I felt that would be my way out one day because I wanted to be something to help my mother and father.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Yes. They just wanted me to remodel it. They loved the neighborhood we grew up in. I'm like, Mom, Dad, I got money now. Let's move to the north side of town. I'm like, no, our people are here. Our family's here. We want to be here. If you want to do something, make this place better. And I did. I remodeled the total house for them, made it the biggest house on the block.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
But, you know, Mom and Dad, they loved that, respected that, and they stayed with their people. And that was more important to their people, too, that, oh, you're not so fancy. Now you're going to leave us. No. My mother and father, until my father died and my mother died, they stayed in the same neighborhood.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Well, it's something you never want to get over because my father would go to every practice, every game. I mean, I went to Auburn University, and that was 45 minutes from Columbus, Georgia. My dad was almost at all my practices. That's how. That's how big a fan he was of his kid. So I respect and love that.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I'm so gracious of it because most fathers wouldn't do that, especially when you're working nine to five. So yes, I've gotten over it now because I've matured. I matured so many years out of the game. You get older and you respect, and now I'm starting to lose friends at my age are passing away. So you start to understand the circle of life. You're not here forever.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
So what my mom and dad did with me was heroic. And love them to death. And I will always love them. I wish they were still here. But reality, you got to understand, I'm in my mid-50s now. So that's one of those things that, you know, you start looking at your peers and you're starting to see people pass away.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
It is. I mean, of late, we've lost some greats. Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Frank Robinson. Pete Rose, who I just worked with for many years at Fox. And losing him a couple weeks ago, it made me break down because I remember having those conversations with him, where he went wrong and how he's moved forward and being the guy that he is because that guy could crack me up like no one else.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I enjoy working TV with him because I got to really know him. And one thing about him, he never lied to me about anything. So I know other people view him in a certain way, but he told me things that he needed to tell me that made me feel like this is a great man because he's been honest with me. He didn't have to be honest with me, working with me on a daily basis.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
That's why we had such rapport on camera. That's why we were great together on camera because we had a friendship.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Well, I don't have a problem with cheaters and rule breakers. I understand most people come from nothing, and they will do anything to acquire wealth and whatever it takes. I just wasn't built that way. But I look at Pete, absolutely. What he did for the game of baseball, maybe never will ever be done. 25 years on the field with all those hits.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I mean, I'm in the Hall of Fame with almost 2,600 hits. Pete had over 4,300 hits. You just think about that. So, you know, and one thing I feel bad about is he always told me, I wish I, you know, get in the Hall of Fame before I die. And that hit me a couple weeks ago that he had passed away and he's not in the Hall of Fame. But he did say Pete Jr. hopefully is alive when they get me in.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
So I'm going to hold on to that for that guy.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Well, it started with Charlie May, you know. I grew up in a small town, Columbus, Georgia, a much larger town now. But growing up, my mother, I was a baby of five kids. So being a baby, she just really made sure I was secure every day. I didn't get caught up with what was going on out in the neighborhood and everything else. I always stayed around.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Well... I came up a little different. I didn't finish my whole story. My dad, when he worked at Georgia Crown, worked for the richest man in basically Georgia. He saw me playing sports as a young kid who just passed away, Mr. Don Lieberman. He passed away a couple of months ago. Mr. Lieberman saw me play football a couple of times and he said, hey, little Frank's got something.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I want him to come to private school. And he put me in private school when I was a young kid. And I left that private school in the eighth grade because the talent wasn't enough for me. But my early upbringing through elementary all the way to early junior high, I got an education. And I was the only black kid basically. It was, well, two of us. Only two black kids in the entire school.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
You're getting two educations. Yes, I got two educations. You're getting the education. Yes, but I got to know people. I would go to an all-white school. learn that education, but then go back to the ghetto and deal with both sides of the fence. And I saw racism on both sides of the fence like no other.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
So I understood life and it's helped me today move forward and watch people make the same old mistakes I've been watching since I was a kid. And I just shake my head because there's great people on both sides of that fence. And you can't say that everybody's the same because everybody's not the same. And for me, I used that growing up.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Got to meet people, even if they're white, black, whatever, Latino, it didn't matter to me. I love people for who they are, and I've always been that person.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I don't think you got it wrong, but I think I was always misunderstood. Because I was focused. I was in a zone. I didn't want anybody to bother me. I wanted to stay right here. I wanted to be great. I didn't want to be good. I wanted to be great. And I got to thank Michael Jordan for that because it was his town. And Michael Jordan could do no wrong.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
And this big kid came up starting to set records, doing everything, and they put that same pressure on me out of the box. Oh, you got to win six championships. You got to do this. And it's like baseball is not that type of sport. You can't give me the ball and I can score every night. You get to the playoffs, they're pitching around you, they're doing everything.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
A lot of great things in baseball has to happen. for you to have success. So I look at Michael Jordan experience because I got to watch it firsthand. Most incredible basketball player we'll ever see. And I respected it. I backed up out of that because I said, they're hammering me because they think I'm supposed to be like Michael Jordan. And you find out I had a lot of success.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
But to win championships, you've got to have a foundation. You've got to have a team of 25 guys that are really all in. And you've got to have both sides of the fence. You've got to have pitching. You've got to have defense. You've got to have great hitters around you. And that's how you win a championship. So I had no disrespect for any of those guys.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I just wish they had talked to me more, because I'm a great person to talk to. And I don't mind having conversation.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
I had good friends, but I never wanted to do what everybody else wanted to do. I was always focused. So for my mom, she made sure I stayed out of trouble. She made sure I was home on time. She made sure I did my homework. So it all started at home with mom.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
Jay never came to the clubhouse. Skip never came to the clubhouse. Skip came to the clubhouse one time and it wasn't a great situation. It was in Cleveland and the late Tony Phillips, Torma, I hate to say it, but Torma, no asshole, right in front of me. And I was like, hey, I was like, Tony, it's okay. He said, no, that was not okay. He went off on Skip.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
South Beach Sessions - Frank Thomas
That's the last time he came to the locker room. And, uh, But I forgive and forget. I mean, I saw Skip many days at Fox when I was working at Fox, and hello, and nothing wrong with that. I get he had a job to do. I just wish he had spent more time having real conversation and doing interviews to get to know me. Because getting to know me is not hard.