Bill Madlock

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Bill "Mad Dog" Madlock, Jr. (born January 12, 1951) is a former Major League Baseball player.

From 1973 to 1987, Madlock was a right-handed hitter who won four National League batting titles.

His record of four batting titles as a third baseman would be eclipsed in 1988 by Wade Boggs.

Since 1970, only Tony Gwynn has won more National League batting titles (eight).

Madlock is also one of only three right-handed hitters to have won multiple National League batting titles since 1960, Roberto Clemente having also won four and Tommy Davis having won back-to-back titles in 1962 and 1963.

Early life and family

Bill Madlock was born in Memphis, Tennessee, but grew up in Decatur, Illinois, where he graduated from Eisenhower High School.

At Eisenhower High he played basketball, football and baseball. He received 150 scholarship offers for his skills as a basketball player, around 100 for his skills as a football player and two for his skills as a baseball player. He accepted one of the two baseball scholarships, at Southeastern Community College in Keokuk, Iowa, because of his preference for playing a less hazardous game. His reasoning was clear from what he later told a Sports Illustrated reporter: "I didn't want to have 6'5", 250-pound guys bearing down on me, so I decided to play baseball."

He was considered for the baseball draft by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1969, but would not sign with the Cardinals. By the time Madlock was ready to sign with a major league baseball team, he had decided to go with an offer from the Washington Senators organization.

Madlock has four children with his late wife Cynthia: Sara, Stephen, Douglas and Jeremy.

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Career

Madlock, nicknamed "Mad Dog," compiled a.305 batting average in his 15-season career, 920 runs, 348 doubles, 163 home runs, 163 stolen bases, 605 bases on balls, and 860 runs batted in (RBI).

In the 5th round of the 1970 amateur draft's secondary phase, Madlock was drafted by the Washington Senators. He made his Ossining Oxen's rookie season in the minor leagues and played 21 games with them on September 7, 1973, batting.351. He played for the Pacific Coast League in total bases (268) and runs scored (119), was second in batting (.338), and had 22 home runs and 90 RBI at Triple-A Spokane prior to his promotion. Ferguson Jenkins was traded from the Rangers to the Chicago Cubs with Vic Harris on October 25, 1973. "Our scouts are extremely high on Madlock as being one of the best hitting prospects they have seen in some time," he said of him. Madlock used Ron Santo as the Cubs' third baseman after Stan Hack hit.323 in 1945, the highest average for a Cubs third baseman since Stan Hack batted.323. Madlock earned his first batting title in 1975 with a.354 average. During a Cubs' loss to the New York Mets on July 26, he went 6-for-6. He also received first and shared Game MVP awards with Jon Matlack in the first of his three All-Star appearances and shared Game MVP awards.

Madlock's.339 average made him the batting champion in 1976, beating out Ken Griffey Sr. of the Cincinnati Reds on the final day of the regular season (October 3, 1976). Madlock took his average from.333 to.339 in an 8-2 victory over the Montreal Expos, one point ahead of Griffey. Griffey lasted barely attended his team's game (the Reds won 11–1 over the Atlanta Braves) and went 0-for-2, his lowest average to.336 was down to.336.

Madlock, who later announced that Madlock would be traded "to anyone foolish enough to care" during the 1976 season. Madlock and Rob Sperring were traded to the San Francisco Giants by Bobby Murcer, Steve Ontiveros, and minor league pitcher Andy Muhlstock in what was described as one of the worst trades in Cubs history by Chicago Tribune's Chris Kuc in 2016. Madlock, a good fielder at best, was moved to second base (the Giants already had Darrell Evans at third), and batted "only".302 and.309 in 1977 and 1978 respectively.

Madlock was acquired by the Pittsburgh Pirates from Al Holland, Ed Whitson, and Dave Roberts on June 28, 1979 in what Dave Kindred described as "a midsummer contract that still doesn't make sense." He was a starting third baseman on a baseball team that later won the 1979 World Series. He batted.328 with the Pirates during the regular season and.375 in the World Series.

Madlock's average dropped to.277 in 1980, when the Pirates finished third in the National League East, eight games behind the eventual World Champion Philadelphia Phillies. The season for Madlock began with an incident during a May 1 game against the Montreal Expos at Three Rivers Stadium. After being called out on strikes with the bases loaded, Madlock poked umpire Jerry Crawford in the chest with his glove. Madlock was fined $5,000 and suspended 15 games by National League President Chub Feeney. Madlock appealed the suspension and remained in uniform until eventually serving his suspension on June 6, after National League umpires threatened to boot him from every game he tried to play.

Madlock won two more batting titles between 1981 and 1983, making him the first player to win multiple batting titles with two separate teams. In 1982, he finished second in the National League in batting, with a.319 average that was only bettered by Al Oliver's.331. Nevertheless, his play resembled the team's demise. In August 1985, the Pirates traded him to Los Angeles, which was also competing for a division title. In the NLCS, the Dodgers lost to the St. Louis Cardinals, but Madlock lost three home runs. Madlock, a few days later with the Detroit Tigers, reached.279 with 14 home runs and 50 RBI in 87 games, including a three-home run game on June 28, where he earned a trip to the postseason. Madlock retired as a free agent after the 1987 season and played for the Lotte Orions in Japan in 1988.

Madlock's four batting titles are the most of any player in major league baseball history not enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

Madlock had a fiery temper and was involved in several incidents (including the 1980 episode) that exemplified it:

Madlock was suspended from 18 games as a player. During his two years as a Tiger coach, he was banned from three games.

Madlock's umpires' role evolved over time. "[T]here's no doubt [Madlock has] calmed down," Umpire Jerry Crawford remarked after his 1980 feud with Madlock that "no one has] ask [Madlock has] calmed down." He's changed, which is fantastic because a guy of his ability doesn't have to do the things to umpires that he was doing." "[t]he Crawford incident was a benchmark," Madlock's handler, Steven Greenberg, son of baseball legend Hank Greenberg, said. Now if he disagrees with an umpire, he uses his charm, which can be significant."

Post-playing career

Madlock worked with the Detroit Tigers' former manager and former Pirates teammate Phil Garner in 2000 and 2001, reuniting with the Tigers' owner and former Pirates teammate Phil Garner. Madlock was first invited by Omar Moreno, another former Pirate teammate, to coach in a professional league in Panama City, Panama. Madlock was hired in 2003 to lead the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League; the team went 117-134 in his two seasons. He was appointed as the head of the Independent League Tiffin Saints in 2013.

Madlock was inducted into the Decatur Public Schools (Decatur, Illinois) Athletic Hall of Fame during its inaugural celebration at Millikin University on Saturday, August 27, 2016 during the annual MacArthur-Eisenhower Tate & Lyle Braggin's Rights Football Game.

Madlock is currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he has been teaching batting lessons to children at the Vegas Valley Batter's Box since 2007.

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