John Stearns

Stearns attended Thomas Jefferson High School in Denver, Colorado.{{cite web|last1=Moss|first1=Irv|title=Old tag no longer fits: John Stearns|url=http://www.denverpost.com/catchingupwith/ci_6329384|publisher=The Denver Post|access-date=October 22, 2014|date=July 9, 2007}} He played three sports in high school, winning state championships in baseball and basketball. The Oakland Athletics selected Stearns in the 13th round of the 1969 Major League Baseball draft at 17 years old, but he chose to attend the University of Colorado Boulder instead.

Stearns became a two-sport star for the Colorado Buffaloes, playing both baseball and football. He earned the nickname "Bad Dude" for his "reputation of being a cocky, arrogant player". Playing as safety and also the team's punter, his 16 career interceptions remain the Colorado record as of 2021.{{cite web |url=https://static.cubuffs.com/custompages/football/2021_Info_Guide/193-201_career_leaders.pdf |title=2021 Colorado Football Media Guide – All-Time Career Leaders |page=200 |website=CUBuffs.com |publisher=Colorado Athletics |access-date=September 20, 2022}} He was drafted as a defensive back by the Buffalo Bills in the 17th round of the 1973 NFL draft.{{cite press release|url=http://www.senatorsbaseball.com/releases/011106FieldStaff.html|title=All-Star Selected to Lead Senators|access-date=July 4, 2006|publisher=Harrisburg Senators|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071006114530/http://www.senatorsbaseball.com/releases/011106FieldStaff.html|archive-date=October 6, 2007}} The Philadelphia Phillies selected Stearns in the first round, with the second overall pick in the 1973 Major League Baseball draft, and he chose to turn professional in baseball.

Stearns's professional career started with the Reading Phillies of the Class AA Eastern League in {{Baseball year|1973}}. After batting just .241 for Reading, he was demoted to the Rocky Mount Phillies of the High-A Carolina League for {{Baseball year|1974}} and batted .343 in 64 games. Mid-season, he was promoted directly to the Toledo Mud Hens of the Class AAA International League. He batted .266 for Toledo and was promoted to the major leagues in September. On September 22, 1974, Stearns made his major league debut and picked up his first hit, going 1-for-2 off the bench.

Stearns's first game with the Phillies turned out to be his last. With budding prospect Bob Boone firmly entrenched behind the plate for Philadelphia, Stearns became expendable. He was traded along with Del Unser and Mac Scarce from the Phillies to the New York Mets for Tug McGraw, Don Hahn, and Dave Schneck at the Winter Meetings on December 3, 1974.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/12/04/archives/big-deals-mcgraw-to-phils-allen-to-braves-lee-may-to-orioles-mcgraw.html |last=Durso |first=Joseph |title=Big Deals: McGraw to Phils, Allen to Braves, Lee May to Orioles |newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 4, 1974 |page=53 |access-date=October 31, 2020}}

In his first season as a Met, Stearns spent {{Baseball year|1975}} as the backup catcher behind veteran Jerry Grote, the Mets' regular catcher since {{Baseball year|1966}}. As Grote's backup, Stearns batted only .189 in 1975. In {{Baseball year|1976}}, Stearns hit poorly in limited time and was soon replaced in backup duties by lefty hitter Ron Hodges. Stearns was sent back to the Tidewater Tides and hit very well while Hodges struggled in the majors. He was brought back to the majors for September and continued his hot hitting. With 18 hits in his first 13 games back, including seven hits in two games, Stearns not only ousted Hodges, but even took over the starting duties from Grote for most of the rest of the season.

Stearns was the starting catcher for most of 1977, with Grote and Hodges relegated to backup and pinch-hitting duty. In June, Stearns posted two games with four runs batted in, including the only grand slam of his career. On July 1, his average stood at .314, with a slugging average of .554. With his good mid-season statistics and the Mets firmly in last place in the National League East, Stearns was chosen as the team's sole representative to the All-Star Game, catching the bottom of the ninth inning. On August 31, 1977, the Mets traded Grote to the Los Angeles Dodgers for two players to be named later.{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19770901&id=tZAjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=i6EFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4954,117747&hl=en |title=Mets swap Grote |date=September 1, 1977 |newspaper=The Montreal Gazette| page=22 |accessdate=September 16, 2022 |agency=The Associated Press |via=Google News}} Stearns had a .125 average in August and .167 average in September. His 25 doubles were most on the team and 12 home runs tied Steve Henderson and John Milner for the team lead. Despite a poor average and only two runs batted in during April, Stearns set career highs in home runs, runs batted in, runs, and total bases in 1978. He also led the team with a career high 25 stolen bases, and in the process broke the National League record for catchers, which had been held by Johnny Kling since {{Baseball year|1902}}.{{cite magazine|last=Kaplan |first=Jim |date=September 25, 1978 |access-date=July 13, 2008 |magazine=Sports Illustrated |url=http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1094103/index.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130102071329/http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1094103/index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 2, 2013 |title=A Hard Catcher To Nab }}

Stearns got into a bench clearing brawl in the fourth game of the 1979 season. With the Montreal Expos at Shea Stadium on April 11, Stearns and Expos catcher Gary Carter collided at home when Carter tried to score from first on a throwing error by Mets pitcher Pete Falcone. Right fielder Elliott Maddox made a perfect throw to the plate to get Carter. Following the play, a fight broke out when Stearns felt that Carter unnecessarily threw an elbow at him. Both benches and bullpens emptied, and both players were ejected from the game.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qLAvTy_-ePwC&q=stearns+carter+fight&pg=PA113|title=Benchclearing: Baseball's Greatest Fights and Riots|last=Vrusho|first=Spike|access-date= |isbn=978-1-59921-052-0|date=March 4, 2008|publisher=Lyons Press }}{{cite web|last=McGowen |first=Deane |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/04/12/archives/expos-top-mets-32-on-perez-clout-in-11th-perfect-peg-by-maddox.html |title=Expos Top Mets, 3-2, on Perez Clout in 11th |work=The New York Times |date=April 12, 1979 |accessdate=September 16, 2022}} Stearns set career highs in games played in 1979, but at age 27, it was his last season with 100 or more games. He also set personal highs in at-bats, hits, and doubles. Although he struggled to get above .200, a good June resulted in selection to his second All-Star Game (although he did not play). The Mets finished 1979 with 99 losses, and 35 games behind the division champion Pittsburgh Pirates. Well out of contention in the second half, they experimented by playing Stearns at both first base and third base, as well as in the outfield, but he finished out the season back behind the plate.

In 1980, Stearns hit no home runs, but his average was mostly between .300 and .320 from early May through the end of June. On June 12, 1980, two inebriated spectators jumped onto the playing field. While police were unable to catch them, Stearns grew frustrated and ran from behind the plate onto the third base side of the infield, tackling and subduing one of them. At Shea Stadium on July 4, 1980, Montreal Expos rookie Bill Gullickson sailed a pitch over Mets first baseman Mike Jorgensen's head in the second game of a doubleheader. Jorgensen didn't appreciate this as he had been the victim of one of the worst beanball injuries in baseball history the previous season with the Texas Rangers, and motioned toward Gullickson his disapproval. Stearns, who wasn't even in the line-up for this game, charged out of the dugout and grabbed Gullickson from behind by the neck. Gullickson responded by clocking Stearns in the face with three solid punches.{{cite web|url=http://www.centerfieldmaz.com/2009/08/former-met-of-day-john-stearns-player.html|title=Centerfield Maz|access-date=September 16, 2009}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}

Stearns was selected to his third All-Star Game and logged his first All-Star Game at bat, grounding out in the fifth inning. A three-hit, three-runs batted in game highlighted his July, but just a week later, on July 26, a broken finger on a foul tip ended his season.{{cite web|url=https://baseballbiography.com/john-stearns-1951|title=John Stearns|access-date=July 4, 2006|date=January 11, 2006|last=Turetzky|first=Ken|publisher=baseballbiography.com}}

The injury that ended his 1980 season was the first of several injuries that would plague the rest of his career. Stearns started {{Baseball year|1981}} on the disabled list.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/04/09/sports/met-catcher-hurt-and-may-not-play.html|title=Met Catcher Hurt and May Not Play|first1=Joseph|last1=Durso|newspaper=The New York Times |date=April 9, 1981 |page=D23 |access-date=September 19, 2022}} After missing the first two weeks, he was eased back with pinch-hitting duty and play at first and third base. He started catching regularly again in late May and was hitting fairly well, when the 1981 Major League Baseball strike canceled two months of the season starting in mid-June. Play resumed in mid-August and Stearns finished with a respectable .271 average, but his run production dropped quite a bit from 1980 and he had only 14 extra base hits all season.

In the {{Baseball year|1982}} season, Stearns's average was again at or above .300 for much of the first half. He was again on pace for around 40 doubles and was even on pace for nearly 30 stolen bases. At age 30, Stearns was picked for his fourth All-Star Game.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/09/sports/3-yanks-and-1-met-on-all-star-teams.html |title=3 Yanks and 1 Met on All-Star Teams|work=The New York Times |date=July 9, 1982 |page=A15 |accessdate=September 16, 2022}}{{cite news|last=Durso |first=Joseph |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/19/sports/bluntly-speaking-stearns-leads-mets.html |title=Bluntly Speaking, Stearns Leads Mets |work=The New York Times |date=July 19, 1982|page=C4 |accessdate=September 16, 2022}} He continued hitting well after the break, but after a month, began suffering the effects of elbow tendinitis. He went on the disabled list in mid-August and only made three pinch running appearances the rest of the season.

The elbow injury that ended Stearns's 1982 season ultimately ended his career. In {{Baseball year|1983}}, he was unable to start the season and was put on the disabled list in mid-April.{{cite web|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9404E1DB1638F935A25757C0A965948260|title=Transactions|access-date=July 6, 2006|date=April 16, 1983|work=The New York Times}} Unable to throw, he played in only four games, all as a pinch-runner.{{cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/10/31/New-York-Mets-catcher-John-Stearns-who-appeared-in/5500436424400/ |title=New York Mets catcher John Stearns, who appeared in... – UPI Archives |publisher=Upi.com |date=October 31, 1983 |accessdate=September 16, 2022}} In {{Baseball year|1984}}, he spent some time with triple A Tidewater Tides and logged only one big league game in the first five months. He was well enough to play in September, but only played sporadically. After the season, the Mets traded Hubie Brooks, Mike Fitzgerald, Herm Winningham, and Floyd Youmans to Montreal for Carter. Stearns became a free agent and attempted a comeback with the Winter League's Ponce Lions, until re-injuring his elbow.{{cite web|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE5DB1E39F937A25752C1A962948260|title=Stearns Reinjures Elbow|access-date=July 6, 2006|date=November 14, 1984|work=The New York Times}} Another comeback with the Cincinnati Reds' AAA Denver Zephyrs in {{Baseball year|1985}} was going well, until he was hit by a pitch in mid-May.{{cite web

|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A00E1DC1439F930A35755C0A963948260|title=Sports World Specials; Catching Up|access-date=July 6, 2006|date=June 3, 1985|work=The New York Times}} Stearns made one final attempt at a comeback with the Texas Rangers, competing for a spot on their Opening Day roster in spring training in {{baseball year|1986}}.{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/223457581/?terms=%22john%20stearns%22&match=1 |title=29 Mar 1986, Page 23 – The Courier-News at |publisher=Newspapers.com |date=March 29, 1986 |accessdate=September 16, 2022}}

File:John Stearns (51009246746) (cropped).jpg

In late {{Baseball year|1986}}, the Milwaukee Brewers hired Stearns as a scout and minor league instructor.{{cite web

|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0DE6D81038F936A25752C1A960948260|title=Brewers Hire Stearns

|access-date=July 6, 2006|date=November 15, 1986|work=The New York Times}} In {{Baseball year|1989}}, he was the New York Yankees' bullpen coach.{{cite web|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE1DE173CF935A15751C0A96F948260|title=Sports People; Wrong Number|access-date=July 6, 2006|date=February 26, 1989

|work=The New York Times}} He was then hired by the Toronto Blue Jays as the manager of the AA-level Knoxville Blue Jays for {{Baseball year|1990}} and {{Baseball year|1991}}, reaching the post-season in the latter season.{{Cite web|url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/john-stearns/|title=John Stearns – Society for American Baseball Research}}

Stearns spent {{Baseball year|1992}} as a Cincinnati Reds scout, and {{Baseball year|1993}} as an ESPN broadcaster. He returned to the Reds as the manager of their rookie-level team, the Princeton Reds, in {{Baseball year|1994}}. The team won the Appalachian League championship and Stearns was named Manager of the Year. Afterwards, Stearns managed the Peoria Javelinas of the Arizona Fall League and won his second minor league championship of the year. He was added to the Reds coaching staff during the 1995 campaign by manager Davey Johnson who defied team owner Marge Schott's refusal to pay the salary for an additional coach. Schott was oblivious to the situation because it was never mentioned in her presence and Stearns wore a jersey without his name on the back.[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/magazine/1996/03/31/davey-johnson-is-a-semi-changed-man-hes-still-tough-smart-and-relentess-but-the-orioles-new-manager-has-learned-to-manage-the-politics-of-baseball-too/fc3e879f-4c09-41d7-b5c2-643b8ead5bed/ Boswell, Thomas. "Davey Johnson Is a Semi-Changed Man. He's Still Tough, Smart and Relentess. But-the Orioles' New Manager Has Learned to Manage the Politics of Baseball, Too," The Washington Post, Sunday, March 31, 1996.] Retrieved September 17, 2022.

Stearns was announced on January 5, 1996, as the first base coach on Johnson's staff with the Baltimore Orioles.[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1996/01/06/orioles-consider-p-munoz/2f1226ac-aa7a-4c8e-83a4-442c2fda1cba/ Maske, Mark. "Orioles Consider P. Munoz," The Washington Post, Saturday, January 6, 1996.] Retrieved September 17, 2022. He left the Orioles two years later in January 1998 when he was not retained by Ray Miller who had succeeded Johnson as manager.[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1998/01/13/bernhardt-is-set-to-join-orioles-coaching-staff/2dcdf674-1204-493d-b42e-9c5332538bdb/ Maske, Mark. "Bernhardt Is Set to Join Orioles' Coaching Staff," The Washington Post, Tuesday, January 13, 1998.] Retrieved September 17, 2022.

{{multiple image|align=right|total_width=300

| image1 = Howard Johnson shakes hands with John Stearns, Aug 27 2022 (cropped).jpg

| image2 = John Stearns waves at the crowd during his introduction on Old-Timers' Day, Aug 27 2022 (cropped).jpg

| footer = Despite his cancer diagnosis, Stearns was able to make an appearance at the Mets' Old-Timers' Day event on August 27, 2022.

}}

In {{Baseball year|1999}}, Stearns returned to the New York Mets as an advance scout. He was then made the Mets' bench coach in 2000. He was dismissed after the season, but re-hired as the third base coach.{{cite web |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E02EED91439F934A25751C1A9669C8B63 |title=Stearns to Return As a Mets Coach |access-date=July 6, 2006 |date=December 17, 2000 |work=The New York Times |page=B2}} Younger fans witnessed Stearns's enthusiasm and excitability while he was a Mets coach in {{Baseball year|2000}}. He was wearing a microphone for Fox television when the Mets' Mike Piazza hit a run-scoring double in Game 1 of the 2000 NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals. Stearns's audible reaction of "The monster is out of the cage!"{{cite news|url=http://www.cincypost.com/sports/2000/nlcs101200.html|title=Piazza powers Mets|last=Ringolsby|first=Tracy|access-date=June 16, 2007|date=October 12, 2000|work=The Cincinnati Post|publisher=E. W. Scripps Company|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040929143345/http://www.cincypost.com/sports/2000/nlcs101200.html|archive-date=September 29, 2004}} became a rallying cry for the entire series.{{cite web|last=Kernan |first=Kevin |url=https://nypost.com/2010/01/16/former-mets-catcher-stearns-shedding-bad-name/ |title=Former Mets catcher Stearns shedding 'Bad' name |publisher=Nypost.com |date=January 16, 2010 |accessdate=September 16, 2022}}

After two years coaching the major league Mets, Stearns was let go, but hired as a scout for {{Baseball year|2002}}.{{cite web|url=http://www.norfolktides.com/news/?id=4307|title=Norfolk Tides Manager, John Stearns|access-date=July 4, 2006|publisher=Norfolk Tides}} In {{Baseball year|2003}}, he returned to the dugout as Manager of the Binghamton Mets. Despite a poor record with AA Binghamton, he was made the manager of the AAA Norfolk Tides for {{Baseball year|2004}}. Stearns spent {{Baseball year|2005}} as a roving catching instructor for the Mets.{{cite web|url=http://www.sportsmediainc.net/wvspn/index.cfm?func=showarticle&newsid=14461|title=Princeton Rays December Newsletter

|access-date=July 4, 2006|date=December 20, 2005|publisher=West Virginia Sports on the Net}}

On January 11, {{Baseball year|2006}}, Stearns became a coach in the Washington Nationals farm system. He spent one season as manager of their triple A affiliate, the Columbus Clippers, and spent two seasons as manager of the Nationals' double A team, the Harrisburg Senators.{{cite web|url=http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20061212&content_id=1759967&vkey=pr_was&fext=.jsp&c_id=was|title=Washington Nationals Press Release|access-date=December 31, 2006|date=December 12, 2006|publisher=Washington Nationals}}{{dead link|date=October 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

Stearns joined the Seattle Mariners as minor-league catching coordinator in 2011 and then served as a professional scout in 2012. On May 2, 2013, was named the interim manager for the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers after Daren Brown replaced third-base coach Jeff Datz at his position due to Datz's cancer diagnosis.{{cite news|agency=Associated Press|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/news/mariners-add-brown-coaching-staff-212853534--mlb.html |title=Mariners add Brown to coaching staff |publisher=Yahoo! Sports |date=May 2, 2013 |access-date=May 2, 2013 }}{{dead link|date=April 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Stearns was named the Mariners' third base coach for the 2014 season. However, Stearns underwent surgery for a hiatal hernia prior to spring training and his slower-than-expected recovery compelled him to resign on March 7, 2014. He remained in the Mariners' organization, however, as a scout for the 2014 season.{{cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/mariners-third-base-coach-john-stearns-steps-down-rich-donnelly-to-move-up/c-68855988|title=Citing recovery, Stearns resigns as third-base coach|work=MLB.com|first=Greg|last=Johns|date=March 7, 2014|accessdate=September 16, 2022}} After attending a memorial service for his high school baseball coach in 2015, he said he was not sure how he would be involved with baseball again.{{cite web|url=http://www.denverpost.com/2015/06/10/colorado-classics-john-stearns-former-major-league-player-and-coach/|title=Colorado Classics: John Stearns, former major-league player and coach|date=June 10, 2015}} Also in 2015, Stearns was interviewed at length in the book The Seventh Year Stretch: New York Mets, 1977-1983,{{cite book|last=Prato|first=Greg|title= The Seventh Year Stretch: New York Mets, 1977-1983|publisher=Createspace|year=2015|isbn=978-1-516-89528-1}} by author Greg Prato.

Stearns and his wife, Martha Jo, married after the 1977 season. They had a son, named Justin.{{cite news|last=Stearns |first=John |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/09/16/sports/the-long-comeback-of-john-stearns.html |title=The Long Comeback Of John Stearns |work=The New York Times |date= September 16, 1984|accessdate=September 16, 2022}}

In January 2022, Stearns was diagnosed with stage IV prostate cancer.{{cite web|last=Keeler |first=Sean |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2022/07/23/john-stearns-cu-buffs-new-york-mets-battle-cancer/ |title=Ex-CU Buffs and Mets great John Stearns never ran from a fight. The "Bad Dude" isn't backing down from cancer, either |publisher=Denverpost.com |date= July 24, 2022|accessdate=September 16, 2022}} Despite his diagnosis, Stearns was well enough to attend the Mets' Old Timers' Day at Citi Field on August 27.{{cite web |last1=DiComo |first1=Anthony |title=Former Mets catcher John Stearns passes away at 71 |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/john-stearns-passes-away |website=mlb.com |access-date=September 22, 2022}}{{cite news |title=John Stearns, Feisty Met Catcher for a Decade, Is Dead at 71 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/16/sports/baseball/john-stearns-dead.html |website=The New York Times |date=September 16, 2022 |access-date=September 17, 2022}} Stearns died of cancer on September 15, 2022, less than three weeks later, at the age of 71.

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• [https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=stearjo01 John Stearns] at Baseball Almanac

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{{succession box|title=Baltimore Orioles first base coach|before=Al Bumbry|after=Carlos Bernhardt|years=1996–1997}}

{{succession box|title=Seattle Mariners third base coach|before=Daren Brown|after=Rich Donnelly|years=2014}}

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{{1973 College Baseball All-Americans}}

{{1973 MLB Draft}}

{{Philadelphia Phillies 1st round}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Stearns, John}}

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