Edward William Nottle (born October 22, 1939), nicknamed "Singing Ed" because of his
avocation
An avocation is an activity that someone engages in as a hobby outside their main occupation. There are many examples of people whose professions were the ways that they made their livings, but for whom their activities outside their workplaces w ...
as a singer, is a former
Minor League Baseball relief pitcher
In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue (medical), fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection (sports), ejection, or for other strategic ...
and
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
.
He has led teams in the
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
and
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
organizations, and managed the
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
Brockton Rox
The Brockton Rox are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Brockton, Massachusetts, United States. Formerly a professional baseball franchise, the Rox were a member of the independent Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball, fr ...
. His final season as manager was 2008 with the independent
Ottawa Rapidz
The Ottawa Voyageurs, previously the Ottawa Rapidz, were a professional baseball team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada under the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball or Can-Am League.
As a Can-Am team, the team played one seaso ...
of the
Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball
The Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, commonly known as the Can-Am League, was a professional, independent baseball league with teams in the Northeast United States and Eastern Canada, founded in 2005 as a reorganization of ...
.
Playing career
Nottle signed his first professional contract in 1959 with a team in
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...
. Following a stellar season at Pensacola, Nottle began a 10-year run with the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
organization. In 1963, he was assigned to the White Sox major league roster, but never played due to an arm injury, making him a "
phantom ballplayer
A phantom ballplayer is either a baseball player who is incorrectly listed in source materials as playing in a Major League Baseball (MLB) game, often the result of typographical or clerical errors, or a player who spent time on an MLB Major Leag ...
". His final appearance as a player was in 1980, when he made a single two-inning appearance for the
Double-A West Haven Whitecaps
The West Haven A's were an American Minor League Baseball team that played in the Double-A Eastern League from 1972 to 1982. They were located in West Haven, Connecticut, and played their home games at Quigley Stadium. From 1972 to 1979, the t ...
. In 18 minor league seasons, he appeared in 543 games, compiling an 89–75 record with a 3.09
ERA
An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth.
Compa ...
.
Post-playing career
In 1972, Nottle received his first coaching job and became a manager in 1978 when the Athletics hired him to manage a
Northwest League
The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Pacific Northwest, Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Maj ...
team. In 1981 while managing the Athletics'
Triple-A team in
Tacoma, his team reached the
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...
finals and Nottle was named Minor League Manager-of-the-Year by
Baseball America
''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...
. During the 1983 season, he served as a
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
on the Oakland A's major league staff. Within the same year Nottle showcased his singing talent by recording the album ''To Baseball with Love'' on his private label Nott's Landing Records.
In 1985, Nottle moved on to the Boston Red Sox organization and managed their Double A affiliate, the
New Britain Red Sox
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
, for one season and their Triple-A team, the
Pawtucket Red Sox
The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...
, for years. Nottle led New Britain to the playoffs once and twice took Pawtucket to the postseason. He was named
International League Manager of the Year in 1987 and managed the
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...
affiliates in the inaugural Triple-A All-Star Classic in
Buffalo in 1988.
Nottle managed the inaugural season with the
Sioux City Explorers
The Sioux City Explorers are a professional minor league baseball team based in Sioux City, Iowa, in the United States. The Explorers are members American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. S ...
of the
Northern League Northern League may refer to:
Sport
Baseball
* Northern League (baseball, 1902–71), a name used by several minor leagues that operated in the upper midwestern U.S. and Manitoba from 1902 to 1971
* Northern League (baseball, 1993–2010), an indep ...
in 1993 and stayed with them through the 2000 season. In his eight seasons, he amassed a regular-season record of 343 wins and 318 losses and made the playoffs in 1994 and 1999. Nottle managed the
Duluth–Superior Dukes
The Duluth–Superior Dukes were a professional baseball team based in Duluth, Minnesota. The Dukes were a charter member of the modern Northern League, which started play in 1993. The Dukes played their home games at Wade Stadium. After the 200 ...
for one season before moving on to the Brockton Rox of the then-Northern League East in 2002. With the Rox, he compiled a 187–175 record and won a championship in 2003. For the 2006 season, Nottle returned to his old post as the Explorer's manager in their inaugural year in the American Association.
Nottle returned to the former Northeast (now
Can-Am League
The Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, commonly known as the Can-Am League, was a professional, independent baseball league with teams in the Northeast United States and Eastern Canada, founded in 2005 as a reorganization of ...
) in 2008 as he became the first manager of the expansion
Ottawa Rapidz
The Ottawa Voyageurs, previously the Ottawa Rapidz, were a professional baseball team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada under the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball or Can-Am League.
As a Can-Am team, the team played one seaso ...
, but after a very poor start to the season, followed by a hot streak that came when Nottle left the team briefly to visit his sick wife, the team's management fired him on July 31, 2008.
In 2010, in Nottle's 50th year in professional baseball, he served as pitching and third base coach on Chris Carminucci's staff with the Brockton Rox of the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball. Nottle helped guide the Rox to the second-best overall record in the league, and another playoff appearance.
Personal life
Nicknamed "Singin Ed", Nottle is famous for his charitable work both in the U.S. and Canada. He has raised over several million dollars for various charities (mainly focused on children).
There has been talk of a movie of Nottle's life, called ''The 26th Man''.
It was supposed to be in production in late 2007, but the financial capital never materialized to finance the project; the screenplay is ready to go, awaiting a new production company.
Notes
References
External links
Ed Nottle Singing for Make-A-Wish Eastern Ontariovia
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nottle, Ed
Baseball pitchers
Pensacola Angels players
Idaho Falls Russets players
Tri-City Braves players
Lynchburg White Sox players
Indianapolis Indians players
Tidewater Tides players
Evansville White Sox players
Lynchburg Twins players
Anderson Senators players
Burlington Senators players
Greenville Rangers players
Gastonia Rangers players
Anderson Rangers players
Sacramento Solons players
Tucson Toros players
West Haven Whitecaps players
Oakland Athletics coaches
Major League Baseball bullpen coaches
Pawtucket Red Sox managers
Caribbean Series managers
Baseball players from Pennsylvania
Winter Haven Super Sox players
1939 births
Living people