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Paul Blair (baseball)
Encyclopedia
Paul L. D. Blair is a former outfielder
who spent seventeen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB)
with the Baltimore Orioles
(1964–76), New York Yankees
(1977–79, 1980) and Cincinnati Reds
(1979). He was the starting center fielder
for the Orioles when they won two World Series
Championships, four American League (AL)
pennants and five AL East
titles from 1966
to 1974
. One of baseball
's best defensive players at his position, he earned the Gold Glove Award
eight times, including seven consecutive from 1969
to 1975
.
as an amateur free agent
in . After spending the season in their farm system, he was drafted by the Orioles in the 1962 first-year draft. He broke into the Orioles' lineup in and, despite hitting
only .234 with five home run
s and 25 runs batted in
, impressed many with his defensive skills. In he batted .277 and won his first of four World Series
titles. In Games Three and Four of that World Series
, which the Frank Robinson
-led Orioles swept from the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers
in four games, Blair played a major role in 1-0 shutouts by Wally Bunker
and Dave McNally
respectively, hitting a 430-foot home run off Claude Osteen
in Game Three, and robbing Jim Lefebvre
of an eighth-inning home run that would have tied Game Four. Blair also caught Lou Johnson
's fly ball for the final out of the Series.
In Blair established a career high .293 batting average with 11 home runs and 64 RBIs, along with an American League
-leading 12 triples. He also won the first of his eight Gold Glove Award
s. After slumping to .211 in , Blair had perhaps his best season in . Batting second behind Don Buford
in the Orioles' lineup, he hit .285 with career highs in home runs (26), runs batted in (76) and runs (102). He also made the All-Star team for the first time; he would repeat this feat in . His Orioles won the pennant, but lost to the Miracle Mets
in the World Series
. Blair went only 2-for-20 in that Series, including being the victim of one of Tommie Agee
's two spectacular Game Three catches (Agee had also robbed Elrod Hendricks
earlier in the game). On an interesting sidenote, on that Agee catch, Blair would be the first batter Nolan Ryan
would face in a World Series—the only World Series game the Hall of Fame pitcher would participate in. One of Blair's two hits came in the seventh inning of Game Two; it broke up Jerry Koosman
's bid for a no-hitter
.
On May 31, Blair was beaned
by California Angel
pitcher Ken Tatum
and suffered a broken nose. He recovered quickly, finishing the season batting .267. That year, Baltimore won another pennant and defeated the Cincinnati Reds
in five games in World Series
. Both Blair and Series MVP Brooks Robinson
atoned for their 1969 World Series performances (Robinson went 1-for-19, the lone hit coming in Game Two, scoring Blair; he was himself the victim of a spectacular catch, by Ron Swoboda
in Game Four) by tying a five-game Fall Classic record with nine hits apiece.
In Blair took up switch-hitting
but stopped after batting only .193 (11-for-57). He finished the season hitting .262. His Orioles won another pennant, but lost the World Series
to the Pittsburgh Pirates
in seven games.
Blair's speed going back in the outfield enabled him to play shallow, and make catches à la Willie Mays
. In each of the Orioles' three consecutive World Series seasons, Blair won a Gold Glove. He would also win a Gold Glove over the next four seasons, his last Gold Glove in coinciding with teammate Brooks Robinson
winning his 16th consecutive—and last—Gold Glove at third base.
On January 20, , Blair was traded to the New York Yankees for outfielders Elliott Maddox
and Rick Bladt
. On June 18 of that year in a nationally televised game against the Boston Red Sox
at Fenway Park
, he was involved—though not directly—in one of the most bizarre scenes in baseball history. Yankee manager Billy Martin
took right fielder Reggie Jackson
out of the game and replaced him with Blair after Jackson had misplayed Jim Rice
's fly ball for a double. As the cameras watched, Jackson and Martin nearly came to blows.
Actor Seth Gilliam
played Blair in one episode of the ESPN
mini-series The Bronx is Burning
. The mini-series chronicled the 1977 Yankees season.
After winning World Series titles with the Yankees in 1977 and , Blair was released early in the season. The Cincinnati Reds signed him as a free agent less than a month later, and Blair returned to the Yankees in May of . He retired after the Yankees released him a second time, on July 1 of that year.
In his 17-year career, Blair, whose nickname
, "Motormouth," came from his talkative nature, batted .250 with 134 home runs and 620 RBIs, 1513 hits and 171 stolen base
s in 1947 games played. He was also one of the top bunters in the game, recording at least 10 sacrifice hit
s four times in his career, including 17 during the 1975 season.
. Blair only coached one season at Fordham with the team finishing with a 14-19 record. He would then go back to work as an outfield instructor with the Houston Astros
and as a third base coach for the Orioles Triple A team in Rochester and worked in that capacity until 1985. In 1989 he would play for the Gold Coast Suns in the newly formed Senior Professional Baseball Association
, though the league would fold after the season. Blair would get his next shot at coaching in 1995 when he was named the manager of the Yonkers Hoot Owls
in the newly formed Northeast League, an independent league of professional baseball. The team would last just one season and would finish a dismal 12-52. Blair would get his next, and to date his last, shot at coaching in 1998 when he was named as the head coach for the Coppin State College baseball team. Blair would coach the team from 1998-2002. Unfortunately, his overall record at Coppin State would be a disappointing 30-185.
and works out at Triangle Fitness in Eldersburg, Maryland
. He also bowls at Kings Point Lanes in Reisterstown, Maryland. His son Paul Blair III played eight years in the minors for the San Francisco Giants and the Chicago Cubs.
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
who spent seventeen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB)
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
with the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
(1964–76), New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
(1977–79, 1980) and Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
(1979). He was the starting center fielder
Center fielder
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field...
for the Orioles when they won two World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
Championships, four American League (AL)
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
pennants and five AL East
American League East
The American League Eastern Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions . This division was created before the start of the 1969 season along with the Western Division...
titles from 1966
1966 Major League Baseball season
The 1966 Major League Baseball season was held between the American and National Leagues. The Braves play their first season in Atlanta, following their relocation from Milwaukee. Three new stadiums opened that season. On April 12, the Braves ushered in Atlanta Stadium with the Pittsburgh...
to 1974
1974 Major League Baseball season
The 1974 Major League Baseball season was held between the American and National Leagues. The Oakland Athletics won their third consecutive World Series, defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers four games to one....
. One of baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
's best defensive players at his position, he earned the Gold Glove Award
Gold Glove Award
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in both the National League and the American League , as voted by the...
eight times, including seven consecutive from 1969
1969 Major League Baseball season
The 1969 Major League Baseball season was celebrated as the 100th anniversary of professional baseball, honoring the first professional touring baseball team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings. A special silhouetted batter logo was created by Jerry Dior to commemorate the anniversary, and is still used...
to 1975
1975 Major League Baseball season
The 1975 Major League Baseball season was held between the American and National Leagues.-News and notes:*Frank Robinson beacme the first black manager in the Major Leagues. He managed the Cleveland Indians....
.
Career
Blair was originally signed by the New York MetsNew York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
as an amateur free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
in . After spending the season in their farm system, he was drafted by the Orioles in the 1962 first-year draft. He broke into the Orioles' lineup in and, despite hitting
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
only .234 with five home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and 25 runs batted in
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
, impressed many with his defensive skills. In he batted .277 and won his first of four World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
titles. In Games Three and Four of that World Series
1966 World Series
The 1966 World Series matched the Baltimore Orioles against the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers, with the Orioles sweeping the Series in four games to capture their first championship in franchise history...
, which the Frank Robinson
Frank Robinson
Frank Robinson , is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He played from 1956–1976, most notably for the Cincinnati Reds and the Baltimore Orioles. He is the only player to win league MVP honors in both the National and American Leagues...
-led Orioles swept from the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
in four games, Blair played a major role in 1-0 shutouts by Wally Bunker
Wally Bunker
Wallace Edward Bunker is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. A right-hander, Bunker pitched for the Baltimore Orioles from to and Kansas City Royals from to .-Biography:...
and Dave McNally
Dave McNally
David Arthur "Dave" McNally was a Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher from until . He was signed by the Baltimore Orioles and played with them every season except for his final season with the Montreal Expos.McNally has the unique distinction as the only pitcher in Major League...
respectively, hitting a 430-foot home run off Claude Osteen
Claude Osteen
Claude Wilson Osteen , nicknamed "Gomer" because of his resemblance to Gomer Pyle, is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched for six different teams: the Cincinnati Redlegs/Reds , Washington Senators , Los Angeles Dodgers , Houston Astros , St...
in Game Three, and robbing Jim Lefebvre
Jim Lefebvre
James Kenneth Lefebvre is a former second baseman, third baseman and manager in Major League Baseball. Lefebvre, the 1965 National League Rookie of the Year, was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1962. In 1965, his rookie year, he hit .250 with 12 home runs and 69 RBI...
of an eighth-inning home run that would have tied Game Four. Blair also caught Lou Johnson
Lou Johnson
Louis Brown Johnson , nicknamed "Sweet Lou" and "Slick", is a former Major League Baseball outfielder...
's fly ball for the final out of the Series.
In Blair established a career high .293 batting average with 11 home runs and 64 RBIs, along with an American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
-leading 12 triples. He also won the first of his eight Gold Glove Award
Gold Glove Award
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in both the National League and the American League , as voted by the...
s. After slumping to .211 in , Blair had perhaps his best season in . Batting second behind Don Buford
Don Buford
Donald Alvin Buford is a former Major League Baseball player. An infielder/outfielder, the switch-hitting Buford played for the Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles ....
in the Orioles' lineup, he hit .285 with career highs in home runs (26), runs batted in (76) and runs (102). He also made the All-Star team for the first time; he would repeat this feat in . His Orioles won the pennant, but lost to the Miracle Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
in the World Series
1969 World Series
The 1969 World Series was played between the New York Mets and the Baltimore Orioles, with the Mets prevailing in five games to accomplish one of the greatest upsets in Series history, as that particular Orioles squad was considered to be one of the finest ever...
. Blair went only 2-for-20 in that Series, including being the victim of one of Tommie Agee
Tommie Agee
Tommie Lee Agee was a Major League Baseball center fielder most noted for making two of the greatest catches in World Series history, both of which occurred in game three of the 1969 World Series.-Cleveland Indians:...
's two spectacular Game Three catches (Agee had also robbed Elrod Hendricks
Elrod Hendricks
Elrod Jerome "Ellie" Hendricks was a catcher and coach in Major League Baseball. Hendricks played during a 12-year career that lasted from through for the Baltimore Orioles , Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees...
earlier in the game). On an interesting sidenote, on that Agee catch, Blair would be the first batter Nolan Ryan
Nolan Ryan
Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. , nicknamed "The Ryan Express", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is currently principal owner, president and CEO of the Texas Rangers....
would face in a World Series—the only World Series game the Hall of Fame pitcher would participate in. One of Blair's two hits came in the seventh inning of Game Two; it broke up Jerry Koosman
Jerry Koosman
Jerome Martin Koosman is a former left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox and Philadelphia Phillies between 1967 and 1985...
's bid for a no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
.
On May 31, Blair was beaned
Beanball
"Beanball" is a colloquialism used in baseball, for a ball thrown at an opposing player with the intention of striking him such as to cause harm, often connoting a throw at the player's head...
by California Angel
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
pitcher Ken Tatum
Ken Tatum
Kenneth Ray Tatum is a retired professional baseball player who played 6 seasons for the California Angels, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball.-References:...
and suffered a broken nose. He recovered quickly, finishing the season batting .267. That year, Baltimore won another pennant and defeated the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
in five games in World Series
1970 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 10, 1970 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, OhioThe Jackson 5 performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" prior to the game, which almost became an embarrassment when the group realized shortly before their performance that they weren't familiar with the lyrics...
. Both Blair and Series MVP Brooks Robinson
Brooks Robinson
Brooks Calbert Robinson, Jr. is a former American professional baseball player. He played his entire 23-year major league career for the Baltimore Orioles . Nicknamed "The Human Vacuum Cleaner", he is generally acclaimed as the greatest defensive third-basemen in major league history...
atoned for their 1969 World Series performances (Robinson went 1-for-19, the lone hit coming in Game Two, scoring Blair; he was himself the victim of a spectacular catch, by Ron Swoboda
Ron Swoboda
Ronald Alan Swoboda is a former Major League Baseball outfielder best remembered as a member of the Amazin' Mets.-MLB debut:...
in Game Four) by tying a five-game Fall Classic record with nine hits apiece.
In Blair took up switch-hitting
Switch hitter
In baseball, a switch-hitter is a player who bats both right-handed and left-handed.-Baseball:Usually, right-handed batters hit better against left-handed pitchers and vice-versa. Most curveballs break away from batters hitting from the same side as the opposing pitcher. Such pitches are often...
but stopped after batting only .193 (11-for-57). He finished the season hitting .262. His Orioles won another pennant, but lost the World Series
1971 World Series
The 1971 World Series matched the defending champion Baltimore Orioles against the Pittsburgh Pirates, with the Pirates winning in seven games. Game 4, played in Pittsburgh, was the first-ever World Series game scheduled to be played at night....
to the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
in seven games.
Blair's speed going back in the outfield enabled him to play shallow, and make catches à la Willie Mays
Willie Mays
Willie Howard Mays, Jr. is a retired American professional baseball player who played the majority of his major league career with the New York and San Francisco Giants before finishing with the New York Mets. Nicknamed The Say Hey Kid, Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his...
. In each of the Orioles' three consecutive World Series seasons, Blair won a Gold Glove. He would also win a Gold Glove over the next four seasons, his last Gold Glove in coinciding with teammate Brooks Robinson
Brooks Robinson
Brooks Calbert Robinson, Jr. is a former American professional baseball player. He played his entire 23-year major league career for the Baltimore Orioles . Nicknamed "The Human Vacuum Cleaner", he is generally acclaimed as the greatest defensive third-basemen in major league history...
winning his 16th consecutive—and last—Gold Glove at third base.
On January 20, , Blair was traded to the New York Yankees for outfielders Elliott Maddox
Elliott Maddox
Elliott Maddox is an African-American former Major League Baseball American player. Maddox, from 1970 to 1980, played for the Detroit Tigers, Washington Senators/Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, and New York Mets.-Early and personal life:Maddox attended Union High School in...
and Rick Bladt
Rick Bladt
Richard Alan Bladt was a right-handed outfielder in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees.Bladt was signed by the Cubs in as an undrafted amateur free agent...
. On June 18 of that year in a nationally televised game against the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
at Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
, he was involved—though not directly—in one of the most bizarre scenes in baseball history. Yankee manager Billy Martin
Billy Martin
Alfred Manuel "Billy" Martin, Jr. was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager. He is best known as the manager of the New York Yankees, a position he held five different times...
took right fielder Reggie Jackson
Reggie Jackson
Reginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson , nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitting in the postseason with the New York Yankees, is a former American Major League Baseball right fielder. During a 21-year baseball career, he played from 1967-1987 for four different teams. Jackson currently serves as...
out of the game and replaced him with Blair after Jackson had misplayed Jim Rice
Jim Rice
James Edward "Jim" Rice , nicknamed "Jim Ed", is a former Major League Baseball left fielder.Jim Rice played his entire career for the Boston Red Sox from 1974 to 1989...
's fly ball for a double. As the cameras watched, Jackson and Martin nearly came to blows.
Actor Seth Gilliam
Seth Gilliam
Seth Gilliam is an American actor. He is known for his HBO television roles, first as corrections officer-turned-prisoner Clayton Hughes on Oz, and later as Baltimore police detective promoted to sergeant Ellis Carver on The Wire. On both of these series, he co-starred with Lance Reddick and J.D....
played Blair in one episode of the ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
mini-series The Bronx is Burning
The Bronx Is Burning
The Bronx Is Burning is a television drama that debuted on ESPN on July 9, 2007, after the 2007 MLB Home Run Derby. It is an eight-episode mini-series adapted from Jonathan Mahler's best-selling book, Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bronx Is Burning...
. The mini-series chronicled the 1977 Yankees season.
After winning World Series titles with the Yankees in 1977 and , Blair was released early in the season. The Cincinnati Reds signed him as a free agent less than a month later, and Blair returned to the Yankees in May of . He retired after the Yankees released him a second time, on July 1 of that year.
In his 17-year career, Blair, whose nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
, "Motormouth," came from his talkative nature, batted .250 with 134 home runs and 620 RBIs, 1513 hits and 171 stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
s in 1947 games played. He was also one of the top bunters in the game, recording at least 10 sacrifice hit
Sacrifice hit
In baseball, a sacrifice bunt is a batter's act of deliberately bunting the ball in a manner that allows a runner on base to advance to another base. The batter is almost always sacrificed but sometimes reaches base due to an error or fielder's choice...
s four times in his career, including 17 during the 1975 season.
Coaching career
At the end of his playing career Blair was hired as an outfield instructor for the Yankees in 1981. In August of 1982 he was named the head coach at Fordham UniversityFordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
. Blair only coached one season at Fordham with the team finishing with a 14-19 record. He would then go back to work as an outfield instructor with the Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
and as a third base coach for the Orioles Triple A team in Rochester and worked in that capacity until 1985. In 1989 he would play for the Gold Coast Suns in the newly formed Senior Professional Baseball Association
Senior Professional Baseball Association
The Senior Professional Baseball Association was a winter baseball league based in Florida for players age 35 and over . The league began play in 1989 and had eight teams in two divisions and a 72 game schedule...
, though the league would fold after the season. Blair would get his next shot at coaching in 1995 when he was named the manager of the Yonkers Hoot Owls
Yonkers Hoot Owls
The Yonkers Hoot Owls were a minor league baseball team based in Yonkers, New York, playing in the independent Northeast League The team existed just one season in 1995 and played its home games at Fleming Field in Yonkers, arguably the worst facility ever to host professional...
in the newly formed Northeast League, an independent league of professional baseball. The team would last just one season and would finish a dismal 12-52. Blair would get his next, and to date his last, shot at coaching in 1998 when he was named as the head coach for the Coppin State College baseball team. Blair would coach the team from 1998-2002. Unfortunately, his overall record at Coppin State would be a disappointing 30-185.
Personal life
Blair currently resides in Owings Mills, MarylandOwings Mills, Maryland
Owings Mills is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Baltimore. The population was 20,193 at the 2000 census. Owings Mills is home to the northern terminus for the Baltimore Metro Subway and to Owings Mills Mall....
and works out at Triangle Fitness in Eldersburg, Maryland
Eldersburg, Maryland
Eldersburg is a census-designated place in Carroll County, Maryland, United States. The population was 27,741 at the 2000 census.-History:...
. He also bowls at Kings Point Lanes in Reisterstown, Maryland. His son Paul Blair III played eight years in the minors for the San Francisco Giants and the Chicago Cubs.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases
- List of Major League Baseball triples champions