Clark is a guiding light
He is the Pied Piper of the Diamondbacks, the sage, the wise man and guru, the man anybody can and will go talk to if they have a concern or a question.
It might be a batting slump. It could be something on the home front. Maybe it has to do with a trade rumor or an uneasy situation relating to playing time. But be it business, personal or spiritual, they seek out his counsel.
"That's Tony Clark," third baseman Chad Tracy said. "If there's anything you need, you go to him. He is like a guru around here. We're lucky to have him." Luck has nothing to do with it. It was more like divine intervention.
Clark, the Diamondbacks' insightful, fierce and yet, teddy bear of a slugger, had left his whereabouts in God's hands. Upon his unceremonious release by the Detroit Tigers in fall 2001 - this after the fan favorite had hit 156 homers in a seven-year period - Clark did a lot of praying.
A longtime Valley resident and a born-again Christian, Clark wanted to play in Arizona, where he had planted roots and carved paths through his faith. That the Diamondbacks were still celebrating their dramatic World Series victory over the Yankees made it even more desirable.
"I kept promising through prayer that if I could be here year-round, I would do my best to positively affect the Valley," Clark said. "When I did that, opportunities started coming out of the woodwork. It was confirmation for me. The more of my career, my life, I was willing to give up, the better it would become."
After spending the next three seasons with three different teams - the Red Sox, the Mets and the Yankees - Clark's prayers were finally answered when he signed with the Diamondbacks as a free agent last year.
Getting it done
Clark promptly became the team's most valuable player, winning games left and right with giant, clutch swings off the bench. Whenever the Diamondbacks needed a rally or a game-turning hit, their 6-foot-7 first baseman usually provided on cue. He hit .304 with 30 homers and 87 RBIs in just 349 at-bats.
Asked what he likes best about Clark, manager Bob Melvin quickly blurted, "That he's good - and he hits the ball out of the ballpark when we tell him to.
"No," Melvin continued, "he's so focused on any particular at-bat and he's never overmatched, whether we bring him in against a closer or we give him a start."
Clark was rewarded for his efforts with a two-year contract extension, though he could have easily asked for and probably received more money than he got (around $2 million total). But it wasn't about the money, Clark said.
"I have an opportunity and a platform to make a difference with some of the programs that have been put into place, and to me, that was the paramount thing," said Clark, who through the contract, established the Tony Clark MVP Foundation, a wide-ranging charitable arm that has become an instant hit.
The foundation, which distributes thousands of free seats to Diamondbacks games in addition to scholarship funds, targets disadvantaged youth, good students, athletes and minorities. It also aids Little League programs, YMCAs and the Boys and Girls Club, while also paying homage to servicemen, police and fire departments and their families.
"I can't tell you how fortunate we are to have this guy on our club, and how fortunate the entire state is, really," said Ken Kendrick, the Diamondbacks managing general partner. "He is such an ambassador for the game."
Altered states
Clark, who is married with three children, has always been one of the "good guys" in baseball. A former basketball star at the University of Arizona and San Diego State, he quickly developed friendships inside and outside of sports and was well respected and sought after by his peers early in his pro baseball career.
But his life turned forever on Jan. 27, 2001.
Clark was in a Seattle hotel room, in town to watch his brother's final college basketball game, and was in the middle of an over-the-phone Bible study with longtime friend Jeff Totten, the chaplain leader for the Detroit Tigers.
"I was asked a question that night," Clark said, closing his eyes, and solemnly dropping his head. "If my plane went down going home, was I going to be in heaven with my wife and kids?"
Clark always had his faith but he wasn't sure whether he could safely answer that question. That night, he was saved. Over the phone, to Totten, he professed his total faith to Christ.
"It caught him square between the eyes," Totten recalled from his home in Troy, Mich. "He said, 'I don't have a relationship with Jesus Christ. That's what's missing in my life.' It's there now and it impacted his role as a husband and father, along with the quality of humility, which is a huge part of his character."
In addition to helping the Diamondbacks and multiple causes in the Valley, Clark is spreading the good word and inviting all for fellowship. Players, young and old, in the organization have flocked to him.
"He makes a difference in so many people's lives; I just love that man to death," said former major league pitcher Frank Tanana, who won 240 games with six clubs, including the Tigers. Tanana was finishing his career when Clark came up through the Tigers' system and the two quickly hit it off and have remained close friends.
Clark's best friend is Damion Easley, a utility player for the Diamondbacks and a longtime neighbor from the same north Glendale suburb. It was Easley who gradually pushed Clark closer to God. It started when they were teammates in Detroit.
"We would have been best friends anyway, because Tony has always been sincere and a genuine good person," Easley said, "but when he became saved, it was an awesome feeling for myself, personally.
"He's a leader and for him to come to God's kingdom being the leader he already was has such impact. He just has that type of personality where you feel comfortable walking up to him and saying anything and you know it's going to be OK. Guys like him are rare. He's truly a beautiful man, inside and out."
Hidden gem
Staying seated in the stands for a full nine innings can be hard for even the most dedicated of baseball fans.
But for future die-hard fans still in preschool, it's nearly impossible.
Phoenix Municipal Stadium, one of the older venues in the Cactus League, might not have sweeping lawn sections or large designated play areas. But for parents who want make an A's game a family outing, the impromptu playground that forms in the small lawn area at the end of the left field stands does just fine.
"They get bored just sitting in a chair. We wouldn't have made it this long if they had to stay there," said Arcadia resident Brad Amico, as his two boys, 3 and 6, mingled with a growing group of small children playing nearby.
"We lasted two innings and then we had to find something to do."
Jason Coleman is a civil engineer from Gilbert. His 6-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter were taking full advantage of the soft ground and space to run.
"They'll have a blast," Coleman said. "They won't make it to the car. I'll carry them back tonight. It's great that they have a place to play, but it's hard to watch them and see the game."
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