LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - The longtime general manager of the Arkansas Travelers baseball team has died at the age of 82.
Television station KARK reports (https://bit.ly/1btPx9H ) that William Terry “Bill” Valentine Jr. died Sunday in Little Rock.
Valentine was general manager of the Travelers from 1976 to 2009. Before joining the Travelers, Valentine spent 18 years as an umpire in various professional leagues, culminating with five years in the American League.
His family reports that he holds the distinction as one of the only two umpires who ever threw Mickey Mantle out of a ballgame.
Under his leadership, attendance at Traveler games grew from 67,000 in 1975 to 223,000 in 1980. Career honors include inductions into both the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame and the Texas League Hall of Fame.
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Information from: KARK-TV.
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