Bill Dancy had specific expectations for over long career

Bill Dancy had specific expectations for his players, he told The Reading Eagle going into the 1994 season.

Those expectations essentially involved his players playing hard.

"Some say I'm easy (to play for); some say I'm tough. I think I'm fair," Dancy told The Eagle that April. "I'm a players' manager, but if a player needs a kick in the butt I'll kick him in the butt. If he needs a pat on the back, I'll pat him on the back."

Dancy was going into his 16th season as a manager in the minors, part of a baseball career that stretched back six seasons further as a player in the minors.

He has gone on to a career that now spans four decades, including time in the majors as a third base coach.

Dancy's baseball career began in 1973, signed by the Phillies out of Florida Southern.

He started at single-A Spartanburg and played at AAA for four seasons. But he never made the majors as a player.

Dancy's playing days over, he turned to managing, starting right back where he started his playing career, at Spartanburg. He moved to AA Reading in 1983, then made AAA Portland in 1985. He managed the Phillies' AAA club for six of the next seven years.

In August 1990, Dancy sized up his new pitcher, Tommy Greene to Greene's hometown paper, The Wilmington Star-News.

"Where he gets into trouble is when he overthrows," Dancy told The Star-News. "When you're as young as he is, you expect too much out of yourself. He wants to get to the majors too soon."

Greene soon made it back to the majors with Philadelphia. In September, Dancy joined him, called up to the Phillies for the final month of the season with the September call-ups.

After more time in the minors, Dancy made the majors for his first extended period in the majors. He spent two seasons with the Phillies as third base coach.

By 2010, Dancy was back in the minors, as a manager with the Cubs at AA Tennessee. He moved to AAA Iowa in 2011. For 2012, he is serving as minor league defensive coordinator.

With Tennessee, Dancy led the team to the postseason, winning the first half. In the clinching game, the team actually learned a loss from the second place team already gave them the title.

"About the third inning we found out and it didn't change our plans," Dancy told MiLB.com. "We went out and played hard."

• Wilmington Star-News, Aug. 13, 1990: Greene moves to Phillies farm
• Reading Eagle, April 6, 1994: Hands-on management
• MiLB.com, June 20, 2010: Smokies clinch first-half crown

More: The 1990 Scranton-Wilkes Barre Red Barons

1990 CMC Tally  
Cards Featured: 824/880 - 93.6%
Players/Coaches Featured: 835
Made the Majors: 573 - 69%-X
Never Made the Majors:262-31%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 258
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 155-X