Triple-A Indianapolis honors former player Razor Shines

Long before Reggie Miller and Peyton Manning became legends in Indianapolis, Razor Shines received icon status while playing Minor League Baseball for the Indianapolis Indians — then a Triple-A affiliate for the Expos and Reds — from 1984-89 and 1991-93.

For what he accomplished in Naptown, the Indians are honoring Shines all weekend, starting Friday night, before the retirement of his No. 3 jersey on Saturday. He will also throw out the first pitch before all three games against Triple-A Rochester.

Known for never having a loss for words, Shines had a tough time expressing his feelings about being honored by the Indians.

“I was silent. I’m the type of person who speaks a lot. But it was the first time in a long time I had nothing to say. I was speechless,” Shines said via telephone. “I finally came around. … I was stunned, elated and couldn’t wait to share the news with my family.”

A fan favorite because of his outgoing personality and catchy first name, Shines is a person synonymous with championships with the Indians, winning four American Association Championship Series from 1986-89 and two Triple-A Classic crowns in ’88 and ’89. Shines was drafted by the Expos as a catcher, but he could also play the corner infield and outfield spots.

“It was a dominant stretch and people loved us,” Shines said. “The fans gravitated to me. I wanted to be the voice of the Indians. I liked to go out. We had what they call the Knothole Kids Club. I wanted to go out, participate and be a part of it. I would go to the Little League Fields and be a part of that. It’s what I did. I signed autographs every chance I got.”

During his nine seasons with Indianapolis, Shines played in 793 games and hit .274 while etching his name on the Indians’ all-time leaderboards in home runs (T-3rd, 68), RBIs (4th, 404) and doubles (5th, 138). His best season was in 1984, when he hit 18 home runs with 80 RBIs to earn team MVP honors.

Shines said he would not have been a popular figure in Indianapolis if not for Max Schumacher, then the president and general manager of the Indians. Shines called Schumacher the father figure in his life.

How much did Schumacher care for Shines? When Shines was released by the Expos after the 1985 season, Schumacher hired him as a bullpen catcher to start the ’86 campaign. He was eventually re-signed by Montreal to fill roster space for Indianapolis in July of that year.

“It’s a lot different than it is now,” Shines said. “Max was the first male figure that I looked up to and admired. To me, he is the reason we made Indianapolis home. I didn’t want to go anywhere. My family lived there from 1984-1999. I wanted to be part of the Indians. I wanted to make Max and the Indians proud and win baseball games.”

Shines acknowledged that he would be nervous when it was time to make his speech. But he knew to speak to the fans from the heart.

“I was never nervous when I went to the plate, but for the first time that I can remember, I know I’m going to be nervous because I tried to prepare a speech and it’s not going to work,” Shines said. “So I have to talk from my heart. I’m not going to have [papers] in front of me. I know it’s going to be nerve racking and emotional.”

Shines never received much of a chance to play in the big leagues. He played 68 games for the Expos and went 15-for-81 (.185) with five RBIs. Shines will boast that he was able to get hits off four Hall of Famers — Steve Carlton, Lee Smith, Dennis Eckersley and Bruce Sutter. Despite the limited run, you will never hear any bitterness in Shines’ voice regarding his Major League career:

“I feel I had some opportunity to do some things. I didn’t play as much as I would have liked, but that is part of the business. I’m not bitter at all.”