PEACE OF MIND Livingstone not bitter over bad break in the twilight of his major league career By Rusty Burson

He wasn’t really ready to hang it up. Not with what appeared to be plenty of good years in baseball ahead of him and just eight major league seasons behind him.

No, in his ideal scenario, Scott Livingstone would have played several more seasons in "the show," finishing under his terms and walking away from the game instead of limping. And it certainly would have been nice to finish up in front of his hometown friends and fans at the Ballpark in Arlington.

Unfortunately for Livingstone, things didn’t end exactly as he had hoped.

On May 18 of last year, while playing for the Oklahoma Redhawks, the Texas Rangers’ AAA affiliate, Livingstone broke his ankle and effectively ended his professional baseball career. Obviously, it was a disappointing end for the former Texas A&M star. It was not, however, devastating.

Today, Livingstone is at peace with the end of his baseball career and his current situation. He’s spending more time with his wife and daughter, providing hitting lessons for area youths and beginning the search for a new business career. He has no regrets, no anger and no problem adjusting to life without baseball.

Scott Livingstone was one of the top third basemen ever to wear the maroon and white.

In fact, he hasn’t really even been tempted to ask the "What if?" questions regarding his broken ankle. That’s probably because of the irony of his major league baseball career.

It was, after all, a broken ankle that first gave Livingstone a shot in the big leagues. So, maybe it was fitting that a broken ankle also took him out of the game.

"It’s pretty ironic, that’s for sure," said Livingstone, who makes his home in the Dallas suburb of Southlake. "It would have been nice to finish up differently, but I can live with how things happened. It’s just kind of bizarre that a broken ankle finished my major league career and also helped to get it started."

Following his illustrious four-year career at Texas A&M (1985-88), Livingstone was a second-round draft pick of the Detroit Tigers. By 1991, he was already a promising prospect for the Tigers’ AAA affiliate in Toledo. That’s when he received his break.

The Tigers came to Toledo to play exhibition game against their minor league team, and Livingstone stole the show.

"They had just lost Alan Trammell with a broken his ankle three days before they came to play us in what amounts to a money-maker for the minor league franchise," Livingstone said. "I had a good game at third base, but Travis Fryman was playing third base for them in the big leagues. But he had been a shortstop for them in the minors. So, they moved him to short and had Tony Phillips at third base.

"Well, I’m sure (Detroit manager) Sparky (Anderson) didn’t have any plans of bringing me up, but I went 3-for-4 and had a couple good backhand plays. I just remember the newspaper saying the next day that I started the game in the third base dugout and left in the first base dugout because they called me up like in the ninth inning of that exhibition game."

From there, Livingstone was off and running. He played in 44 games in 1991 and 117 the following year. He had a solid four seasons with the Tigers, but it was when he went to the San Diego Padres that he truly hit his stride. In 1995, Livingstone hit .336 with the Padres, and in ’96 he helped lead San Diego to the playoffs by hitting .296 in 102 games.

He then had a brief stint with St. Louis in 1997 and played with the Montreal Expos in 1998. As it turned out, ’98 was Livingstone’s last season in the majors.

But it wasn’t his last shot.

Livingstone's career ironically ended with a broken ankle at Omaha's Rosenblatt Stadium.

Livingstone landed close to home, playing in Oklahoma City with hopes of finishing his solid professional career with the Texas Rangers. And Rangers general manager Doug Melvin was certainly interested in the versatile Livingstone, who began his pro career at third, but proved to be a capable player at first, second and in the outfield during his time in the majors.

But just when it appeared that Livingstone was close to landing a roster spot with the Rangers last season, a broken ankle ended the hopes. It happened – of all places – at Omaha’s Rosenblatt Stadium.

"When I was at A&M, I always dreamed of finishing up a season in Omaha," Livingstone said. "We never got there. Instead, I finished up my career there."

Livingstone went out with a bang. Playing against the Omaha Royals, he went 4-for-5 to raise his batting average to above .370 for the season. But in the ninth inning of a one-run game, Livingstone charged from first to attempt to field a bunt.

"I came in and slipped and tried to right myself up," Livingstone said. "When I pushed myself up, my ankle stuck and rolled right over it. It was pretty painful."

Emotionally, though, Livingstone was fine. While he would have loved to play longer, he is exceedingly grateful for the chance to play at all.

As far back as he can remember, Livingstone dreamed of playing in the major leagues. He played eight years longer than most of the kids who shared his dream.

"I really have been so fortunate to live out a dream," Livingstone said. "I knew I wanted to be a baseball player when I was real little, and I wrote a paper for school, which my mom helped me with, when I was 7 or something like that, saying that I wanted to grow up and be a professional baseball player. I think she still has it up in my room in the house."

By the time he reached high school at Dallas’ Lake Highlands, Livingstone’s dream scenario also included playing collegiate ball at the University of Texas. In fact, he received a scholarship offer from Texas during his junior season and had all but committed to the Longhorns when he decided to take a trip to College Station.

"(Former Texas coach Cliff) Gustafson actually offered me a full ride to Texas my junior year, so my whole senior year I was thinking, ‘I’m going to Texas, I’m going to Texas,’" Livingstone said. "But then I went and visited Texas, it was OK, but I didn’t feel as comfortable there as I felt when I went to A&M. My entire junior and senior years I thought I was going to Texas, but then once I visited A&M, I was hooked on the Aggies.

"I met Coach (Mark) Johnson and his staff, and Coach (Tom) Chandler was on his way out the year that I came in, so they both had a hand in recruiting me. They seemed more up front, more genuine. I was just more impressed with the level of interest that Coach Johnson showed me."

It didn’t take long for Livingstone to begin impressing Johnson and the A&M fan base. Livingstone instantly found his way into the lineup and helped lead the Aggies to one Southwest Conference title and three consecutive appearances in the NCAA regionals.

By the time he was fined at A&M, Livingstone established SWC career records with 301 hits, 75 doubles, 50 home runs and 228 RBI. He was also selected to The Sporting News All-American team in 1987 and 1988. He still holds six A&M career records and he is among the top three in nine different categories.
The records are nice, Livingstone acknowledges. But more than anything else, Livingstone looks back most fondly on the relationships he developed at A&M.

"I played four seasons at A&M, and the games just kind of run together now," he said. "But it was just a thrill to play at Olsen Field in front of those great fans and that wonderful community. I think, more than just the baseball, I remember the people that I met and the friendships I developed, especially with the coaching staff, the graduate assistants, and I can’t leave out Leo (Goertz) and his grounds crew.

"If you were to ask my Dad, he’d probably remember every at bat and the pitch count. But I think back on the lasting relationships. When I go back, they treat me like I’m still playing. I think that’s the way they treat all the people when they come back. They care about you, they really care. That’s a tribute to Coach Johnson, his program and the people he has around him."

And if he had it to do all over again, Livingstone says he wouldn’t change a thing. He’d still go to A&M, and he still does take a great deal of pride in being an Aggie.

"I loved my time at A&M, and I loved playing for Coach Johnson at Olsen Field," Livingstone said. "We never made it to the College World Series, which is about the only thing I regret. But I still had a great time, and I still beam with maroon pride.

"Aggies still come up to me and say they remember when I played and that they enjoyed watching me play. That makes me feel very good. It makes me feel like I made a positive impact. Hopefully, I can be more involved with A&M now that I’m out of baseball. A lot of it depends on where I land a job and what type of career field I choose. But I love going back to A&M. It’s like they say, ‘Once an Aggie, always an Aggie’"