Remembering Tony Saladino: Tampa’s Baseball Ambassador and Beloved Educator

By Joey Johnston

Tony Saladino Jr., a Sports Club of Tampa Bay Hall of Famer, longtime club member and a baseball impresario beyond compare, died on Aug. 19 at his home in Brandon. He was 89.

Saladino, a lifetime educator and coach, dedicated much of his life to promoting baseball in the Tampa Bay area and honoring its young players.

Since 1971, he presented the Saladino Memorial Award to the best senior-class baseball player in Hillsborough County. In 1981, he and his wife Bertha began the Saladino Tournament, an annual weeklong event that was widely considered one of the best high-school baseball tournaments in America.

“There is no one like Tony Saladino,’’ former major-leaguer and Sports Club Hall of Famer Tino Martinez once said. “We are so lucky to have him in Tampa. He has given us so much.’’

For years, Saladino methodically kept track of the Hillsborough County players who made the major leagues (the list now stands at 96 — from Al Lopez to Jac Caglianone).

“I love these major-leaguers and I’m so proud of them all,’’ Saladino once said. “But truthfully, my proudest moments are when I’m in the grocery store and a man approaches to tell me he once played in our tournament and it’s one of his best memories. Then he’ll tell me about his career and the family he’s raising. That makes me feel so good.’’