Warren Cromartie, for once, is silent. Anyone who has been in the loquacious former baseball star’s orbit, even for a few moments, can understand the rarity of the occasion. Cromartie is usually vibrant and expressive. He has an attention-grabbing presence and a booming baritone voice that can fill a room. His infectious personality once helped endear him to baseball fans in Tokyo — first at Korakuen Stadium and later Tokyo Dome — during his seven seasons with the Yomiuri Giants.
But on a cloudy afternoon at his home in Tokyo, Cromartie, his hands laying on the armrests of the wheelchair he has been using in recent years, the result of a pair of spinal surgeries, is searching for the right words as he ponders the question of his legacy after a life in baseball.
When Cromartie, 72, reflects on a career that took him from MLB to Japan, he is at peace. There are not many mementos from his playing days in his living room, but there are at least two reminders: a Yomiuri Giants jersey that hangs on a wall and a framed, powder blue Montreal Expos top.