Anyone remember him? he was Mr. Tigers in late 90s..

Mr. Diamondback now.....

I saw Clark crush a ball into the upper Bleachers at Tiger Stadium!

Home runs were better at Tiger Stadium

i saw both Cecil Fielder and Mark McGwire hit homers on the left field roof: Fielder in 90: McGwire in 97

No home run will ever clear Comerica!

Or foul Ball!

I saw Lance Parrish hit one AGAINST the roof. Just missed clearing it.

I also saw Jason Thompson put one over the RF roof. They say that RF was easier....

In 97, thought Tony Clark might hit 50 HR's. He got off to such a quick start.

Clark has mixed reaction to trades
Free agent is happy for team, sad that he may not return
By Steve Gilbert / MLB.com

PHOENIX -- Tony Clark was out at a local pizza place, having dinner with his kids on Friday night, as news began to spread throughout the Valley that the Diamondbacks had made three trades, the biggest of which netted them the pitcher, Dan Haren, that they coveted most.

A few fans came up to the free-agent first baseman to congratulate him on the acquisition and ask if he thought he'd be back in an Arizona uniform next year.

For the first time since he got the news from D-backs general manager Josh Byrnes a couple of days before, Clark shared something that he had only told his family, close friends and teammates: His days in Sedona Red appear to be over.

Byrnes and Clark had played phone tag for a few days with Clark in Hawaii on a Players Association matter, and when they finally spoke, Clark realized that the decision on whether to return to Arizona was no longer his to make.

"He made it evident at that time that they were moving on and that in light of the time of year, they felt it best to not let any more time pass before they made a decision," Clark said in an interview with MLB.com.

Byrnes told him that they had a few trades that looked like they were going to happen, and they needed Clark's roster spot to make them work. Therefore, the two-year deal that had been on the table since not long after the playoffs ended was no longer available.

"Tony had a significant impact on our club and our maturation as a club," Byrnes said. "As a result, we made a strong offer early and allowed a lot of time to pass. Unfortunately, for this circumstance, we were so deep into the offseason that a series of moves changed the complexion of the roster."

The two sides were approximately $750,000 apart on a two-year deal, but more important than the money, Clark was intrigued when several clubs spoke to him about the potential of playing every day. None of the teams had come up with a firm offer, and in the meantime, the D-backs began working on the trio of trades they consummated Friday.

When the Astros included Chris Burke in the deal that sent closer Jose Valverde to Houston, there was no longer a spot on the bench for Clark.

"I am disappointed," said Clark. "As I've said all along, my hope at the end of the day was to remain a Diamondback. That being said I understand that every organization has to do what they feel is in their best interests. In this instance it means that the organization felt it was best to move forward with new personnel."

A Glendale, Ariz., resident, Clark had long wanted to play for the D-backs and finally got his opportunity in 2005 when he was signed as a free agent by former GM Joe Garagiola Jr.

"It was an absolute blessing," Clark said. "I never envisioned an opportunity to play for my hometown team, so when Garagiola Jr. had called, it was literally the answer to my prayer and my hope to be at home. To think I had the privilege of playing for three years and not just one, I count myself as being very thankful."

Clark hit .304 with 30 homers in just 349 at-bats in 2005. Midway through that season, he agreed to a two-year extension.

After an injury-marred 2006, he rebounded to hit .249 with 17 homers in 221 at-bats.

Numbers, though, don't take into account the impact Clark had in the clubhouse, where he served as a mentor for the team's younger players. It was Clark that came up with the slogan "Anybody. Anytime" that became the team's rallying cry en route to the 2007 National League West championship.

"Suffice it to say, the fan support that I received and continued to receive has been nothing short of amazing," Clark said. "The way the fans have treated myself and my family during my time here, I can't put a value on that, nor can I thank them enough. Rest assured, I will always wish the best for my hometown team, understanding that I had an opportunity to be a small part of the team's history and I'm simply thankful for that."

While not revealing the details, Clark said the phone calls he made recently to his teammates were difficult and emotional.

"They understand and I understand that first and foremost, this is a business, and personal feelings and loyalty are rarely taken into consideration," Clark said. "I called a number of guys on the team and just thanked them and let them know how much I appreciate them and wished them the best moving forward. Any time you spend significant time in one place, you forge relationships that transcend the clubhouse. The relationships that have been built during my time here, both with the players and coaching and clubhouse staffs, will remain indifferent to the team I play for. That says a lot about the content of the character of those individuals."

A telltale sign that Clark never thought things would come to this is that he had did not empty his corner locker in the Chase Field clubhouse after Arizona was swept by the Rockies in the NL Championship Series.

It's a locker that has been occupied by just two other players in team history, Jay Bell and Luis Gonzalez. It holds lots of memories for Clark.

"I wanted to go in there and take care of it when no one else was around," Clark said. "It's going to be tough. I even thought about asking one of the clubhouse guys to do it for me, then I realized that wouldn't be how I do things."

Poor Tony! Hope he ends up on a MLB team next season. Too bad the Tigers don't have any room for him. Be cool to see Clark wearing the English D again!

Padres and Clark deep in talks

The Padres and switch-hitting slugger Tony Clark are deep into negotiations on a contract. Clark, 35, hit 17 home runs and batted .249 in 221 at-bats with the Diamondbacks last season. In 2005, when he was Arizona's regular first baseman, Clark hit 30 home runs.

A first baseman and pinch-hitter, Clark would give the Padres an option behind first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and also beef up the bench's power potential. Clark's personality also is a selling point; former Diamondbacks teammate Scott Hairston said that Clark was the No. 1 leader for a young Arizona club that went on to win the National League West last season.

It appears that another bench candidate, Mike Sweeney, who worked out for the Padres at Petco Park on Tuesday, may be drawing stronger interest from American League teams such as Oakland and Texas, which could spot him as a designated hitter.

Clark, Padres agree on contract

FROM STAFF AND NEWS REPORTS

February 10, 2008

The Padres and pinch-hitter/first baseman Tony Clark have agreed to the basics of a one-year contract worth in the neighborhood of $900,000, but it may take another day or two to work out the details.

“It's looking good,” Clark's agent, John Boggs, said yesterday. Padres General Manager Kevin Towers also expressed strong optimism.

For most of the offseason, the Padres and several other clubs assumed Clark would sign for a fourth consecutive season with the Arizona Diamondbacks. But a snafu made Clark available to the buy-low Padres at a reduced price.

Earlier this offseason, Arizona offered a two-year deal worth $3 million to Clark, a former San Diegan (Christian High) who spends his offseasons in northwest Phoenix. Several Diamondbacks players had described Clark, 35, as a leader for a young Arizona club that won the National League West last season. In two of his three seasons with Arizona, Clark returned good value.

But negotiations fizzled, and midway through the offseason Arizona's offer disappeared, to the apparent surprise of Clark's camp.

Clark, a switch-hitter, batted .249 with 17 home runs in 221 at-bats last season. He was far more of a factor against right-handed pitching, batting .254 with 15 home runs in 189 at-bats. Against lefties, he got only 32 at-bats, batting .219 with two home runs and nine strikeouts.

Good Luck Tony!

Clark to remain with D-backs in '09
Veteran free agent wants another shot at World Series ring

PHOENIX -- The D-backs have signed free agent first baseman Tony Clark to a one-year deal.

The deal, which will pay the veteran $800,000 and has been in the works for some time, was finalized Thursday night and approved by Major League Baseball on Friday.

"I'm thankful that I have an opportunity to come back and be a part of my hometown team," said Clark, who lives in Glendale, Ariz. "Lord willing, the 2009 season will end with us being the last team standing."

The desire to nab a World Series ring contributed to Clark's desire to play at least another season. The 14-year veteran will turn 37 in June.

Clark was a force off the bench for the D-backs in 2007 when they won a National League-best 90 games and advanced to the NL Championship Series. Clark hit .249 with 17 homers and 51 RBIs that year and was the one who came up with the team's rallying cry of "Anybody. Anytime."

"Any time you have the opportunity to reach the playoffs and come a series away from the World Series you feel like you have unfinished business," Clark said.

Clark was a key contributor for the D-backs from 2005 through 2007, but reluctantly left as a free agent last year and signed with the Padres after negotiations with Arizona broke down.

Hot Stove

The D-backs re-acquired Clark last July and hit .206 in limited playing time. His best year with Arizona came in 2005 when he hit 30 homers and drove in 87 runs.

Clark is expected to serve mainly as a pinch-hitter in 2009, a role in which he has excelled in the past. In addition to the success he has had coming off the bench, his impact has also been felt in how he has helped some of the team's younger players adjust to doing so.

"Last year we just weren't as good in the last third of the game as we needed to be and there were probably a lot of reasons for that," D-backs GM Josh Byrnes said during last month's Winter Meetings. "One of them is that we didn't score enough late in the game and obviously Tony has a history of helping teams do a little more offensively late in games."

After a hot start in 2008, the D-backs tailed off and finished in second place, two games behind the Dodgers.

"I'm excited about the possibilities of this year's team," Clark said. "We have a young nucleus, but that young nucleus has three or four years under their belts now. They have the opportunity to put that together and accomplish something special. I am looking forward to being a part of it."

YEAH!

Homer-happy D-backs outslug Rox
Lopez, Clark each homer from both sides of plate

PHOENIX -- A sellout crowd showed up for Opening Day at Chase Field expecting to see a pitchers' duel.

Instead, a game of Home Run Derby broke out between the National League West rivals.

Pitchers' duel or home-run hitting contest, the D-backs were just happy they came out on the winning end of the 9-8 decision on Monday.

"Heck of a game," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said.

The D-backs' offensive production was not only impressive, it was historic.

Felipe Lopez, making his debut in Sedona Red, and veteran Tony Clark each homered twice and both switch-hitters hit them from each side of the plate. It was the first time two teammates had ever done it on Opening Day and it was the first time in the regular season since New York's Jorge Posada and Bernie Williams on April 23, 2000.

"That's quite a debut," Melvin said of Lopez, who was signed in December to replace Orlando Hudson at second. "I know it makes him that much more comfortable being able to contribute like that right away."

Lopez hit both home runs to the opposite field.

"It's nice, but to me it was most important to get the win," Lopez said. "I'm just glad we ended up fighting back."

The two teams went back and forth throughout the game, combining for 22 hits, eight homers and 11 pitchers used.

Colorado jumped on top, 4-2, with a four-run third inning off Arizona ace Brandon Webb, who did not appear to be on top of his game while lasting just four innings and allowing six runs.

The D-backs, though, bounced right back with four runs of their own in the bottom half of the third with Clark's two-run homer off Colorado ace Aaron Cook capping the frame and sending the right-hander to the showers.

"You're talking about two of the best sinkerballers in the game," Melvin said. "They just didn't have their best stuff today."

The back and forth continued over the next several innings. The Rockies scored two in the fourth and the D-backs answered with one to go back on top, 7-6.

The two teams traded runs in the fifth, and after a scoreless sixth, they did so again in the seventh with the D-backs going back ahead, 9-8.

"It was like a heavyweight fight," D-backs third baseman Chad Tracy said. "Every time we scored, they scored."

If it was a fight, then it was Tracy who delivered the knockout blow when he homered for the final run off Jason Grilli in the seventh.

For Tracy, who pulled his hands in to hit a slider breaking in over the right-field wall, it was a continuation of a hot spring at the plate and was more evidence that his right knee is healthy after more than two years of giving him problems.

"We'll see how things play out," Tracy said. "This is just one of 162, so we'll see."

The D-backs like what they've seen of Lopez this spring.

"I think Felipe set the tone," Clark said. "Hitting is contagious and so is not hitting. That's why Felipe's ball was so important. It allowed guys to relax a little bit, the shutout was gone, the no-hitter was gone and we were ahead. It makes a difference. By getting us on the board quickly, it gave us a chance to take a deep breath. They kept throwing punches and we were fortunate enough to push back."

Lopez does have power. The 28-year-old leadoff man hit 23 of them in 2005 for the Reds, but he has downplayed that part of his game this spring.

"It's there, but I'm not looking to hit home runs," he said. "If it happens, it happens. My job is to get on base at the top of the order."

Clark's performance made Melvin look awfully smart. The skipper elected to play Clark at first and move Tracy to third in place of Mark Reynolds, while also inserting Eric Byrnes into the lineup in right in place of Justin Upton. Byrnes did not get a hit, but he did drive home a run with a sacrifice fly.

"The players played well," Melvin said, deflecting any credit.

While the story of the game was the offense, several relievers pitched well for the D-backs.

Most important was the 1 1/3 innings setup man Tony Pena threw to get the D-backs through the seventh and eighth innings.

Chad Qualls, who is in his first full year as the club's closer, then came in to retire the Rockies in order in the ninth.

"Just nice to get the first appearance whether it's a save situation or not," Qualls said. "I had the butterflies during batting practice, so to be able to go out there on Opening Day and get your first outing out of the way and have it be a one-run save, it's great to just go out there and get the job done."

07/12/2009 11:32 PM ET
D-backs release Clark

The Arizona Diamondbacks have released infielder Tony Clark, as announced by D-backs Executive Vice President and General Manager Josh Byrnes.

Clark batted .182 (12-for-66) with four doubles, four home runs and 11 RBIs in 36 games for the D-backs this season. Over parts of five seasons with the D-backs, he hit .255 (212-for-831) with 37 doubles, 59 home runs and 178 RBIs in 396 games.

A corresponding move will be made at a later date.

Veteran Clark released by D-backs
Infielder was batting .182 with 11 RBIs in 36 games

By Steve Gilbert / MLB.com

07/13/09 2:58 AM ET

ST. LOUIS -- Tony Clark had some inkling that the news was coming, but it still was difficult to take.

The veteran first baseman was told following Sunday's game that he was being released by the D-backs after hitting .182 with four home runs and 11 RBIs in 36 games this year.

"I'm thankful to the organization for giving me an opportunity to realize the dream of being a part of my hometown team," Clark, a Glendale, Ariz., resident, told MLB.com late Sunday night. "I'm disappointed I was not able to do my part to get them to a World Series."

Clark was signed by the D-backs prior to the 2005 season and became an integral part of the team both on the field and in the clubhouse. He hit .304 with 22 doubles, 30 homers and 87 RBIs in 349 at-bats in 2005 and after an injury-plagued 2006, he hit .249 with 17 homers in 221 at-bats for the 2007 National League West champions.

Along the way, Clark helped mentor the team's younger players and was credited with coming up with the slogan "Anybody. Anytime." that the team rallied behind in reaching the 2007 NL Championship Series.

Clark and the D-backs were unable to come to a contract agreement following that season, and he wound up signing with the Padres.

The separation did not last long, though, as the D-backs reacquired him during the All-Star break and re-signed him this year.

With the team falling out of contention early and manager Bob Melvin being dismissed in early May, the team has made moves recently to begin to prepare for next year, including the acquisition of first-base prospect Brandon Allen from the White Sox.

While the club did not announce a corresponding move, they likely will recall first baseman Josh Whitesell from Triple-A Reno to give him a look during the second half.

"My inability to perform capably essentially cost staff members their jobs," Clark said, referring to, among others, Melvin. "And ultimately cost me mine."

Clark suffered a strained ligament in his right hand during Spring Training and initially tried to play through it before going on the disabled list. The high point of the season for him came on Opening Day, when he hit two home runs in helping the D-backs beat the Rockies at Chase Field.

In recent weeks, the team had let Clark know that this day could be coming. He said he was also told that the team would like to have him remain a part of the organization in some capacity when his playing career ends.

"We both remain hopeful that there will be an opportunity in the future to be a part of the organization in one facet or another," Clark said.

Clark will certainly have options. He has been sought after in the past for baseball broadcasting and has been viewed in the game as someone who would make a good manager at some point.

"Going forward I'll continue to work out and exhaust the possibility of continuing to play," Clark said. "If over the course of the next couple of weeks there are not any, I will wholeheartedly look to transition into something else."

Clark and his wife, Frances, along with their three children Kiara, Jazzin and Aeneas, have become ensconced in the community and will continue their charitable endeavors regardless of whether he continues to play.

"I told my wife after I got the news that my playing career may be done," Clark said. "And if it is, I've gone from being an old player to a young non-player at 37. If it is time to move on to the next chapter, it could be a 30-year one, so I want to get it right."

Steve Gilbert is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.