NEW YORK (AP) — Tony Attanasio, a baseball agent since before the start of free agency whose clients ranged from Bobby Valentine to Ichiro Suzuki, has died. He was 84.
Attanasio died Aug. 30 at his home in San Diego following a long illness, according to his son Michael.
Attanasio’s first client was Valentine in 1972 and his last was Suzuki in 2014. Attanasio was widely regarded as a standout in salary arbitration.
Born on Oct. 24, 1939, in Stamford, Connecticut, Attanasio was the youngest of two sons and a daughter born to Cosimo Attanasio, a carpenter, furniture-maker and garment industry presser who was an Italian immigrant, and the former Mary Gervasio, a seamstress.
A graduate of Stamford High School and the University of Connecticut, he played baseball and soccer in college and was an honorable mention on the 1960 college soccer All-America team.
Attanasio was a minor league infielder in the Cleveland organization from 1961-65, rising to Triple-A.
He spent seven years selling life insurance and was introduced to Valentine through a mutual friend in Stamford. Another friend, Richard Mangiarelli, invited Attanasio to join his agency in San Diego, and Attanasio later went out on his own.
He married the former Marion Tyson in 1961. She died in 2015, and three years later he married the former Brenda Gilmore.
In addition to his son and wife, Attanasio is survived by daughter-in-law Susan; grandsons Nick and Max; sister Kathryn and brother Robert. Michael Attanasio was among Roger Clemens’ lawyers when the seven-time Cy Young Award winner was found not guilty in federal court in 2012 of charges he lied to Congress when he denied using performance-enhancing drugs.
A celebration of life is planned for this fall.
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Ronald Blum, The Associated Press