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He’s canoodled with supermodels (“I’d get as many of their autographs as I could!”) and Hollywood stars (“Bo Derek is definitely a 10”).
He’s been friends with Regis Philbin for 30 years (“the cheapest man I’ve ever met”) and thinks the world of Kelli Ripa (“she has a huge heart”).
He’s pitched to Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle (“thrilling!”) and helped Sparky Anderson get the job with The Big Red Machine (“a tremendous manager”).
Those are just a few of the tidbits in the life of Bill Henry, 69, of Hilton Head, a guy with a wicked sense of humor, a ready laugh … and an amazing life story.
Henry, whose father was a naval architect who designed nuclear warships, grew up in the Northeast. He attended Seton Hall University, where he pitched for the Seton Hall Pirates. He was then drafted by the New York Yankees and headed to their farm team in Hollywood, Fla. He was brought up to play in spring training with the Yankees in Ft. Lauderdale.
“They’d want me to throw batting practice,” he said. “I was a lefty and had a good curveball. So I got the chance to pitch to Roger Maris. I pitched to him and a bunch of others and by that time I was exhausted. I was ready to get off the mound when Mickey Mantle got up to bat and wanted me to pitch to him. Bells are ringing in my ears and I’m about ready to collapse.
“So I throw him curveballs and he can’t hit them. I throw curveball after curveball and he keeps fouling them out. And he’s getting madder and madder. He throws the bat down and says, ‘Screw it. Throw me a fastball.’ So I did and he hit it so hard it went like a golf ball over left center. I staggered off the mound and he said, ‘Way to go kid.’ I was so thrilled. That was great.”
He was eventually brought up to the majors and played for the Yankees before being traded to the Cincinnati Reds. “They sent me to Double A in Nashville. One day I’m sitting in the stands after showering and some of the brass that were there asked me if I could recommend a manager, who would I recommend. I said, ‘You don’t need to look any further than over there. That’s the best manager I’ve ever seen.’” That manager was Sparky Anderson, who would go on to win two championships with the Reds and one with the Detroit Tigers.
“I later saw Sparky during spring training and we talked about his rise in baseball and he actually thanked me for helping him get the job with the Reds! Whatever I said must have worked.”
Henry’s baseball career was short-lived due to an elbow injury. “I retired and they didn’t even say goodbye!” He eventually went to work in sales for ABC television.
He and his wife, Judy, and their two children, Kim and Michael, lived in Connecticut, and he commuted to work in New York City. They traveled to Hilton Head Island in 1970 and “fell in love with the area.” The couple bought a timeshare and traveled here regularly.
Up in New York, he became friends with Philbin and rubbed elbows with the stars like Ted Danson (“he showed me a chant the cast of Cheers did before each show, which is not printable”), Susan Lucci (“very nice … a wonderful person”) and others. He also met supermodels like Claudia Schiffer, Cindy Crawford and Elle McPherson. But Regis’ mind was on the New York Yankees.
“Regis loved the Yankees, so every day we’d talk baseball,” said Henry. “That’s all he wanted to talk about! So Gelman, who had a snotty attitude, would get angry because he wanted Regis to talk to his guests. Regis and I got closer through the years and he was the cheapest man I’ve ever met in my life.”
At 58, Henry retired from ABC due to prostate cancer. He and Judy decided to make Hilton Head their permanent home.
At 69, Henry is still battling cancer and had his fifth hip replacement in six years recently. “That’s why they call it ‘practicing’ medicine,” he quipped.
But he’s definitely still kicking. He was, however, slightly disturbed when the media reported that he had died.
“Another Bill Henry played in the big leagues and now lives in Texas. This guy in Florida assumed his identity and when he passed away the papers got wind of his dying and they reported it. People thought it was me … but I’m still here.”
Henry remains positive and cheerful. “It’s been fun. I love, love conversing with people and having fun.” He’s especially having fun with his two grandchildren, Michael, 6, and Trevor, 2, saying, “These are the best times.”
