Reno skipper Butler thankful 15 years after defeating cancer

During his 17 major league seasons, Brett Butler compiled 2,375 hits, 558 stolen bases and a solid .290 average. But his most impressive statistic was 1-0.

That was his record against cancer.

Butler, who turned 54 on Wednesday, is in his third season as manager of the Reno Aces, who lost to the 51s 6-4 on Friday at Cashman Field. The 1991 National League All-Star outfielder is perhaps best remembered for his inspiring comeback from throat cancer during his 1996 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Butler had a plum-sized cancerous tumor and lymph nodes removed during surgery on May 21 that season. Four months and 32 radiation treatments later, he walked back to his starting center field position to a standing ovation from 54,000 fans at Dodger Stadium.

So it's fair to assume Father's Day weekend holds extra meaning for Butler, who has three daughters -- Abbi, Stefanie and Katie -- as well as a son, Blake, who will be in Las Vegas to celebrate the big day with his dad.

"Father's Day is special I think for every father," Butler said. "And then with it also being (Prostate) Cancer Awareness Week for Major League Baseball … it brings back a lot of memories, some good and some bad."

Butler, who batted .300 and helped lead the Dodgers to a division title a year earlier, lost 20 pounds during his cancer treatments.

"The Lord spared me," Butler said. "I could have been gone. I could be gone for 15 years."

Butler was a heavy user of smokeless tobacco, commonly known as "chew," during his first three major league seasons with the Atlanta Braves from 1981 to 1983. He said he quit cold turkey the day after a 10-year-old approached him at a baseball clinic and proclaimed, "Look, I dip because you do."

"I wanted to be a good example," Butler said. "It was that day that I thought, 'I'm not going to dip tomorrow.' And that was the day I quit."

Butler refuses to blame using smokeless tobacco for the cause of his cancer.

"I'm not saying it did and I'm not saying it didn't," he said. "I had dipped for a couple years and then I went 15 years without it. Could it have been a contributing factor? Maybe."

Baseball banned the use of smokeless tobacco in the minor leagues in 1993. However, it is still legal for major leaguers to use, although commissioner Bud Selig is lobbying to have it banned at that level also.

Butler's view on the topic might surprise some. He believes smokeless tobacco should not be outlawed.

"To me it's a legal thing," Butler said. "We're grown men. And I think this is a country that is the home of the free and (you have) the right to do and say what you want. If it's not illegal, then to me it's not something that I think should be banned. But I understand what (MLB is) trying to do."

■ NOTE -- Top Blue Jays right-handed prospect Kyle Drabek, who will start Sunday's game, was added to the 51s roster. Also, outfielder Jason Lane was activated, while right-hander Clint Everts and infielder Craig Stansberry were demoted to Double-A New Hampshire.