replace him on the roster. Blasingame resigned, citing violated promises by the management to let him make decisions about players on the roster. He returned to the Nankai Hawks, this time as manager, in 1981. Blasingame tabbed Barney Schultz, a former knuckleball pitcher, as his pitching coach, and brought in Japanese American Wally Yonamine as a coach and interpreter. The team struggled with a lack of talent, and Blasingame was let go during the 1982 season. Altogether, Blasingame spent 15 years in Japan. His managerial record was 180–208–28 (Japanese baseball allows for ties). Post-career After his time in Japan, Blasingame served as the field coordinator for player development for the Phillies until 1998. He returned to Japan in 1984 and 1991 for old-timer's games. When he retired, he moved to the Scottsdale, Arizona area. Personal life In 1960, Blasingame married Sara Cooper, a flight attendant for Ozark Air Lines who in 1957 was Miss Missouri. Dancing the Charleston, she won the Talent portion and was a finalist (top 10) in the Miss America Pageant. Sara was the daughter of Walker Cooper, a teammate of Blasingame's on the Cardinals in 1956 and 1957. Cooper said of the marriage, "You know you are getting too old when your daughter marries one of your teammates." Blasingame and his wife had five children: Kent, Brett, Gregg, Dawn, and Cindy. Kent played minor league baseball for three seasons, including two seasons in the Phillies' organization. Gregg was a professional indoor soccer player with the Louisville Thunder of the American Indoor Soccer Association (AISA) from 1984 to 1985, the Tacoma Stars of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) from 1985 to 1989, and the Atlanta Attack of the AISA in 1989–91 (the league changed its name to National Professional Soccer League in Gregg's final season). While Don was in Japan, the family divided the year living there and in the United States. All their children became fluent in Japanese, which helped Kent out later on when he was a scout in Asia for the Colorado Rockies. Blasingame died at age 73 on April 13, 2005, in Fountain Hills, Arizona, of an unexpected heart attack after talking to his brother on the phone earlier in the day. He is interred at Paradise Memorial Gardens in Scottsdale. Legacy The Corinth SportsPlex's youth baseball league was named after Blasingame in the 1970s, and in 1980, he was inducted into