Plumbing the depths of Vodnik's family history

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DENVER -- Brent Suter was a Rockies veteran relief pitcher in 2023 whose Denver nest was feeling empty, since his wife and children were back in the Cincinnati area preparing for school. So he offered his home to two young relievers up from the Minors, Jake Bird and Victor Vodnik.

But one issue -- a sink faucet that leaked for two months until Vodnik unveiled a skill that had nothing to do with power pitching -- the trait that has led to his becoming the Rockies’ current closer.

“He comes in and goes, ‘Yeah, no problem,’” said Suter, now with the Reds. “He ran out, got a part, screwed it in -- no leak the rest of the time. I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh.’ Then he told the story. Plumbing goes deep in his family history.”

It’s the Vodnik family story that’s oh-my-gosh worthy.

It’s one of Tony Vodnik, a Cudahy, Wisc., man who struck out for the West Coast, found a motorcycle club of notoriety (some would be less charitable), got into trouble, lost the lower part of his left leg in a motorcycle accident, then found success by building a plumbing business. It’s one of his son, Anthony Vodnik, who loved baseball but wanted to follow his father’s wayward ways -- before plumbing became his salvation.

Finally, Victor Vodnik, now 25 and one of Anthony and Alma Vodnik’s eight children (six brothers, one sister), listened to the exciting and cautionary tales of his grandfather and father. At 8, old enough to hold an extension cord, he would go with his dad and siblings on plumbing jobs. But his dad figured quickly Victor’s arm was blessed for something other than fixing pipes and such.

Now Vodnik, himself, realizes the name on his back represents more than himself. It’s Anthony’s Plumbing in Fontana and Rialto, a business started by grandpa and passed to dad. It’s wild stories from his grandfather, and good times and hard times with his parents that all make Vodnik proud.

“It’s taught me a bunch of lessons in life about how to go about my business,” said Vodnik, who did plumbing work in the offseasons through 2022 -- the year before his debut with the Rockies, after a trade from the Braves. “When I was a kid, helping my father, there wasn’t as much money. The business wasn’t as successful as it is now. I remember putting up posters on light poles, businesses, ‘If you need a plumber …’

“It’s really cool to see where things are.”

Things began before Tony Vodnik, now 76.

“My dad was a pitcher in the U.S. Army in 1940 -- he was really good, a sidearm pitcher,” Tony Vodnik said. “But he was so short, it was only about 5-6, 5-7. When he got married, it didn’t come to nothing. My mother used to fight it. They didn’t get paid much back then in baseball, so he ended up doing a regular factory job.”

Tony felt Cudahy was “so boring” that he and his buddies hopped in a car for California and didn’t look back. He worked at gas stations, then became fascinated with the machines that rooted out plumbing problems and decided to do that -- when he wasn’t getting into trouble.

Tony also found trouble when he joined the Mongols Motorcycle Club (which is full of Google-able history and controversies). His eventual wife was the daughter of a police officer.

“A couple of times he’d find me in the clink, then he’d go talk to the officer and they’d let me out,” Tony said. “I was a good guy, but it was the wrong people to hang around.”

He lost his lower left leg in a motorcycle accident in 1975.

“Some car came from behind a bus, ran a red light and T-boned me,” he said.

At one point, after getting his prosthetic leg, he was told by an employer that his plumbing career was over. He told the employer he was “full of it,” and started his own business in 1984.

Tony also hung around the game for a long time.

But his son, Anthony, admitted to being a “knucklehead, more into girls and being a bad boy,” although he was a decent three-sport athlete -- baseball, football and basketball.

Tony stepped in with advice for his son.

“I wasn’t the perfect dad -- I belonged to an outlaw motorcycle gang for 34 years, and I didn’t want my son to get into that,” said Tony, who hasn't let the loss of his lower leg keep him from riding a motorcycle for fun. “‘Don’t follow my steps. If you want to become a plumber, I’ll teach you.’”

Anthony Vodnik, 48, heeded his ex-Mongol dad and went from self-described knuckledhead to expert plumber. He also noticed Victor had talent, and knew enough about the pitfalls of youth baseball to protect his son.

“These travel teams out there, they all want to win games and be on Facebook,” Tony said. “They’ll pitch your kid on a Saturday and then on a Sunday just to win stuff. Even other parents were like, ‘We’re losing the game. Put Victor in.’ I was like, ‘No. Your kid’s pitching.’ Our team wasn’t always that great because a lot of parents want their kid on the winning team.”

Anthony’s Plumbing became so well known that Anthony was invited to homes of the stars, including one of his favorite players -- outfielder Alvin Davis, who finished his career with the Angels in 1992 after a long run with the Mariners. Anthony told him about his son.

“I told Alvin about Victor, that he was barely being scouted,” Anthony said.

But he left assured he was doing the right thing. He took Vodnik to a Team USA age-group tryout and he was invited to an event in North Carolina. The Braves would select him in the 14th round in 2018 out of Rialto High School.

But Anthony Vodnik is most proud that, although Victor chose to make a living on the mound instead of under the sink, he chose the right path like his father and grandfather before him.

“How are you going to get up and live every minute?” Anthony said. “It's hard enough for me to get up every morning. I think of all the stuff my dad went through, but yet he started a business and didn’t quit. He didn’t have that ‘feel sorry for me’ kind of thing.

“That’s the kind of tough we are. Seeing Victor be like that makes me super proud.”