DUNEDIN — Jody Pucello: Clubhouse manager? Actor? Restaurateur? Which is it? All of the above.
To say that Jody Pucello has been around the block a few times is an understatement.
He’s worked with the New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros, Miami Marlins and Chicago White Sox minor league organizations in roles such as equipment manager, assistant clubhouse manager and director of clubhouse operations. Those roles have taken him to Syracuse, Charlotte, Knoxville, Myrtle Beach, St. Catherine, Medicine Hat, and the Dominican Republic. And Dunedin.
He’s acted in over 40 movies and television shows, and he owns the popular breakfast and lunch restaurant in Dunedin, Wild Iris Cafe.
Actually he’s been more than around the block. As a coordinator for military goodwill trips he’s been to Japan, South Korea, Guam, England, Spain, Germany, Kuwait and Jordan to name a few countries, shepherding professional basketball players, rodeo stars, pro volleyball players and Hollywood actors.
“It’s been pretty cool,” Pucello said recently outside his restaurant. Speaking of his baseball connections, “In the early years I met a lot of guys who became coaches and managers, and guys who made it to the majors, like Bobby Cox, David ‘Boomer’ Wells and Ron Darling.” Over the years he would befriend Bill Lee, Tug McGraw, George Foster, Bert Blyleven, Omar Moreno and many others.
A native of Syracuse, New York, Pucello got his “start” in baseball by being a season ticket holder with the Met’s Triple-A farm team, the Syracuse Chiefs. By the early 2000s he had already been working with the Astros’ farm team in Charlotte as an assistant clubhouse manager. Soon after he became the manager of the visiting clubhouse in Syracuse, a job ironically his son Nick now has. Pucello spent 15 years in the Jays organization, which is how he eventually ended up in Dunedin.
After the COVID pandemic, Pucello settled in Dunedin for good, a city he fell in love with, retired from baseball, and despite having no restaurant experience, opened up the Wild Iris Cafe. He draws a loyal local crowd as well as visiting tourists and sometimes, Blue Jay officials and players. On this particular day, one of his customers is engaging Pucello, who regularly mingles with diners and is not afraid to clean tables, about the restaurant’s social media page. Pucello appreciates their observations and thanks them for their input and for coming by for breakfast.
He’s got the memories, but he does not miss the hustle and bustle of the clubhouse.
The Blue Jays attempted to lure him back into the fold once the pandemic was over, but by then Pucello was adamant.
“I was done moving back and forth,” he said. “I don’t think they believed me. I cleaned out my office and that was it. I stayed in Dunedin.”
Last year, Pucello was recognized by the Syracuse Chiefs and his plaque now hangs among other Syracuse heroes on their Wall of Fame.
As part of the ceremony Pucello got to throw out the ceremonial first pitch of that day’s game, made special when his son took the toss.
“First they said they couldn’t do that but then I saw Nick,” Pucello remembered. “That was amazing.”
He’s had plenty of baseball memories. One-time former Yankee Joe Pepitone was at an event and told Pucello to find him a salami sandwich. One job he did not like was when a manager would ask Pucello to tell a player to see him in his office.
“That would be at the end of spring training,” he said. “That was the kiss of death.”
With Dunedin a backdrop for many TV shows and films, perhaps it was natural that Pucello would get into acting in between greeting customers at his restaurant. Among his credits: “American Dresser,” which starred Tom Berenger, “Germ” (Netflix) and “Officer Pigsley.”
So yeah, you can say that Pucello has been around the block a few times. With a few more blocks surely to come.