Hale is a former first baseman and outfielder in minor league baseball who played in part of four seasons for the Boston and Oakland organizations between 1984 and 1988. Following his playing career, Hale worked at the Bucky Dent baseball school in Boca Raton, Florida from 1989 through 1992, when he became a coach for Double-A New Britain in the Eastern League. In a nine-season managerial career, Hale has posted a 634-614 record for a .508 winning percentage. Demarlo is a graduate of Chicago Vocational High School, where he played baseball and point guard on the basketball team.