Category: December

Dec. 18: Charlie, Oh!

DECEMBER 18, 1973 | NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK – The shenanigans of one time Oakland A’s owner  Charlie O. Finley were entertaining even during the offseason – though not to many of those closest to him. Finley’s manager, at the helm when the A’s won two World Series in a row, did the unthinkable this offseason – Dick Williams resigned. And on this date in 1973 Williams was named manager of the New York Yankees. Oakland Tribune sportswriter Jack Rux reported in the next day’s paper that Charlie Finley “gave no printable response” when asked for reaction to Williams leaving for New York.

Finley filed suit in federal court in San Francisco to prevent Williams from being George Steinbrenner‘s first manager, claiming that Williams was under contract to him for 1974 and 1975. Rather than deal with the hassle the Yankees hired Bill Virdon. And rather than deal with Finley anymore, Williams didn’t manager anywhere, at least at the start of the ’74 season (Finley finally gave the California Angels permission to talk to Williams about becoming their manager in mid-season, which he did).

But why would a manager leave a team he had won two World Series with? Williams, a firey personality himself, had enough of the A’s owner’s meddling. In particular, Williams was upset with Finley’s public humiliation of A’s second baseman Mike Andrews who he fired after he made a couple errors during the ’73 World Series. Andrews was quickly reinstated by Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, but Dick Williams was gone.

Despite the distractions and a new manager, Alvin Dark, the A’s won a third consecutive World Series in 1974.

Contributing sources:
Oakland Tribune, December 19, 1973, By Jack Rux
Oakland A’s managers

Dec 17 – Then there was one

DECEMBER 17, 1891 – INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – The National League (NL) was the only “major” league left standing on this date in 1891 when the American Association (AA) folded. The National League announced at its winter meetings in Indianapolis that four AA teams, the Baltimore Orioles (today’s New York Yankees), St. Louis Browns (today’s Baltimore Orioles), Louisville Colonels (defunct) and the Washington Senators (today’s Minnesota Twins) would be absorbed by the NL making it a 12-team league.

Several other American Association teams had been absorbed by the NL in previous years; the Pittsburgh Alleghenys (today’s Pirates), Cleveland Spiders (defunct), Cincinnati Red Stockings (today’s Reds) and Brooklyn Bridegrooms (today’s Los Angeles Dodgers).

The American Association had challenged the National League as a second “major” league from 1882 to 1891. The two leagues even had seven World Series during those years. While the American Association wasn’t viable enough to survive, the National League must have felt threatened by it, since it eventually absorbed several teams.

The National League’s monopoly of major league baseball didn’t last long. In 1900 the NL dropped the four American Association franchises absorbed in 1891. The Baltimore Orioles, St. Louis Browns and Washington Senators became members of the new American League. The Louisville Colonels folded as a major league team. The Colonels surfaced again as a minor league team in the American Association which existed from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997, but it was not connected to the original AA.

Contributing sources:
The Associated Press (AP), Indianapolis, Indiana, December 17, 2008
American Association Timeline
Baseball-Reference

 

Dec 14 – Star with an *

DECEMBER 14, 1985 | HOUSTON, TEXAS – The Man who broke Babe Ruth’s single season home run record died of lymphatic cancer on this date in 1985. Roger Maris was just 51 years old.

Maris and New York Yankee teammate Mickey Mantle gave most baseball fans one of the most exciting summers in baseball history in 1961 as they both chased Babe Ruth’s record of 60 home runs in a season.

But as Jerome Holtzman wrote in the Chicago Tribune, “His heroic accomplishment, which began as a dream, turned into a nightmare” because Maris was going against a popular teammate, and the memory of the charismatic Ruth.

Even baseball commissioner Ford Frick, a sportswriter during Ruth’s playing career, appeared to minimize Roger Maris’ feat because it was done during a 162-game schedule, whereas the schedule was 154 games when Ruth set the record in 1927. Frick wanted there to be an asterisk next to Maris’ name in the record books because of that.

Maris later pointed out that that he’d had four few at-bats than Ruth when he hit his 61st home run.

CONTRIBUTING SOURCE:
Jerome Holtzman, “Maris dies, a star with an asterisk,” Chicago Tribune, Dec 15, 1985
Baseball-Reference.com

DEC 9 – DiMaggio autograph seeker

DECEMBER 9, 1987 | WASHINGTON, D.C. • New York Yankee great Joe DiMaggio gave thousands of autographs during and after his Hall of Fame career, but Joltin Joe was an autograph seeker on this date in 1987.

DiMaggio sent a baseball to the White House where President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev were meeting. DiMaggio had been one of 126 guests at a White House state dinner the night before. He met President Reagan who introduced him to the Soviet leader. DiMaggio made the autograph request, and both Reagan and Gorbachev sounded willing. All he needed was a baseball.

With the help of the President’s daughter, Maureen Reagan, a baseball was in the hands of President Reagan as he and Gorbachev met the next day. She later had the ball with the two world leaders’ autographs shipped to DiMaggio’s San Francisco home.

This was reportedly the only time Joe DiMaggio asked for an autograph. New York Times columnist Joseph Durso quotes DiMaggio as saying, “That day became one of the nicest days of my life, and one of the most meaningful.”

Contributing sources:
Joe Durso, New York Times, May 30, 1988

DEC 3 – Names can hurt

DECEMBER 3, 2001| HOUSTON, TEXAS • Despite the biggest bankruptcy filing in U-S history Enron Corporation made it known on this date in 2001 that it intended to keep the naming rights to the home of the Houston Astros – Enron Field.

This created a sticky situation for Astros ownership which wanted out of the deal with a company that in the span of a couple months became the poster child for corporate greed.

Despite the bankruptcy, Enron found a way to satisfy its financial obligations to keep its name on the ballpark (wonder how that sat with the 7,500 Enron employees who lost their jobs and pensions).

The Astros soon went to court pleading Enron’s collapse “tarnished the reputation of the Houston Astros.” The court agreed and forced Enron to accept a buyout. By opening day 2002 Enron Field became Astros Field, and by 2003 it was Minute Maid Park, also commonly referred to as the Juice Box.

Contributing sources:
Enron’s collapse, by David Cay Johnstone, New York Times, February 17, 2002
Astros stuck with Enron name, for now, by Darren Rovell ESPN.com
Houston Chronicle, December 4, 2001