Even the Braves

[abben]

Well its no sweep, but its looking good for Yaz and the Giants. They'll be back to the big 60 win trio after game 4, won't they?

[petrel]

Well, Manager Sam Mele of the Giants hasn't said who his Game 4 starter is going to be, but the odds on favorite to get the start is Claude Osteen, who started in Game 1. The New York Post claims the Jints will go to their 20-game winners throught the series.

As for sixty wins among the three Giants starters, this group -- Osteen, Fitzgerald, and Kirk -- fell one game short of making it to eighty. I don't know how we're going to beat these guys next year. I'm hoping for an earthquake under Giants Stadium.

--Pet

[petrel]

1964 World Series
Game 4
October 21, 1964


The last of the Giants fans leave Game 3 after the 4-1 win over the Yankees.

So far, everything had gone the Giants way in the '64 World Series. They had held the Yankees to three runs over three games, and had only one loss to show for it, an inexplicable 1-0 loss in Game 2 in the Bronx.

There was a lot of pressure on Manager Casey Stengel of the Yankees to bypass Whammy Douglas in the rotation and go to Herb Score, who, if not necessarily better, was at least younger than, say, Al Corwin. Casey told the press, "You guys are hung up on age as this number. It's about experience, it's about what makes a champion a champion. I just look at wins and losses, I don't look at birth certificates."

"Is it true that Douglas only has one eye?" a member of the press asked Casey for the thousandth time.

"He sees good enough fer me," said Stengel, fighting the urge to spit. Douglas (17-10, 3.06 ERA) would get the call again He had given up 9 hits in 7 2/3 innings on his home ground at Yankee Stadium, and the Giants fans were happy that Douglas was pitching, having their cardboard signs ready in the hopes of distracting the (supposedly) one-eyed pitcher.

As for the Giants, they would depend on Claude Osteen (24-6, 2.51 ERA) to see them through to a Game 4 victory. He had thrown 7 good innings and gave up just five hits and an earned run. "I feel confident here," said Osteen. "We won, what, 69 games here in the regular season? I like the stadium and with our infield backing me up, I know that if I pitch well, I'll get some help to win it."

(* * *)

Manager Casey Stengel stressed aggressiveness in the locker room before the game. "If you aren't clawing for hit after hit," he said, "they'll beat the pants off of you."

In the top of the first, Johnny Temple singled up the middle to lead off and they wanted to set the tempo of the game early. Temple was given the signal to take second, and he beat Johnny Romano's throw to the keystone to make it in safely. Jose Pagan then hit a ground ball to Bob Johnson, who was forced to make the throw to first to get the out. Temple was now on third base with just one out.

The Giants brought the infield in, determined to make a play at the plate. Clemente came up, and grounded to first, leaving Temple at third with two out, and Bob Skinner would end the threat by popping foul to the third base line, where Frank Kostro would step over, catch the foul, and end the Yankee threat.

As for the Giants in the bottom of the first...they got an early lead. With Frank Robinson leading off for the Giants, Robinson took a 2-2 count before homering to left-center field, a solo shot that gave the Giants an immediate lead. Giants 1, Yankees 0. No other Giant would reach base in the first, and the Giants exited the inning with a 1-0 lead.

Osteen gave up only a single in the second, and Douglas kept the Giants off the basepaths in the second. The Yankees fans were starting to worry that this game would be yet another pitcher's duel, and as they had averaged one run per game, they knew it would be a disaster.

The Yankees, however, had not given up. With two out in the top of the third, Jose Pagan hit a double into the left field corner. The next batter was Roberto Clemente, who tripled down the right field baseline. As Frank Robinson raced after the ball to keep Clemente from scoring an inside-the-park home run, Pagan crossed the plate and the Yankees had tied it. Yankees 1, Giants 1. However, Bob Skinner lined out to Jimmie Hall at center with the next at-bat, and the Yankees were kept from taking the lead.

With the Giants up in the bottom of the third, Frank Kostro lead off against Douglas. Kostro hit a ground ball that span in the dirt as it bounced toward second, and Johnny Temple found himself "turned around" as he put it and had to make an unusually late throw to first. The official scorer in the pressbox charged Temple with an error, and Kostro was safe at first.

Up next was Donn Clendenon. Clendenon drove the first pitch to hard center field, and just over the 410 foot sign to drive in the unearned run and put the Giants up again. Giants 3, Yankees 1.

Carl Yastrzemski would double, and then Bob Johnson would hit what appeared to be a single to right. Clemente threw the ball to Harmon Killebrew -- but threw the ball over Killebrew's head! As catcher Gene Oliver scrambled for the ball, Yaz slid into home and Johnson had reached second!! Giants 4, Yankees 1.

Jerry Kindall mercifully grounded out to end the third but the damage was done. The Yankees had made two errors in the 3rd and had paid for it with three Giants runs. The Yankees would have to depend on their bats to win the game.

They steeled themselves for the task and were not giving up yet. In the top of the fouth, with one out, Gene Oliver singled to center. Next up was Harmon Killebrew, who hit the ball straight to Jimmie Hall at center field. Normally, Hall would have lined out but Hall had a case of the "iron hands" and the ball bounced into the air, right off his glove. The slow Killebrew took first on Hall's error, while Oliver was at second.

Osteen then walked Andy Carey to load the bases for the Yankees with just one out. Manager Casey Stengel pulled Whammy Douglas -- he had to -- and sent Don Buford up to pinch hit.

Buford, however, was caught swinging on a curve by Claude Osteen for the second out...and Johnny Temple would ground out to second for the third out. The Yanks had the bases loaded with one out, but ended up stranding all of their runners.

Dave Giusti (4-1, 2.24 ERA) would replace Whammy Douglas and retire the Giants in the bottom of the fourth. In the fifth, Osteen would allow a single and Giusti would allow a walk, and the Giants hung on to their 4-1 lead.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Yankees had further woes. With one out, Jerry Kindall hit his first home run of the series for the Giants. Giants 5, Yankees 1. The Yankees would have a bigger hill to climb.

In the top of the seventh, Ralph Kiner would pinch-hit for Dave Giusti, and like Johnny Temple and Jose Pagan, would fail to hit it out of the infield. Jim Brady (9-2, 2.67 ERA) would hold the Yankees off in the bottom of the seventh.

There were only two more chances for the Yankees to close the gap. This time, Clemente, Skinner and Thomas were at bat. They were batters feared throught the entire American League, but once again, Claude Osteen controlled the Yankees destiny, and none of those huge names could hit the ball out of the infield. The Yankees chances were running out.

The bottom of the eighth was uneventful for the Giants. Donn Clendenon would single but Jerry Kindall would end the inning grounding into a 3-6-3 double play. The Giants would hope that five runs would be enough.

Manager Sam Mele of the Giants told Osteen that his services would not be required in the ninth. Jack Lamabe (10-2, 2.14 ERA, 6 saves) would pitch the top of the ninth as the Giants fans crossed their fingers.

First up was Gene Oliver -- Oliver, who had hit a home run the day before, was caught swinging on a called third strike.

Next up: Harmon "Killer" Killebrew, whose defensive skills had helped the Giants win Game Two. Killebrew was called out swinging on a fastball. Two out.

Finally, third baseman Andy Carey. Lamabe worked him to 3-0, then Carey swung at the next pitch for strike one, and let the next one go by for strike two. Lamabe then uncorked a fastball and Carey swung at it.

Strike three! Lamabe struck out the final three Yankee batters, and the Giants fans, for the first time...ever...were ecstatic in their Game Four victory!

FINAL SCORE: Giants 5, Yankees 1.

(* * *)

Four games for the Yankees. Four runs scored. Manager Casey Stengel was at a loss for words. "It has to get better. We have to hit. We're at the crossroads. But don't worry...we'll be there tomorrow. You gotta win four games to call yourselves champions."

As for the Giants fans, they were on the "verge of ecstasy" as one Giants sportswriter put it. They were leading the New York Yankees! Three games to one! Could it be true? Would they win their first World Championship since 1933? They had waited thirty years for this moment, and they prayed that the Yankees wouldn't take their hope away from them again.

[abben]

I'd have to say that it was this one, and not some future game, that may well be looked at as the clincher. Winning three games in a row is just going to be too much for the Yankees.

[petrel]

1964 World Series
Game 5
October 22, 1964
Part I


The Number 7 Train, Willets Point/Giants Stadium.

Generally, Giants fans don't show much optimism, although they take a lot of pride in their team. Moving to Queens, the makeup of the Giants crowd is even less optimistic, a sort of fatalism mixed in. Most baseball fans in Queens are Giants and Yankees fans, as there is a serious Brooklyn/Queens borough rivalry and it would be blasphemous to root for the Dodgers.

Yet today, in the final game scheduled at Giants Stadium, they brought their homemade signs. 1964 was a lot different than today. The most pointed opinion expressed might have been "YANKEES STINK!" (although if you had talked to the fans, you would have heard a full range of colorful cursing)

But the most common sign simply read "1933". This was the last time the Giants had won a World Championship, after beating the Senators 4 games to 1 in 1933.

Since that day, the Giants and Yankees had faced each other seven times in World Series play: 1936, 1937, 1951, 1954, 1961, 1962 and 1963. Every single time the Yankees had walked away World Champions. They hoped to turn it all around, right here.

(* * *)

Manager Casey Stengel had once again turned to Ralph Terry (19-5, 2.83 ERA). Terry had done something no other Yankee had done in this series -- he had beaten the mighty Giants on a Game Two shutout in a 1-0 victory. This time, he had gone over the scouting report more thoroughly. "The Giants had seen me pitch. They were making little notes of their own, and I didn't want to see them get ahead. Even if we lost the Series -- and it wasn't looking too good after that fourth game -- I wanted to take it back to Yankee Stadium for the Old Man. I didn't want to leave it in Queens."

The Giants would have a chance to "replay" Game Two with John Fitzgerald (25-5, 2.96 ERA). "Fitz" was finding the New York press to be offensive. He lived in Queens during the off-season and said, "You couldn't get any peace. You'd be walking down the street, there'd be some society woman -- someone you'd think wouldn't know a baseball from a kumquat -- and as you sat down, she would say, 'so, do you think we can finally beat the Yankees'? New Yorkers are flat out nuts."

Frankly, Fitzgerald hoped this game was the last one. "I wanted to win this one, and go on vacation, far away from New York City, or to some country where they hadn't even heard of baseball. In New York, it isn't a game. It's life in this city."

(* * *)

Stengel had pounded it into the Yankees over and over. "We can't win this game on pitching alone. If the lineup doesn't hit, we go home empty handed."

With a furious intensity, the Yankees came up to bat in the top of the first. "I don't think I'd ever seen guys bear down that hard," said Johnny Romano, behind the plate for the Giants. Johnny Temple led off with a single to establish the Yankee threat. Jose Pagan grounded to first and Roberto Clemente grounded to short, setting up Temple on third with two out.

Bob Skinner then hit a hard shot down the left field line, scoring the first run of the game for the Yankees. Yankees 1, Giants 0. Skinner, however, didn't stop running and Yastrzemski in left looked taken by surprise as Skinner took an extra base and beat the throw to the cheers of the Yankee dugout. Frank Thomas, however, popped up to third and the Yankees could not score Skinner.

As for Ralph Terry, he looked like he was in good form. He worked his curve and his slider, and the first three Yankees walked back to the dugout.

In the top of the second, Gene Oliver led off with a single. One out later, Carey singled into the left field gap and Oliver, not the fastest man on earth, bolted to third.

With one out, the Giants brought the infield in. Ralph Terry was the next batter, and he help his cause with a long fly ball to left. Oliver took off from third like a track star and dived toward the plate, beating the tag and scoring the second run. Yankees 2, Giants 0. Johnny Temple would then hit a single -- his second -- but Jose Pagan would fly out to center field and leave the Yanks with a 2-0 lead.

Once again, the Giants went out 1-2-3 with Terry pitching. Roberto Clemente would lead off in the third inning and on his second pitch, he would homer to center field to put the Yankees up by another run. Yankees 3, Giants 0. As for the Giants, Terry would not let a single Giant reach base for the first three innings. A feeling of unease was beginning to settle over the crowd.

The Giants would finally break Terry's hold over them with a Donn Clendenon double in the fourth. Yastrzemski would ground to Killebrew at first and move Clendenon to third, but Bob Johnson would pop up and the Giants would remain three runs behind.

But the Yankees weren't done. Jose Pagan led off the fifth inning with a double to left-center. Then Clemente followed with a single to right. When Bob Skinner hit a deep fly ball to Robinson in right field, Pagan tagged up at third and raced home, scoring a run. Yankees 4, Giants 0.

Manager Sam Mele made the long walk to the mound for the Giants. Fitzgerald was going to the showers. Orlando Pena would come in to pich for the Giants, and he would entice Frank Thomas to ground into a 3-6-3 double play.

Ralph Terry was still on the mound, and it was up to the Giants to determine that he wasn't invincible. Jerry Kindall drew a walk to lead off the bottom of the fifth. Jimmie Hall would then single, and one out later, Frank Kostro would single to load the bases with just one out and Lou Jackson coming in to pinch-hit for Orlando Pena. However, Jackson hit a grounder to Bob Johnson at short, and one 6-4-3 double play later, the Giants potential rally was quenched.

Jack Lamabe (10-2, 2.14 ERA, 6 saves) would start for the Giants at the top of the sixth to hold the Yankees back. Lamabe only gave up a single in the sixth, but all three Giants went down the same inning, with Terry still on the mound and pitching strong. The Yankees needed to hold out for three more innings.

[petrel]

1964 World Series
Game 5
October 22, 1964
Part II

Lamabe also kept the Yankees off the basepaths in the top of the 7th -- he had only given up one hit in two innings. Bob Johnson hit a single off Ralph Terry to start the bottom of the seventh. One out later, Jimmie Hall came to bat for the Giants. Terry threw his rarely seen changeup past Hall and Hall timed it just right -- he hit the ball to left-center, over the fence, and closed the gap to two runs. Yankees 4, Giants 2.

The Giants were finally on their feet. None of the other Giants would reach first in the bottom of the 7th, but there was still hope yet.

Joe Hoerner (7-2, 1.94 ERA, 3 saves), the Giants set up-man, would pitch the top of the 8th. Bob Skinner of the Yankees led off with a single, but Frank Thomas would ground into a 6-4-3 double play. Gene Oliver would ground out to second, and the Giants still had two chances to tie it up.

Don Buford of the Yankees came in to play left field for Bob Skinner as a defensive replacement. Ralph Terry was still on the mound for the Yankees. The first batter was Frank Robinson...who singled to left field, bringing the potential tying run to the plate.

Donn Clendenon of the Giants, who had already singled off Terry, hit his second single and now there were men on first and second with no one out. Manager Casey Stengel left Terry on the mound. Terry had thrown over 100 pitches so far in the game, and was getting tired. "I swore that I'd stick it out, like a Yankee," said Terry.

Up next was Carl Yastrzemski. Yaz had gone 0-for-3 that day against Terry. But Yastrzemski hit Terry's first pitch down the third base line, a clear double, scoring Robinson from second and putting runners on second and third. Yankees 4, Giants 3.

Manager Casey Stengel walked up to the mound. "I know you want to stay in," he told Terry, "but let's let Ed (Bauta) get these next three guys out."

Terry walked back to the dugout and Casey called in Ed Bauta (6-4, 1.64 ERA, 13 saves). Bauta would face Bob Johnson as his first batter.

Johnson had gone 3-for-17 during the series, and had received a lot of criticism as a player who "disappeared" in big games. Bauta worked the count to 3-0 on Johnson, not giving him anything good to hit and Johnson waited for his pitch.

Finally, Johnson found it. He hit a shot off Bauta into right field. Clendenon raced home to tie the game and Yastrzemski would have to slide home to beat the throw from Clemente....

...SAFE!! Yaz beat the throw and the Giants were in the lead!! Giants 5, Yankees 4.

The crowd roared thirty years of approval. Bauta would get the next three Giants out....but the damage had been done, and the Giants were one inning away from their first World Series in 30 years.

Manager Sam Mele left Hoerner in in the top of the ninth. Tom Gastall was called in to catch, a defensive replacement for Romano. Hoerner said "I wanted to pitch a perfect inning", and the Yankees would be the ultimate test.

There was silence in the crowd between the time the ball left Hoerner's hands until it was called for a strike or a ball. First up was Harmon Killebrew. Killebrew went down swinging on strikes. One out.

Next up, Andy Carey. Carey was caught looking at a change up for the second strikeout as the Giants fans roared.

The only question was who Casey Stengel would call in to pinch-hit for Bauta. Fittingly enough, it was Ralph Kiner, who had 608 lifetime homeruns in baseball -- but only one World Series homerun, that with the Senators.

Hoerner got the first two pitches as strikes. Then, a ball, low and outside. Finally, Kiner got a crack at a two-seamer which he hit to center field...!

...to shallow center field! Jimmie Hall called off the infielders, stepped forward, and caught the final out of the game!

FINAL SCORE: Giants 5, Yankees 4.

The New York Giants are 1964 World Series Champions!!

(* * *)

As the crowd inaugurated the first year of Giants Stadium with a celebration outside, the Giants let out four years of frustration inside the locker room. "We turned the place into a bacchanal," said Fitzgerald. "We almost trashed the place, but we decided to 'christen' it and we probably got a lot more things doused in champagne than I wanted to!!"

"My clothes were drenched in champagne," said Yastrzemski. "I think they tried to drown me and Bobbie (Johnson) in the sweet stuff!"

It was an intense celebration, marred only when Joe Hoerner was given a bottle of champagne. As he held it while the cork was removed, the bottle literally shattered in his hands, and he would have to leave the celebration, still in his uniform, all bloody, for a trip to a nearby hospital. Hoerner would say years later, "I showed up at the hospital, and a doctor told me not to wait thirty years between World Series if accidents like this were going to happen. I gave him my cap as a souvenir."

(* * *)

Ralph Terry still remembered the funeral atmosphere of the dugout as the Yankees suffered in silence. "I went in the office and there was Casey taking off his uniform...his pants were down around his shoes, his shirt was unbuttoned."

Casey asked, "How were you trying to pitch him (Yastrzemski)?"

Terry answered, "Breaking stuff, low and outside, but I couldn't get the ball down."

"As long as you pitch," said Stengel, "you're not always going to get the ball where you want it to. That's a physical mistake. As long as you weren't going against the scouting report, that's okay. Otherwise I wouldn't sleep good at night."

He turned to Terry. "Forget it kid. Come back and have a good next year."

[petrel]

October 1964
Interim
Part I

Before we go further, you might want to know who the league leaders were:

American League

Home Run Leader: Anthony Capretz, Senators, 53
Batting Title: Frank Bolling, Tigers, .354
Runs Batted In Leader: Bob Skinner, Yankees, 139
Stolen Bases Leader: Stu Locklin, White Sox, 26

Earned Run Average Leader: Mike McCormick, Angels, 2.09
Strikeout Leader: Randy Weaver, Seals, 259
Wins Leader: Carl Bouldin, Red Sox and Ralph Terry, Yankees, 19 each
Saves Leader: Jim Coates, Seals, 32

National League:

Home Run Leader: Frank Robinson, Giants, 50
Batting Title: Gary Geiger, Phillies, .346
Runs Batted In Leader: Jerry Kindall, Giants, 151
Stolen Bases Leader: Lou Brock, Reds, 46

Earned Run Average Leader: Bill Kirk, Giants, 2.41
Strikeout Leader: Joel Cataldo, Orioles, 311 -- NATIONAL LEAGUE RECORD
Wins Leader: John Fitzgerald, Giants, 25
Saves Leader: Claude Raymond, Giants, 27

(* * *)

After our season ended, a day later I would get a call from a man I had never spoken to -- the legendary cowboy singing and movie star, Gene Autry!!

"Howdy Pet," he said. "I can call you Pet, can't I?"

I was just flabbergasted to talk to him. This was a guy I had watched on the movie screen when I was a kid, a man defeating bandits, banditos, desperadoes, and kidnappers. "Of course."

Autry, a natural businessman, got to the point. He was looking for a general manager for his new team, the Los Angeles Stars and he wanted permission to speak to my manager, Fred Haney. He was considering Haney for the job.

Reluctantly, I agreed. I never felt a GM should put a barrier in front of an employee if a better offer of employment came along.

That night, I got a call from Haney. He said that he was thinking about taking the job with the Stars. He enjoyed managing the Braves, but frankly, the Boston press was making his life miserable. He didn't see himself as the fellow who would get 'run out of town', but he felt the change of venue would do him well and that he could use all of his talents in helping run a ball club, including picking personnel.

I wished Haney the very best and the next day, we held our farewell press conference. The press was happy, because they had a story and could fiddle around with who they thought would be the new manager of the Braves.

I felt sorry for Haney. He won us a World Series in 1957, but the consensus was that it was "Grimm's Team", a team put together by Charlie Grimm before he left to join the Cubs at the end of 1956. He also won a pennant in 1960, but the Yanks had a superteam that year and we were out of the series in five games.

I just hope California treats the man better than it does Boston. I told him to keep in touch. He said he'd be calling me when he wanted to make his next big trade for the Stars.

(* * *)

This left me to have to hire a new manager. As it turned out, there would be a manager looking for work after 1964.

It had been no secret that Dan Topping, the Yankees owner (and President after CBS took over the club in November) had not liked Casey Stengel much. He had wanted to fire Stengel as early as 1960, but a string of four World Series championships kept that from happening. Now that the Yankees had finally lost a World Series, Topping saw his time to strike.

On October 24th, Dan Topping conducted a press conference at the Savoy Hotel in New York City. Topping could have stated that they wanted to make sure that Houk had a chance to manage the club. But Topping said instead that it was Stengel's advanced age -- 74 -- that was the critical factor in the decision.

It sounded cruel. It lacked class. It lacked Yankee class.

Casey would step up to read a prepared speech. The baseball editor of the AP asked, "Casey, tell us the truth. Were you fired?"

"You're goddamn right I was fired!"

Casey's outburst stunned the crowd. He had a litany of complaints against Topping, and he got them off his chest. Topping overrode his personnel decisions. At times, Topping told him who he wanted to play. Casey wasn't allowed to hire his own coaches.

"I could never be a yes man," said Stengel, crying, and wiping his tears with a hankerchief. "I never was and I never will be."

Ralph Terry, when he had met Casey in his office after the 1964 Series Loss to the Giants, did not know that he would be the last person ever to see Casey Stengel wear the uniform of the New York Yankees. A sixteen-year career as Yankees manager had come to an ignominious close.

And when I heard what had happened -- well, I hate to tell you this...but I wouldn't have Casey as my manager, either. I guess I'm just too cruel -- I want to be the one running the club, and not the manager. I'm sure Casey will land on his feet with some other club.

(* * *)

In addition to having to hire a new manager, I would end up having to protect players in the new 1965 Expansion Draft, which would take place immediately after the World Series.

The 1958 Expansion Draft had been widely criticised. It was felt to be far too limiting, making only seven players available from the active rosters of each club and only eight AAA players. This stuck the new 1958 clubs with a lot of unwanted players.

The Major League Executive Council wanted to give the expansion clubs a better chance. Thus, the rules for the new draft:

American League:

* Each team acquires 30 players (3 from each team) for $1 million each -- a total of $30 million dollars paid out by each club
* Only players not eligible for free agency or arbitration in 1964 are eligible
* Each organization can protect 15 players, not limited to those on the 40-man roster as of August 31, 1964.
* Three more players can be protected after each player drafted.
* Each club also gets $100,000 in franchise money -- a total of $3.1 million dollars for each club after the draft
* New clubs cannot share in national TV contracts for three years.

National League: Same as American League, except

* New clubs are allowed to share in national TV contracts.
* Each club also gets $2 million in franchise money -- a total of $5 million for each club after the draft

This forced each club to find the 15 most valuable players anywhere on the roster, including AAA, and protect those players. After a player was chosen, a club had the right to protect three more players until six players were chosen in total, three for each club.

The reason that each league had a different agreement was that there was a basic proposal ratified by both leagues, with exceptions. Furthermore, the deal was that we would get our $5 million dollar bonuses before free agency -- which was good. The players salivated at the chance of getting their hands on the extra money, and after paying out the extra cash, it was hoped that the new clubs wouldn't compete on the free agent market.

[petrel]

October 1964
Interim
Part II

And now, the results of the 1965 Expansion Draft:

National League: Houston Colt .45 win coin flip over Los Angeles Stars and will pick first.

1. LAS -- Keith Paden, SP, Braves
2. HOU -- Ray Culp, SP, Braves
3. LAS -- Dick Estelle, SP, Braves
4. HOU -- Carl Morton, SP, Dodgers
5. LAS -- Lou Brock, LF, Reds
6. HOU -- Brian Dorr, CF, Brewers
7: LAS -- Shane MacJames, SP, Brewers
8: HOU -- Don Wert, 3B, Braves
9. LAS -- Dal Maxvill, SS, Braves
10. HOU -- Ken Hunt, SP, Reds
11. LAS -- Dennis Musgraves, SP, Giants
12. HOU -- John Purdin, RP, Dodgers
13. LAS -- Don Arlich, SP, Giants
14. HOU -- Ellis Burton, CF, Braves
15. LAS -- Neil Verdugo, RF, Brewers
16. HOU -- Bruce Dal Canton, RP, Brewers
17. LAS -- Doug Clemens, RF, Cardinals
18. HOU -- Chuck Nieson, RP, Pirates
19. LAS -- Justin MacUlrich, RP, Orioles
20. HOU -- John Papa, RP, Orioles
21. LAS -- Corey Rubinstein, SP, Cubs
22. HOU -- Don Loun, SP, Giants
23. LAS -- Dick Bates, RP, Brewers
24. HOU -- Bo Belinsky, SP, Giants
25. LAS -- Brock Davis, CF, Phillies
26: HOU -- Wayne Schurr, RP, Pirates
27. LAS -- Paul Williams, RP, Orioles
28. HOU -- Jim Hannan, RP, Cubs
29. LAS -- Tony Curry, LF, Giants
30. HOU -- Justin Williams, CF, Dodgers
31. LAS -- Dave Duncan, C, Reds
32. HOU -- Paul Ratliff, C, Brewers
33. LAS -- Terrence Hahn, RP, Phillies
34. HOU -- Stan Bahnsen, SP, Cardinals
35. LAS -- Nijel Schrum, RP, Orioles
36. HOU -- Jim Derrington, SP, Orioles
37. LAS -- Pete Magrini, RP, Phillies
38. HOU -- Tug McGraw, RP, Giants
39. LAS -- Danny Kravitz, C, Cubs
40. HOU -- Al Severinsen, RP, Orioles
41. LAS -- Rick Reichardt, LF, Cubs
42. HOU -- Hector Martinez, CF, Pirates
43. LAS -- Joe Bonikowski, SP, Pirates
44. HOU -- Derrell Griffith, 3B, Cardinals
45. LAS -- Dick Colpaert, RP, Pirates
46. HOU -- Angel Bravo, CF, Cardinals
47. LAS -- Jim McAnany, RF, Dodgers
48. HOU -- Davey Johnson, 2B, Cubs
49. LAS -- James Veeder, RP, Reds
50. HOU -- Jerry Walker, SP, Cubs
51. LAS -- Orlando McFarlane, C, Pirates
52. HOU -- Cal Emery, 1B, Phillies
53. LAS -- Tom Harrison, RP, Cardinals
54. HOU -- Jim O'Toole, SP, Phillies
55. LAS -- Johnny Blanchard, RF, Dodgers
56. HOU -- Lee Elia, SS, Reds
57. LAS -- Johnny Roseboro, C, Dodgers
58. HOU -- Leo Burke, RF, Phillies
59. LAS -- Alex Jenks, 2B, Cardinals
60. HOU -- Chuck Hiller, 2B, Reds

American League: Atlanta Peaches win coin flip over Minnesota Twins and will pick first.

1. ATL -- Ray Sadecki, SP, Yankees
2. MIN -- Jerry Lumpe, 2B, Yankees
3. ATL -- Joe Sparma, SP, Indians
4. MIN -- Billy Williams, LF, Blues
5. ATL -- Shaun Wages, CF, Seals
6. MIN -- Hank Fischer, RP, Indians
7. ATL -- Bill Roman, 1B, Tigers
8. MIN -- Frank Malzone, 3B, Seals
9. ATL -- Dalton Jones, 2B, Angels
10. MIN -- George Smith, 2B, Tigers
11. ATL -- Larry Stahl, LF, Seals
12. MIN -- John Woodwoe, 2B, Tigers
13. ATL -- Billy Rohr, SP, Red Sox
14. MIN -- Fritz Fischer, RP, Tigers
15. ATL -- Arnold Umbach, RP, Senators
16. MIN -- Duke Maas, SP, Angels
17. ATL -- Jim Ollom, SP, Seals
18. MIN -- Hal Reniff, RP, Angels
19. ATL -- Wade Blasingame, SP, Red Sox
20. MIN -- Martin Tidy, SP, Athletics
21. ATL -- Jorge Rubio, SP, White Sox
22. MIN -- Jim Bailey, SP, Senators
23. ATL -- Bill Melton, 3B, Blues
24. MIN -- Dave Stenhouse, SP, Senators
25. ATL -- Mickey Stanley, CF, Tigers
26. MIN -- Curt Simmons, SP, Angels
27. ATL -- Dick Drago, RP, Angels
28. MIN -- Jerry Casale, SP, Red Sox
29. ATL -- Gene Ratliff, 1B, Yankees
30. MIN -- Nick Campfield, SP, White Sox
31. ATL -- Rich Reese, 1B, Athletics
32. MIN -- Kevin Schmid, RP, Seals
33. ATL -- George Culver, RP, Indians
34. MIN -- Gair Allie, SS, Red Sox
35. ATL -- Xavier Marr, 2B, Angels
36. MIN -- Terry Fox, RP, Senators
37. ATL -- Tom Matchick, SS, Tigers
38. MIN -- Gus Triandos, C, Seals
39. ATL -- Jeff Miller, 3B, Senators
40. MIN -- Gordon Armellino, SP, Indians
41. ATL -- Don Shaw, RP, White Sox
42. MIN -- Roy Dietzel, 2B, Indians
43. ATL -- Dave Gray, RP, Red Sox
44. MIN -- Billy Klaus, SS, Red Sox
45. ATL -- Ted Sizemore, 2B, Athletics
46. MIN -- Gordon Massa, C, Blues
47. ATL -- Ed Spiezio, 3B, Yankees
48. MIN -- Jason O'Daniel, RP, Athletics
49. ATL -- Bill Pleis, RP, White Sox
50. MIN -- Chad Chamberlain, C, Yankees
51. ATL -- Leo Marentette, RP, Senators
52. MIN -- Luis Trujillo, SP, Blues
53. ATL -- Cliff Bown, SP, Blues
54. MIN -- Jimmy Schaffer, C, White Sox
55. ATL -- Joe Pullen, C, Blues
56. MIN -- Herb Score, SP, Yankees
57. ATL -- Larry Colton, RP, Athletics
58. MIN -- Merrit Ranew, C, Athletics
59. ATL -- Mike Paul, RP, Indians
60. MIN -- Jake Striker, RP, White Sox

On the National League side, both clubs raided our minor league pitching right off the bat. The first three draft picks were members of the Braves -- I suspected it could happen, as Fred Haney was the GM of the Stars and knew the Braves better than any GM out there.

Surprisingly enough Lou Brock, the NL stolen base leader, ended up on the block and he will go to the stars. The New York Giants asked for special permission to put Bo Belinsky in the draft, allowing the Colt .45s to negotiate with him. The Commissioner's Office agreed, punishing Belinsky for his part in a hotel altercation which ended up with him missing the World Series, suspended from the Giants, and now, sent to Houston.

Three clubs: the Phillies, Giants and Dodgers misled the other two clubs about the contract statuses of some of their players. The league will impose a "suitable" penalty after initial negotiations with the named players.

On the American League side, the big surprises were Curt Simmons of the Angels going to the Minnesota Twins. He's 34 years old and has won 202 games lifetime. The other surprise was Herb Score, the Yankees #4 starter, ending up in a Twins uniform as well. It looks like the Twins will start 1965 with two pitchers of note.

(* * *)

Finally, the Major League Executive Council ratified the decisions of months earlier. Both leagues will have 12 teams in 1965. But more importantly, all baseball clubs would play 162 games during 1965.

For the American League, it works out fine. A club can play its five divisional foes 18 times each. It can play the six teams in the opposing division 12 times each in an "unbalanced schedule". 90 + 72 = 162. The number of games doesn't have to be changed, and the divisional races actually mean something, since the majority of games are played between teams within a club's own division.

The National League, however, is resisting the move to two divisions. With the Exectuive Council mandating 162 games, however, this kills the National League's plan to extend the schedule to 165 games -- 15 games against each of eleven other clubs. We'll just have to figure out some other way to do it.

[petrel]

Late October 1964

Keeping in mind that we needed a manager, I began to negotiate with my players. Most of my players were taken care of in August but there were four holdouts.

Lou Berberet: Once again, Berberet had a much higher opinion of himself than we had of him. He wanted $3.25 million as opposed to his $1.6 million salary. We sent him and his annoying agent to free agency, where we might pick him up after his price comes down.

Floyd Robinson went to arbitration: we asked for $1.65 million a year. He asked for $2.15 million a year. Usually, we win these cases, but we lost this one and Robinson will be a Brave at least until the end of 1965 at $2.15 million.

As for Ray Herbert, who had fallen off the train to success, he was almost desperate, asking for $450K for two years. But his minor league numbers were good, and there might still be a place in the Braves organization for him. We re-signed Herbert at his asking price.

Finally, a 23 year old kid called Dick Rustek who had never pitched a major league inning suddenly decided he wanted $1.4 million/a year, up from $23,000. We told him to take that line of gab where someone else might believe it.

(* * *)

While we waited for the free agent market to open, the league made up its mind about what to do about the Philadelphia Athletics.

The first thing that would be done would be to see if Philadelphia would agree to build a new stadium for the Athletics -- if the Phillies wanted to share that stadium, that would be fine, too as long as the Athletics got a new stadium. Commissioner Frick called Mayor Tate of Philadelphia and said that this was an either-or proposition -- either there would be a new stadium or Philadelphia would be a one-team town.

The news injected new life into Philadephia's elections at the last minute. The city council waited until the election results were in, and then immediately voted to break ground for a new stadium.

According to Philadelphia, there wouldn't be a new stadium until 1968. They went ahead, wanting to at least keep the Phillies if not the Athletics. In addition to building a new stadium, the city of Philadelphia reached a new agreement with the Athletics:

** if baseball attendance fell below 700,000 in any year before 1968, the Athletics would be allowed to move the following year
** if baseball attendance fell below 800,000 in any of the two years betweeen 1965 and 1967, the Athletics would be allowed to move after 1967
** if total attendance fell to less than 2.5 million for the years combined between 1965 and 1967, then the team would be allowed to move if it were running a debt -- if the team were in the black by 1967, it would stay in Philadelphia regardless of its attendance on the field
** if the Athletics needed to be sold due to not meeting benchmarks, no preference had to be given between Philadelphia purchases and the purchasers from any other city.

The agreement, negotiated over a few days, satisfied all sides. The city of Philadelphia could claim that it did all it could to keep the Athletics. Baseball could sell the Athletics if it needed to. The question was then up to the fans of the Athletics -- would they come out to support the club in its hour of need, or would the 64-year old franchise move to greener pastures at the end of 1965?

(* * *)

And now, the primary award winners of 1964:

American League:

Cy Young Award: Mike McCormick, Angels -- The Yankees were the better team, but two straight years of ERAs hovering around 2.00 will get you noticed. McCormick went 16-7, with a 2.09 ERA in 288 IP.
Most Valuable Player: Bob Skinner, Yankees -- Make this MVP award #4 for the best left fielder in baseball with a lifetime .333 average.
Rookie of the Year: Jim Brady, Yankees -- At 29 -- an old man for a rookie -- he went 9-2 with a 2.67 ERA for the Yanks.

Gold Gloves:

P: Hector Maestri, Blues (3)
C: Clay Dalrymple, Seals (1)
1B: Gail Harris, Angels (1)
2B: Frank Bolling, Tigers (2)
3B: Todd Boling, Angels (1)
SS: Dick Howser, Blues (2)
OF: Johnny Callison, Tigers (1)
OF: Bob Thorpe, Indians (3)
OF: Dan Dobbek, Senators (2)

National League:

Cy Young Award: Claude Osteen, Giants -- of course, giving how he led the Giants to the World Series and was Series MVP, winning two games against the Yankees. It had to be on the voters' minds.
Most Valuable Player: Frank Robinson, Giants -- his first ever. Not his best year, but he hit 50 home runs, a .326 average and 125 RBI to give the Giants a boost to the World Series. It is the fourth straight year a player from the Giants has won the MVP.
Rookie of the Year: Pete Craig, Phillies -- this 24 year old pitcher went 14-11 with a 2.90 ERA and 201 2/3 innings pitched for the third-place Phillies.

Gold Gloves

P: Claude Osteen, Giants (2)
C: Joe Torre, Braves (1)
1B: Harry Agganis, Cubs (3)
2B: Jerry Kindall, Giants (1)
3B: Felix Torres, Cubs (3)
SS: Bob Johnson, Giants (1)
OF: Joe Christopher, Braves (1)
OF: Richie Ashburn, Orioles (7)
OF: Carl Yastrzemski, Giants (4)

In baseball:

"Bullet" Bob Turley, who pitched eleven seasons for the St. Louis Browns/Kansas City Blues between 1951 and 1964, retired at age 33. He finished with a 76-126 record and a 4.64 lifetime ERA.
Frank Ernaga, a right fielder for the Cubs, Brewers and Pirates, retired at age 34. He would win a Gold Glove for the 1959 Brewers.
Dick Barone, a shortstop for the Pirates from 1958 to 1963, retired at age 32. A lifetime .240 hitter, he would be an All-Star for the Pirates in 1960.
Paul Foytack, a relief pitcher for the Tigers, Braves, Athletics and Dodgers, retired at age 33. Pitching a grand total of 192 innings in seven seasons, he nonetheless won a Gold Glove with the Braves in 1957 and was on the World Championship roster of the Braves in 1957 and the "SuperDodgers" of 1959.
Joe Trimble, a starting pitcher with the Red Sox and Reds, retired at age 33. He had a lifetime record of 54-63 and a 4.03 lifetime ERA. He was named to the American League All-Star Team in 1957.

[jianoran]

petrel great work on your dynasty and i need a question, what are the minor league teams for the 24 MLB Teams in 1965?, will there be changes in Minor League Baseball in your dynasty?, petrel?

[petrel]

jianoran,

I usually end up covering minor league ball in my December post. When that comes (and I've already finished November), I'll not only post the complete list of minor league teams, but I'll post the .mog file for everybody.

--Pet

[petrel]

November 1964
Part I

Before talking about baseball, there is the matter of a national election to write about. And frankly, the result was foreordained. President Lyndon Johnson will get his first full term as President, beating the ticket of Senator Barry Goldwater, winning 44 out of 50 states and 61 percent of the popular vote. President Johnson chose Senator Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota as his Vice-President.

In Massachusetts, Goldwater's defeat was foreordained: he lost 75-25 in a state still mourning the loss of John F. Kennedy. Goldwater barely won his own home state of Arizona, 50 percent to 49 percent.

In a manner of speaking, Goldwater was doomed from the start. His own party was split between the liberal Nelson Rockefeller and himself. Northeastern Republicans were very lukewarm for Goldwater and supported him only half-heartedly after a divisive campaign.

Goldwater, however, had only himself to blame for a lot of things. He lacked any real charisma, except among fiery conservatives. He prided himself on outspokenness, but what he was saying was not what people wanted to hear. For example, in a 1963 television interview he talked about denying cover to the North Vietnamese by using "low yield atomic weapons" to defoliate the forests. He had managed to insult President Eisenhower's brother and the entire East Coast in off-the-cuff comments. He thought Social Security should be voluntary and talked about selling the Tennessee Valley Authority.


Barry Goldwater, nutcase.

Johnson successfully painted Goldwater as an extremist of the worst kind. There was an ad called "Daisy", which even though it wasn't aired in many places, was just as effective as the "Willie Horton" ad decades later. Take a look at it sometime.

Years later, Goldwater said that the reason he didn't get elected is because it would have been too much for the United States to have three presidents in just fourteen months. I don't believe that. Goldwater did about as much to hurt himself as any candidate.

In a sign of things to come, the only states Goldwater carried aside from Arizona were Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. Some of these states had never voted Republican since the end of the Civil War. Imagine, Mississippi and Alabama voting for the party of Abraham Lincoln! They went with Goldwater, dissatisfied over the support of the Civil Rights Act by the Democrats (Goldwater opposed the Civil Rights Act) and other civil rights measures championed by the Kennedy and Johnson Administrations. This change in voting patterns was a sign of things to come.

(* * *)

Without further ado, the Free Agent class of 1964:

Position players:

1. Jerry Kindall, 2B, $18.8M/5 years. His departure kept the Giants from having three MVPs on their starting roster. .320 lifetime hitter, 173 home runs. Oddly enough, the only team that might have the cash to sign him is...the Giants, who whom he is in negotiations.
2. Frank Howard, LF, $17.7M/4 years. After we trade him to the Tigers, they weren't interested in resigning him. He's a phenomenal hitter, but just OK in the outfield, which might be scaring teams off.
3. Bob Bowman, RF, $15.8M/4 years. No relation. A solid hitter who can really play right field. He might be signed by Calvin Griffith's new Minnesota Twins team after playing 1964 in Washington.
4. Chris Bradley, 1B, $15.5M/3 years. Highly overrated as a first baseman. He needs a new agent.
5. John Orsino, C, $15.2 M/4 years. Good young hitter for the Phillies, but I don't think he's really THAT good. Still, the Blues are interested.
6. Ken Boyer, 3B, $14.5M/4 years. However, Ken Boyer is that good. Popular player, slightly on the decline at age 33. Will probably end up in Yankee pinstripes.
7. Roger Maris, RF, $13.2M/4 years. Had a miserable time in Los Angeles, going 2 for 32 in 20 games. I doubt he'll be resigned for over $10 million.
8. Dick Howser, SS, $12.9M/5 years. Fantasic player, played entire career with Blues, and the Blues might resign him.
9. Wes Covington, RF, $12.9M/4 years. A fairly good right fielder, might be overpriced.
10. Roy McMillan, SS, $10.6M/3 years. Lifetime member of the Reds and six-time Gold Glove winner. At 35, might find few takers.

Pitchers:

1. Jim Proctor, SP, $17.7M/4 years. Rookie of the Year and Cy Young winner in the same year, he is the "Cadillac". The Yankees want him bad.
2. Memo Luna, SP, $8.7M/3 years. Always won more than he lost. The 34 year old might end up in Kansas City.
3. Art Mahaffey, SP, $7.7M/4 years. He might also end up in Kansas City.
4. Gordon Seyfried, SP, $6.0M/2 years. Not exactly who you think of as a great pitcher. Two okay years with a very good Tigers team, but the expansion Stars might sign him.
5. Ralph Beard, SP, $6.0M/2 years. Great winning percentage, but 36 years old. Might also end up with the Stars.
6. Cal Hogue, SP, $6.0M/2 years. He's 37, and the Stars are interested in signing all the old guys with good winning percentages. (Maybe Fred Haney learned too much!)
7. Bill Harris, SP, $5.9M/3 years. 33-year old Cy Young Award winner with the Dodgers -- once again, the Stars have come knocking.
8. Howie Reed, RP, $5.8M/4 years. A good reliever -- but is he $5.8 million good? The Blues are thinking of signing him.
9. Carl Duser, SP, $5.8M/3 years. Knows all about the pitfalls of playing with an expansion club -- he was 3-22 with the Seals in their first year. The Stars are very interested.
10. Corky Valentine, SP, $5.7M/2 years. Went 15-11 for an awful Milwaukee team in 1964. Might sign a contract with the Stars at age 36.

(* * *)

But before that, I had to interview for a new manager for the Braves. There were a lot of candidates out there. No fewer than eight clubs had decided to make a change in managers, and the managerial "wheel" was turning quickly. A lot of these displaced managers would land with other clubs.

The list of managerial candidates -- former pro managers, minor league managers, ex-players, college managers would be so long and unwieldy that I would detail that work to Chuck Sullivan. I told him, "give me a list of five men you think could make a good manager".

It took him a week to do it, and the other clubs were hiring managers away!! "Harry Walker", said Sullivan, "was hired by the Reds before I could even get a chance to ask him if he were interested!"

Somehow, however, he got the list down, and got it to below five names. There were only four people worth talking to, in Chuck Sullivan's opinion:

Bobby Bragan
Herman Franks
Gil Hodges
Birdie Tebbetts

He turned the list over to me on a Sunday, so I had to wait one more day and hope no one got hired from this short list. We called everyone up, and arranged for flights to Boston. (I had to talk to Calvin Griffith to get permission to talk to Gil Hodges, an odious task if there ever was one.)

(* * *)

On Monday, I talked to my first candidate: Herman Franks. I had heard a lot of good things about Franks. For one, he was a disciple of Branch Rickey, always a plus in my book. He was a hard-nosed sort of fellow, a real competitor, which would be a change from the more laid-back Fred Haney in the dugout.

He had good ideas -- he was a smart man, deceptively smart, often seen as "dumb" by the press. We talked about the Braves pitching staff and what he could do with our stocked minor league system of great pitchers.

There was, however, one problem -- he was not interested in the "special relationship" I had with my managers where I more or less tell them what to do. "The players have to have absolute confidence in their manager," he said, "and have to know that he's calling the shots and not some guy in the owner's box. If you want a real manager for this club, Mr. Bowman, I'm your man. If you want someone who is just going to take orders and not ask questions, then you have to find somebody else."

I respected him for that much. I told him it wasn't likely that he'd be hired. We both agreed that at least other clubs could look to hire him, and we departed amicably.

(* * *)

As Billy Herman disappeared from the managerial go-round, snapped away by the Senators, I sat down with Bobby Bragan for an interview.

He was also a student of Branch Rickey's. He was, however, very abrasive, almost snappy. He didn't like the interview process that much, but at least he admitted it. He had very, very strong opinions about how a club should be run. Furthermore, he had a reputation of being tough on his pitching staffs.

However, he was also a very smart man, and a good accessor of talent. We got into the talk about how the club would be run.

He didn't like it, but he said, "well, your name's on the paycheck, isn't it?" I told him that if the press gave him guff, he could point to the owner's box. He said, "oh, you know I'll do that, and you'll be hearing a lot from me if we're losing games because of bad decisions". Then, he gave me a post-mortem about the wasted chances of the 1963 Braves Club. "Now I know Fred Haney wasn't running that club, not at all," he said, dismissively.

I didn't like Bragan, but I couldn't disqualify him yet, either. If I had to hire him, I would. There were, however, two other candidates.

(* * *)

[petrel]

November 1964
Part II

The next day -- Wednesday -- I talked to Birdie Tebbetts.

Tebbetts was also a very opinionated cuss, but according to Chuck Sullivan, his players thought the world of him. His strength was in that he didn't embarrass his players in public. "You have to know," he told me, "that what stays in the locker room stays in the locker room. I'm not going to show up one of my players on account of those jackals," he said, meaning the print media.

He had had great acclimades from other scouts and players, some of whom said we should sign Tebbetts by any means -- "you don't want to see his mug in the opposing dugout". Finally, we talked about my philosophy for running a ballclub versus his.

He didn't like to "play percentages", he said, and he was more of an old-time thinker, one who valued the sacrifice bunt and other "hustle" and managerial acumen. He said, "well, I can give it a try. After all, if we don't get along, I can always quit."

It wasn't a great reference, but we shook hands and parted. I only had one more candidate to interview.

(* * *)

That Thursday, I interviewed Gil Hodges for the job.

Hodges had been an ex-Brooklyn Dodger of long renown and was currently a coach on the Washington Senators staff. Everyone knew that he was on the fast track to a managing job, somewhere. This would be his first big league job if he were hired. He'd be 41 in 1965. There would be one player in the major leagues, Ralph Kiner of the Yankees, who would be older than him!

When I spoke with Hodges, I was surprised that he let me do most of the talking. He was smart. I could tell that. I don't know if he was humble, or if he was thoughtful, but a lot reminded me of Fred Haney.

We got along just fine. I talked to him about how I ran the club. He nodded. "But that leave me the right to run the club in every way you don't run it? If you don't say something, then I have the right to do what I want?"

"That's the way I see it."

He thought about it. "I know tougher owners and general managers to play for. It's something I can live with."

(* * *)

It was a tough choice. In the end, it came down to either Birdie Tebbets or Gil Hodges. Both were very good.

However, there was a surplus of managers at the moment, and I felt that I didn't have to go for a "big-name" manger. I called Gil Hodges up and I asked him if he wouldn't care to manage the Boston Braves in the 1964 season. He agreed, and I would announce it the next day.


The new manager of the Boston Braves, Gil Hodges.

(* * *)

One of the biggest surprises was in the New York Yankees camp. It was seen as an absolute given that Ralph Houk would replace Casey Stengel as Yankee manager when Stengel was forced to step down.

But instead, CBS wants to keep Ralph Houk general manager. Instead, Johnny Keane was invited to the Yankees job from where he had been helming the St. Louis Cardinals! The Cards were only 65-97, a 10th place team last year; with Ken Boyer seeking Free Agency, no wonder Keane was eager to leave the Redbirds.

On the other hand, this has been four years in a row that Ralph Houk has been involved with a big club and fallen short in the series -- when he switched sides, the Giants finally won it all. Furthermore, Houk re-signed both Ralph Kiner and Yogi Berra to contracts: Yogi is 39 and Ralph Kiner is 42. The only reason the Yanks have had Kiner all these years is that they want to keep Kiner from approaching the Babe's record. However, with fossils like Kiner and Berra on board, I wonder if the Yankees can win another World Series as long as the Giants are vibrant.

(* * *)

And Casey Stengel fell upward. After all, who wouldn't want the Old Perfesser managing their ball club -- except for me, of course?

Stengel will become the new manager of the 73-89 Pittsburgh Pirates. "It's good to be back in the National League," said Casey at the press conference in Pittsburgh.

"Casey," someone asked, "what's your first priority?"

"A catcher," he said, "if you don't have a catcher, you have a lot of passed balls."

I suppose you can't argue with The Master. The Bucs have some money to spend, however, and with Casey managing the club, they should be a real threat.

(* * *)

As for the Braves, we had our own priorities. We needed a good shortstop and a good third baseman, and neither of those would be available to us in the draft. Our infield, frankly, was weak and we needed a catcher to back up Joe Torre on his off days.

For shortsop, we had Eddie Kasko in mind. Kasko was 32 and asking for $5 million, and had been a good shortstop for the Cardinals. If we couldn't get him, we'd get Granny Hamner, a crappy hitter but he still had a good arm at short and we could possibly move him to third base.

There was always the possibility that Lou Berberet's price would come down, and another free agent prospect was Ed Sadowski, asking for over $7 million. Sadowski was an "A" player behind the plate and a two-time Gold Glove winner.

And of course, we would get a good pitcher. You can never have too much pitching. In addition to Valentine, Luna, Harris, Duser, and Mahaffey, we were also considering Bob Conley, who went 13-3 for the White Sox in 1964 with a 1.87 ERA in 129 IP and Steve Kraly, who went 2-7 for a Cubs team with a 3.73 ERA.

(* * *)

When the Free Agent signing period opened, there was a run on pitchers.

Jim Proctor ended up as a Yankee -- that was not unexpected. And certainly enough, Memo Luna and Howie Reed ended up signed by the Blues, to add to a strong rotation.

But the Los Angeles Stars came in with Gene Autry's money and swooped up Gordon Seyfried, Bill Harris, Carl Duser and Corky Valentine. That left us to sign either Steve Kraly or Art Mahaffey.

Roger Maris went to the Milwaukee Brewers for $10.7M/year for four years. John Orsino was taken by the new Minnesota Twins.

The damned Chicago Cubs swept in and signed Ed Sadowski, leaving us with the option of signing Berberet or going without and Art Mahaffey was signed by the Kansas City Blues. This left us with only Steve Kraly available as pitcher, and he was the only remaining pitcher I thought we could use. Furthermore, Kraly was in negotiation with the Cubs.

That put me in negotiation with Ron Stark Jr. to let us sign Kraly at $5.5 million. No chance, said Stark. We would have to wait until Kraly's price dropped. We got Kraly to accept $5.35 million a year -- but he wanted 3 years. I was only willing to sign him for two years.

So we waited. Jerry Kindall, the Giants second baseman and one-time MVP was signed by the Los Angeles Angels. He was replaced in the Giants infield by Ken Boyer, the big-ticket third baseman. Shortstop Dick Howser went to our crosstown rivals the Boston Red Sox at $11.9 million for 5 years, and Bob Bowman resigned with the new Washington Senators ownership at $15.2 million for three years.

Roy McMillan, who played with the Reds for over a decade, went to San Francisco as a member of the Seals. Chris Bradley somehow caught on with the Angels. It was only mid-November, and 16 of the top 20 free agents had been signed!

(* * *)

What we feared would happen, happen. The Cubs came along and signed Steve Kraly to a $5.3 million/1 year deal. This left us with either Cal Hogue, at $5.9 million/year, or Bill MacDonald, a 37-year old pitcher at $2.8 million/year.

As the end of the month closed, Frank Howard was signed by the Boston Red Sox for $15 million/3 years. With Mickey Mantle and Frank Howard in the outfield, Boston will be a contender in the new American League East.

(* * *)

On November 10th, the National League, after putting off the decision until major league executives virtually demanded a schedule, have decided, very reluctantly, to split into two divisions.

At first, I was against the idea of following the American League. But then I thought about it: boy, those Cleveland/Philadelphia games in the American League must have been awful to sell. "Come see a 9th place team battle a 10th place team!" If we had kept a "single table" configuration, we would have had 11th-place teams battling it out with 12th place teams. Can you imagine trying to sell tickets to one of those games?

Therefore, after much argument, we decided on the two divisions:

National League East:

Baltimore Orioles
Boston Braves
Brooklyn Dodgers
New York Giants
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates

National League West:

Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Houston Colt .45s
Milwaukee Brewers
Los Angeles Stars
St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals and Cubs get to keep their traditional rivalries. New York/Brooklyn and Philadelphia/Pittsburgh are still preserved as rivalries. I guess that leaves the Braves with the Baltimore Orioles as a potential rivalry partner. I don't like playing in the same division with the Dodgers and Giants, but geographically, how could we be anywhere else but east?

We'll do the same thing as the American League: Eighteen games with divisional rivals and twelve games with each team from the other division. 18 x 5 + 12 x 6 = 162 games, as mandated.

Around baseball:

Fred Hutchinson died of cancer in Florida at age 45. He had played for the Tigers and Braves between 1939 and 1955. He was a coach with the Reds this year before being diagnosed with cancer, but hung on as long as he could throughout the season.

The Braves had long considered him for a managerial position. He will be missed.

[petrel]

December 1964

With both teams having decided on two divisions with six teams each, the only thing left would be to decide how a league champion would be determined. Obviously, the two division winners would meet, but in how many games...one? Three? Five? Seven? Clearly, this had to be decided, but it could wait until Winter Meetings in Houston, Texas.

Before we got to Houston, baseball received word that Judge Roy Hofheinz was changing the name of his new team after legal disputes with the Colt Firearms Company. There are two stories as to how he changed it (and he told both of them): one story was that he had met a group of astronauts in Houston and decided to honor them by naming his team after them. The other was that he was well aware of the Manned Spacecraft Center that was located in Houston and wanted to connect his team with space flight.

The new name of the team will be the Houston Astros. It doesn't change much about the new team except pencilling a new name in. However, Judge Hofheinz had to send all of his Colt .45s uniforms back to the manufacturer, and as a result, they would not be premiered during the Winter Meetings.

On the other hand, we got to tour the Astrodome, construction almost complete and scheduled to finish by April.


"Build we must!"

Supposedly, the entirely-indoor stadium will be air conditioned to keep out the Houston heat during the summertime. Furthermore, there will be a scoreboard that is [i]four stories high[/b]! The Judge was glad to hold court for the owners as they glanced around and I swear I could hear Walter O'Malley's stomach rumble with sheer envy.

There was some grumbling among National League purists. Baseball? Indoors? Like softball in a gymnasium? Voices muttered that if they hadn't been forced to accept it with the threat of a league war, the National League would have never approved the Astrodome as a playing site.

(* * *)

With the addition of four new major league teams, the minor leagues were again in a position where they could play major league teams against each other. It was a buyer's market, and both the Astros and the Stars were willing to come in and buy, buy, buy!

More than one minor league team got bought out by a major league team. The Denver Bears were stolen from us by the Los Angeles Stars! We scrambled to find a replacement team in either the International League or Pacific Coast League...but it was hopeless. The Braves would be without a AAA franchise in 1965.

The problem with not having a minor league franchise to handle AAA matters is that AAA players would have to be "unofficially" moved to the AA franchise, or would have to be loaned to independent clubs. If moved to AA, they crowded out developing players. If loaned to independents, you had to pay those clubs when you sent a player to that club and had to pay the club when a player was withdrawn from that club. Trust me...it's a real mess not to have a AAA franchise. (The Blues send all of their players to independent clubs. It's costing Charlie Finley money in the long run; he needs to bite the bullet and secure franchising agreements.)

Our A Greenville franchise was snapped up by the Atlanta Peaches. So we raided the New York Yankees AA franchise. The new Braves AA franchise would be the Shelby Rebels, which changed its name from the Shelby Colonels -- I suppose they wanted to throw off the "Yankee" taint from their name.

The only other item of note was that our AA franchise was renamed -- from the Austin Senators to the Austin Braves. It's about time our minor leaguers had some practice in wearing a Braves uniform.

(* * *)

At the Winter Meetings, baseball returned to the present commissioner all of the powers which had been stripped from the commissioner after the death of Kenesaw Mountain Landis. He now had the power to judge that an action from the owners was "not in the best interests of baseball". Since 1965 would be Frick's final year as commissioner, I'm sure that baseball's ownership was very self-satisfied at this gesture.

The other big news was a two-year deal between major league baseball and the ABC network. Baseball's "Game of the Week" would be broadcast on 25 Saturdays, Independence Day, and Labor Day. Still, each franchise held on to its own local broadcasting contracts, which were still a mess of conflicting interests.

(* * *)

Houston was not able to announce new uniforms for 1965. But I'll introduce the four other teams: first, the Atlanta Peaches



I think the initial impression was jaw-dropping dismay. The "peach" in the uniform looks more like fire-engine orange, and I hate the light blue in the uniform.

There is some ugly muttering that the Peaches franchise might end up being a disaster. Since Atlanta has no stadium, the minor league stadium known as Ponce de Leon Park will be temporarily expanded to major-league size -- which undoubtedly means adding bleachers. I don't know if they're going to be able to pull it off and remain solvent in any kind of shape for 1966. (Although they did just sign Wes Covington to a 2 year, $9.7 million deal.

Next, the Los Angeles Stars:



Much better. It's interesting that Fred Haney is the manager of the Los Angeles Stars. He had played, managed, and broadcasted with this clubs successor, the Hollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast League. Frankly, "Hollywood Stars" is a better name but Autry wanted to appeal to all of Los Angeles.

Finally, the Minnesota Twins:



The Twins will play at Metropolitan Stadium, a dual use facility shared with the National Football League's Minnesota Vikings. Minneapolis/St. Paul has waited for baseball for a long time, and I hope they're very happy.

Around the world:

Eight hundred students at the University of California-Berkeley are arrested after taking over the administration building, protesting the Regents' decision to forbid Vietnam War protests on campus property.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the Rankin-Bass Christmas special, is aired on NBC for the first time.
Lenny Bruce is sentenced to four months in prison on obscenity charges.

[petrel]

jianoran,

Here is the current Minor League alignment, and the current mogul file:

--Pet

(* * *)

1965 Minor Leagues

AAA

International League

Rochester Red Wings (Bal)
Columbus Jets (Pit)
Syracuse Chiefs (Det)
Toledo Mud Hens (NYY)
Buffalo Bisons (S F)
Jacksonville Suns (StL)
Toronto Maple Leafs (Bos)

Pacific Coast League

Vancouver Mounties (PhA)
Denver Bears (LAS)
Hawaii Islanders (Min)
Portland Beavers (Cle)
Tacoma Giants (NYG)
Seattle Angels (LAA)
San Diego Padres (Cin)
Salt Lake City Bees (ChC)
Spokane Indians (Brk)
Arkansas Travellers (Phi)
Indianapolis Indians (CWS)
Oklahoma City 89ers (Hou)

AA

Texas League

Amarillo Sonics (Mil)
Tulsa Oilers (StL)
Austin Braves (BoB)
El Paso Sun Kings (LAA)
Amarillo Gold Sox (ChC)
Alberquerque Dodgers (Brk)

South Atlantic League ("Sally" League)

Charlotte Hornets (Was)
Knoxville Smokies (Cin)
Montgomery Rebels (Det)
Lynchburg White Sox (CWS)
Chattanooga Lookouts (Phi)
Asheville Tourists (Pit)
Columbus Confederate Yankees (NYY)

Eastern League

Reading Indians (Cle)
York White Roses (S F)
Pittsfield Red Sox (Bos)
Binghampton Triplets (PhA)
Elmira Pioneers (Bal)
Springfield Giants (NYG)
Williamsport Crosscutters (Hou)

Class A

Midwest League

Burlington Bees (PhA)
Clinton C-Sox (CWS)
Wisconsin Rapids Senators (Was)
Decatur Commodores (NYG)
Waterloo Hawks (Bos)
Quad Cities Angels (LAA)
Fox City Foxes (Bal)
Dubuque Packers (Cle)

Western Carolinas League

Shelby Rebels (BoB)
Greenville Peaches (Atl)
Gastonia Pirates (Pit)
Salisbury Astros (Hou)
Spartanburg Phillies (Phi)
Thomasville Hi-Toms (Min)

Northern League

Duluth-Superior Dukes (Det)
Winnipeg Goldeneyes (StL)

Rookie Leagues

Appalachian League

Bluefield Orioles (Bal)
Johnson City Yankees (NYY)
Salem Rebels (Pit)
Whytheville Senators (Was)
Harlan Red Sox (Bos)
Marion Cardinals (StL)

Pioneer League

Idaho Falls Angels (LAA)
Pocatello Chiefs (Brk)
Magic Valley Cowboys (NYG)
Treasure Valley Cubs (ChC)
Boise Braves (BoB)


Needing Teams

AAA: Atlanta Peaches, Boston Braves, Kansas City Blues, Milwaukee Brewers, Washington Senators
AA: Atlanta Peaches, Kansas City Blues, Los Angeles Stars, Minnesota Twins
A: Brooklyn Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Blues, Los Angeles Stars, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Yankees, San Francisco Seals
Rookie: Atlanta Peaches, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, Kansas City Blues, Los Angeles Stars, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Seals