Baseball Managers - Famous and Infamous Quiz

Answer: Laraine Day

The Durocher/Day marriage got off to a rocky start in a mini-scandal as Day had not waited the full year for her divorce decree was finalized. They married a second time in 1948. Day was referred to as "The First Lady of Baseball" as she wrote a book "Day With the Giants" (1952) the chronicled Durocher's management of the New York Giants. She was also the host of "Day With the Giants", a 15-minute television/radio interview program co-hosted by Leo.

Durocher played for four teams from 1925-1945 compiling a lifetime batting average of .247. He was the shortstop on the fabled Saint Louis Cardinal "Gashouse Gang" 1933-1937. Turning to managing, including his time as a player/manager, he clocked 24 years, winning 4 pennants and 1 World Series. He was not afraid to go jaw-to-jaw with umpires and sometimes told his pitchers to "put one in his ear" if an opposing batter crowded the plate. He was once suspended for allegedly consorting with gamblers.

His quips to the press are legendary. He once said that nice guys finish in seventh place. The press misquoted him and changed it to "nice guys finish last". Leo like it so much that he called his autobiography "Nice Guys Finish Last". Here are a few Durocher quotes:

"I never did say that you can't be a nice guy and win. I said that if I was playing third base and my mother rounded third with the winning run, I'd trip her up".

"If you don't win, you're going to be fired. If you do win, you've only put off the day you're going to be fired".

"I never questioned the integrity of an umpire. Their eyesight, yes".

And on Jackie Robinson: "I don't care if the guy is yellow or black, or if he has stripes like a ... zebra. I'm the manager of this team and I say he plays."

Answer: Both

Connie Mack was the last owner to also be the on-field manager. Even when ill in the late 1930s did he back away from the manager role and assign his son to temporarily to fill the gap. Baseball powers saw this as a conflict of interest. Ted Turner tried to circumvent the rule but failed.

Connie Mack never wore a baseball uniform as manager but often wore business suits. His players addressed him as Mr. Mack and he called his players by their first names. For instance, he called Chief Bender "Albert". Mack played in the major leagues for eleven years from 1886 to 1896, was used mostly as a catcher, and amassing a lifetime batting average of .242. Records are by definition breakable but Mack still is the longest-serving manager, holds records for wins (3,731), losses (3,948), and games managed (7,755). As a manager of the Philadelphia Athletics, he won nine Pennants and five World Series. Because the team was often in financial crises, he was forced to dismantle his successful teams in order to balance the books.

He expected much from his players not just physical skill but conduct as well. In 1916 he wrote this code of conduct for his team:

I will always play the game to the best of my ability.
I will always play to win, but if I lose, I will not look for an excuse to detract from my opponent's victory.
I will never take an unfair advantage in order to win.
I will always abide by the rules of the game-on the diamond as well as in my daily life.
I will always conduct myself as a true sportsman-on and off the playing field.
I will always strive for the good of the entire team rather than for my own glory.
I will never gloat in victory or pity myself in defeat.
I will do my utmost to keep myself clean-physically, mentally, and morally.
I will always judge a teammate or an opponent as an individual and never on the basis of race or religion.

He tolerated Rube Waddell's drunkenness but traded Joe Jackson because he not very intelligent. No Black ballplayer ever played for Connie Mack.

Answer: Casey Stengel

In his major league career he hit a decent .284 but was often a bench player. But he had an affinity and intuition for the game. However, in his first nine years he had only one team over .500. So it startled the baseball when in 1949 he was hired to guide the New York Yankees. It proved to be a good decision as during the next twelve years the Yankees won ten American League Championships and seven World Series. In 1954 the Yankees won 102 games--the most under Stengel--but finished second to Cleveland's 111 wins.

After being told at the end of the 1960 season "that his services were no longer required", he retired only to comeback in 1962 as the skipper of the expansion New York Mets. Frustrated by the ineptness of his players, Casey opined "Can't anybody here play this game?" that he was later to use as the title to his autobiography. After three years Casey retired again after falling off a bar stool.

Casey reminded them that he was the only guy who played or managed four New York based teams and in five different parks. As Casey said "You can look it up."

Sports writers and interviewers were always eager to listen to Casey and his stream of consciousness ramblings.

Here are some "Stegelisms":

"On his three catchers: "I got one that can throw but can't catch, one that can catch but can't throw, and one who can hit but can't do either."

"See that fellow over there? He's 20 years old. In 10 years he has a chance to be a star. Now, that fellow over there, he's 20, too. In 10 years he has a chance to be 30."

"Son, we'd like to keep you around this season but we're going to try and win a pennant"

"All right everyone, line up alphabetically according to your height."

"The secret of managing is to keep the guys who hate you away from the guys who are undecided."

"I was not successful as a ball player, as it was a game of skill."

Answer: Gambling charges

On March 21, 1989 the so-called Dowd Report hit commissioner Bart Giamatti's desk. It was a damning report that lead to Rose's suspension from all baseball activity. The report alleged that Rose sometimes bet as much as 10,000 dollars a day but 2,000 dollars was more typical. The heart of the matter was whether as manager Rose had ever bet against the Cincinnati Reds, a question that has not been definitely answered but the MLB rule that Rose violated makes no distinction between betting for or against one's team. Rose dealt with the issue first by denial then acquiesced on August 24, 1989, to voluntarily be placed on baseball's ineligible list in lieu of formal legal proceedings.

Since that time he has tried different avenues to have his ban lifted but has been unsuccessful. His conviction on tax evasion and subsequent imprisonment have not helped his pleas. He has been in treatment for his gambling addiction.

Rose spent his first three years 1984-85-86 as a player/manager. Over all in six years he compiled 412 wins 373 loses for an acceptable .525% winning percentage in 786 games.

Answer: He was traded by the Washington Senators

Bucky Harris was called "The Boy Wonder" because he was appointed manager of the Washington Senators in 1924 at 27 years of age, youngest manager ever at that time. In his first year he won the American League Pennant and the World Series and Pennant again in 1925. His record declined and he was traded to Detroit in 1929 to become Detroit's player/manager. Washington received Jack Warner, an mediocre infielder, that they promptly sent to minor league Toledo, then traded to Brooklyn.

Always regarded as having an outstanding baseball mind, he was often saddled with less than class A talent. He spent 18 years in Washington, 7 in Detroit, and one-year stop-overs in Boston and Philadelphia and finally landed with the New York Yankees in 1947 where he won the Pennant and the World Series. In 1948 the Yankees won 94 games but finished third.

Harris had a lifetime batting average of .278 and played primarily second base. He was a slick fielder and a fair base runner. Often late in the season he would insert himself into the lineup for a cameo appearance.

Answer: New York Giants

During his 31 years with the Giants (1902-1932), he led the franchise to 10 National League Pennants and 3 World Series wins. His winning percentage was a remarkable .591 over that time. He was direct and candid with his teams and earned the title of "Little Napoleon". His record of 2669 wins (he retired in 1932) was broken by Connie Mack, who ended his managerial career in 1950 with 3731 wins. He had the dubious record of 132 rejects from the game, broken decades later by Bobby Cox in 2007.

If he had never become a manager, his place in the Baseball Hall of Fame was secured by his play (he was inducted in 1937). He had a lifetime batting average of .334. In the years 1899 to 1901 his on-base was remarkable--over 50%.

Answer: Farrell fired Stallings and hired Chase as manager

There probably was never a major league player and manager that was more corrupt than Hal Chase. Manager of the Highlanders was ideal for him as Frank Farrell ran the biggest illegal gambling operation in New York; his partner, Big Bill Devery, Tammany Hall functionary, was a corrupt police captain.

Those who saw Chase field say that he was the slickest fielding first baseman they had ever seen. But if you look at the record Chase committed an inordinate amount of errors, lending some credence to his alleged throwing of games. His lifetime batting average was .291 and he hit .339 in 1916.

In his two years as manager of the Highlanders, he had a .518 winning record. He was arrogant and was generally disliked by players either as a manager or teammate. In 1913 Manager Frank Chance said that Chase was "throwing him down and the team" and traded him to the White Sox where Christy Matheson came to the same conclusion. He died in 1947, alone and forgotten, in a small cabin on his brother-in-law's ranch.

Rumors persist that he was a shadowy figure behind the Black Sox scandal and attempted to blackmail celebrities. An attempt to ban him from baseball failed as key figures were unable to testify.

Answer: Frank Robinson -- Cleveland Indians

Frank Robinson played 21 years in the major leagues and was the first player to win the Most Valuable Player award in both leagues, Cincinnati in 1961 and Baltimore in 1966. He was traded a number of times and was known for his outspokenness on issues. In 1982 at his acceptance speech at the Baseball Hall of Fame he said: "I don't see anyone playing in the major leagues today who combines both the talent and the intensity that I had". He also claimed that a 'brush back pitch' made him a better ball player.

In his sixteen years as a manager, his teams finished above .500 five times. When he left managing, he became an executive for major league baseball serving in several capacities. In 2015 he became senior adviser to the Commissioner and honorary president of the American League.

Answer: Don Wakamatsu

Wakamatzu was born in Oregon in 1963. He had an undistinguished career as a bull pen catcher for the 1991 White Sox, appearing in 18 games with 31 at-bats with 7 hits, all singles. However, he turned to coaching and managing and was appointed manager of the Seattle Mariners in 2009. He was fired in August 2010 as Seattle was headed for its worst season ever, losing 101 games. Given his baseball acumen, he was sought as a bench coach. He was the bench coach for the major league champion Kansas City Royals in 2015.

His father was Japanese-American who was born in one of the camps set up for the Japanese at the beginning of World War Two. His mother was Irish-American and Don is a fourth-generation Japanese-American. In high school he played three sports (his football teammate was Jack Del Rio). In college he turned to baseball at Arizona State and was All Pacific Coast Conference catcher (two of his teammates were Barry Bonds and Alvin Davis).

Answer: Joe McCarthy

The winning percentage of .615 is particularly impressive when the nearest lifetime record was Billy Southworth's .597. (only managers with a thousand wins were considered).

Disclaimers point to the talent the Yankees possessed but McCarthy had a .579 with the Cubs and won a pennant in 1929. Three years with the Red Sox, he achieved a .606 mark. Critics also point out during World War Two the talent was depleted but so were the Yankees.

With baseball expansion, free agency, newer ballparks, and competition, it may be a record that might stand for sometime. For instance, successful managers of the modern era: Tony La Russa, .536; Bobby Cox, .556; Joe Torre, .538.

McCarthy appeared in only a few games in two seasons, one with the Yankees and one with the Cardinals as a catcher hitting .243. He wore a baseball uniform as required but did not have a number. He sent one of his coaches out to remove a pitcher. He was much more likely to enter the field for an interpretation of the rules than he was to protest a call.

If you wanted to play for Joe McCarthy, you had to follow his rules:

Nobody ever became a ballplayer by walking after a ball.

You will never become a .300 hitter unless you take the bat off your shoulder.

An outfielder who throws in back of a runner is locking the barn after the horse is stolen.

Keep your head up and you may not have to keep it down.

When you start to slide, SLIDE. He who changes his mind may have to change a good leg for a bad one.

Do not alibi on bad hops. Anyone can field the good ones.

Always run them out. You never can tell.

Do not quit.

Try not to find too much fault with the umpires. You cannot expect them to be as perfect as you are.

A pitcher who hasn't control hasn't anything.