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Tribute to Casey Stengel!

“He could fool you. When Casey wanted to make sense he could do it. But he usually preferred to make you laugh.” — Yogi Berra, speaking of Casey Stengel

This week marked the 55th anniversary of Casey Stengel’s 3,000th game as a manager. On April 24, 1965, his Amazin’ Mets scored three runs in the top of the ninth at Candlestick to beat the Giants 7-6.

So let’s start off our tribute to the “Old Perfessor” with a few of the better-known “Casey-isms’. Here’s one of my favorites:

“I came in here and a fella asked me to have a drink. I said I don’t drink. Then another fella said ‘I hear you and Joe DiMaggio aren’t speaking.’ And I said, ‘I’ll take that drink!’ “

Here’s some other good ones:

• “I’ll never make the mistake of being 70 again!”
• “Sure I played, did you think I was born at the age of 70 sitting in a dugout trying to manage guys like you?”
• “Being with a woman all night never hurt no professional baseball player. It’s staying up all   night looking for a woman that does him in.”
• “They say Yogi Berra is funny. Well, he has a lovely wife and family, a beautiful home, money in the bank, and he plays golf with millionaires. What’s funny about that?”
• “They say some of my stars drink whiskey, but I have found that ones who drink milkshakes   don’t win many ball games.”
• “The Mets have shown me more ways to lose than I even knew existed.”
• “It’s wonderful to meet so many friends that I didn’t used to like.”
• “The key to being a good manager is keeping the people who hate me away from those who are still undecided.” 

Born on July 30, 1890, in Kansas City, Missouri, Charles Dillon Stengel played 14 seasons in the major leagues (1912-1925), for the Brooklyn Robins/Dodgers, Pirates, Phillies, Giants, and Braves. Over his career, he hit .284, with 60 home runs, 535 RBIs, and a highly respectable .356 on-base percentage. His .404 OBP mark in 1914 led the league. After his playing days ended, he managed 3766 games (10th all-time) over 25 seasons, posting a 1905-1842 (.508) record. His 1905 wins rank 12th all-time. As a player and manager, Casey was a member of nine World Series championships.

We’re all aware of the remarkable success Casey had with the Bronx Bombers from 1949-1960, possibly the most successful run in major league history for any manager.  He posted an 1149-696 record (.623), winning ten pennants, and seven World Series championships, including a record five consecutive championships from 1949–1953. In post-season play, all with the Yankees, he went 37-26 (.587) with his 37 wins ranking 7th all-time. 

Baseball historian Bill James said this of Casey’s tenure at the Yankee helm:

“Casey Stengel was not only the most successful manager of the 1950s, he was the most dominant manager of any single decade in baseball history.”

Not as well known is that Casey’s career as a manager wasn’t always so successful. Few baseball fans remember his record before he got to New York – and with good reason! He managed some really miserable teams in the National League, compiling a less-than-stellar 581-741 record (.439) over nine seasons with the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Boston Bees (Braves). Over these nine seasons, he finished 5th twice, 6th twice, and 7th five times.

Hidden behind the veneer of a clown was a sharp, innovative tactician and master motivator. With his unorthodox managing style, he was well ahead of the times.  Unlike many of today’s managers who rigidly obey the dictates of the analytics, Casey followed no “book.” He learned to trust his baseball instincts, honed over more than a half-century in the game. 

Examples abound of Casey defying conventional wisdom. He would freely platoon left and right-handed hitters, a strategy which had largely fallen out of fashion. If he felt the situation was warranted, he would pinch-hit for his starting pitcher in early innings. He was known to move players in and out of the line-up, putting in good hitters in the early innings and replacing them for better fielders later, not afraid to utilize his entire roster. All these tactics are commonplace today. 

Connie Mack once said of him:

“I never saw a man who juggled his lineup so much and who played so many hunches so successfully.”

And this comment from Bill Veeck in 1966, soon after Casey’s retirement:

“He was never necessarily the greatest of managers, but any time he had a ball club that had a chance to win, he’d win.”

Stengel was known for his one-of-a-kind, off-beat personality. He became a New York media favorite, always good for a colorful quote, always willing to pose for a zany photograph. He was a master promoter and became as much of a public figure as many of his star players. Casey appeared on the cover of many national magazines, including Time and Sports Illustrated. His humorous, often-disjointed “stream-of-consciousness” monologues on baseball tactics were legendary and  became known as “Stengelese.”

Stengel is the only man to have worn the uniform (as player or manager) of all four major league baseball teams in New York: the Giants (as a player), Dodgers (as a player and a manager), Yankees (as a manager), and Mets ( as a manager). In 2009, he was named “The Greatest Character of The Game” by the Major League Baseball Network.

Casey’s uniform number 37 has been retired by both the Yankees and the Mets. He’s the first man in major league baseball history to have had his number retired by more than one team based solely upon his managerial accomplishments.The Yankees retired the number on August 8, 1970, and dedicated a plaque in Yankee Stadium’s Monument Park on July 30, 1976. In addition to his election to the Baseball Hall of Fame along with Ted Williams in 1966, he was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 1981. 

Casey Stengel passed away on September 29, 1975, at age 85. The tributes to Casey poured in from those who had known him well. Here’s a small sample: 

“He is gone and I am supposed to cry, but instead I laugh. Every time I saw the man, every time I heard his voice, every time his name was mentioned, the creases in my mouth would give way and a smile would come to my face.” -Sportswriter, Maury Allen

“Don’t shed any tears for Casey. He wouldn’t want you to … He was the happiest man I’ve ever seen.” -Richie Ashburn, member of the 1962 Mets.

“God is certainly getting an earful tonight.” -Sportswriter Jim Murray

So on the occasion of the anniversary of his 3,000th game as a manager, let’s take a moment to shine our baseball spotlight on the colorful Yankee manager, Casey Stengel, one of the game’s greatest managers and one of its most beloved personalities.

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Gary Livacari 

Photo Credits: All from Google search

Information: Excerpts edited from Casey Stengel Wikipedia page

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