The Brooklyn Dodgers Trade Casey Stengel, January 2, 1918!

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The Brooklyn Dodgers Trade Casey Stengel, January 2, 1918!

“I never saw a man who juggled his lineup so much and who played so many hunches so successfully.” –Connie Mack, speaking of Casey Stengel

One hundred one years ago today, there was a trade of future Hall-of-Famers: The Brooklyn Dodgers sent Casey Stengel to the Pirates in exchange for pitcher Burleigh Grimes. You’d have to say the Dodgers got the better end of this deal, as Grimes went on to a Hall-of-Fame career as a pitcher; Stengel’s Hall-of-Fame credentials came later when he became arguably the most successful manager of all time.

 Check out the featured photo from Casey’s playing days with the Dodgers. I selected this one just to dispel the rumors that Casey was born old!

Before I say a few words about Casey’s career, how about a few choice “Stengelisms” to start us off?

•  “Sure I played, did you think I was born at the age of 70 sitting in a dugout trying to manage guys like you?”
• “The key to being a good manager is keeping the people who hate me away from those who are still undecided.”
• “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.”

Stengel was known for his colorful personality and on-field antics, and was always friendly to the media and photographers. He was a master promoter and became as much of a public figure as many of his star players. His legendary “stream-of-consciousness” monologues on baseball tactics became known as “Stengelese.”

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Before his managerial days, Casey played 14 seasons in the majors (1912-1925) for the Dodgers, Pirates, Phillies, Giants, and Braves. Over his career, he hit .284, with 60 home runs, 535 RBIs, and a .356 on-base percentage. His OPS+ of 120 places him well above average among his baseball contemporaries (100 being the major league average). In 12 post-season games, he hit .393 with two home runs, four RBIs, and a remarkable .469 on-base percentage. His most memorable moment as a player was probably hitting an inside-the park-home run for the Giants to win Game One of the 1923 World Series.

We’re all aware of the success the great Hall-of-Fame manager Casey Stengel had with the Yankees from 1949-1960. The “Old Perfessor” went 1149-696 (.623), won ten pennants, and seven World Series championships, including a record five consecutive championships from 1949 – 1953.

As manager of the Yankees, Stengel was actually ahead of the times, and gained a reputation as a sharp, innovative tactician. He was known to freely platoon left and right-handed hitters, a strategy which had largely fallen out of favor in the late 1940s. Casey was not hesitate to bring in situational pitchers or to pinch-hit for his starting pitcher in early innings if he felt the situation warranted, and putting in good hitters in the early innings and replacing them for better fielders later. All these tactics are commonplace today.

Casey’s career as a manager wasn’t always so successful. Few baseball fans are aware of 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 Braves. Over these nine seasons, he finished 5th twice, 6th twice, and 7th five times. Considering all these miserable years, it’s amazing he finished with a 1905-1842 (.508) managerial record.

Casey’s uniform #37 has been retired by both the Yankees and the Mets. The Yankees dedicated a plaque to Casey in Yankee Stadium’s Monument Park on July 30, 1976.  He’s the only ball player 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.

In addition to his election to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966, he was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 1981. Stengel is 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.

Gary Livacari 

Photo Credits: All from Google search

Information: Excerpts edited from Casey Stengel Wikipedia page. Statistics from Baseball-Reference.com

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