Fred Claire
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Fred Claire | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 5, 1935 Jamestown, Ohio, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | San Jose State University El Camino College |
| Occupation | Vice-President/General Manager |
| Years active | 1987-1998 |
| Employer | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| Predecessor | Al Campanis |
| Successor | Tommy Lasorda |
| Spouse | Sheryl Claire |
Fred Claire (born October 5, 1935) is an American former
Early life
Claire was born on October 5, 1935, in Jamestown, Ohio. His father owned and operated a drugstore. Claire has one brother and a sister. In 1950, Marston and Mary Francis Claire moved their family to Torrance, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. Fred graduated from Torrance High School, then obtained his bachelor's degree in journalism from San Jose State University. He holds an Associate of Arts degree from Mt. San Antonio College and has been honored by the college as an outstanding alumnus. He also attended El Camino College, located in Torrance. While at El Camino, he had a paper published in Baseball Magazine called "Make Way for the Coast League" which discussed baseball on the west coast and turning the Pacific Coast League into a Major League.[1]
Throughout the late 1950s and 1960s, Claire worked as a sports editor/sports writer for the
Dodgers Public Relations executive
In the spring of 1969, Claire was assigned to cover the Dodgers during
Dodgers general manager
On April 6, 1987, Dodgers General Manager
Dodgers president
His later moves were not as successful. On November 8, 1990, the Dodgers gave free agent outfielder Darryl Strawberry a five-year contract worth $20 million. At the time it looked like a good deal. Strawberry hit 37 home runs with a .277 batting average in 1989 for the New York Mets. However, Strawberry's time with the Dodgers was characterized by chronic back problems, drug abuse and overall underachievement.
The following year, on November 27, 1991, Claire traded pitchers Tim Belcher and John Wetteland to the Cincinnati Reds for outfielder Eric Davis and pitcher Kip Gross. It was supposed to set up a reunion of childhood friends Strawberry and Davis. However, Davis was also plagued by injuries throughout his less than 2-year stint with the Dodgers. He was traded to the Detroit Tigers in August 1993. Wetteland, was traded from the Reds to the Montreal Expos less than a month after he had joined the Reds. Wetteland went on to become one of the most dominating relief pitchers in MLB throughout the rest of the 1990s. Darryl Strawberry was given his outright release on May 26, 1994, after he failed to show up to a game.
The transaction even Claire would later regret occurred in 1994. In need of a
FOX takeover/Claire's removal
Claire continued as the Dodger general manager through the 1997 season. When
References
- ^ Claire, Fred (July 1955). "Make Way for the Coast League" (PDF). Baseball Magazine. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
- ^ ISBN 1-58261-732-5.
- ^ "Campanis' remarks cost him job with Dodgers". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. 9 April 1987. p. C3. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
- ^ Weinbaum, Wiloiam (April 1, 2012). "The legacy of Al Campanis". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 16, 2015.