George Weiss (baseball)
George Weiss | |
---|---|
Born: New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. | June 23, 1894|
Died: August 13, 1972 Greenwich, Connecticut, U.S. | (aged 78)|
Baseball Hall of Fame | |
Induction | 1971 |
Election method | Veterans Committee |
George Martin Weiss (June 23, 1894 – August 13, 1972) was an American
Working as the head of the Yankees' player-development system from 1932 to 1947, he established it as one of the two best in the game,[1] helping the "Bronx Bombers" win nine American League (AL) pennants and eight World Series championships over 16 seasons. Then, during Weiss' 13 full years as the Yankees' general manager from October 1947 to October 1960, the team won ten AL pennants and seven more World Series titles, compiling a regular-season winning percentage of .622 (1,243–756). He later became the first club president of the New York Mets from 1961 to 1966 after that expansion franchise was formed.
Early life and career
Weiss was born in
New York Yankees
Farm system director
In
Weiss was retained and named a club vice president by the Yankees' new ownership triumvirate, Larry MacPhail, Dan Topping and Del Webb, when they purchased the team in early 1945. He then served under the new owners for three full seasons, as World War II ended and baseball entered a postwar boom.
As both club president and general manager, MacPhail was the dominant figure in the Yankees' postwar hierarchy. On October 6, 1947, hours after the Yankees won the seventh and deciding game of the 1947 World Series, MacPhail—a notorious drinker with a combustible temper[5]—unexpectedly announced his resignation from both front-office posts during the victory festivities. In a drunken state, he confronted several officials at the celebration, including both Weiss and Topping. Weiss was sitting at a banquet table with his wife when MacPhail loudly and abruptly fired him as the Yankees' farm system director. Topping, upon being berated by MacPhail, grabbed him, escorted him to a nearby room, and calmed him down, while Webb, who had witnessed MacPhail's tantrum, assured Weiss he would remain with the team. The outburst ended MacPhail's baseball career. The next day, October 7, Topping and Webb bought out his one-third share in the Yankees, and promoted Weiss to vice president and general manager.[5]
General manager
Although Topping succeeded MacPhail as club president, for all intents and purposes, Weiss became the operating head of the franchise; Topping and Webb largely left day-to-day operations in Weiss's hands. In his first major trade as general manager, in February 1948, he acquired
The Yankee farm system produced two more Hall of Famers early in Weiss's GM tenure,
He responded by acquiring
New York Mets
Weiss and Stengel both ended up with the
The on-field results were historically poor. The
In his five seasons as general manager, the Mets escaped last place in the National League only in Weiss's last year. They compiled a composite record of 260–547 (.322). He retired at age 72 on November 14, 1966, and was succeeded by former Cardinal GM Bing Devine. But despite their poor play, the Mets established a dedicated fan base from their first season in existence, and when they left the dilapidated Polo Grounds for their new home, Shea Stadium, in 1964 they outdrew the pennant-winning Yankees, 1.73 to 1.3 million fans. They would dominate New York baseball attendance until 1976, when their American League rivals moved into a renovated Yankee Stadium and won the pennant.
Later life and legacy
Weiss was named
Weiss died in Greenwich, Connecticut, at age 78 in 1972. Stengel lamented his death, saying, "George's death is a tough thing on baseball. He was successful and great and capable in every way, shape and form. He wasn't a terrific mixer but George sure knew how to pick men. Why, you can't stay in baseball that long by pulling players out of an icebox."[9] Yogi Berra said that Weiss could be difficult to deal with, but he praised the emotion that Weiss brought to the game as well as his understanding of the importance of scouting.[9] He was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 1982.
With the debut of
Conflicting opinions have since been expressed about the reasons behind the Yankees' relative tardiness in integrating their playing roster. In their 2016 book, George Weiss: Architect of the Golden Age Yankees, authors Burton A. and Benita W. Boxerman devote a full chapter to the issue and explore some of the motivations that have been attributed to Weiss, both during and after his career.[11] They write:
Even though the delay in integrating the Yankees was likely a combination of factors including financial success, outstanding performance, unproductive scouts, and possibly the owners' bias against Negroes, it was Weiss, the chief decision-maker in the system, who was held responsible for the lack of a black Yankee. Did deep personal bigotries drive his decisions to delay integrating the Yankees as long as he could? Writers such as Roger Kahn and David Halberstam called him vicious and unable to empathize with any players, especially Negroes. It seemed a much more probable scenario that Weiss's true reason ... was pretty much what he declared when he was asked point-blank why there were no black Yankees: namely, that he was determined to choose a black player who would fit the "Yankee mould."[11]
On a contrary note, Steve Goldman, writing in the
... clung to the excuse of so many clubs: We're not going to promote just anyone to the majors because they happen to be black; we're holding out for someone special ... By that standard, of course, only the black Babe Ruth or Lou Gehrig was going to get the call.[12]
References
- ^ "No More B'rer Rabbit Ball: Even Baseball Struggles in 1930s". encyclopedia.com. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
The New York Yankees, however, were the dominant team of the decade …Their excellent farm system meant that the Yankees ended the decade in all-conquering form
- ^ The New York Times, Aug. 14, 1972
- ^ Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition. Durham, N.C.: Baseball America, 2007
- ^ MiLB,com, The Top 100 Minor League Teams of All Time
- ^ a b Armour, Mark; Leavitt, Daniel R. "1947 Yankees' Ownership". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
- ^ Information at Retrosheet
- ^ Parry, Reggie Jackson The Life and Thunderous Career of Baseball's Mr. October, Harper Collins, 2010, p 24.
- ^ "Seven old timers named to Baseball Hall of Fame". The Morning Record. February 1, 1971. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
- ^ a b "George Weiss dies". The Beaver County Times. August 14, 1972. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
- ^ Barra, Yogi Berra Eternal Yankee, Norton, 2009, p 194.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7864-7253-6.
- ^ Goldman, Steve. "On Jackie Robinson Day, the Yankees Must Answer for Jim Crow Baseball". Pinstripe Alley. SBNation. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
Notes
- Barra, Allen (2009). Yogi Berra Eternal Yankee. Norton. ISBN 978-039-3-06-2335.
- Perry, Dayn (2010). Reggie Jackson The Life and Thunderous Career of Baseball's Mr. October. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-156238-9.