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RIP: Hank Bauer
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Author:  Wabberjocky [ Fri Feb 09, 2007 6:23 pm ]
Post subject:  RIP: Hank Bauer

NEW YORK (AP) — Hank Bauer, the hard-nosed ex-Marine who returned to baseball after being wounded during World War II and went on to become a cornerstone of the New York Yankees dynasty of the 1950s, died Friday. He was 84.

Bauer died of cancer in Shawnee Mission, Kan., said the Baltimore Orioles. Bauer managed the 1966 Orioles to their first World Series title.

A three-time All-Star outfielder, Bauer played on Yankees teams that won nine American League pennants and seven World Series in 10 years. He set the Series record with a 17-game hitting streak, a mark that still stands.

“Hank Bauer is an emblem of a generation that helped shape the landscape of our country,” Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said in a statement. “He was a natural leader and a teammate in every sense of the word, and his contributions went well beyond the baseball field. His service to the Yankees, his country, and his family shows why I have been so privileged to call him a friend.”

Surrounded by sluggers such as Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra, Bauer was a major ingredient in the Yankees’ success during his years in New York from 1948-59.

“I am truly heartbroken,” Berra said in a statement issued by the Yankees. “Hank was a wonderful teammate and friend for so long. Nobody was more dedicated and proud to be a Yankee, he gave you everything he had.”

Bauer played his last two seasons with the Kansas City Athletics, a team he managed in 1961-62. He also managed Baltimore from 1964-68 and the Athletics again in Oakland in 1969.

“He played on some of the greatest teams that ever played and brought the Orioles their first World Series title. That’s saying something. He was a players’ manager. He didn’t overcomplicate things,” Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer said.

Author:  Wayne Countryman [ Tue Feb 13, 2007 2:30 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: RIP: Hank Bauer

Wabberjocky wrote:
"He played on some of the greatest teams that ever played and brought the Orioles their first World Series title. That’s saying something. He was a players’ manager. He didn’t overcomplicate things,” Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer said.


Bauer was truly an old-time Baltimore kind of guy. Can't imagine him sitting on the bench checking a laptop, wondering whether to pinch-hit a guy who hits .278 at night against a righthanded sinkerballer while the starter hits only .273. Bauer spent good seasons being platooned by Casey Stengel, one of the original string-pullers.

Palmer's nemesis, Earl Weaver, probably went into a tirade when he read Palmer's comment. They still get on each other's nerves, although Palmer has toned down his shots.

Author:  Wabberjocky [ Tue Feb 13, 2007 4:18 pm ]
Post subject: 

Then again, nobody consulted a laptop in those days, so Bauer was managing on a (more or less) level playing field. These days, Bauer would have to adapt ... or his teams would win 40 games a year. If that.

Author:  Wayne Countryman [ Tue Feb 13, 2007 5:40 pm ]
Post subject: 

Perhaps. Managers have to work with what they're given, and in the long run statistics--used wisely--might beat dim hunches.

But I'd take Bauer's 1966 pitching staff, Frank Robinson and the rest of that well-coached team over any laptop.

Baltimorons weep at how "The Oriole Way" of training young players to play the game intelligently has faded. Depending on free agency and gutted farm systems has hurt the game.

Laptops have been useful in rethinking use of "The Book" and for keeping track of the tendencies of the huge number of MLB players. But too often it seems as if today's managers have become addicted to their laptops; sure, a pitcher might have great stats against a batter, but if his arm is stiff or he's tired or the umpire isn't giving him his best pitches, then the manager should rely on his eyes and brain as well as the pixels. Some don't; when they fail, they can blame the stats.

Veering further off target:
One obvious but underused purpose for charts is positioning of fielders. It's amazing that even with coaches to wave at them between at-bats, players still set up out of position as often as they do.

Sorry about the off-point rant. I'm looking at snow instead of the start of spring training.

Author:  Wabberjocky [ Tue Feb 13, 2007 9:01 pm ]
Post subject: 

Well, there's no question that Peter Angelos is one of the biggest doofuses in the game. And the O's had a horrible offseason, wildly overpaying for mediocrities like Danys Baez. Top to bottom, it's a thoroughly incompetent organization.

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