Major League Baseball Coaches

[tnfoto]

Originally Posted by DeweyintheHall

...anything of Ed Ott with the Astros?

1991, 1992 and 1993 Astros, respectively.

[tnfoto]

Originally Posted by DeweyintheHall

The sources I use most frequently to identify coachs and their assignments (1st base, bullpen, etc.) are the Baseball Cube, Retrosheet and BR Bullpen. I am seeing more conflicts between the data provided by the BR Bullpen and the Baseball Cube in particular.

Any idea which source tends to be the most reliable??

Thanks

The information in Bullpen is not always as reliable as the others. I'd go with Retrosheet first, Cube second, then Bullpen.

[DeweyintheHall]

Anything of Deron Johnson during either of his two stints as an Angels' coach?

Thanks!

[tnfoto]

Originally Posted by DeweyintheHall

Anything of Deron Johnson during either of his two stints as an Angels' coach?

Thanks!

Here he is with the Angels in 1979.

[DeweyintheHall]

Looking for something of Paepke as an Angels coach - I know there is a TV image of him elsewhere in this thread - I'm curious to see whether anyone has anything of him unsullied by a watermark.

Thanks!

[tnfoto]

Originally Posted by DeweyintheHall

Looking for something of Paepke as an Angels coach - I know there is a TV image of him elsewhere in this thread - I'm curious to see whether anyone has anything of him unsullied by a watermark.

Thanks!

Here he is with the California Angels.

[DeweyintheHall]

Trying to figure the coaching situation for the Buccos in 1974. Been looking through Newspapers.com and coming up with disparate reportin. Pretty sure Bob Skinner coached at 3rd. At first, various reports show Jose Pagan or Don Leppert and with the pitchers, its either Leppert or Osborne.

Any help?

P.S. I know this has nothing to do with images, but I figure someone here as this expertise.

[rlumpkin1@tampabay.rr.com]

Any photos of Wes Stock in a Pilot uni?

[DeweyintheHall]

.

[DeweyintheHall]

Looking for anything of these former A's players during their time as A's coaches:
Danny Murphy
Al Simmons
Charlie Berry
Dave Keefe

Also, anything of Kid Gleason during his coaching stint in Philly

Thanks!

[tnfoto]

Originally Posted by rlumpkin1@tampabay.rr.com

Any photos of Wes Stock in a Pilot uni?

It's pretty rough, but here is Stock, from the Pilots/Brewers team photo published in the 05-Apr-1970 Milwaukee Journal.

[tnfoto]

Originally Posted by DeweyintheHall

Looking for anything of these former A's players during their time as A's coaches:
Danny Murphy
Al Simmons
Charlie Berry
Dave Keefe

Also, anything of Kid Gleason during his coaching stint in Philly

Thanks!

Here are Murphy (1924), Simmons (ca. 1945-49), Berry (ca. 1936-40), Keefe (ca. 1945-50) & Gleason (1926).

[Home Free]

(A brief history courtesy Wikipedia. Bios to follow.)

After the 1960 season, Wrigley went to backup catcher and coach El Tappe for his input on a successor to Lou Boudreau, who had managed the Cubs from May 5 through the end of the campaign.[1] Tappe said years later that he suggested Wrigley not allow the incoming manager to bring in his own coaches, as was standard practice. Rather, he suggested Wrigley bring in eight veterans from the Cubs organization as coaches—four for the minors and four for the Cubs. Tappe believed that if the coaches remained the same during inevitable managerial changes, the franchise would still have some consistency. Wrigley liked this idea, but added a twist—one of the coaches should also fill the manager's role.

The Cubs officially rolled out the College of Coaches during 1961 spring training. The original "faculty" included Tappe, Charlie Grimm, Goldie Holt, Bobby Adams, Harry Craft, Verlon ""Rube" Walker, Ripper Collins and Vedie Himsl. Each coach would serve as "head coach" for part of the season. The original concept called for the eight coaches to rotate through the entire organization from the low minors all the way to the Cubs, ensuring a standard system of play. Additionally, Wrigley argued that it would be better for the players to be exposed to the wisdom and experience of eight men rather than just one.

However, there was no discernible pattern in the coaching rotation. The head coach position rotated among four different men in 1961 and three more in 1962. Occasionally the various coaches were at odds with each other. Each coach brought a different playing style and a different lineup. Additionally, according to relief pitcher Don Elston, the other coaches didn't bother to help the "head coach", leaving whoever was in charge to fend for himself. Without firm and consistent leadership, chaos reigned in the Cubs' dugout.

Under the circumstances, the result was predictable. In 1961, the Cubs finished with a 64–90 record, seventh in the eight-team National League, which was actually a slight improvement over the previous year. The 1962 season brought the worst record in Cubs history, as they finished 59–103, in ninth place in the expanded NL; only the first-year New York Mets, who lost 120 games, finished lower.

[Home Free]

Elvin "El" Tappe (1927-1998): A catcher by trade and an Illinois native, Tappe was entrusted by Cubs owner Philip K. Wrigley to create the College of Coaches. A Cub lifer, he broke in with the team in 1954 at the rather advanced age of 27, became a coach in 1958 but would keep the gear handy even through the horrid 1962 season, when at age 35 he started 21 games behind the plate and played errorless ball.
Record as "head manager": 46-70



Avitus "Vedie" Himsl (1917-2004): A minor league pitcher from 1938-46 with three years interrupted by World War II, Himsl (a Cubs coach sicne 1960) proved to be a principal "head manager" for the Cubs in 1961. He'd had three years managing at that point (1950-51, 57). Dividing his season between Chicago and Wenatchee of the Northwest League (as were three of the other coaches), he had a 10-21 record in Chicago. His only other time as a skipper was 1964, when he guided the Cubs' PCL team to 98 losses.
HImsl had moved up to Cubs Director of Scouting when he retired in 985.



Harry Craft (1915-1995). The veteran skioper, it would have been likely that Craft be considered Head manager in 1961 -- but was only designated as such for 16 games (7-9). He likely agreed; he was on the move in 1962 to become sole manager of the expansion Houston Colt 45s. He'd enjoy six seasons as a good-field, no-hit MLB outfielder for the Reds, reaching the World Series in 1940. In August of '42, he was dealt to the Yankees -- where he remained in AAA through 1948. His major league managerial stint was 1957-59 with the Athletics, finishing seventh each season. After his Cubs; College days, he managed the Colts for two years and scouted for the Orioles until he retired in 1991.



Lou Klein (1918-1976): Klein was called on to manage only 11 times '61 season, but would be called on again in 1962 and 1965 and would amass a career record of 65-82. A New Orleans native, he was a top rookie for the Cardinals in 1943, but never duplicated that year as the war effort got him in 1944 and in 1946 was among those blackballed for jumping to the Mexican League. He returned to the majors briefly in 1951 and played in the minors through '58, but began working as a player-manager in the Cubs' system in 1955. He was a member of the Cubs coaching staff for part of the 1960 season before joining the "college." He was the last official "head manager" finishing up the 1965 season, then going on to scout for the Cubs until his sudden death from a stroke at age 57.

[Home Free]

The oft-forgotten members of the Cubs College of Coaches were those who never got a turn as being "head manager."



Bobby Adams (1921-1997) was a talented infielder for the Reds for a decade, and a useful utility man for the Cubs in his final two seasons as a player (1957-58). He was released after playing in just three games in 1959. He became a coach in 1960 and was part of the "College" all four years. He moved into the front office of the Cubs' AAA club for six years, then returned to the majors as a coach in 1973 before retiring.



Dick Cole (1926-2018). The outsider. He played six seasons in the majors, mostly with Pittsburgh, got a late moment in the sun with a small role for the World Champion Braves in 1957. He played another 12 seasons in the minors, retiring as a player in 1959. He was part of the Cubs staff in 1961, but also spent much of the year in the low minors, where among other things he taught young outfielder Lou Brock how to bunt. In 1962, the Mets hired Cole to manager their NY-P club.



James "Ripper" Collins (1904-1970) was the graybeard of the College of Coaches, having already retired from the game to enter the retail world. But the Cubs hired him to be a roving minor league instructor (he had a nine-year MLB career and once led the NL in homers), then moved up to the big league coaching staff in 1961. During the season, he was moved to Class AA San Antonio to manage them. He was scouting for the Cardinals in 1969, he suffered a series of heart attacks, the last being fatal.



Charlie "Jolly Cholly" Grimm (1898-1993) managed the Cubs in 1960 -- his third stint after overseeing games from 1932-38 (32-36 as player/manager) and 1944-49. He also helped build the mid-50s Braves, being fired early in 1956. He was manager early in the 1960 season, but the Cubs swapped him with play-by-play man Lou Boudreau. But he was brought out of the radio booth and restored to the coach staff from 1961-63. He then moved to the front office until 1981, two years before his death in 1983.

[Home Free]

A total of 11 men were officially part of the Chicago Cubs' "College of Coaches" in 1961. Oft-fogotten were the coaches who did not take a turn as "head manager" during the season.



Golden "Goldie" Holt (1902-1991) was a minor league infielder for 23 seasons between 1924-47, an active player until age 45. He was on the Pirates' coaching staff from 1948-50. The Cubs brought him to the MLB staff from, 1961-65, then went on to the Dodgers as a scout from 69-73, where he had time to teach Charlie Hough the knuckleball.



Freddie Martin (1915-1979) pitched for the Cardinals for three seasons (1946, 49-50, compiling a nifty 12-3 record, including being suspended for two years for jumping to the Mexican League), but spent 17 seasons pitching in the minors -- including two games in 1960, at age 45. He was not in Cubs uniform much of the 1961 season, as he was the principal manager at AAA Houston. But he was listed as a coach from 1961-65, then returned to player development as a minor league pitching instructor until 1978 -- during which time he taught Bruce Sutter the split-finger fastball. White Sox manager Don Kessinger hired Martin to be his pitching coach in 1979, but rapidly advancing cancer forced his departure before the regular season. He passed away in June of 1969.



Verlon "Rube" Walker (1929-1971), best known as Al "Rube" Walker's brother, never rose about AA as a player, toiling in the minors from 1948-59. But the Cubs latched on to him as a manager in their system from, 1957-60, when he was promoted to the "College of Coaches." He was there for the full team 1961-65, then became Leo Durocher's bullpen coach in 1966, He battled leukemia during this time. and was in remission for a time, but was stricken shortly after being promoted to Cubs MLB pitching coach for the 1971 season. He passed away in March of 1971 at age 47.

[Cusick]

Attached is a wire photo of the College of Coaches as it stood in February of 1961. In comparison to what Home Free posted, this photo includes John Fitzpatrick and Joe Macko, and excludes Lou Klein and Dick Cole.

John Fitzpatrick never coached for the Cubs. He did manage the Cubs' Class D minor league affiliate in the Appalachian League in 1961. Joe Macko managed the Cubs in 1964 as a member of the College of Coaches.

Lou Klein had been a Cubs coach in 1960 and continued in that role in 1961, so I have no idea why he was missing from this photo. Dick Cole did not appear as a Cubs coach until August of 1961. He finished the year with them.

[rlumpkin1@tampabay.rr.com]

Marcel Lachemann Florida Marlins

[tnfoto]

Originally Posted by rlumpkin1@tampabay.rr.com

Marcel Lachemann Florida Marlins

I'm not sure if that was a request? If so, here is an option from 1994.

[rlumpkin1@tampabay.rr.com]

Looking for these spring training coaches of the Houston Astros in the rainbow uniforms 1978. 1. Bob Cluck 2. Jimmy Johnson 3.Jim Beauchamp & 4. Julio Li ares.Thanks to any response.