The Southpaw

So Long, Bowie Kuhn

Bowie Kuhn, who as the fifth commissioner of baseball oversaw the game from 1969 to 1984 -- an extraordinary era -- died Thursday at the age of 80.

I'm not inclined to say too many nice things about Kuhn. He should get some credit for keeping baseball alive and thriving through the tumultuous transition to free agency. He should also get enormous discredit for ordering the Braves to play Hank Aaron in Cincinnati at the start of the 1974 season, where he tied Babe Ruth's home run record. Conveniently, Kuhn was there for Opening Day, and saw the tying homer. But Kuhn wasn't in Atlanta on April 8 when Aaron broke the record. Instead, he sent Monte Irvin as his emissary. Kuhn was in Cleveland during the historic moment.

To remember Kuhn, I'll leave you with a few quotes, courtesy of collections compiled by Paul Dickson and David H. Nathan.

• "We're not really seeing into the bowels of the minds of the parties across the table." --Kuhn explaining why a strike couldn't be avoided in 1994.


• "Bowie Kuhn is the best commissioner in baseball today." -- Jim Bouton, Atlanta Braves, 1978.


• "If I hear him say just once more he's doing something for the betterment of baseball, I'm going to throw up." -- Reds manager Sparky Anderson, 1978.


• "We've got a commissioner who doesn't represent both sides. He doesn't even know who's playing the game. I've been introduced to him eight or nine times over the years and every time he says, 'Nice to meet you.'" -- Rangers third baseman Buddy Bell, 1978.


• "I have often called Bowie Kuhn the village idiot. I apologize to the village idiots of America. He's the nation's idiot." -- A's owner Charlie Finley, 1980.

Walter O'Malley

The official web site of Walter O'Malley is extraordinary in it's depth and scope. It's more than just a monument to the man who brought the Dodgers to L.A.; it's also a history of the team, with all kinds of nifty multimedia. It includes a flash presentation on the 1950s Brooklyn Dodgers, a thorough history of the construction of Dodger Stadium in Chavez Ravine, a six-minute biographical film narrated by Vin Scully, lots of primary documents (things like letters from Ty  Cobb and Richard Nixon to O'Malley), a section on the Beatles playing Dodger Stadium in August 1966, and on and on. Terrific stuff. 

Remembering Syd Thrift

MLB.com has a nice package on Syd Thrift, who promoted and directed the Royals' baseball academy:

Claire: Baseball was better with Thrift
Royals remember innovator Syd Thrift
Leyland recalls Thrift: Former GM gave Tigers skipper first big-league chance

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Collier: Thrift went his own way
Cook: Thrift's best days were with Pirates

From the Kansas City Star:
Baseball loses a visionary

Thoughts on Thrift from Baltimore Sun reporter Roch Kubatko

And a brief book review of The Game According to Syd Thrift

Syd Thrift, RIP

As I've written earlier, one of the more ambitious pieces I wrote for ESPN.com was a profile of Leo Mazzone. One of the many baseball men I had the pleasure of speak to was Syd Thrift, who, I discovered from my research, had released Mazzone as a pitcher early in 1976 and then offered him a job managing Corpus Christi in the Class A Lone Star League. It was Mazzone's first job as a manager or coach (he did pitch five games for Corpus Christi in 1976, but only because thought it would help the team win the championship, which it did).

My interview with Thrift, in June 2005, was one I wished had gone on for hours. He'd spent more than a half-century in baseball, and if hadn't done it all, he'd come pretty damn close.

Thrift died Monday night. He was 77.

Because much of my interview ended up on the cutting room floor, including some interesting bits, in honor of Syd, I thought I'd post a lengthier excerpt. I hope you'll find it interesting.