New York Yankees: Who Remembers “The Ole Perfessor” Casey Stengel?
In a career spanning time with the New York Yankees, Mets, and Giants, Casey Stengel left his mark on New York City and all of baseball.
For more than fifty years in baseball, Casey Stengel was larger than the game itself. He transcended and even changed the sport as player and manager. Along the way, he created his own language that was affectionately known by the reporters and fans of his time as “Stengelese.”
Beware of anyone who bought into the common refrain “he’s a clown” personification of Stengel because as Sparky Anderson said “Casey (Stengel) knew his baseball. He only made it look like he was fooling around.
Stengel was born in 1890 in Kansas City, Missouri. The son of an insurance salesman, he had enough time to hone his skills as a ballplayer. He would have a place in the majors for thirteen years.
When asked about his strategy as a manager, Casey deadpanned, “Keep the five guys who hate you away from the five guys who are undecided.”
He was a bonafide outfielder who compiled a career .284 batting average with some pop in his bat. He hit two home runs in the 1923 World Series, one of which was an inside the park home run in the ninth inning that won the game for the New York Giants against the Yankees.
His antics drew more interest during the same World Series that nearly caused a riot at Yankee Stadium. Following his home run to win Game 3, he created a ruckus by blowing kisses to the Yankee Stadium crowd and thumbing his nose at the opposing bench as he rounded the bases.
Commissioner Kenesaw Landis was at the game and fined Stengel for his antics. The Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert was furious and demanded a suspension, but Landis replied, “Casey Stengel just can’t help being Casey Stengel.” It was his last hurrah as a Giant. One month later, he was traded to the Boston Braves.
More than likely, the reason for the trade had more to do with his steadfastness as a negotiator at contract time. More than once, he staged his own version of a “holdout”, winning the contest with management and arriving a few days before camp and heading north for opening day.
On the field, the legend continued to take form. During a Sunday game, Stengel was having a rough time—he struck out twice and missed a long fly ball that allowed three runs to score. The crowd let him have it.
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On his way to the bench at the end of the sixth inning, he saw an old friend in the bullpen holding a sparrow. Stengel placed the bird in his cap. When he came to bat at the top of the seventh inning, he acknowledged the crowd’s boos by tipping his cap and releasing the sparrow. Even the plate umpire laughed.
Without a doubt, it was his tenure as a manager that earned him election into the Hall Of Fame in 1969. However, when you consider that his lifetime winning percentage as a manager was only .508, again the sheer force of his nature and personality trumped everything.
Some have claimed that a parakeet could have managed those great Yankees teams in the 1950s. And while there may be some truth to this, Stengel isn’t given enough credit for molding the talent into a “team” that outperformed others year after year. Just reigning in Joe DiMaggio’s ego and prima donna nature was challenging enough, but he also nursed Mickey Mantle’s career along. He encouraged Mantle to move from shortstop to center field.
Perhaps he said it best himself, when asked to divulge his managerial strategy, Stengel deadpanned, “Keep the five guys who hate you away from the five who are undecided.” Moreover, he also popularized the strategy of the “platoon” of players keeping his hoard of talent fresh and involved in the winning that would come to the Yankees during the entire 50’s decade.
His status reached a new level when he was named manager of the newly enfranchised New York Mets in 1962. Clearly in the twilight of his career and encumbered with minor league talent, Stengel managed to do what he always did best. He owned the spotlight, which redirected eyes from the disaster on the field. He garnered focus with his endearing manner and labeled his team as overachievers, “The Amazing Mets”.
Ever the entertainer, always a fan favorite, underestimated as both a player and manager, Stengel holds a special place in the lore of our national pastime.
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