(It contains some b/w photos of great moments in early bas...)
It contains some b/w photos of great moments in early baseball. Manager Stanley "Bucky" Harris led the new Washington Americans; (now called the Washington Senators) to victory in what has been called the greatest World Series in the history of the game. Photos include one of President Coolidge presenting the trophy to the author, and the winning play in the last game of the 1924 World Series.
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Bucky Harris was born Stanley Raymond Harris on November 8, 1896 in Port Jervis, New York. He was of Swiss and Welsh descent. His parents were Thomas Harris, a coal miner, and Katherine Rupp. His elder brother, Merle, was a minor league second baseman.
When Harris was five years old, the family moved to Pittston, Pennsylvania.
Harris left school at age 13 to work at a local colliery, the Butler Mine, as an office boy and, later, a weigh master. In his spare time, Harris played basketball for the Pittston YMCA team as well as sandlot baseball.
Harris aspired to become a professional baseball player like his older brother, Merle, who played in the minor leagues. Harris participated in semiprofessional baseball as shortstop with Hamtown (Suburban League) in 1911 and in professional basketball with Pittston in 1916.
Harris, who batted and threw right-handed, started his professional baseball career as a light-hitting, poor-fielding 120-pound third baseman with Muskegon, Michigan (Central League), in 1916 and split the 1917 season with Norfolk, Virginia (Virginia League), and Reading, Pennsylvania (New York State League). His 1918-1919 campaigns were spent as second baseman and shortstop for Buffalo, New York (International League), interrupted by a brief stint in the United States Army during World War I.
The Detroit Tigers, New York Giants, and Philadelphia Athletics scouted Harris, but Washington Senators (American League) manager-owner Clark Griffith signed him for $4, 500 in 1919. The day that Griffith saw him play, Harris was suffering from a broken finger yet made six hits and reached base all eight at-bats in a doubleheader for Buffalo. Harris played regularly at second base for the Senators from 1920 to 1928, batting a careerhigh . 300 in 1920.
From 1921 to 1927 his batting average ranged between . 267 and . 289. A tough competitor, he played outstanding defense in the mold of his idol, Eddie Collins, and formed an effective double-play combination with shortstop Roger Peckinpaugh and first baseman Joe Judge. Harris in 1922 set a major league record for most putouts by a second baseman (479) and led his position in fielding (1927), putouts (1922-1923 and 1926-1927), errors (1923), and double plays (1923, 1925).
In 1924, at the age of twenty-seven, Harris was named player-manager, becoming the youngest manager in major league baseball history. The "Boy Wonder" promptly led Washington, a perennial second-division club, to its first pennant and World Series title. Washington upset the New York Giants in seven games, as Harris batted . 333 with two home runs and handled fifty-four chances defensively. He established records for most putouts and assists by a second baseman in a Series game (eight each) and for a seven-game Series (twenty-six and twenty-eight). The Senators were league champions again in 1925 but lost a seven-game World Series to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Harris remained Washington manager through 1928, guiding the Senators to third-and fourth-place finishes. Washington traded Harris in October 1928 to the Detroit Tigers (American League) for infielder Jack Warner. Harris, who played briefly in 1929 and 1931, batted . 274 lifetime with 1297 hits, 506 runs batted in, and 166 stolen bases in 1, 264 games. Harris piloted five major league clubs in twenty-nine seasons spanning four decades. Only Connie Mack and John McGraw managed more major league seasons. Harris ranks as the third winningest (2159 games) and second losingest (2219) manager in major league history for a . 483 career won-loss percentage. His clubs finished in the second division twenty times, but they always improved in Harris's first season at the helm.
His managerial service included three separate stints with Washington and two with Detroit. Harris managed Detroit to five second-division finishes from 1929 to 1933. Owner Frank Navin wanted Harris to remain another campaign, but Harris resigned; he had, however, built the foundation for the Tigers' pennant-winning clubs of 1934 and 1935. He managed the Boston Red Sox to fourth place in 1934 and piloted Washington from 1935 to 1942. The Senators languished in the second division with poor talent, causing Harris to quit.
Philadelphia Phillies owner Bill Cox hired Harris as manager for the 1943 season, but the pair clashed frequently. Cox fired Harris at mid-season when Harris accidentally learned about Cox's gambling activities. Harris dissuaded Philadelphia players from striking in protest against his departure. In 1944 and 1945 he returned to Buffalo (International League) as bench and general manager. The New York Yankees in 1946 named Harris special assistant liaison between the players and management. In November 1946, Harris reluctantly assumed the Yankee managerial reins.
Detroit offered Harris a $50, 000-per-year contract to become the Tigers' general manager, but he already had accepted the Yankee position. Harris piloted the Yankees to the 1947 pennant and World Series title over the Brooklyn Dodgers in seven games, prompting Sporting News to name him major league manager of the year. In the 1948 All-Star game at St. Louis, Harris led the American League to a 5-2 triumph over the National League. Casey Stengel replaced Harris as manager after the Yankees finished a disappointing third in 1948. After managing the San Diego Padres (Pacific Coast League) in 1949, Harris piloted the Washington Senators to five second-division finishes from 1950 to 1954.
His managerial career ended successfully with the Detroit Tigers in 1955 and 1956. After being assistant general manager with the Boston Red Sox (1956-1960), he scouted for the American League Chicago White Sox (1962) and Washington Senators (1963-1971).
Harris, who suffered from Parkinson's disease, died in Bethesda, Maryland, retirement home on his eighty-first birthday.
Bucky Harris was an excellent second baseman for 12 seasons with the Senators and the Detroit Tigers batting . 274 with 1, 297 hits and 722 runs scored. However, Bucky made a name for himself at the helm of the Senators club, beginning as a player and manager for his first stint with the organization, then as full-time manager upon returning twice more. Harris also managed the Tigers, the Red Sox, the Phillies and the Yankees guiding them to a World Series championship in 1947. He won 2159 games in 29 years as a manager, is ranked sixth in All-time wins for a manager, and was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1975 by the Veterans Committee. He also received the William J. Slocum Award in 1948 for service to baseball.
(It contains some b/w photos of great moments in early bas...)
book
Quotations:
"There are only two things a manager needs to know: when to change pitchers and how to get along with your players. "
"That would bring tears to the eyes of a rocking chair. "
"I just wouldn't have believed a ball could be hit that hard. I've never seen anything like it. "
Harris was five-foot, nine-and-a-half-inch tall. Teammates nicknamed him Bucky because of his quick, jerky movements on the basketball court.
He was a personable, smart, analytical, honest, outspoken, patient, and practical manager, had a gift for securing the best possible performance from even mediocre players. Besides staunchly defending his players, he employed sound, often daring baseball strategy. He rated pitcher Walter Johnson and outfielder Joe DiMaggio as his best performers.
Harris married Elizabeth Sutherland, the daughter of a United States senator from West Virginia, on October 1, 1926. They resided in Washington and had three children.
