From Chapter 2:

1961-1965: Birds of a Different Feather

1965

Expectations for the new season were high. Coming off the Governors’ Cup championship, with a good number of returning players and the continued organizational glut of quality pitching, the Red Wings were pegged as one of the league favorites. (In fact if there was a potential problem, it was that the Wings had too many hurlers. It was evident to coaches and players alike — most notably Nelson Chittum, who retired in the first week of spring training.) Those predictions were given credence when the team won its first six exhibition games. The team cooled off and ended the pre-season 10-6, but Johnson remained openly optimistic. He considered this team to be the best in his three years.

Pitching was the club’s security, with a pleasing mix of youth and experience. Chittum and Mike McCormick (traded in mid-spring) were gone, but mainstays Billy Short, Tom Phoebus and Dave Vineyard returned. Expected to join Phoebus and Vineyard in the rotation were Chuck Estrada, Frank Bertaina, and Steve Cosgrove. Estrada compiled 33 wins for the Orioles in ’60 and ’61 but after a 9-17 mark in 1963, elbow surgery had limited him to 10 decisions over the next two seasons. Bertaina started 1964 in Elmira and after compiling a 11-4 record, 1.99 ERA and 121 strikeouts, made the jump to Baltimore where he made two appearances. Cosgrove was 12-8 at Elmira, one of those wins a no-hitter.

Short was back in the bullpen, along with John Hogg and Howie Stethers, two players who had brief stints with the Wings. Joining them was Ron Hunt, over for a look from the Cincinnati organization. Johnson’s past reclamation success with slumping pitchers (most notably Chittum and McCormick) led observers to feel that Hunt was to be this season’s project. In 1961 he went 9-10 with the pennant-winning Reds, with seven of those wins in succession. He dropped back to the minors for his next three seasons, but seemed to have regained his stuff in ’64.

Lou Jackson and Jim Liggett were back to help populate the outfield. Joining them were Lee Green (Elmira) and Billy Ott (.249, 7, 58 with St. Lake City). Paul Blair was considered a possibility, but he had another spectacular pre-season and landed a job in Baltimore.

The presence of Davey Johnson was a similar hope for the infield, but he stuck with the parent club as well. Nonetheless the infield featured a trio of well-acquainted performers. The corners were in the able hands of Joe Altobelli (1B) and Steve Demeter (3B). Marv Breeding was the original thought at shortstop, but he moved to second base when the O’s unexpectedly demoted Bob Savarine. Savarine, who hit .285 with the Wings in 1962, had seen little duty with the O’s, appearing in only 46 games in ’64, 30 as a pinch runner. He initially balked at reporting, but reluctantly changed his mind, giving the Wings had a strong, experienced infield. Nelson Cochrane was the utility man, with John Mason able to fill in at first base.

Mason also began the season as the back-up for the only rookie starter, catcher Andy Etchebarren. Etchebarren, who hit .237, 7, 52 with Elmira, had superb defensive skills.

Savarine’s acquisition was seen as the final piece of the puzzle. “His acquisition may be the most important one for Rochester in recent years,” said GM George Sisler. “It very well may mean the pennant for Rochester.” Johnson was ecstatic as well, saying Savarine’s presence “gives me a feeling good things are going to happen to us this year.”

Those “good things” most certainly didn’t happen right away. The Red Wings joined the Atlanta Crackers in playing the first regular-season professional game in Atlanta Stadium, a 3-2 home side win in front of only 5,383. The Crackers were rude hosts in their new facility, taking all four games of the series. A loss in Jacksonville stretched the Wings’ season-opening losing streak to five games before Estrada notched the team’s first win.

The bullpen was one of the problems, so former major league reliever Bill Kunkle was signed as a free agent, with outfielder Lee Green the roster casualty. After dropping five of seven games on its opening road trip, the team came home to face the Toledo Mud Hens on April 23. A crowd of 9,195 came out on a 43-degree day, only to see the home team drop a 7-1 decision. Several uniform changes were on display, most notably a new hat, one which featured a version of the winged-ball logo, similar to the cap last seen in 1952. Much of the red trim had been removed from the uniforms, making for a cleaner-looking set of flannels.

Rochester reversed its struggles in early May, taking four of five to move to the .500 level. But a pair of gut-wrenching 4-3, 11-inning losses in Columbus — both on game-ending home runs after the Wings had taken the lead — dropped Johnson’s charges back under the break-even mark and illustrated the continuing bullpen woes. The news that Darold Knowles was coming down from Baltimore was tempered by the shift of Vineyard (continued problems with arm problems picked up in winter ball) to the disabled list.

The offensive was producing at a league-leading clip (.273), but the pitching and defense continued to cause concern. After a home doubleheader split with Jacksonville in which the two teams combined for 11 home runs and 39 runs, Atlanta moved in and inflicted losses of 16-4, 12-4, 11-5 and 7-2, driving the losing skid to 10 in 11 games. As large as the margins were, they did not do justice to how poorly the Wings were performing. In the first game of the series, Rochester pitchers allowed 22 hits. The next night it was defense’s turn to collapse, committing 10 errors, one short of the modern-day league record. It came on a night that Jackie Robinson was present to be honored by the Rochester ballclub for his contributions as an International League player.

The Wings took Atlanta into extra innings in the next contest, but the Crackers scored six in the 12th to take the win. In the series closer, Short recorded his first 12 outs on strikeouts, but left in the fifth inning down 5-0. The disastrous homestand dropped the Wings to 10-19, in seventh place, 12 1/2 games off the pace, despite glorious starts at the plate by Savarine and Demeter. The former led the league in runs and hits thanks to a 17-game hit streak, while the latter was up in the .350s and pushing the league leaders in RBI.

Fan counts dropped precipitously as the ugly losses mounted. A crowd of 655 for the last Atlanta contest was one of the lowest in RCB history and attendance was already 20,000 behind 1964. Fortunately help was on its way from the parent club, as the O’s sent down relievers Herm Starrette and Ken Rowe.

Starrette was well-known to Rochester fans, while Rowe was a former Dodger who had 16 wins and “umpteen” saves in 88 appearances in the Pacific Coast League the previous season. Hogg and Stethers were sent to Elmira. Improvement was not quick — a seven-game losing streak in late May dropped the team’s record to 14-27 — but Manager Johnson remained confident, stating “we have all we need to be a fine ballclub. I like every man I have at his position.” The Wings added even more offense when they acquired outfielder Manny Jimenez from the Kansas City A’s organization. He was a poor glove and the Wings still needed a true center fielder, but he was a pure hitter.

He joined a team that led the league in runs, hits, total bases, doubles, RBI, walks and batting average. But he would be little help in the squad’s areas of weakness. The defense had committed the most errors, had the lowest fielding percentage and the fewest double plays in the IL. By early June the pitchers had allowed the most runs and their ERA was the league’s worst.

Johnson had few options with which to improve his defense. Ott and Savarine were shaky in the field but contributing at the plate and besides, there was no available replacements, except, fantasized one sportswriter, in Baltimore (Paul Blair) and Elmira (Mark Belanger). Dave Johnson came down instead and was installed at shortstop, making Savarine a defensive nomad, bouncing around from second to the outfield. Another infield shift saw Breeding moved to first base. He replaced Altobelli, who was hitting for average (.305), but lacking power and his usual solid glovework at the bag.

There was some hope for the pitching. Despite .500 records and ERAs above four, Phoebus and Bertaina posted considerable strikeout totals. Knowles was likewise fanning batters at an impressive rate. When Vineyard was finally ready to pitch in mid-June and Bertaina returned from a short stint on the injured list, there was one too many starters, with Steve Cosgrove the numbers’ victim. A series sweep (the season’s first) at Toledo moved the Wings into a tie with the Mud Hens, the team’s first departure from the seventh position since May 18. June closed with the Wings winning 15 of the month’s 28 games, yet back in seventh, 8 1/2 games out of a playoff spot. It was a notable month, not only for the player moves, but the first Orioles’ exhibition as well, an 8-6 loss to the “disinterested” O’s in front of 8,379.

Knowles and Short were the key performers in June and their success continued into July. Knowles won seven of nine decisions (giving up only two earned runs in the two losses) and took the league lead in strikeouts and ERA. Short captured six straight contests, which included a streak of 23 consecutive scoreless innings. But Phoebus and Vineyard continued to have arm problems, with Vineyard finally sent home and told not to throw. Lefty Eddie Watt was brought up from Elmira where he was 8-2 with two no-hitters; this after a 17-2 record in 1963, split between Elmira and Aberdeen.

The long-rumored demotion of Blair finally occurred. He brought his defensive wizardry to center field and the team finally began to play consistent ball. The infield tightened as well, with Johnson and Breeding forming a dependable keystone combo. Seven straight road wins came in the midst of a string in which the Wings won 14 of 18 games. They were still in sixth place, but fourth was in sight, 5 1/2 games distant.

The turnstiles turned at a faster pace when the team’s performance improved, but it was not enough to reverse the damage of the first half. After making the July 15 payroll, RCB had barely $6,100 in the bank, as compared to almost $70,000 the year before. Chairman of the Board Morrie Silver hastily called a press conference to warn Rochester fans that the club was in “serious financial trouble” and there was a “possibility” that the club “may not survive” another season. At the same briefing it was revealed that at a June 24 emergency meeting of the executive board, Silver had been given “complete charge of the overall operations of the club with full authority to effect economies, sign checks, control expenditures, direct personnel and take any and all steps he deems necessary for the best interests of the club and its stockholders.” This unprecedented and drastic step, unanimously passed by the committee and later approved by the entire board, was “effective immediately.”

The alarm had sounded when a mid-season audit of the club’s finances showed income of $73,438 as opposed to expenses of $143,437. Hopes for survival, pointed out Silver, was in the “bread and butter” department of minor league baseball: higher attendance and the increased revenue from concessions that came on its coattails. The fan count through July 13 was 86,097, down nearly 50,000 from the same date last year. The front office had already tried some possible remedies — like moving home starts from 7:30 to 7:45 — but to no avail.

A prepared statement by the board of directors said, “We feel these figures should become a matter of public record while there still is time to enforce some effective remedies. In pursuance of that objective, we solicit the support of all who feel that organized baseball constitutes an important element in... this community.... we are confident that our stockholders and the general public will join us in this community effort to prove once again — win or lose — Rochester is the best minor league city in the nation.”

Silver took immediate steps to cut costs, at the same time arranging numerous promotions at the ballpark over the season’s final months. The pre-season deal of 10 general admission tickets for $10 was again made available as a means of stimulating attendance.

Winning games would help and, despite being shutout in voting for the all-star game, the team continued its quest for the first division. (Johnson was the manager of the IL team, however, and added Demeter, Dave Johnson and Short). But things got worse before they improved. The team remained mired in sixth place, as far as 8 1/2 games distant from fourth. Injuries to catchers Etchebarren and Mason pressed manager Johnson into a playing appearance. He crouched behind the plate for seven innings before making way for Breeding. July ended with the Wings blowing a 9-0 lead at home against Columbus, as the Jets scored 13 unanswered runs. A series of roster moves (outfielder Cotton Clayton and pitcher Ed Bauta in, Bill Kunkle and Billy Ott out) did little to convince anyone that the Wings would be playing after the regular season. And when, in the space of three early-August days, Dave Johnson was lost to injury for the remainder of the season and Paul Blair recalled, prospects were indeed dark. Disappointing and overweight Sam Bowens came down to replace Blair, who took a .329 batting mark and league-high 19-game hit streak to Baltimore. Three-year IL veteran Ted Scheiber was acquired to fill Johnson’s spot.

Once again the veterans tried to rouse the club from its lethargy. Short won his 10th game against only three losses in early August. Demeter, “easily the most popular Red Wing,” continued to lead the league in RBI. After being given three weeks of rest in July, Altobelli returned to the lineup with a vengeance, smacking eight home runs in 16 games, five of them outright game-winners. Two came in the opening game of a road series against league-leading Columbus, which turned into a three-game sweep.

Despite the loss of Darold Knowles (11-5, 2.53, 155 strikeouts in 174 innings) to Baltimore on Aug. 18, the pitchers rose to the challenge as well. Bertaina won his 10th with a two-hitter against Syracuse, his third consecutive win, bringing the team to within two games of fourth. Two starts later he struck out 13 Maple Leafs in a home victory. The Wings dropped back before regaining momentum in August’s last week. Seven wins in eight games culminated on Aug. 28, with a 13-3 pasting of Syracuse which catapulted the Wings into sole possession of the last playoff berth, one game ahead of Jacksonville and the Chiefs.

The following night brought the opportunity to both return to the .500 level as well as finish off the slumping Chiefs, but the Wings could not hold an early 5-2 lead as the visitors scored nine in the eighth to complete a 15-6 rout.

Rochester’s final scheduled games were against Buffalo at Red Wing Stadium. The Red Wings moved back into a tie for fourth with a 4-1 win. The team had its chances in the middle contest of the three-game series, but could not hold a three-run lead on its way to a 6-5 loss. Syracuse won, meaning that for the fourth time in five years, Rochester’s playoff status came down to the final day.

Bertaina was on the mound, going for his sixth consecutive victory. He got it, notching 14 strikeouts, but it was to no avail. Syracuse’s victory was announced in the seventh inning of the rain-delayed game, so the 4-1 win had no affect on the post-season standings. The Wings finished 73-74, a huge disappointment for the team considered a pennant favorite in spring training.

On paper, the individual performances seemed to indicate a team which had underachieved. Steve Demeter had a superb year, playing in all but one game and leading the league in three offensive categories: RBI (88), base hits (165) and doubles (29). His .299 batting average was second-best. He was a steady fielder, winning a Silver Glove as the minor’s best-fielding third baseman, and as always, delivered in the clutch. Joe Altobelli closed with the same average and his 20 round-trippers were only one short of the home run crown. Davey Johnson (.301) and Paul Blair (.329) helped turn the club around before leaving the lineup.

Andy Etchebarren was an iron man behind the plate, catching 140 games. His glove work living up to advance billing and his .252 average was better than expected. Manny Jimenez chipped with a .296 average, 13 home runs and 59 RBI, while Lou Jackson added 18 home runs and 61 RBI. John Mason was a valuable utility man, playing every position except shortstop and pitcher, and raised his mid-season average from .220 to .275 by season’s end. Bob Savarine led the league in runs (91) and walks (82) and the Wings in stolen bases (31), but his defensive play and low average (.268) labeled him a disappointment.

Billy Short was acknowledged as the ace of the staff. He topped the league in won-lost percentage with his 13-4 record and his ERA was an excellent 2.90. Darold Knowles challenged for the ERA title at 2.53 and lost a shot at the strikeout crown with his recall. That honor went to teammate Frank Bertaina, who fanned 188 in 181 innings. Bertaina also tied for the league lead in complete games with 11 and matched Short in wins with 13 (against nine losses). Eddie Watt was a pleasant late-season surprise, winning six of his 10 decisions. But starters Chuck Estrada (7-14, league leader in walks allowed) and Tom Phoebus (8-8, bothered for a good part of the season by a blistered finger) failed to live up to expectations, and Ken Rowe and Herm Starrette failed to show the prowess that had previously made them premier Triple-A relievers.

The Red Wings placed no players on the post-season IL All-Star squad, with Altobelli, Demeter and Etchebarren barely missing the honor. All three finished second in balloting at their respective positions.

It was most certainly sure to be an interesting winter. Attendance rebounded slightly, closing at 204,411 but it remained to be seen if Silver’s efforts had closed the gap on the potential $70,000 loss. The watch was focused as well on the cloudy future of Darrell Johnson. The O’s had expected a first division finish in ’65. In three seasons, Johnson had finishes of fifth, fourth and fifth and his return was not certain. On Oct. 8 the Democrat & Chronicle reported that he had been ousted as Rochester manager and offered another job in the Orioles’ system, with the option to shop his services to other organizations as well. The paper went on to state that Elmira skipper Earl Weaver would be the Wings’ next manager. Both RCB and Baltimore officials denied the story.

As usual Red Wing brass had more wide-ranging problems with which to deal. Representatives of the IL and PCL met to discuss mutual financial woes, with both leagues looking to get more from the majors via the Player Development Contract. Reports came from the league office in early November that if the majors didn’t accede to the minors’ desires, the IL was in danger of extinction. Among the requests: the league wanted more money through the PDC and a more restrictive major league radio/television policy. If the majors refused, warned IL President Tommy Richardson, “there is a very real chance that our league will not be able to operate.”

Richardson, nearing the end of his fifth one-year contract, lacked the full support of his league directors, who felt his wavering leadership to be part of the problem. The dissident group maneuvered his resignation, which was announced on Nov. 14, along with his replacement: George Sisler Jr. The Rochester general manager left his post with great reluctance and his departure left a giant gap in Red Wing leadership.

Silver refused to discuss potential replacements for Sisler. Four days later he was named president and treasurer of RCB and given “full authority to employ all administrative and other personnel, establish salaries, control expenditures, sign contracts and take any and all steps he deems necessary for the best interests of the club and its stockholders.” In effect he was given total control of the operations of the franchise. One of his first moves was to retain the services of Johnny Clapp, rumored as a candidate for the vacant Jacksonville GM post. Silver said the assistant general manager would be offered “the highest salaried post in the Rochester organization.” He would most certainly be paid more than Silver, who, in his third term as club president would be paid the ceremonial salary of $1 per year.

Less than a week later, Silver announced the selection of Earl Weaver as manager, over a month-and-a-half after the story had been broken by the D&C. The 34-year-old Weaver was a proven winner and a tough, fiery competitor who was already considered the Orioles’ future field leader. In nine years of managing he never finished lower than fourth, with three pennants and two second place finishes. He claimed to hate “lazy ballplayers and lazy umpires — in that order,” and was known to have run-ins with the men in blue. His would not be a laid-back clubhouse.

In his playing days he was a legitimate infield prospect, winning MVP and All-Star honors in four of his first five seasons of minor league ball. He was in the Cardinals’ system when Rochester was an affiliate, but played his Triple-A ball at Columbus in 1953. After a trade to the Pittsburgh organization, he played for New Orleans in 1955, good enough to beat out Bill Mazeroski for the second base job. But after a poor 1956 season his prospects for moving up were doubtful and he accepted a managerial job at the lowest rung of the Baltimore system: its Class D affiliate in Fitzgerald, Georgia. He made his way up the ladder from that modest start, with the requisite stops at the lower levels.

At the press conference announcing the appointment, Silver moved to negate rumors that he would officially assume the general manager’s role. He revealed that no one had been hired yet, but asserted the club would “groom our own or hire one from outside the organization.” Clapp was given the nebulous title of assistant to the president, with Silver, despite his statements to the contrary, for all intents and purposes the Rochester general manager.

Within a week the IL directors reconvened in Florida to start negotiations with the majors. The sides were far apart. The two Triple-A leagues wanted their parent clubs to pick up all salaries in excess of $300 a month, while the majors offered $600, an increase of only $100. On its own the IL decided to reduce its schedule to 147 games, start five days later, and expand its umpiring staff to 12. Playoff series were cut from best-of-seven to best-of-five and the league also discussed a return to the 21-man roster.

Clapp represented the Wings at the meeting, with Silver’s absence reported in the press as due to illness. It was not until Dec. 8 that it was publicly revealed that the RCB president had suffered a near-fatal Thanksgiving Day heart attack. On that day Chairman of the Board William Lang was given decision-making authority as Silver remained hospitalized and unable to receive visitors.

It was easy to see how the strain caught up to Silver, as his budget-balancing activities stretched into the normally more-placid fall months. Clapp took over the charge of developing an operating budget and continued to move on sales of season and book tickets. It was hoped that a pre-Christmas sale would bring in some needed cash. All major Rochester industries had agreed to sell the ticket books to their employers. The club pressed ahead with a bid to have the county rent the stadium for $35,000 annually for various events, such as the “Opera Under the Stars,” county band concerts and Monroe Community College events. If successful, the money would be earmarked for a stadium renovation project, estimated to cost some $200,000 over the next four years. RCB also was in contact with the city, hoping to find some relief on its $17,000 annual tax burden.

Several baseball factors would as well help ease some of the fiscal burden in 1966. The Atlanta indemnification payments would kick, the lack of a GM’s salary would save about $15,000, and salary payments from Baltimore would increase $2,000 a month. Yet concern for the present was on the forefront. That anxiety was finally eased in February 1966, when RCB directors announced they had managed to staunch the flow of red ink from the initially-projected $70,000 down to only $1,713.

Chairman of the Board Lang, in his accompanying letter to shareholders, wrote that “auditors for Price Waterhouse & Company have informed me that a comeback from the brink of financial crisis can attributed solely to... Mr. Silver.” After Silver had taken full control of the club’s finances in June, he instituted an austere economic program. The greatest evidence of his book-balancing ability was in the team’s administrative expenses: $127,334 as opposed to over $174,000 in 1965. The front office payroll for the first month of 1966 was $1,612, compared to $4,322 for the same period the previous year.

Silver himself admitted that the financial picture was “poor.... but we’re a long way from having to take up a collection.” Despite his physical condition he had managed to keep active in the team’s affairs, negotiating a new concession deal from his sick bed. But perhaps the best news regarding the club’s continued survival was Silver’s announcement, through Lang, that he planned to be back at the helm of the Red Wings by the home opener on April 29, 1966.

Copyright © 1997 Brian A. Bennett. All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system - except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine or newspaper - without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, please contact Triphammer Publishing, P.O. Box 45, Scottsville, NY 14546-0045.