From Chapter 3:

1966-1970: Prosperity, and Finally, A Pennant

1968

Billy DeMars quickly put his stamp on the Wings training camp. Owen Johnson called it the “toughest camp I’ve seen in 15 years in this game,” but quickly opined, “We’ll have a real good club I think. It’ll be the best conditioned club you’ve ever seen, too!” Pitcher Delano Hill, who played for DeMars at Elmira, called the new manager “the best... tough but fair,” adding, “you’d better listen and do it his way. But he’s ready to be at the park at 8 a.m. with you if you ask him for help.”

Red Wing fans would get to see a more complete club from the outset. Major league roster limits changed, with the number of active players limited to 25, rather than 28, which had been allowed for the season’s first month. Those extra three players would be with Rochester from the start.

DeMars wanted a running club. With no legitimate power hitter on board, he expected to rely on pitching, speed and defense. “Our pitching should be good and I think our infield and catching will shape up,” said the first-year Triple-A skipper. “We’ll have to see about the outfield but I’m hoping.” An assistant in the O’s front office felt the Wings’ pitching staff to be “better than some teams in the majors” and promised that the Wings would be “respectable.”

The outfield uncertainty centered on Merv Rettenmund. His solid performance (.286, 29 steals) with Elmira earned him a spot in Rochester, but injuries in Baltimore made a jump to the majors a possibility. His absence would leave Triple-A vets John Mason, Ron Stone, Billy Scripture and Cotton Clayton competing for starts, but even with their experience, DeMars felt the outfield corps to be his weakest link. Catching was likewise unsettled with the retirement of Camilo Carreon and the pre-season injury to Vic Roznovsky. Johnson was in camp but his back-up was unknown until Rene Lachemann (.222 with Vancouver) was acquired on option from the Oakland A’s.

Steve Demeter and Mickey McGuwould ire were again present to anchor the infield at third and second. Mike Fiore, who spent most of the previous season in the service of Uncle Sam, was given the first base job. Off-season acquisition Gordon Lund dueled with Frank Peters for the shortstop slot until he went on the disabled list, with Bobby Floyd the utility man.

The highly-touted pitching staff was impressive even despite the loss of Dave Leonhard. (DeMars named him as his Opening Day starter, but Baltimore claimed him less than a week before the season’s start). The team was bolstered by two players who had spent the entire previous season with the Orioles. Right-hander Wally Bunker was the most intriguing. He won 49 games for the O’s between 1964-66, including a 19-5, 2.69 season in 1964 which won him American League Rookie Pitcher of the Year honors. A downhill slide left him the Baltimore bullpen, and so it was hoped he would regain his starting form in Rochester. The other arrival from Baltimore was 22-year-old Bill Dillman ( 5-9, 4.35 ERA). Those two formed half of the starting rotation, accompanied by Tom Fisher and either Ed Barnowski or Tommy Arruda. It was a pivotal season for Barnowski. He dropped 20 pounds over the off-season and adjusted his delivery in an effort to regain his 17-win form of 1966.

DeMars’ bullpen corps included Fred Beene and Darold Knechtges, along with newcomers Aubry Gatewood (4-5, 3.80 with Buffalo) and John Morris (3-0, 1.54 with San Diego of the PCL). The overall strength of his staff led DeMars to begin the season with nine pitchers. The only weakness was the lack of balance as Morris and Knechtges were the sole left-handers. Despite quality on the hill the Wings could only manage six wins in 16 exhibition games, mostly due to an anemic offense. League observers remained influenced by the mound corps, however, and tabbed the Wings for a third place finish.

Dillman opened the season in place of Leonhard and combined with Beene for a 2-1 win in Richmond. Rochester dropped the next game by an identical score, and also lost one of their catchers when Lachemann (one at-bat; a walk) was recalled by the Athletics. But the details were overshadowed by the dramatic announcement made by Morrie Silver. During a dinner at which he was inducted into the local Jewish Hall of Fame, Silver stunned the large gathering by announcing his resignation as president of Rochester Community Baseball.

It was not unplanned, but it was still an emotional moment for the 58-year-old Silver. He was unable to continue with his speech after revealing his startling news, and special guest Orioles’ Chairman of the Board Jerry Hoffberger had to pick up and explain Silver’s departure. “Now, perhaps it is only fair that I add that there are personal reasons for my decision to leave the club and the sport which has meant so much to me and has done so much for me,” went the paper from which Hoffberger read. “Because my daughter and I... feel so much better in the warmer climate which I have spent our past several winters.... and I have not figured out a method for checking the turnstiles from a distance of 1,500 miles.

“I shall always be proud of our baseball team and our fans who make it a success. I shall be proud always that I was able to be a part of meeting the challenge. Now the challenge for me is gone. The challenge of keeping baseball strong and bright and good is well met, but now by my successors.”

Silver subsequently revealed the appointments of Bob Turner as Red Wing general manager and Carl Steinfeldt as business manager and assistant general manager. The 55-year-old Turner had served as Silver’s assistant for the previous two seasons. Steinfeldt, 28, joined the team as a 15-year-old grounds crew assistant and filled the duties of concessionaire, press box attendant, club house boy, assistant ticket manager and staff assistant during his 13 years with the club. Silver would later recommend to the RCB board of director’s executive committee that Bill Lang replace him as president.

Silver told the audience that the Red Wings had become the most successful operation in minor league baseball. “Baseball is indeed good for Rochester and its future in Rochester is assured,” he stated. “Every debt has been paid in full, we’ve spent $100,000 in improvements in the past few years and we have money in the bank which is earning $10,000 a year in interest.”

The 58-year-old Silver admitted he had considered his action for over a year. Despite two heart attacks which had caused him to withdraw from most of his other business interests, he continued to give the Red Wings 16-hour workdays over the summer. Because of his health and that of his only child, nine-year-old daughter Naomi (she had suffered from virulent asthma attacks during Rochester winters for several years), Silver had often and strongly been advised by his doctors to move to a warmer climate. His family had been in Miami since the first of the year and he would join them before the Wings’ home opener on April 27. Florida would become their new home.

Those close to the franchise expressed profound sadness, but all felt it was the best move for Silver and his family. “The way he goes at something, and stays with it, you have to be worried for him,” said Carl Hallauer, a member of the team’s executive committee. “He’s so conscientious and takes everything so seriously, I believe he’d be endangering his health if he stayed on any longer. It’s a terrible loss to the team, to the organization, and to Rochester. But I can’t argue with his decision....” Billy DeMars summed up the loss as well as anyone: “This doesn’t just hurt like losing a game or a series or a pennant. Whenever you lose a game, you can always figure ‘we can get this one back.’ We can’t get this one back. Not ever.”

The players were told of the news shortly after their loss in Richmond. Team trainer Jim Dudley said, “I’m glad and I’m not. He would work himself to death for us. He has, almost. This is best for him. That’s what we all want most.” The thoughts of Steve Demeter, who of all the players, knew Silver the best, turned toward how his teammates could best recognize Silver’s contribution. “He’s had all the plaques and trophies and stuff anyone could use,” said the third baseman. “What can guys like us do for a man like him?”

Someone brought up the stadium and Demeter said, “If it wasn’t for him, there wouldn’t be a stadium, would there?” Owen Johnson pitched in, “How about that, where do we start? Morrie Silver Stadium. It sounds right.”

With the weight of Silver’s loss on their minds, the Red Wings split their first six games, despite only one home run as a team. During the trip the team finally added Rettenmund and also replaced Lachemann with another receiver from the A’s organization: Elmo Plaskett, who had been ticketed for Oakland’s Double-A Birmingham squad. He quickly became the first string catcher when Owen Johnson, who had spent much of the previous season on the sidelines, suffered a broken bone in his left wrist.

The ballpark on Norton St. was ready for the opener, despite rain the night before. Although the weather on game day turned bright at game time, the worry of cancellation kept the crowd down to 8,326. Demeter, Floyd and Scripture all had home runs in a 7-3 win over Columbus. About mid-game the press box phone rang; on the other end was Morrie Silver, calling in for a progress report .

The Wings were not secure with Plaskett as their only catcher, so they acquired Del Bates from Richmond. He and shortstop Gordon Lund were activated when McGuire (spike wound in hand) went on the disabled list and extra outfielder Cotton Clayton was loaned to Tacoma. The success of a 6-3 homestand continued in a three-game sweep in Louisville which moved the Wings into first place with a 12-6 record.

An aggravating number of rainouts played havoc with the pitching rotation, yet seven of the Wings’ 10 pitchers had ERAs under 3.00. The staff was led by Bunker, who won his first six decisions, and the black-bearded Arruda. The latter, dubbed the “Fall River Pirate” (his home town in Massachusetts) had four wins, all complete games. The team continued in first place through the month of May. Demeter was off to a strong start, leading the team in seven offensive categories, and Scripture was tied with him for the lead in RBI. Frank Peters performed well as McGuire’s substitute at second, so much so that when McGuire returned he couldn’t regain his starting role. Peters had the “prospect” tag (and McGuire had a .128 average), so McGuire was loaned to Seattle of the PCL. Vic Roznovsky was activated, necessitating the return of Plaskett to Oakland. But a difficult June was looming; most of the month was on the road, doubleheaders had piled up and military duty called — and in addition to regular duty, many players were required to take 34 hours of special riot control training over a number of weeks.

It wasn’t long into the new month that the Wings began to slide. The four spots at the top of the league standings were tightly contested and any string of losses, such as the doubleheader dropped in Toledo, moved the Wings down. The twin set-backs were in spite of three consecutive home runs smacked by Fiore in Game One — a two-run blast in the first, followed by solo shots in the third and fifth.
Rettenmund made home run history two days later in Niagara Falls against Buffalo. He led off the game with a home run, then eight batters later hit one out with one man on. It made him the 13th player in IL history to hit two home runs in an inning. Fiore also added one in the eight-run first, his fifth home run in four games.

The extra-base barrage couldn’t prevent the Wings from dropping into fourth place, creeping ever closer to the break-even mark. The pitching staff was juggled in mid-June when Mike Adamson and Jim Palmer came to Rochester. Adamson appeared after completing his college studies at USC, while Palmer was again battling arm woes. Reliever John Morris went on the DL and winless Ed Barnowski was loaned to Richmond. Yet pitching wasn’t at the core of the slump. The Wings were shutout four times in nine days and lost 13 of the 18 games played since May 28. Three of the team’s .300 hitters dipped down into the .280s, and sparkplugs Rettenmund (injured knee) and Fiore (military duty) were absent from the lineup. DeMars expressed a “growing concern,” and GM Turner noticed a “lack of sparkle” on the club, which dropped to the .500 mark and fifth place. Davey May came down from Baltimore and looked to help the slumbering bats, but his addition was at the cost of staff ace Wally Bunker (6-1). Further moves sent John Mason and Jim Palmer to Elmira and brought up Gerry Herron (4-3, 1.52).

The last three days of June featured five games in Columbus. The Wings won only two of the contests, but in the handful of games, Rettenmund hit five home runs, with nine RBI and nine runs scored. Nor did he let the advent of the new month slow his pace. Two days later he had a 4-for-4 night at home versus Richmond, including another pair of homers. They were his 15th and 16th of the season, well beyond the four home runs he hit the year before in Elmira. Despite his production, the Wings dropped 19 of 33 June contests, ending the month only a game above .500. But in the ever-tightening standings, that was good enough for a tie for second, 3 1/2 games shy of the top spot.

There were different heroes — one new, one old — in July. In his first appearance in a Red Wing uniform, outfielder Terry Crowley had a game-winning single in the ninth inning against Richmond. A former All-American at Long Island University, Crowley was hitting .271 for Elmira at the time of his promotion. Two days later, on July 3, the Wings trailed 4-3 heading into the bottom of the 11th against the same Braves. With none out and two on in the bottom of the frame, Demeter was called on to pinch hit. He smacked the first offering off the right field wall, plating the tying and winning runs. It also pushed the Red Wings into first place, by .003 over Toledo.

Early July had a memorable development off the diamond as well. The musings about naming the stadium after Morrie Silver had gained momentum and become reality. The RCB board announced that on Monday, Aug. 19, Red Wing Stadium would be renamed Silver Stadium. The resolution to do so had unanimously passed the board. Silver was “pleased and proud at the single honor. It is particularly meaningful to me because it is meaningful to my wife, whose patience and encouragement allowed me to help the Red Wings in recent years; and because of my daughter and all the young people of the community to whom baseball can be so important and valuable.”

It looked as if there was a good chance that a first place Rochester squad would take the field on that night. The pitching staff was beginning to feel the strain, but responded well. Ace reliever Delgado was pushed into the rotation and turned in a one-hit shutout in the opener of a doubleheader sweep against Buffalo. Adamson was 4-1 since joining the team and a Aug. 11 complete game by the newcomer Herron, the staff’s third such performance in three nights, gave Rochester a five-game win streak and a 2 1/2-game lead.

The lead was whittled back to a mere half-game when second place Toledo came to Norton Street for three mid-August games. The Mud Hens dismantled Rochester pitching, sweeping the series by scores of 18-8, 8-2 and 10-5. The battle for first continued in Toledo and the Wings blew a 5-0 lead in the series opener and lost 8-6. After a rainout, they salvaged a split of the closing doubleheader, but it left the team 3 1/2 games behind the Mud Hens. The end of the series coincided with the distressing news that the Orioles had called up John Morris (3-0, 3.71), Mike Adamson (4-1, 2.56) and Davey May (.315, 4, 17). Their replacements were pitchers Paul Campbell (7-5, 1.76 at Elmira) and Delano Hill, who was coming off military duty.

The loss of May and a subsequent injury to Demeter left the Wings down to 16 men. From Toledo the team traveled to Syracuse, where it was swept in three games. Nine losses in 10 games dropped DeMars’ charges from first place to fifth. The July 23 All-Star game, in which Rettenmund had been selected to start, gave the Wings a welcome respite. During the off-day, pitcher Tommy Arruda, who had slumped after his impressive start, was sent to Elmira, with reliever Al Severinson (4-2, 1.64) taking his place.

After two wins in three games with Syracuse, Rochester left on a 12-game road trip that bridged into August. Toledo had a four-game lead, but after that a half-game separated the next four pursuers. Baltimore helped by sending pitcher Roger Nelson to regain his form after three weeks of army duty. In his first start he set down the first 15 Richmond hitters, but was pulled after his scheduled five innings. Tom Fisher came on in relief and set down the next 11 batters, before allowing a single with two outs in the ninth. Had he retired the final batter, it would have been the only combined perfect game in IL history and just the third overall. The ruinous hit was a grounder between first and second that eluded the glove of second baseman Chet Trail, who had just been added from Elmira.

Trail absolved himself the next night, smashing a three-run home run to spark the Wings to a 5-1 win that returned them to second place. But the top five were so tightly bunched that a subsequent loss dropped the Wings to fourth. Even so, the outlook was optimistic. Bobby Floyd was due back from reserve duty and, except for the regular meetings, all the Wings were done with their two-week stints. “This had been the worst year of all,” said DeMars, in reference to the losses to the military. “They’ve added more meetings and it has really hurt us.”

Rochester also took on pitching depth. With two players rejoining Baltimore from reserve duty, Adamson and John O’Donoghue came down. Even without the additions, the pitching had stabilized. Nelson won three straight games, his third a 10-strikeout, complete-game performance. The relievers had not allowed a run in 29 innings, led by Severinson and Beene. Demeter was still out of the lineup, but Rettenmund (dueling for the batting crown), Trail, Crowley and Fiore all contributed, and the re-born Wings captured 13 wins in 18 games.

The team continued to bounce around the standings, sitting anywhere from the second through fourth spots. They did lose the services of Roger Nelson, who went up after three wins in three starts. Tim Sommer was recalled from Elmira, Demeter returned to the lineup and when the club returned to Rochester to rename the Rochester ball yard, the Wings were in second place.

A threat of rain held the expected 10,000+ crowd down to 9,149. On hand for the ceremonies were Commissioner of Baseball William D. Eckert, National League President Warren Giles, Cardinals’ general manager Bing Devine and Cleveland GM Gabe Paul. (The latter trio were all former Rochester front-office personnel: Giles was the general manager from 1928-36, Devine held the same post from 1949-55, and Paul was a one-time batboy who served as club secretary from 1934-36.) Others present included Yankees’ GM Lee McPhail, Baltimore Vice President Harry Dalton, Baltimore Director of Farm System Jim McLaughlin, Kansas City Royals Director of Player Development Lou Gorman, Syracuse GM Don Labbruzzo, former IL President Tommy Richardson; current President George Sisler Jr., and former IL secretary Harry Simmons.

The name-changing ceremony had already been held that afternoon. A small piece of canvas covered the new red plastic letters on the facade of the office building in front of the stadium. After a few tugs on the wrong rope, Silver pulled the right string and the fabric fell, revealing the new name of the Norton St. ballpark: Silver Stadium. Later, at the pre-game ceremonies, Morrie, Anna and Naomi were praised and applauded at home plate. (The normally composed Silver admitted to pre-ceremony jitters that led his doctor to give him a tranquilizer shot to calm his nerves.) Among the gifts bestowed upon him were a painting of the stadium from the Red Wing directors, a lifetime IL pass from George Sisler, a plaque from the Rochester Lancers soccer team, a clock-radio and desk set from the Red Wing players (presented by Demeter), and a silver baseball from the stockholders. But perhaps Billy DeMars had the best gift idea: “I just hope we can keep winning. I guess that would make Morrie as happy as anything.”

Unfortunately the Wings dropped the game 2-1 to Jacksonville. They responded the next night, behind new rotation member Beene. He went all nine innings in the 3-2 win, and in addition, the switch-hitting pitcher drove in the winning run in the sixth with a drag-bunt single. The Wings used late-inning dramatics the next night, as Trail and Demeter hit solo home runs in the eighth and ninth, respectively, to take a 5-4 triumph. The wins continued, as the Wings captured 10 of 12 games in late August, carrying them to a season-high 13 games over .500.

DeMars’ squad crept as close as a game-and-a-half of first, yet not even a solid hold on second was secured. Baltimore finally sent for Merv Rettenmund on Aug. 25, with prospect Don Baylor (.369 at Stockton in 68 games; .333 in 24 at-bats with Elmira) filling his spot. But seven losses in nine games during the transition between August and September took Rochester out of the running for a pennant.

They went into the last four games of the season against Toledo in a near dead-heat with Jacksonville for third place. The Hens were dueling for the league’s top spot, but the Wings opened with a doubleheader sweep that knocked the visitors from the top, and also clinched third for themselves. With a further chance to play spoiler, Rochester dropped the last two games, including the season finale by an embarrassing 17-0 count that moved the Mud Hens past Columbus for the regular season crown. The Red Wings finished 77-69, 5 1/2 games from first.

The first round of the Governors’ Cup playoffs matched the Wings against those disappointed Columbus Jets. The series opened in Ohio and the home nine put up four in their first at-bat off starter O’Donoghue and cruised to a 8-3 win. Beene, who emerged as perhaps the most dependable starter down the stretch once moved from the pen, was given the ball for Game Two. He tossed just 83 pitches, 61 for strikes, in scattering eight hits without a run. His teammates scored five of their seven tallies in the fourth, helped by Crowley and Roznovsky home runs.

The best-of-five set came to Rochester and this time the Wings could not produce the clutch hit. They left 10 men on base in a 4-0 loss that moved Columbus within one game of the series. Rochester successfully continued its inconsistent performance the next night. Sixteen hits produced a 12-3 win, making Game Five a necessity.

None of the preceding games had been particularly close and the decisive contest followed the same script. Unfortunately it cast the Wings as the loser. Beene went on only two days’ rest and was game for the first three innings, but allowed two in the fourth and two in the fifth before exiting. The Wings got as close as 5-1 in the seventh, but seven more Jets crossed the plate in the final two innings to close out the 12-1 rout.

It was not the best way to end a season, to be sure, but in truth not much more had been expected. Despite a constant drain of players due to injuries, recalls, and military duty, the Wings finished a “credible” third. It was noted with some pride that, at season’s end, there were eight players on the Baltimore roster who had played at least part of their season in Rochester flannels.

Merv Rettenmund was not only the most dominant player for the Wings, but in the league as well. He finished with enough plate appearance to be eligible for the batting title, and his .331 average topped the league’s hitting chart. His 104 runs likewise led the circuit and he showed surprising power with 22 home runs and 59 RBI. He was the IL’s only unanimous all-star choice and a runaway choice for the both the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player honors. The dual selections made him only the fourth player in league history to win those two awards in the same season.

Most of the offensive slack caused his early departure was picked up by Steve Demeter and Mike Fiore. Demeter was the only other player finishing over .300 (.301) and reached double figures in home runs (10). He again topped the team in RBI (63), one ahead of Fiore. Fiore finished second to Rettenmund with 19 home runs and posted a respectable .271 average. Frank Peters (60 RBI) and Bobby Floyd (.287) were the best of the rest. Billy Scripture’s average finished in the .220s, yet won he won the Baltimore organization’s Barney Lutz award in recognition of his “aggressiveness, competitive spirit, hustle and dedication to the game of professional baseball.”

The pitching had not materialized as planned. By year’s end none of the opening rotation remained. Wally Bunker’s performance earned him a recall, but every other hurler pitched their way out of a starting role, with Tommy Arruda and Ed Barnowski performing their way off the team. Bill Dillman was the top winner with 11 triumphs, but he dropped an equal number and had a bloated 4.27 ERA. He had shown some promise as a reliever, however, notching four straight wins in the late going. Fred Beene (8-7, 2.53), Mike Adamson (8-4, 3.19), John O’Donoghue (2-4, 2.35) and Jerry Herron (6-3, 4.73) were the best of the starters by season’s end. Al Severinson flashed ability as a closer, allowing earned runs in only four of his 22 appearances, to go with a 2-0, 1.42 ERA.

Attendance dropped sharply and the paid count of 231,477 (243,498 turnstile) was second to Louisville, the first time since 1961 the Wings had not captured the league’s fan derby. Counts were up on a league-wide basis, but due mainly to the shift of Toronto to Louisville. Post-season crowds had been miserable and league president George Sisler Jr. admitted afterwards that he “wouldn’t be the least bit surprised” if the IL directors voted to discontinue post-season play.

(For one team boss, the playoff question was undoubtedly the furthest thing from his mind. Louisville owner Walter Dilbeck continued with his dream of a world-wide league and in late September, formally announced the formation of the Global League. The plan called for two American-based teams, and two rooted in Japan. The U.S. teams would operate out of Louisville and Jersey City, but would also play games in Houston, Kansas City, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. One anticipated drawing card was the “colorful halftime show” to come after the fifth inning of every game. It would feature Geisha girls and other examples of Japanese culture.)

Expansion was also on the table. Four new major league teams would start play in 1969, bringing the total to 24. Plans called for the Triple-A level to field 22 teams for ’69 and a full matching contingent of 24 in 1970. The International League conditionally voted to add two teams, but the question remained dependent on the PCL’s position. There was also talk of a revived mid-western circuit.

Concerns of the Red Wing front office abruptly turned from league matters to internal matters. On Oct. 29, Billy DeMars accepted a job with the Philadelphia Phillies as their first base coach. It was a surprising development, but no one begrudged him a job at the major league level. “Losing DeMars is a tough break for baseball in Rochester,” said Morrie Silver from Florida. “He’s been a good manager — a battler, but a gentleman. No one can fault him for making this move. Big league coaching jobs are not plentiful.”

Rochester General Manager Bob Turner and O’s farm director Jim McLaughlin stated they would not be hasty in naming a replacement, but Turner later admitted the development left the Baltimore people “in shock.” “This isn’t a happy situation,” said Turner, “because the longer we have to wait in announcing our new manager, the more we’ll be considered wrong.”

Two candidates within the organization stood out as the most likely choices and both were former Red Wings — Joe Altobelli and Cal Ripken. Altobelli, still fondly remembered from his popular stint as a player, was seen as the favorite. He admitted he had yet to hear anything from the Orioles, but said, “if I get the job, I’m sure going to take it. I said when I left here that I’d be back some day.” The managerial situation played no role in the Wings’ decision to extend their affiliation with Baltimore for another season. “Baltimore sends us good players and doesn’t jerk players around like other major league clubs,” said Turner in announcing the one-year deal.

The organization took a little over two weeks to choose DeMars’ successor. On Nov. 11, Cal Ripken Sr. was named manager of the Red Wings. At 32, he became the youngest manager in franchise history. He was a career man with the Orioles, signing with the organization as a catcher right out of high school in 1956. He climbed as high as Double-A and was hitting .340 early in the season when two wild pitches in the same game struck and damaged his throwing arm. With a poor long-term prognosis, he took a managing job with Class-D Leesburg later that year when, ironically, Billy DeMars was promoted.

“Rip” had only finished out of the first division once in his eight seasons. He was the Northwest League’s Manager of the Year in 1965 with his pennant-winning Tri-Cities team. He was labeled as a “fireball” on the field, a tag he freely admitted: “I’m not much for making long speeches, except to umpires. Then I could talk all night, and you better believe I have.” In the end, Baltimore’s policy of promoting in sequence helped; he was one level ahead of Altobelli and would remain that way.

A manager was lost and replaced and the Wings lost one potential player for the coming year when Mike Fiore was taken by Seattle in the expansion draft. That was not seen as a damaging departure, as the O’s farm system was deep and the Baltimore front office wanted to protect its younger talent. The Orioles took one more step with that goal in mind, shifting Steve Demeter to Elmira’s Double-A list. It was a frequently-utilized move, but this time the gambit backfired. Syracuse Chief general manager Don Labbruzzo claimed the 33-year-old third baseman in the baseball draft for $12,000. (If he had been on the Rochester roster, only a major league team could have drafted him, and at a price of $25,000.) The Rochester headlines screamed “Gamble Fails! Demeter Lost.”

Red Wing GM Bob Turner was saddened by the loss, while making it clear that it was Baltimore’s decision, not Rochester’s: “We couldn’t have lost a more valuable man. We needed his bat as well as his leadership on the field.” Demeter was beside himself as well. “I’m really sorry about leaving Rochester,” he told a city newsman. “I wish you’d please mention, if you can, in the paper, that I’ve enjoyed all those years in your city.”

Morrie Silver was the most affected of all. “He’s my favorite Red Wing player of all time. He gave us five terrific years. He helped us tie for one pennant and win another. We’ll miss him very much. It was Baltimore’s judgment against mine, to let him be exposed. I’m all shook up.”

The off-season personnel shifts were in direct contrast to the continued financial and leadership stability of the franchise. Despite the attendance decline of 48,000 — written off to “unbelievable bad” weather and a disruptive schedule — Rochester Community Baseball reported an after-tax profit of $45,114 for the season. Yet RCB President William A. Lang reported that, despite the third consecutive year of black ink, “it is not an optimistic picture overall for the baseball club.

“Don’t get me wrong, now,” cautioned Lang. “Any time we can operate in the black we’re pleased. But we’re concerned for the future of community baseball. We need many more regular fans and not the once-a-season type.” Financial concerns were not enough to prevent RCB from holding the line on ticket prices, or continuing to make improvements at Silver Stadium. Some box seats nearly 40 years old would be replaced, the outfield fences entirely resurfaced with plywood, and the roof and beams painted.

Later than a month later at the stockholders meeting, with 63 percent of the shareholders present, Lang was elected president and treasurer of RCB. Also announced at the meeting was a change in radio stations. Rochester broadcasts for 1969 would be heard on WHAM, instead of WHEC. Joe Cullinane returned at the microphone, broadcasting all home games live, as well as those from Buffalo and Syracuse. (Games from other cities would continue to be recreated in the studio, based on teletype messages.)

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