From Chapter 5:

1977-1982: Front Office Follies

1977

The Joe Altobelli era officially ended on Oct. 7. After receiving strong consideration for a coaching job in Seattle and head jobs in Pittsburgh and St. Louis, Altobelli was unexpectedly named manager of the San Francisco Giants. However, with his earlier announcement that he would not return to the Red Wings, rumors had begin swirling as to his replacement shortly after the season ended. The lineup of possible replacements included former Red Wing Steve Demeter.

There was a longer list of candidates for the general manager job. Speculation centered on several, including former Rochester general managers Carl Steinfeldt and Bob Turner, former player and manager Cot Deal, and former major league pitcher Denny McLain. The local favorite was Assistant General Manager Sam Lippa.

After an intensive 2 1/2-month search, the new general manager was announced on Nov. 16. Handling the Wings’ off-the-field fortunes would be Don Labbruzzo, who had served in the same capacity for Evansville of the American Association for the previous five years. The five-member search committee recommended both Labbruzzo and Lippa; it was RCB President Vince Stanley’s final decision to offer the 58-year-old Labbruzzo the job.

Labbruzzo, who called the Rochester franchise “the General Motors of the [minor league] baseball industry,” had a great deal of experience in the minors. He served as general manager of International League franchises in Buffalo (’58-’60, ’70-’72) and Syracuse (’61-’70), before purchasing the Evansville franchise in 1972. He subsequently sold his majority interest in the franchise, but remained as general manager, president and part-owner. His one-year contract with the Wings would pay him $30,000, the highest-paid team executive ever and twice what Barnowski had received. The contract included bonus incentives based on attendance, and Labbruzzo was given the largest front office staff (six full-time employees) and payroll ($80,000, up from $54,000 in 1976) in the minors.

Stanley stated that, with Labbruzzo’s presence, he would be assuming a less noticeable role in running the club, feeling that the president’s role had, in the past, been “far too active.” Though the board’s endorsement of the choice was unanimous, a petition containing the signatures of nearly 900 people — season ticket buyers and stock holders among them — favoring the selection of Lippa had been presented to the board. Lippa expressed disappointment in being passed over for the second time in three years, but announced that he would remain with the club.

Labbruzzo was presented to the Rochester media on Nov. 16, and immediately predicted that season ticket sales would climb to a team record 1,400 (previous record 1,163) and that a draw of 400,000 was possible. He also announced that he anticipated no problems working with Stanley or Lippa, stating, “If I have a strength, it’s getting along with people.”

The second major opening was filled the next day, when it was announced that 45-year-old Ken Boyer would be the Red Wings’ manager for 1977. Boyer spent 11 of his 15 major league seasons with St. Louis and was known as one of the premier fielding third basemen in the game, winning five Gold Gloves in his career. He was the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 1964. Boyer had managed in the Cardinals’ farm system since 1970, spending the last three years managing at the Triple-A level, guiding Tulsa of the American Association to finishes of first, second and third.

Boyer, previously a finalist for the Cardinals’ head position, was described by Orioles’ Farm Director Clyde Kluttz as being in the “same mold as Joe Altobelli.” Unfortunately his selection was made without notifying Labbruzzo. Despite the fact that new general manager would not officially be on the job until Dec. 1, Labbruzzo made it clear he was not thrilled to hear the news from someone other than the Orioles. “Believe me,” he had said in his introductory press conference, “they [the Orioles] are going to consult with us on these matters.” He further stated that his reign would be like the Morrie Silver days, when the RCB president/general manager ruled with convincing authority. His complaint was not with the selection of Boyer, but with not first being told. “From now on,” said Labbruzzo, “you can be assured they’ll ask me. They just can’t call and say ‘so and so is coming down.’ ”

Boyer was introduced to the Rochester media on Nov. 23. On the same day, Stanley announced red ink to the tune of $70,772 for 1976, the most money ever lost under community ownership. He blamed stadium repairs and improvements of $202,000 and the loss of $47,337 in gate receipts (attendance dropped to 213,003 after losing 11 dates to weather) as the main culprits, but noted that the team still had savings of close to a half million dollars.

“We lost money by design,” stated Stanley, noting that Silver Stadium’s beams and concrete needed to be replaced sometime in the next five years. The board decided it was the right time to spend the money. Nonetheless it was the first time since 1965 that the club finished in the red, and the eighth time in the 20 years of Rochester Community Baseball that the franchise lost money (he previous high was $57,099 in 1960). The club also announced increases in season ticket prices, as well as game tickets for box seats, general admission and bleachers.

The record loss made for an interesting shareholders meeting in December. For the first time, Anna “Bert” Silver, the largest single shareholder, went public with her discontent. Silver complained that the board was “too concerned about what’s going to happen 10, 15 years from now. I’m more concerned about today.” The stadium repairs, she felt, was part of an “overambitious maintenance program.” (Stanley admitted also that he had a committee studying the issue of a new stadium.) Silver also voiced concerns about Stanley’s leadership — which she termed “overbearing” — and the lack of women on the board of directors. She was the only one, primarily, she felt, because of her status as the widow of Morrie Silver.

As the 1977 season neared, it became evident that the new personnel in the front office and dugout would be mirrored on the field. As had not been the case in recent years, there would be a huge turnover in players. Fourteen of the 1976 Red Wings moved up to the major leagues. Mike Willis and Bob Bailor had been selected in the expansion draft. Royle Stillman (free agent) and Jim Fuller (released) inked deals with other organizations. An incredible 10 players (Flanagan, Martinez, McGregor, Holdsworth, Dauer, Murray, Garcia, Skaggs, Shopay and Harlow) were expected to stick with Baltimore. The only familiar faces for Rochester fans would be Terry Crowley, Mike Fiore, Earl Stephenson, Taylor Duncan and Andres Mora. Of the 18 new players, 12 were making the jump from either Double-A Charlotte or Single-A Miami. The Democrat & Chronicle called them the “Green Wings.”

The pitching staff was the focus of most questions. The opening day starter was to be 27-year-old Ed Farmer, who sat out the entire 1976 season after shoulder surgery. The others in the all right-handed rotation were Dave Ford, Sammy Stewart and Tony Chavez — all 22 or younger and up from Charlotte or Miami. Ford, a No. 1 draft pick in 1975, went 17-7, 2.50 with Charlotte and was named the Southern League’s top pitcher. Compared by organization scouts to Jim Palmer, Ford was noted for his control and maturity and was one of the O’s top pitching prospects. Chavez went 16-5 between Charlotte and Miami, while Stewart was 12-8 at Miami.

Stephenson, Mike Parrott (Miami/Charlotte) and Randy Miller (Charlotte) were tabbed for short relief, with John Flinn (Charlotte) and Myrl Smith (Charlotte) as long men. Bill Van Bommel began the year on the disabled list. Ex-Wings Bob Galasso and Dave Johnson were offered on loan by Seattle, which had acquired them in the expansion draft, but the O’s decided to sink or swim with the younger pitchers.

As for the position players, the Wings would have a new keystone combination of second baseman Blake Doyle and shortstop John O’Rear. O’Rear was an interesting case. In 1975, after three seasons of baseball, he quit and returned to college. Under new amateur rules, he was able to play football at Kansas and was one of the Big Eight’s premier defensive backs. He returned to baseball the next year and led Southern League shortstops in putouts. Duncan or Marty Parrill (.274, 16, 66 at Charlotte) would be the starter at third, while Fiore and Crowley were settled at first base. In the outfield, newcomers Mike Dimmel and Rafael Liranzo were dueling for the center field job, with veteran minor leaguer Rick Bladt (1,268 career games, 1,205 of those in the minors) in right and Andres Mora or Creighton Tevlin in left. The Wings looked to be strong behind the plate, with Bob Allietta (the IL’s top defensive catcher with Memphis in ’76) and power-hitting Dave Criscione (15 homers) contending.

On the diamond, the line was that the 1977 Wings would run more than swing for the fences, and that the young pitching would make or break the club. Off the field, it was labeled a critical year for a franchise struggling to deal with declining attendance, a record financial loss, and a new front office.

The Red Wings dropped their opener in Tidewater, and floundered through the inaugural road trip, hitting only .192 as a team and committing 10 errors. Mora provided the only offense, with three home runs, eight RBI, and two game-winning hits in the first six games, including two homers in a game at Richmond. He continued his heroics on Opening Day at Silver, taking another trot around the bases, adding three RBI and his third game-winning hit in an 8-3 victory over Charleston. However the rainy weather kept the crowd down to 4,925, the smallest opening day crowd in Silver Stadium’s history.

The rainy weather continued, knocking out both of the homestand’s weekend games, and when the team did play, its leaky defense (22 errors in the first 14 games) hindered its attempts to reach the break-even point. The baseball axiom of strength up the middle did not apply to the Wings, as the double-play duo of O’Rear and Doyle was struggling. (O’Rear had at least put his name in the books — in a May 24 game he pulled off an unassisted triple play. The number of times the feat had been accomplished in the minors was unknown, but at the major-league level it had happened only eight times.) The catching tandem of Criscione and Allietta was likewise ineffective, the pair throwing out only six of 26 base stealers. On offense Crowley and Fiore were above .300, but in the early part of the season the team rose and fell on the bat of Mora, who, if he wasn’t hitting, was a liability on the bases and in the field.

It was similarly a rocky start for General Manager Labbruzzo. The poor weather caused a number of rainouts,the disappointing Opening Day crowd, as well as the smallest crowd in Silver Stadium history — 340 — on a chilly evening in early April. But he had personally drawn the ire of season ticket holders by printing separate tickets for each game, instead of the identification cards they had formerly used to enter the stadium. He had also replaced long-time secretary Eleanor Heffernan with business manager Bob Drew. There was pressure being felt from Ohio, where Columbus had rejoined the league, taking the Memphis franchise. The re-named Clippers seemed poised to take the attendance crown from the Red Wings. With 2,000 season tickets and an early-season average of over 6,000 per game, the Clippers looked to be the first team since 1968 other that Rochester to lead the IL in attendance. (They had also scored a coup of sorts by convincing league president and former Rochester general manager George Sisler Jr. to become their general manager. Harold Cooper, who was instrumental in the return of baseball to Columbus, was named as Sisler’s replacement.)

A late-May run, fueled by the trio of Crowley, Mora and Duncan, pushed the team to 21-18, good enough for third place, 4 1/2 games off the pace. The trio combined for 25 of the team’s 38 home runs, and over half the extra-base hits. Their firepower made for a team that couldn’t be counted dead until the final out was recorded, as in a May 28 game versus Columbus when the team tallied seven runs in the ninth to take an 8-7 win.

It was, however, strictly the offense that kept Rochester on the plus side of the win-loss ledger. There were only two pitchers with earned run averages under four, with the team mark soaring to 4.90. Chavez was recalled in late April, while Stewart went in the opposite direction. After starting the season at 0-5, he was demoted to Charlotte. Farmer spent some time on the disabled list, spurring the club to acquire right-hander Dave Harper on loan from Tucson, the Texas Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate. Parrott, sidelined at the season’s outset by a viral infection, was the sole bright spot, going 4-0 since his return, with a fine 2.92 ERA.

Mora’s torrid hitting did not go unnoticed in Baltimore, and on June 2 he was recalled. In 45 games he hit 11 home runs and drove in 45 runs. Sent down in his place was Larry Harlow, who teamed with veteran Bladt and the speedy Liranzo to give the Wings one of the best defensive outfields in the league. Not usually counted on for big offensive numbers, Harlow hit the first pitch he saw for a home run, Rochester’s 46th in as many games. Despite his efforts, the team immediately swooned after Mora’s departure, dropping five of six and scoring just 19 runs in the six games.

The team returned home for a 13-game homestand in mid-June at 25-26, in fourth place, nine games behind front-running Pawtucket. Boyer’s squad captured the first four, but when Farmer pulled a rib muscle, joining Harper (elbow) on the disabled list, the Wings had only seven healthy pitchers with back-to-back doubleheaders staring them in the face. In what may have been an unprecedented move, the league approved the Wings’ request to reschedule one of the twin bills to a single game.

Despite the loss of the two pitchers and utility infielder Tom McMillan (sent by Seattle to its Triple-A affiliate in order to play every day), Rochester took eight of 12 games to climb three games over .500 and within two games of second place Charleston. Duncan took up the slack in Mora’s absence, boosting his average to .314, with 15 home runs and eight game-winning hits. Harlow kept up his surprising offensive production, raising his average to near .400. Parrott continued his pitching dominance, winning three straight to push his record to 7-2, and grabbing the league lead in strikeouts. Lefthander Stephenson solidified the bullpen, at one point allowing just five earned runs in a 28-inning stretch.

With a chance to move into second, the Wings dropped the series-opening doubleheader versus the Charlies, then split the next two games. At .500 again, Rochester returned home for a four-game set with pace-setting Pawtucket that would take the team through the halfway point of the season. At least help was finally on its way. Pitcher Harper was ready to come off the disabled list, Chavez was being sent back by Baltimore, and the Orioles signed utility infielder Kim Andrew, a former Baltimore farmhand, after his release by Pawtucket.

Playing like the pennant contender the Rochester fans hoped they were, the Red Wings dominated the Red Sox. The four-game sweep brought them a season-high four games above the .500 mark, in third place, only 4 1/2 games behind Pawtucket. Ford notched the staff’s first shutout of the season in the series opener, while Parrott completed the sweep with his fifth straight win and his ninth of the year. In the third game Duncan slammed his seventh home run of June, his 16th of the season, giving him the league lead. Crowley belted his 14th in the same game, as the Wings continued their home run per game pace.

It looked like something the team could build on, but the next day came the news that Coach Billy Hunter had left Baltimore to manage the Texas Rangers, and that the Orioles, down to only one assistant, might call up Boyer. Whether or not the news was a distraction, the Wings promptly went into a tailspin, inventing new ways to lose ball games. That night a fan interfered with Duncan’s attempt at catching a foul pop that would have been the third out of the inning; given the reprieve the Richmond batter hit a two-run home run that gave the Braves the lead en route to a Red Wing loss. Three nights later Boyer’s Jeckyl-and-Hyde club blew a 7-3 lead in the ninth against Syracuse on the way to an 8-7 loss in 10; the next evening an O’Rear error gave the Chiefs another win in the last frame.

A July 5th home date with the Chiefs saw an over-capacity crowd of 15,719 jam its way into Silver, the largest crowd since June of 1968. Yet the huge turnout did little to quell the growing front-office friction. Labbruzzo continued to be under fire, from the local media, members of the Wings’ executive committee, season-ticket holders and some club employees. An elaborate “Hits and Runs Payoff” promotion, billed as the biggest promotion in Red Wing, perhaps even minor league history, had failed miserably. The 12-game scheme, funded with $20,000 from the Wings and $50,000 from Star Markets, centered around lottery-like tickets handed out in Star’s supermarkets, with winners determined if the five numbers on the tickets matched total hits and runs in certain innings of Rochester games. The overly-complicated scheme earned Labbruzzo the nickname “The Ringmaster” for the circus-like atmosphere that the staid Silver Stadium set disliked. The promotion missed the mark, and critics charged that Labbruzzo, perhaps feeling the heat of his pre-season attendance prediction of 400,000, was beginning to panic. In the middle of June he had fired the third bat boy, saving the team $3.50 per game, although the players subsequently pitched in to keep the youngster.

Labbruzzo’s frustration ended up being directed against Sam Lippa, who was at the time running for a seat on the City Council. The last remnant of the Silver era, Lippa’s duties had been reduced when Labbruzzo brought aboard Drew. There were signs of discomfort between Lippa and Labbruzzo, and Lippa and Stanley, and some said the writing was on the wall: the popular assistant general manager was on his way out.

After the hopes of the Silver Stadium faithful were raised by the sweep of Pawtucket, July turned sour for Rochester, as the Wings dropped 18 of their next 27 games. The month was marked by a series of player moves. Both catchers left. Criscione went to the Orioles, and Allietta returned to the Angels. The latter ranked as one of the season’s biggest disappointments. The top defensive catcher in the league for Memphis the previous year, Allietta had struggled both behind and at the plate, throwing out only seven of 56 base stealers, and batting below .200 for most of the season. Kevin Kennedy was called up from Charlotte, and Labbruzzo swung a deal to get catcher Bruce Kimm from Detroit’s Triple-A Evansville club. In return for the loan of Kimm, notable as Mark “The Bird” Fidrych’s personal receiver, the Wings loaned out pitcher Van Bommel. Coming to the club with Kennedy was infielder Gersan “Skeeter” Jarquin, which led to the release of Andrews. Van Bommel’s spot was filled when the Orioles traded with Montreal for Triple-A right-hander Dennis Blair. Rochester also acquired outfielder Tommie Smith on loan from Seattle.

By the time the dust settled at the end of July the Wings were 47-52, mired in sixth place, 11 games back. It remained to be seen if any of the changes would help, but Labbruzzo, who had immersed himself in the roster shakeup, stated that the acquisition finally made the Wings “respectable.” He predicted a playoff berth for his club, with a finish as high as second place. Yet within a week the general manager found himself in the midst of another controversy. He chastised his players in the press, particularly second baseman Doyle, after an ugly four-error, 13-2 home loss in which the team was booed and mocked by the Silver Stadium crowd. Doyle made an error on what Labbruzzo considered “a routine ground ball that a little leaguer from Greece could have [handled].”

In spite of the chaos, several players were having outstanding seasons. Harlow (.343), Crowley (.300, 25, 72), Duncan (.308, 22, 60) and Parrott (11-4, 3.22) were named to the International League All-Star team. Crowley, who hit 11 home runs and drove in 31 runs in July, made waves when he announced that he wouldn’t play. He said he would be embarrassed, feeling he belonged in the majors.

Regardless of the moves, any run at the playoffs would be dependent on a turnaround by the pitching staff. There were signs of life. Chavez finally won his first game of the season, and Farmer, returning from rib problems and later a kidney infection, captured five straight to run his record to 11-3. Ford was still tantalizing, with eight complete games and nine wins, balanced against 11 losses and a league-leading 24 home runs allowed. Harper finally returned from the disabled list and in early August the Wings picked up right-hander Steve Kline, pitching for his sixth team in 1977. The 29-year-old Kline was still hanging around on the strength of a 16-9 season with the 1972 Yankees.

Crowley continued his power production into August and, after hitting number 28 on Aug. 3, sparked talk that the league’s home run and RBI leader could challenge Russ Derry’s 1949 team record of 42. Duncan set a team mark of his own, breaking Pete Ward’s 16-year-old mark for round trippers for a third baseman when he hit his 23rd early in the month. Newcomers Kimm and Jarquin helped to solidify the defense; Smith’s hitting at DH allowed for Crowley to shift to first base, and Blair pitched solidly. The Wings climbed back to .500 and playoff contention.

Crowley changed his mind about playing in the all-star game, and after the contest was recalled, taking his 30 home runs to Baltimore. Reluctantly accepting a demotion was Tommy Shopay, who had played in Rochester in all or part of the ’70, ’73, ’74, and ’76 seasons, and was a career .303 hitter in 377 games with the Wings. Criscione was also returned, although neither would be activated until the rosters expanded from 21 to 24 on Aug. 17. Shopay was late in reporting, and faced disciplinarian action. He finally appeared a week after his demotion, explaining, “I’ve got a magnet under the hood of my car and once a year it drives back to Rochester.”

Despite a mid-August swoon, a sweep of Syracuse on the 29th at Silver put the Wings within 1 1/2 games of the fourth place Chiefs, with three head-to-head contests remaining. Fiore returned from the inactive list and hit six home runs in his first eight games back to help fuel the chase, while Harlow bumped his average up to .341 and challenged for the league batting crown. With a chance to climb within a half-game, the Wings closed out their home schedule with a 4-3 loss to the Chiefs, helped by the team’s 156th error of the season.

Unfortunately the schedule put the Wings on the road, where the team was 24-39, for the last seven games of the season. Back-to-back losses in Syracuse all but eliminated Boyer’s squad; the official end of playoff hopes came the next day with a loss in Pawtucket. Farmer, Parrott, and reliever Randy Miller (league-leading 60 games, team-high 13 saves) were recalled and told to report on Sept. 5. Harlow was to report after the season, giving him the opportunity for the batting crown. Kline left the team, convinced he was not in the O’s plans. Shopay went back on Sept. 1 after hitting .350 in 11 games. Stephenson and Duncan were not in the first round of call-ups, incensing both players. Duncan, who would be negotiating a new contract in the off-season, stated “the O’s couldn’t sign me now for $400,000.” Fiore, who hit .379, with seven home runs and 18 RBI in the stretch run, was also not going to Baltimore, leaving him still 63 days short of qualifying for a major league pension. (Stephenson and Blair were called up at the end of the season. Duncan was also recalled, but had to clear waivers first, and was claimed by the St. Louis Cardinals.)

The Red Wings finished up in sixth place, with a 67-73 record, the worst record since 1963, the first losing season in 12 years, and the first non-playoff team in eight years. Some local observers felt that the team let down, a belief seconded by at least two players, who spoke anonymously after the team’s official elimination. Wins and losses were accepted equally — without much emotion. The easy-going Boyer, a sound baseball man who got along well with his players, was perhaps the wrong manager for this team. “The Wings, this year at least, needed someone to inspire and motivate them. They needed someone to breathe fire and show anger when the situation demanded it,” wrote D&C columnist Greg Boeck. “The fans didn’t expect a pennant this year, but then they never expected a contented loser, either,” concluded Boeck.

There were, however, some outstanding individual performances. Larry Harlow fell short in his bid for the batting crown, but the stellar defender hit .335 and added a career-high nine home runs. Terry Crowley lead the league in home runs with 30 in only 108 games, to go along with his .308 average and 80 RBI. Taylor Duncan finished behind Crowley with 27 round trippers, and batted .301. Mike Fiore had solid season totals of .284, 19, 57, Mike Parrott finished 15-7, with a 3.42 ERA, and a league-leading 146 strikeouts. Ed Farmer made an impressive comeback from his arm surgery, winning 11 of 16 decisions.

Once again, however, the off-season focus would be on smoothing front office problems. In an August interview with the Democrat & Chronicle, RCB President Vince Stanley acknowledged there was “fear and apprehension” in the Rochester baseball community. Stanley defended his management philosophies, while reiterating that 1977 was his last year as president. He also hedged in his support of Labbruzzo, saying that although he agreed with the search committee’s recommendation and felt he deserved another year, Labbruzzo had not been his personal choice for general manager.

Labbruzzo took heat for the attendance figures, which had come nowhere near his grandiose predictions. Rochester’s final count was 245,712, up over the previous season, but the figure represented only a negligible increase in terms of average attendance (the Wings had less home dates due to poor weather in 1976). The league’s turnstile race was handily lost to Columbus, which drew 457,251 with a seventh place club.

The controversies continued in November, as Sam Lippa, the popular assistant general manager, was fired by Labbruzzo the day after Lippa’s loss in the City Council election. Labbruzzo had “no comment on the reasons” for the firing of Lippa, who had been with the Wings since ’69, except for a year he spent with the Rochester Lancers soccer club. Lippa’s initial response was to take his case to the Board of Directors, but decided against it, stating, “the board is nothing more than a bunch of wooden indians.”

Labbruzzo also continued in his belligerent tactics with the Orioles. Concerned with the depletion of the O’s farm system, he wanted the Orioles to replace the major league players lost in the first free-agent sweepstakes, figuring a lack of replacements would cost the Wings three players. (Labbruzzo waited until a week after the Wings and O’s had signed their 17th one-year working agreement before making his demands.) The Wings general manager also announced an “ambitious marketing program” for 1978.

Part of his plan included the replacement of the trademark manually-operated scoreboard in center field. Labbruzzo signed an agreement with American Sign Co. of New Jersey for a replacement $40,000 electronic scoreboard that would cost the Wings nothing. American would sign up advertising to pay for the board, although Labbruzzo would not allow them to approach local organizations that already advertised with the Wings. The deal, which was contingent on American getting enough advertisers, fell through and the wooden scoreboard, which still posted out-of-town International League scores, was spared for at least another season.

In December, the Wings announced an after-tax profit of $20,264, a strong turnabout from 1976’s loss. Labbruzzo seized the opportunity to predict that 1978 would see a profit in the $50,000-70,000 range. Any future discussion of black ink, however, had to be tempered with the release of an engineering report on Silver Stadium, prepared by a Syracuse consulting firm.

The study, released at the Dec. 17 annual stockholders’ meeting, stated that Silver was still structurally sound, but would need work after 1981. The options listed in the report included: spend $1.5 million to replace and renovate the structural steel and cement that held up the stadium; spend $3.5 million to tear down the stadium and rebuild on the 11.25-acre Norton Street site; or sell the stadium and rebuild at another location for approximately $5 million. (A 1974 appraisal put the value of the property at $250,000, although it was noted that the site might bring more if the stadium wasn’t situated on it.) The relocation alternative was not seen as a serious option, as principal concern focused on keeping the 48-year-old stadium in one piece for another 20 years.

The other principal piece of business at the shareholders meeting was the election of a new president. With Stanley’s retirement after a three-year reign, speculation centered on 65-year-old Bill Blackmon, the public relations director for Rochester Products. Blackmon, a self-described extrovert and “ardent” Wings fan, but not a member of the Board of Directors, was indeed named the fifth president of Rochester Community Baseball. Wearing his trademark bow tie, Blackmon pledged to “represent the average fan,” and with the team on firm financial footing (close to $500,000 in the bank), announced his No. 1 long-range priority was to settle the stadium issue.

The shareholders meeting was notable due to the absence of Anna Silver, the largest single stockholder.

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.