From Chapter 5:

1977-1982: Front Office Follies

1978

The problems between Labbruzzo and Baltimore Farm Director Clyde Kluttz were long-running, dating back to the days when Labbruzzo ran Syracuse and Kluttz was with the parent Yankees. The disagreements intensified in spring training. The Rochester GM traveled to Florida “to keep an eye” on any potential player acquisitions, a move Kluttz considered pestering. Ex-Wing Jim Fuller, given permission by the Astros to cut a deal on his own, approached Labbruzzo about coming back to Rochester. Labbruzzo evinced interest primarily because Fuller was also talking with Columbus, which had already signed former Red Wing favorites Tom Shopay and Mike Fiore, and later, Mickey Scott.

Kluttz had no interest in Fuller, partly due to the fact that Fuller had filed a grievance over his Orioles’ contract in 1976, and Labbruzzo’s insistence exploded his frustration. “I have the green light to pull our affiliation with Rochester at any time,” claimed Kluttz. “What I don’t want Don doing is going around tampering with ball players.”

The 1978 season was seen as a critical year in the Orioles-Red Wings relationship. Kluttz admitted other cities had contacted the Orioles about a Triple-A affiliation. It was unfortunate that after 16 years of success, one bad year and a sour personal relationship between Kluttz and Labbruzzo had pushed the working relationship to the boiling point.

Success on the field would help soothe the Rochester faithful, and the early line on the time was that it would be a return to respectability. The pressure was on Boyer to produce, and fortunately it looked like he would be working with a more talented set of players. There were 12 returnees, and 10 new faces, with an outlook for improved defense, less power (Kluttz described the team as “scrappy”), and better pitching. Dave Ford, Tony Chavez and Sammy Stewart, all of whom went through rough first seasons in Triple-A, returned, each with the talent to chalk up 15 wins. Returnee Dennis Blair and Ray Bare, who came over from the Detroit organization, added veteran stability to the staff. The balance of youth and experience was also present in the bullpen, where vets Earl Stephenson (named player/coach) and Jeff Terpko (acquired from Montreal organization), matched up with Jeff Rineer (Charlotte) and the returning John Flinn.

The defense looked to be mended, although little improvement would be needed to top the “defensively disastrous” 1977 club. The infield featured three newcomers: shortstop Jimmy Smith, second baseman Wayne Krenchicki and first baseman Tom Chism. Smith was touted as the next Mark Belanger.

Krenchicki was a converted shortstop and would begin the year sharing time with Blake Doyle. Chism had a major-league bat (he predicted 25 home runs and a .300 average if he played every day), but was below average in the field. He would fight for playing time with Don Cardoza, an acquisition from the Dodgers who won the Pacific Coast League batting crown (.355) the year before. Injury-prone Marty Parrill was given the third base job, with rookie Tom Bianco the utilityman.

The talented but inconsistent Rafael Liranzo was the only returning outfielder and slated to start in left. Mike Dimmel was heralded as a strong defensive center fielder. Newcomer Mark Corey, out until June recovering from knee surgery, was labeled a future superstar. Andres Mora was the unhappy final cut from Baltimore. He walked out after being sent down, but after discovering he would not be allowed to play in his native Mexico, changed his mind. He did, however, state that if he could not be in the majors, he preferred to spend the whole year in Rochester. Kevin Kennedy, strong defensively but struggling with the bat, and Dave Criscione rounded out the roster as the team’s catchers.

Mora was the only starter from the 1977 club to return but the results were all-too-familiar as the team opened with five straight road losses, matching the worst start in history (1971). The first home game was rained out, but when the Wings opened in front of 6,396 a day later, leadoff man Dimmel hit the first pitch in the bottom of the first for a home run en route to a 5-0 shutout. Rochester countered its poor road start by winning five in a row on the homestand to even its record at 5-5.

In the midst of the streak came the news that the St. Louis Cardinals had fired their manager, and that Boyer and Frank Robinson, a coach with the Orioles, were interested in the job. Furthermore Robinson, the first black to manage in the majors when he piloted the Cleveland Indians in 1975, was said to be interested in the Rochester job should Boyer leave. The job became his to accept on April 28, when Ken Boyer was named manager of the Cardinals. He became the first Rochester manager since Harry Walker in 1955 to voluntarily leave the team in mid-season, and the fourth former Red Wing skipper currently managing in the majors, joining Joe Altobelli, Earl Weaver and Darrell Johnson.

Boyer told the team of his decision prior to a game at Charleston, then boarded a plan for St. Louis. Player-Coach Earl Stephenson piloted the team for one game (a loss), before the O’s sent in Minor League Pitching Coach Al Widmar as an interim manager.

Robinson backed off his initial interest a bit, although his agent said it was his “gut feeling” that Robby would take the Rochester job. Labbruzzo had no objection to Robinson, but stated “nobody takes the job until we’re consulted. I don’t care who it is.” Some thought it might be an issue (for both sides) of race, as there were no black players on the team at the time, and Robinson had in the past been vocal about the lack of black managers in the game.

Robinson was finally named manager on May 3, a move which surprised many baseball people. He first donned a Red Wing uniform on May 7, wearing his familiar number 20, surrendered by Parrill. Robinson took over a team that had climbed to third place with 10 wins in its last 13 games (winning five of seven under Widmar). He was, however, greeted with some changes. Smith, hoped to be the glue of the infield, was out with a broken finger, and reliever Flinn had been sent up to Baltimore. Tim Stoddard, a 6’ 7” former college basketball player with North Carolina State, was sent down after a slow start with the O’s, and infielder Skeeter Jarquin was called up from Charlotte to replace Smith.

Robinson’s first game was memorable, as the Red Wings scored seven runs in the bottom of the ninth to erase a 10-4 deficit and give Rochester a 11-10 victory over Columbus. But the Wings’ old nemesis — injuries — began to mount. Parrill was out with a lingering neck problem and Dimmel was day-to-day. An injury to Orioles’ outfielder Al Bumbry forced the recall of Mora, dropping the Wings down to one extra player. Losses also occurred to non-playing personnel, as Rochester’s radio broadcaster Pete Brown suffered a heart attack that forced him from the broadcast booth.

The hurts, along with a sputtering offense and porous defense (21 errors in a nine-game string), caused a five-game losing skid and pushed the Wings back to the .500 mark. Outfielder Gary Roenicke came down from Baltimore and went on a tear, but an injury to “sparkplug” third baseman Bianco forced Robinson to shift Roenicke to third and first baseman Cardoza to the outfield.

Early June found the Wings three games below .500 and in seventh place, 7 1/2 games from first, but only a half-game shy of fourth. The faltering Blair (0-6, 7.98) was sent down to Charlotte and replaced by left hander Mike Pagnozzi. Second baseman Doyle, playing every day since Krenchicki had switched to short, went on a hitting spree that brought his average up from .143 to a team-leading .321. His play gave Robinson a pleasant problem when the injured players returned: two second baseman (Krenchicki and Doyle) and two third baseman (Bianco and Parrill) looking for at-bats.

Smith, Bianco and Corey all returned to the lineup in mid-June, after a month-long 11-18 slide that pushed the Wings 12 1/2 games out of first. Robinson was upset with his team’s performance refusing to use the nagging injuries as an excuse. Despite the team’s lackluster play at home (15 losses in the first 26 games), the future Hall of Famer was proving to be a hit with players and fans alike. His players appreciated his “casual, light atmosphere” in the clubhouse, as well as his open-door policy and one-on-one discussions with his charges. His wide-open, gambling style of managing drew some boos and second-guessing from the Silver Stadium faithful, but he was personally accepted. His playing fame also put him in great demand for speaking appearances, and he averaged three engagements a week.

Despite the spotty play, the consensus among local observers was that the team had simply not yet jelled, and if the pitching came around, the playoffs were a strong possibility. Unlike 1977, this team had some talent, with Smith, Kennedy and Corey considered among the International League’s top prospects in a poll of the circuit’s front-office personnel.

But one more rash of injuries sent the Wings into another downward spiral. Bianco, Corey, Roenicke and Terpko all spent time on the disabled list. Disability had yet to touch the pitching rotation, giving it no excuses for its inconsistent performance. None of the starters (Ford, Chavez, Stewart and Pagnozzi) were living up to expectations, and despite the return of Flinn, the bullpen had been even weaker. Stoddard had the dubious record of issuing three bases-loaded walks over the first part of the season.

The unsettled lineup hurt the defense and rumblings of discontent began to surface as the season approached the mid-way point. Robinson was under orders from Baltimore to return Krenchicki to second base, which prompted Doyle to ask for a trade. Roenicke, seemingly forgotten by Baltimore, had been disgruntled from the day of his demotion. Back-up receiver Criscione was relegated to spot duty, as Kennedy was hitting in the .280s and regularly throwing out runners. Liranzo, hot in the first part of the season, was benched when he slumped. He had yet to publically criticize Robinson, as he had Boyer the season before.

A late-June/early-July stretch of 18 home games in 19 days sparked talk of “turning it around,” despite the fact the team had lost 15 of its previous 20 games at Silver. The homestand was just a game old when Parrill quit, frustrated by recurring neck spasms and dizziness that kept him out of the lineup. Injuries finally struck the pitching staff, as both Stoddard and Terpko were sidelined, the latter for the remainder of the season, leaving Robinson with just two relief pitchers, both left-handed. The hurts caused the Wings to put out an SOS for pitchers. Doyle had to pitch in one game in order to lighten the load on the over-extended bullpen.

Injuries forced the Wings to play 61 of their first 75 games with one or more regulars absent, and the team was not exactly making up for the shortages with grit and hustle. Selfishness in particular, indifference in general, was the common observation made by the media. For example, there was the curious case of a Red Wing reliever seen holding hands with his girlfriend down in the bullpen while a game was in progress.

Help was on its way, although the quality of acquisitions failed to suggest a turnaround. Tommy Toms, a right-handed reliever with a 4.85 ERA in Triple-A, was acquired on loan from the Cardinals’ organization, and right-hander Jose Bastian was called up from Charlotte. Third baseman Kim Allen was acquired from Columbus, where he was hitting .229 as a part-time player. In mid-July Robinson publically ruled out any chance at the pennant, preferring to concentrate on rallying for a playoff berth. Asked if he would make a wager on his team making the playoffs, Robby replied, “No sir, no way. I may look insane, but I’m not.”

The disappointing play at home caused a drop in attendance, which was publically noted by Anna Silver. The front office was also directly or indirectly involved in a pair of embarrassing blunders. One was the early-season use of Silver Stadium’s outfield for an outdoor car sale that drew ire due to concerns for the stadium turf. The other involved plunging ratings for team’s broadcasts on WSAY. The station refused to move the “Rosary Hour” show, broadcast from 7:00-7:30 p.m. nightly, forcing the Wings’ pre-game show to be aired at 6:45, with the game picked up promptly at its 7:30 start. Doubleheaders, with an earlier start time, had to be joined in progress.

Despite the losing record, there were some players compiling strong years. Krenchicki became Mr. Everything for the Wings, leading the team in almost every offensive category. Corey was living up to his superstar billing, hitting a shade under .400 during his limited playing time. Chism was up the .340s, while Kennedy sparkled behind the plate and hit well above expectations. In late July, Krenchicki, Kennedy and Ford (9-3, his 3.59 ERA the lowest on the team) were named all-stars. Ford and Corey were also selected as the league’s pitcher and non-pitcher respectively, with the best chances to make it in the majors.

An 8-4 road trip put the team within four games of .500, and three games back of fourth place, although still mired in seventh. But once again the Wings couldn’t win at home, despite a Chism hit streak that reached 16 games and put him in the race for the batting crown. Further problems arose when 10-game winner Ford was forced to miss starts due to complications which arose after he had his wisdom teeth removed.

It was only on the road that the Wings could pick up ground, and with Stewart (five wins in a row) picking up the slack of Ford’s absence, a four-game sweep in Columbus pushed the team within a game of fourth. A doubleheader split in Toledo, in which Liranzo hit three home runs in the opener, pushed the team into the final playoff spot. The only black cloud on the horizon was the schedule, as 19 of the last 25 games would be at home, where the team was 22-29. Baltimore’s schedule also hampered the Wings’ playoff chances. Orioles’ manager Weaver had already stated that the Wings would lose four players on the Sept. 1 callup date, due to a schedule that had the fifth place Orioles playing two, possibly three consecutive doubleheaders.

But for the first time all year, the Wings responded on Norton St. They continued a streak which saw them win 12 of 15, pushing them a season-high two games over .500 and two games ahead in the battle for the final playoff berth. Cardoza (a 15-game hit streak), Chism (.332 and .001 behind in the league batting race) and Liranzo (16 RBI in 13 games) all sparkled at the plate, while starting pitchers Stewart and Bare performed strongly. Stoddard had emerged as the team’s fireman. With an eight-game Thruway series scheduled with last place Syracuse, the team looked to solidify its hold on fourth.

Yet off-the-field problems threatened to distract. The Wings were fined $250 for pulling Ford from the all-star game, then pitching him the next day. Labbruzzo refused to publicly back Robinson’s decision to keep Ford out of the contest. The problem highlighted a strained relationship between the general manager and manager, one that Robinson called cold and impersonal. Despite the fact that the Wings and Orioles were negotiating what would be an unprecedented multi-year working agreement, it was rumored that Robinson would not return as manager. When Robinson publically stated he would be “happy to return” if he didn’t land a major-league job, Labbruzzo replied it was premature to discuss the future.

Fortunately, the amazing pitching turnaround continued, without staff ace Ford winning even a single game. But potential disaster loomed in late August when Rochester, down to only eight hurlers, was scheduled to play three doubleheaders in five days. However, the team managed to split the games and remain in fourth, due mainly to a hot spell at the plate by Roenicke (30 RBI in August).

A pair of losses saw the Red Wings standing at 66-66 on the morning of Aug. 27, in fifth place, a half-game shy of a playoff spot, with the final eight games at home. But the pitching staff, which had a 18-9 record and a 3.04 ERA since July 29, finally burned out. A Pawtucket club which was challenging for the league lead came into Silver to sweep a three-game series. Minor injuries shelved Doyle, Corey, Roenicke, Dimmel and Smith. On Aug. 30, pitchers Ford, Stewart (who would grab headlines by fanning seven straight White Sox in his major-league debut) and Stoddard were recalled. It came after the Wings suffered their 10th loss in 14 games, and for all intents and purposes, ended the season. The Wings closed out the year in sixth place at 68-72, 17 games from first and 3 1/2 short of a playoff spot.

The “indispensable” Wayne Krenchicki (.296, team leader in runs, RBI, doubles and stolen bases), Mark Corey (.323 in 74 games), Tom Chism (.317, but a disappointing 10 homeruns) and Gary Roenicke (.307) had standout years offensively, while Tim Stoddard (7-3, 2.62), Sammy Stewart (13-10) and Dave Ford (11-6) led the pitching staff. But their performances were the exception, rather than the rule. It was a season of “too many injuries, too many losses at home (39), too many errors (159, including 100 [at Silver]) and too little pitching.” It was the first back-to-back seasons under .500 since 1946-47.

Attendance checked in at 219,814, a drop of almost 300 per game. Robinson’s uncertain future clouded off-season plans, although Kluttz was generally happy with his performance and gave him until mid-October to make a decision on returning. The low turnstile count led Labbruzzo to predict a bigger financial loss than expected; however, he stated, it would “put us in a good bargaining position with the Orioles. They have to listen to our demands because we lost money.” The Rochester GM also complained about the quality of players supplied to his team. “Eighteen years of good teams from Baltimore doesn’t mean much when the last two have been lousy. It’s what they can do for us in ’79.”

Negotiations continued for another working agreement between Baltimore and Rochester. Labbruzzo insisted in his proposal that the O’s face financial penalties based on the Wings’ finish in the standings, an option turned down flat by Baltimore. On Oct. 28, the two organizations signed the “unprecedented” three-year agreement, one which was estimated to save the Wings $50,000-70,000 over the life of the contract. The O’s picked up a greater part of player salaries, would pay full salary for a trainer (Wings usually paid all or half) and added a full-time coach for 1979. Labbruzzo was quoted as being “very happy” with the agreement.

Not all were sold on the arrangement. Newspaper columnist Rudy Martzke complained that the front office was to shoulder the blame for the “once-great franchise that’s crumbling.” He took RCB to task for signing a long-term deal with Baltimore, instead of approaching the New York Yankees, which had returned to the International League in Columbus. Along with blaming Labbruzzo, Martzke pointed fingers at the operations committee and “figure-head” president Blackmon.

His blanket indictment of the front office seemed on-target when in November, while still waiting a clear commitment from Robinson, Rochester brass independently offered the managerial job to Fred Hatfield, a former Detroit Tiger coach. Robinson was told that the club felt a change was needed. Blackmon crossed himself when he was quoted as saying, “I think we need a change in managers. But we can’t say that we don’t want Frank Robinson back publicly for obvious reasons. Suppose he has to come back. I’d never say we wouldn’t take him back because we would.” The Orioles tried to stay above the fray, as Kluttz declared “any announcement would come from Rochester.”

Hatfield declined the job, but Robinson, who had hoped to get a job as color man on the Orioles’ local broadcasts, decided to return to Baltimore as a coach. “No matter what happens, there’s no way I’d come back to Rochester now,” stated the obviously and rightfully insulted Robby.

On Nov. 17 the Wings announced that 50-year-old Howard Edwards would take over as the 28th Rochester manager. Known as “Doc” due to his medical corps service in the Navy, Edwards played 317 major-league games in his 13-year career, batting .238 as a catcher with the Yankees, Indians, A’s and Phillies. He had managed the last six years in the minors, the previous two in the Montreal organization. “There’s no job I want more,” stated Edwards in his introduction to the Rochester media.

The selection of Edwards appeared to be the only positive development as the new year approached. In December the league announced that the in-season all-star game, scheduled for Rochester in ’79, would be scrapped because of its expense. In early January the Wings announced a loss of $81,216, a figure that forced a $100,000 cut in the 1979 budget that cost four staff positions, including half of the maintenance crew. Of the $661,000 in expenses, $115,000 came in real estate taxes and stadium operating costs, prompting Labbruzzo to say, “It’s becoming simply too expensive to operate the stadium,” pointing out that Rochester was the only team in the high minors to own its stadium.

The loss prompted more than 90 stockholders, three times the usual amount, to attend the annual meeting in January. A disagreement between Blackmon and the board on Labbruzzo’s future caused elections to the board of directors to be tabled. Blackmon abolished the club’s operations committee, and the board directed him to select a nine-member panel to evaluate the workings of Rochester Community Baseball. Blackmon and Anna Silver were among those named to serve on the committee.

Blackmon had his own theories as to the source of the discontent: “One problem is that we’re resentful of the fact that we’re no longer the number one minor league franchise in baseball. That’s true for many reasons, one of them Columbus and its new stadium.” The statement was perhaps too close to the truth for many, and as the report of the special committee neared completion, rumors held that it contained the recommendation that Blackmon himself resign. Sources said Blackmon would ignore that finding, but advise the board that Labbruzzo be replaced.

Labbruzzo was officially fired on Feb. 26, after offering to resign following the 1979 season. He became the first general manager to be canned in the 22-year history of Rochester Community Baseball, but left with more dignity than some expected. “I leave with great regret,” he stated, expressing best wishes for the Wings and Bob Drew, named acting general manager through the upcoming season. He did fire a parting shot, blaming the quality of the teams, the cost of owning Silver Stadium, and negative reporting on the part of some local sports columnists for his downfall.

Blackmon did not emerge unscathed, as the evaluations committee left him in limbo. In March, Congressman (and ex-RCB president) Frank Horton “decided to take the ball in my hands and get matter resolved.” Thomas E. “Bill” Farrell, a five-year board member who had been previously approached regarding the president’s job, agreed to become the Wings’ new president on two conditions: if Blackmon was not re-elected, and if he had the support of the board of directors. The change became officially on March 19, when Farrell was elected the seventh president of the Rochester Community Baseball. Blackmon stayed on in the largely-ceremonial role of chairman of the board of directors, replacing Gerald B. Zornow, who was asked to step down.

Farrell, considered Rochester’s most successful sports promoter, was an ex-coach and former Marine currently working as assistant superintendent for personnel for the Rush-Henrietta School district. He was the architect of the Section 5 high school basketball tournament, considered to be premier such event in the state. He resurrected the state basketball tournament, which became profitable under his leadership. Farrell was furthermore president of the Monroe County Rotary Clubs, which sponsored the annual Sarah Coventry women’s professional golf tournament at Rochester’s Locust Hill Country Club.

Farrell placed the stadium issue on the front burner. “The stadium, above all, should be a community-wide responsibility,” he stated in an interview. “That could mean the city or even the county. Down the road it’s obvious the Red Wings cannot be expected to operate the stadium. It has become way too expensive. Every avenue should be explored regarding a new facility.”

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.