From Chapter 5:

1977-1982: Front Office Follies

1982

Fallout from the legal skirmishes continued as the Wings prepared for their 1982 season. In mid-April President Lord suspended the search for a new general manager and named Bob Goughan and Bill Terlecky as co-general managers. The pair would be one of few familiar sights and faces around Silver, as the 1982 edition of the Wings would feature a new manager, a new radio voice (Jay Colley), a slew of new players, and new uniforms.

Improved pitching, an all switch-hitting outfield, and expected offensive production from the middle infielders raised pre-season sights from the sixth place finish predicted in the off-season to a more respectable third. Mike Hart, John Shelby and “can’t miss” prospect Mike Young (eight home runs in spring training) were installed as starters in the outfield, with John Valle in reserve. Rick Jones (SS) and Vic Rodriguez (2B) were the new keystone combo. Although not as strong defensively as the Bonner-Eaton duo they were replacing, both were better hitters, most notably Rodriguez, who hit .306 with 65 RBI at Charlotte. Dan Logan returned at first base, with 30+ home runs seen as a possibility. Veteran newcomer Rick Lisi was slated to start the season at third, despite not playing a full season there since 1975. Another new face, Glenn Gulliver, acquired from the Detroit organization for $100, was seen as the ideal role player, with the ability to play second, third or short.

Behind the plate, the Wings expected great improvement over the five-man shuffle from a year ago. Left-handed-hitting Dan Graham was back from Baltimore, backed up by Willie Royster, who could also play in the outfield. Tim Derryberry played his way onto the roster with an impressive spring, and was slated as opening day clean-up man/designated hitter.

The key was the pitching staff. The team’s final standings over the past five years had mirrored the performance of its pitching staff, but in ’82, even Oriole Pitching Coach Ray Miller said, “It’s a helluva staff. It’s a pennant staff.... a good blend of experience and exceptional young talent.” Gone were disappointments Carey, Rowe and Jones. The starters would be Mike Boddicker, Dave Ford, Allan Ramirez and rookie George “Storm” Davis, with an occasional fifth start going to Pete Torrez (the only lefty in the rotation) or Don Welchel. Boddicker and Ford were proven Triple-A pitchers coming off poor seasons, while Davis (14-10) and Welchel (13-7) had displayed promise at Charlotte. A return to form by Ramirez,a power pitcher recovering from arm problems, was the crucial question.

The bullpen was the potential weak link. Right-handers Nate Snell and rookie Bill Swaggerty (10 saves with Charlotte) were largely untested. Lefty Craig Minetto had spent parts of the past three seasons with the Oakland A’s and was expected to share the stopper’s role with Swaggerty. Long relievers were Cliff Speck and John Flinn. Flinn, who was with the Wings in ’77-’79, started the year on the DL.

The Red Wings featured new attire for both home and road. The home uniforms had red pinstripes, with a red script “R” on the left breast (which, paradoxically, did not match the script “R” on the all-red caps.) On the road the Wings would sport powder-blue uniforms with red, white and blue trim; the numbers and script “Rochester” across the chest were done in white with red outline.

A surprise assignment was made two days before opening day, when Mark Corey was returned for a fifth season with Rochester. The O’s had tried to trade him, but despite hitting .304 on loan with Springfield in ’81, there were no takers for the one-time “can’t miss” outfielder.

Opening Day itself was a shock as well, although it could have also been labeled a nightmare. On a day with temps in the 40s, 7,147 saw visiting Tidewater annihilate the Wings 23-1. As the fans chanted “Rain! Rain!” the Tides poured it on, scoring 10 in the third inning to take a 16-0 lead. It was the worst opening day defeat ever, easily surpassing the 17-4 loss to Montreal in 1953. The Tides followed with a 13-1 win and the Nichols’ era was off to an auspicious start.

The Wings rebounded, in sorts, to the .500 level. But the team promptly went on an eight-game losing skid that pushed its record to 9-16, prompting new calls of dump the Orioles and some post-game tirades by the non-nonsense, all-business Nichols. The streak included an embarrassing four-game sweep by last place Toledo at Silver, part of a 3-7 homestand.

They were, suggested one columnist, at least losing on merit. Defensively, the team was averaging close to two errors a game. The bullpen, aside from Speck, was living up to the pre-season doubts, although to be fair, it was overworked, with starters taking the club into the seventh inning less than half the time. Davis had been effective, but he was recalled to Baltimore. Opponents were teeing off against the Wings’ staff at an average of over six runs per game. The same columnist also called the squad “lifeless, [and] rather dull,” pointing out that none of the veterans had yet to show any real leadership. Despite the slide, Nichols stated “I know it sounds ridiculous, ... [but] what I’ve seen of the league so far has convinced me that if we can play the baseball we’re capable of on a consistent basis, there’s no reason we can’t have a formidable club.”

The Wings snapped their losing streak on a night that starter Ramirez walked 11 batters, but things did not improve, bottoming out at 11-19. With pitching and defense “equally horrible,” an S.O.S. was sent to farm director Tom Giordano, who was likewise stunned by the pitching collapse.

Meanwhile President Lord was quietly shopping around for new affiliates, checking out Cleveland, Montreal, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and the Chicago Cubs, with the Phillies his personal favorite. In late May came reports that Phillies’ president and former Rochesterian Bill Giles was in town to give Lord a sales pitch. Lord denied the rumor, but the O’s were aware of his dealings and a little miffed. Critics of such a knee-jerk change in affiliates pointed out the 8-26 record at Philadelphia’s Triple-A affiliate. Gossip also predicted Lord would seek increased financial commitments from Baltimore in order to extend the working agreement.

No major roster moves were made (right-handed pitcher Alan Wirth was signed as free agent and outfielder Mike Hart released) but the team began to turn itself around with offense. In a stretch of 12 games, Logan hit eight home runs, including five in four games. Gulliver had worked his way into the starting lineup and had an 11-game hit streak. He was also gaining a reputation for his batting eye: in 117 plate appearances he had 30 hits and 37 walks, for an astonishing on-base average of .573.

Despite ailments to Ford, Snell and Torrez that placed them on the disabled list, the pitching likewise improved. Welchel allowed just one hit in a seven-inning doubleheader game, and Ramirez surpassed him three days later with a nine-inning one-hitter. A string of three complete-game wins by Boddicker and a series of rainouts help ease the strain on the staff. Reliever Don Stanhouse came down on rehab from Baltimore and added quality innings and a new sense of spirit in the clubhouse.

A June 2 doubleheader sweep versus Pawtucket capped a run of 13 wins in 17 games and placed the squad back over the .500 mark, in third place, only two games from first. The pace cooled slightly, but a Speck (in the rotation due to injuries) 1-0 masterpiece against Charleston in front of a season-high crowd of 11,258 gave the team its 20th win in the 30 games following the low point of 11-19. The starters had gone 15-7 with nine complete games and a 2.59 ERA in that stretch, and were helped by the steady play of the keystone duo of Rodriguez and Jones. The fans at Silver were not only getting a new-look team, but also a new sound, as a $13,000 public address system had been installed earlier in the month.

There were some dramatic victories — signs that perhaps the Wings were blessed. In a July 26 home game against Toledo, Nichols found himself out of pinch hitters in the bottom of the ninth. With two outs, he was forced to send up pitcher Boddicker, who was a good hitter college in college, but had not seen the batter’s box for quite some time. Against even the wildest hopes of the fans, he responded with a two-strike, two-run double that provided the winning runs in a 5-4 triumph. Four days later Logan crushed a two-run 450-foot home run in the top of the last frame to provide an 8-7 victory at Syracuse.

The Logan shot was part of another of his power binges. The next day he hit a grand slam which provided the winning margin in a 8-4 victory over the Chiefs. It was his fourth homer in eight games and gave him 16 RBI in his last nine games. It was also the Wings’ seventh grand slam of the season.

The run of 25 wins in 40 games gave the squad a 36-34 record at the half-way point, a mark that few expected after the dismal start. Gulliver was the clear leader on the field, hitting at a .333 clip, with 11 home runs, 30 RBI and leading the league in on-base average. His 73 walks put him on pace to break the team record (134 by Russ Derry in 1949). The balanced offense (by late June nine players had 23 or more RBI, led by Young with 32) and improved pitching were positive signs for the second half, but it seemed clear that a pennant shot depended on the development of short relievers Minetto and Snell. Both had shown improvement, but still carried earned run averages in the fours.

The first half of the season saw the final resolution to the proxy struggle. On June 2, state Supreme Court Justice Richard Rosenbloom ruled that 3,666 proxies cast for current management should instead count for the Shareholders Committee. His decision turned a 194-vote loss for the dissident group into a victory margin of 6,000. The votes were to be recounted and recertified, but the fight was clearly over. It was somewhat a graceful victory. Sorg expressed his wishes for some sort of compromise with the current board, while the Shareholders Committee authorized interim President Charlie Stauber to encourage current board members to apply for positions on the new board. (The offer was nonetheless slowly shrinking; instead of the even split offered in April, out-going management turned down an offer of 15 of the 35 board seats, with three of nine Executive Committee slots.) By that time cost estimates for the fight to control Rochester Community Baseball ranged from $157,000 to management, and $100,000 to the Shareholders Committee.

Shortly after the decision the deposed leadership went to court and got a week’s extension on the June 18 deadline for turning over the reins of power. The move caused Stauber to declare, “This is making it more and more difficult for us to open our arms to them.” (Ex-president Farrell was more sporting, stating “We’ve all got to pull together. If the new group needs help, I’m there. I’m not mad. If they win, they win.”) At the least, the strongly pro-Oriole new board would make peace with Baltimore. On July 7, the date finally decided upon for the transfer of control, the departing board and the Orioles agreed on a four-year extension of affiliation through 1987. It was, according to Giordano, the “sweetest deal Rochester’s ever seen.” The agreement would save the club $58,500 over the four years. The Orioles would assume a larger share of salaries, reimbursements for balls and medical supplies and pay $10,000, not $5,000, if the exhibition game was canceled.

Stauber was cautious about the agreement, saying the in-coming board would look at the proposal, but was not quite ready to immediately agree. The old board left a bit testily, deciding that it would not appeal the decision, yet releasing a statement warning that “this is the end of ‘community’ baseball.” On July 10, Stauber stepped aside and 45-year-old Ray Sorg was elected president of RCB. He named a nine-member executive committee which included Anna Silver; announced there would be no immediate changes in front office personal; indicated an inclination toward accepting the Orioles’ proposal; and established seven committees, including a Facilities Committee, which would oversee the renovation. It was also disclosed that the legal fees incurred by the former board in the takeover had already been paid and that Shareholders Committee costs would “probably” be paid by RCB. The board would await the feasibility study on the renovation, but for the first time admitted that outside funds might be needed for the work.

The 10-month struggle for control of the Red Wings ultimately cost the team $297,500. The final bill was $179,500 for the former board and $118,000 for the Shareholders Committee. (The latter amount was legal fees due board member/attorney Adam Bernstein, who reduced his bill from $151,000.) As damaging as the feud was the delay in dealing with the stadium renovation. Sorg’s views on the issue were present in his announced goals as president. He wanted no artificial turf at Silver, competitive bidding for things sold in park, improved attendance, and to remain in office long enough to see a successful renovation.

Back on the field, by the time the smoke cleared the Wings were spinning their wheels, failing to climb any higher above the .500 mark. After rising as close as 1 1/2 lengths of first, the Wings were 44-41 on the morning of July 15, in fourth place, 3 1/2 games back. Giordano hinted at an overhaul, which quickly came to pass. Gulliver (.303, 12, 33, 84 walks in 76 games) went up to Baltimore, Bobby Bonner (fielding woes had put him in Earl Weaver’s doghouse) came down to play second base, second baseman Rodriguez (struggling in the field and at the plate) went to Charlotte and third baseman Leo Hernandez (.291, 20, 61 in 68 games) was brought up from Charlotte.

Hernandez had 10 hits in his first 19 at-bats, sparking the Wings to seven straight triumphs, bringing them within a half-game of first place. A trio of home losses to Tidewater dropped the Wings back to fourth, but the players donned white hats with red pinstripes and visors and took two single games from the Tides. Still wearing the new headgear, the Wings swept a doubleheader at first place Richmond, moving within a game of first place.

It was as close as they would get.

Richmond swept a twin bill the next day, and when Tidewater took two of three from the Wings, Rochester fell back into fourth. However an early-August sweep against fifth place Syracuse gave the Wings a comfortable 8 1/2 game margin in the race for the playoffs. In the last game of the series, held at Syracuse’s spacious MacArthur Stadium, Young had hit a home run over the 20-foot high center field fence, 434 feet from home plate, only the fifth International League player to clear the wall since 1961, when the barrier was moved in from 464 feet.

Rochester settled in for the last three weeks of the campaign with at least a playoff berth seemingly secure. Boddicker (called up) and Corey (traded) left and pitchers Stanhouse and Ross Grimsley came from Baltimore. Graham’s defensive deficiencies behind the plate finally caused the loss of his starting job to Derryberry, but day-in, day-out, the faces in the lineup pretty much remained the same. (In early August, Shelby, who had started and hit leadoff for the first 105 games, was finally given a night off.)

The only truly puzzling question about the ’82 Red Wings was their inability to win at home. They were under .500 at Silver, where large crowds had given rise to talk of hitting the almost-mythical 400,000 mark in attendance. The pinstripe hats initially helped, but a 2-5 August homestand convinced the players to put them back on the shelf. The slide at home became a four-game losing streak and with the 9 1/2-game lead suddenly down to four, the playoff spot was not entirely secure. A closer look saw a patchwork starting rotation (Ramirez and Torrez were still ailing) with only one career-long starter. Nichols finally laid down the law: no complacency, let’s not be satisfied with fourth place. Valle responded with a two-homer game in Charleston (the ninth Red Wing to hit two in one game for the season) and padded the margin again.

Rochester played a streak of 11 games versus their nearest competitors — Syracuse and Pawtucket — and captured seven, including a playoff-clinching victory in front of a season-high crowd of 12,000 on Aug. 29. Two of the wins were back-to-back victories for “Manager” Mike Orsini, the winner of Century 21’s “Manager for a Night contest.” His first victory was a 16-6 walk over Syracuse, so Orsini was back in uniform the next night for another win, 4-2. He ended his managing “career” at 2-0. The clinching rush was sparked by Logan and Hernandez. Logan, who, in an attempt to snap out of a lengthy slump, changed his uniform number from 19 to 33, hit in 11 of 12 games at an almost .500 clip. Hernandez had hits in 35 of the 43 games since his recall.

In the otherwise meaningless final series against Toledo, catcher Derryberry was married at home plate in a pre-game ceremony. The Wings closed out the year with a 72-68 mark, good enough for fourth place, 10 1/2 games back.

The Wings would face off against pennant-winning Richmond, against whom they had won nine of 20 games during the regular season. But the team would not be entirely intact. Shelby traveled to Baltimore to have doctors examine his sore throwing arm, but mysteriously took along his playing equipment (he was officially recalled on Sept. 1). Swaggerty was out with a broken cheekbone, suffered when he was struck in the face by a wild throw during pre-game warmups. Bullpen stopper Flinn (9-3, 10 saves) was called up to the O’s. Other than Floyd Rayford, who had to clear waivers to come down, all the replacements came from Double-A Charlotte.

Speck, who, despite his deceptive 8-10 mark, had emerged as the staff ace, pitched the opener in Richmond. His teammates had scored an average of only 1.5 runs in his 19 regular-season starts, but this time they came through with a vengeance, putting up five runs in the first two innings en route to a 12-3 win. Welchel, who won his last five decisions, went in Game Two, and once again the Rochester bats were potent. The 8-1 victory gave the Wings a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series.

Seriously damaged by recalls to the parent club, the R-Braves could do little to prolong their season. The Wings quickly closed out the series in Rochester with a 3-0 win, and moved into the finals against third place Tidewater, which ended Columbus’ Governors’ Cup dominance. The series opened at Silver, where the Wings’ season-long inability to win continued with 7-3 and 4-0 losses. Hopes for a comeback on the road were quickly extinguished, as the Tides wrapped up the Governors’ Cup in Norfolk with a 4-2 win in Game Three.

Despite the many ups and downs, in retrospect, it was a successful season. Rising from the depths of a 11-19 start (which included the embarrassing 23-1 Opening Day debacle) the Wings captured their third-straight playoff spot, and made their first appearance in the Governors’ Cup finals since 1974. John Shelby (.278, 16, 50) was the only Rochester all-star, fitting for a team that won without a Cal Ripken-type superstar, although Glenn Gulliver and Leo Hernandez (.312, 11, 41) came close. Eight players had double figures in home runs, led by Dan Logan with 19, Tim Derryberry with 17 and Mike Young with 16. Six players had 50 or more RBI (Logan 67, Young 62).

The pitching staff overcame the recalls of Mike Boddicker, Storm Davis and John Flinn, nagging injuries to Dave Ford and Pete Torrez, and the control problems of Alan Ramirez (117 walks in 124 innings). Don Welchel won 12 games to lead the staff, and Cliff Speck established himself as an effective starter. All in all the Wings graduated eight players to the Orioles at one time or another, including the foursome (Welchel, Bonner, Young and Hernandez) that went up when the season ended.

Perhaps the most significant accomplishment came off the field. Co-General Managers Goughan and Terlecky put 373,904 people into the stadium. This despite a home record of 35-38 (including playoffs) and the public relations’ disaster of the proxy fight. The figure was second in the league to Columbus’ 400,899. Any financial windfall, however, was tempered by the costs of the proxy fight, which heavily influenced the club’s reported loss of $96,505.

Focus did return to the stadium issue during the season. In early August, the new board received a report from an engineering firm that recommended closing off 3,700 of the stadium’s 11,100 seats in order to complete the renovation during the 1983 season. The firm estimated that it would take 14 1/2 months to complete $3.6 million of basic structural repairs, including new steel beams, concrete slabs and roof work. Doing the work during the season was considered the cheapest option; suspending construction would extend the job into the next season and cost an additional $145,000. Estimates for additional work was also in the report, including new electrical wiring ($1.3 million); new rest rooms, locker rooms, concession areas ($3.4 million); and roof-top luxury boxes ($1.7 million). The report calculated a complete facelift to cost $10 million.

The idea of having only 7,400 seats for a season (the team had averaged over 8,000 through July, August and September) was not seen as a viable option and the board looked for other possibilities. At the end of August, the board met to consider the 12 priority items of renovation established by the Facilities Committee. The repairs, said the committee, could be done for under $1 million, over the winter, and make the stadium sound for another 30 years. (These estimates presumably did not include the pigeon trapping operation the Wings were in the midst of completing. A total of 58 birds were caught in a 10-day span in order to solve the droppings problem.)

In the season’s last month new management agreed to the Orioles’ affiliation extension proposal and rehired Jay Colley as the team’s radio voice. The off-season focus was mainly on whether or not Nichols would return. His career goal was to become a farm director and it was reported that he had taken the Wings’ job as a one-year favor to Giordano. There was also some chance of organizational changes when Joe Altobelli was hired in November as the new Baltimore manager, taking over for the retiring Earl Weaver.

Nichols agreed to come back in early December, although the official announcement was not made until the Dec. 18 shareholders’ meeting. Coach Tom Chism would also return and ex-Wing Mark Wiley moved up from Double-A as the new pitching coach. The early line on the 1983 team was that there was talent for a playoff club, but some holes would need to be filled in order to contend for the pennant.

For some, however, the prospects of a season without front-office skirmishes held the most appeal. At the December meeting, Harvey Anderson, a member of the former board and president of the local Coca-Cola bottler, put $15,000 toward new aluminum seating in the left-field bleachers, along with $10,000 over the next three seasons to attain sponsorship rights to the section. An outspoken critic of the dissident board, his commitment showed that, at least on the surface, the wounds had healed.

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.