From Chapter 6:

1983-1985: The Darkness and the Dawn

1984

Whether or not Red Wing fans would see a successful squad was anybody’s guess. The outlook for the 1984 team was questionable, although Verdi optimistically stated, “I think we’ll be a competitive ballclub.” His inaugural Rochester squad seemed to be loaded with power, but lacking speed, quality defense and most of all, dependable pitching.

The top power hitters were Mike Calise, Mike Young, Leo Hernandez, John Valle, and newcomers Larry Sheets and Ismael Oquendo. All had the potential to hit at least 20 home runs — Valle hit that many for Rochester in ’83 and Sheets totaled 25 in Charlotte. The uncertainly centered around how they would fit into the lineup.

Calise, who had 13 home runs in 60 games for the Red Wings in ’83, impressed in spring training at third base. His experiment there would take at-bats away from Hernandez and Glenn Gulliver (who Baltimore was actively trying to trade). Oquendo, a virtual unknown after spending almost all of the last eight seasons in the Mexican League, was expected to supply some left-handed pop, although reports of his defensive prowess were not encouraging. Vic Rodriguez was back for another shot at second base after his brief stint in 1982. He spent all of 1983 in Double-A and became the Southern League’s all-star second baseman, but his defensive range remained limited. The only infield spot that looked to be manned by a solid glove was shortstop, where Bobby Bonner would start the year ahead of the injured Rick Jones. Jeff Schaefer was the utility man.

Young remained a prized prospect despite a poor spring and was slotted in left field. Up-and-comer Sheets was highly touted due to his bat, but another so-so glove man. The most glaring question mark was in center field. Efforts to trade for former Red Wing Dallas Williams were unsuccessful, and the Wings would have to open the season with Lee Granger, who played the previous year in Single-A. He was a switch hitter with good speed, but it was questionable whether or not he could make the jump. Valle, a class act who made his home in Rochester, was back for his fifth year and would see time in the outfield, at first base and designated hitter.

Floyd Rayford returned behind the plate, having been reacquired from the St. Louis Cardinals during the off-season. He had played at least parts of his last four seasons in Rochester. Backing him would be John Stefero, who struggled in his brief time with the Wings the season before.

The real suspect area was the pitching staff. The tentative starting rotation was Bill Swaggerty, Julian Gonzalez, Jamie Werly, Allan Ramirez and Joe Kucharski. Only Swaggerty was a proven Triple-A performer. Gonzales, the lone southpaw in the rotation, was 5-3 in a half-season in Rochester, while Werly was a free-agent acquisition who was 9-2 with Columbus the season prior. He had a history of arm problems, however, as did Ramirez, who went 4-5 for the Wings while splitting time between Rochester and Baltimore. Kucharski, the Orioles’ No. 1 pick in the 1982 draft, was 9-13, 3.93 for Charlotte. Potential starters Don Welchel and Jose Brito would begin the year on the disabled list.

The bullpen looked strong on the right side, with returnees Mark Brown and Nate Snell. The left-handed relief contingent — Dan Morogiello and Pat Underwood — were shaky. Morogiello had a hefty 5.73 ERA for the Wings in ’83, while Underwood, a free-agent acquisition had an ERA of over four for a pair of Triple-A clubs.

With the lack of speed, suspect defense and questionable pitching, the team was given a outside shot at fourth place and a playoff spot, although the presence of the savvy Verdi made a higher finish an optimistic possibility.

Swaggerty was the Opening Day pitcher as the Red Wings began the year at Silver versus the Maine Guides (the transported Charleston franchise). Verdi’s debut was successful as his squad prevailed 6-4 in front of 5,609.

Yet his team managed only two wins on its opening six-game homestand, and even that early in the season, some patterns were emerging. It was fortunate that the team was loaded with sluggers, because its members were painfully slow. Former catcher and first base coach Hutto, not known for his speed when he was a player, stated, “Even with two bad legs I can outrun most of these guys.” The defense lived up to its advance billing, making 16 fielding miscues in the first five contests. The pitching was likewise playing to form; after a 13-9 loss in Maine the starters, excluding the 2-0 Swaggerty, had a 8.14 ERA.

It didn’t help when Rayford was recalled after eight games, replaced by catcher Luis Rosado from Hagerstown. After 11 games the Wings were 3-8 (Swaggerty had all three wins), in last place, and although still professing his belief that he had a winner, Verdi stated he would give the team one more week before making changes.

Things didn’t immediately improve, and Verdi, in his 40th year in baseball, was hard-pressed to recall any of his teams getting off to such a poor start. Oquendo was struggling at first base and at the plate. Granger had far too many strikeouts for a leadoff hitter (18 in his first 45 at-bats). The Wings were even in danger of losing their status as the “glamour team” in town. The defending Calder Cup champion Americans were again in the hunt for a hockey title and the Amerks outdrew the Wings 7,500 to 3,200 on one evening. (Verdi’s response: “All this team needs is a winner.”)

Not even the elements were favorable. An April 30 game versus Richmond was called because of high winds. The gale damaged the year-old roof of the press box and tore away a row of general admission seats and parts of two box seats. Total cost of the damage amounted to $1,100. The next night the Wings-Braves tilt was postponed due to cold.

The promised changes came in early May. Stefero (.067) was sent down to Class A, Snell (0-2, 4.82; attitude also said to be a factor) to Double-A. Stefero was replaced by Jeff Ransom, a late-season cut by San Francisco’s Phoenix club. Snell’s spot was taken by right-handed reliever Rich Carlucci, cut by Indianapolis in the spring. Carlucci was seen to have some promise — his release from the Cincinnati organization seemed to stem more from his decision to file for minor-league arbitration than a lack of talent. Jones and Welchel were also preparing to re-join the club after extended spring training. Both were rehabilitating rotator cuff injuries.

One of the few effective players at the plate, outfielder Young, leading the team in eight hitting categories and second in the league at .333, was called up on May 7. Hernandez moved into his spot in left field, and Calise settled in at third. The shift of the glove-deficient Hernandez, whose defense could be overlooked when he was hitting — and he wasn’t — gave the Wings only three legitimate outfielders: Valle, Sheets and Granger.

Changes in the pitching staff also continued. Thirty-six-year-old Jim Barr, a veteran of 12 major league season, was picked up after being cut by San Francisco. Reliever Underwood was released to clear a roster spot.

Despite the swaps, the team sunk into last place. After back-to-back shutout losses at home versus Toledo, including a night when only 376 fans showed up, the Wings were 10-20, and 5-10 at home. Verdi began to fume: “Maybe it’s time to make wholesale changes. I’ve been trying to stay away from that, but I can’t take too much more of this.”

The Wings did pick up a win the next night, but it was against the Orioles in the annual exhibition. Baltimore did, however, do damage by leaving Rochester with Swaggerty, who had half of the team’s victories (5-1, 2.25) and all of the complete games (3).

The Wings continued to move players in and out. Late May saw Granger, Oquendo and Schaefer sent down in order to make room for Bonner (back from injury) and catcher/designated hitter Orlando Sanchez from Baltimore. The most highly-touted addition was Tucker Ashford, acquired from the Kansas City organization. Expectations were high with Ashford — in 1982 he was the IL’s Most Valuable Player with Columbus, hitting .331 with 101 RBI.

Ashford was not picked up for Rochester alone. Baltimore wanted him playing third base and so the former Clipper star moved there and Gulliver (who had been told not to get an apartment in Rochester, so anxious to make a trade were the Orioles) moved to first. Calise shifted to designated hitter and the moves gave the Wings an impressive offensive lineup — at least on paper: Gulliver, Rodriguez (hitting over .300), Ashford, Hernandez, Sheets, Calise, Valle, Rosado, and Bonner.

Ashford hit in his first seven games, but of those the Wings could only win three. At the end of May, during which the team lost 18 of 27 games, the Wings were 16-29, including a mark of 0-21 in games when trailing after seven innings. Attendance averaged less than 2,000 for the month, the team was on pace to lose 90 games, and incredibly, a month-and-a-half into the season, only 14 players remained from the Opening Day roster.

It was inevitable that comparisons to the 1979 team were be made. That team, statistically, looked good compared to this edition. The staff ERA of the ’84 squad was 4.41 and on pace for only 12 complete games for the season. The pitchers were walking batters at a rate that would project to 663 by the end of the year (the ’79 team walked 422). The errors, if continued, would total 184, and a paltry team total of 25 stolen bases was projected. Even in the power stat — home runs — this team was behind the ’79 disaster.

Verdi shook up the roster — actually playing Hernandez in center field, his fifth position of the season — and the Wings responded with a season-high four consecutive wins that lifted them out of the cellar. The roster was at least flexible (although some equated that versatility with mediocrity) and the veteran skipper liked to use his entire squad. One night would see Bonner in right field, the next at shortstop. Hernandez could be in the outfield or at one of the infield corners. Calise and Ashford would flip-flop between first and third base. The only constants were Rodriguez at second and Sheets in right field. Bonner and Hernandez handed the switch to the unfamiliar outfield territory cheerfully, and it actually looked like the worst might be over.

Verdi played the same game with the pitching staff, moving Brito and newcomers John Pacella and Tony Arnold into the starting rotation. Farm Director Giordano finally pulled the trigger on a deal to get back centerfielder Dallas Williams in a three-way swap with California and Detroit. After the modest streak, however the Wings were slated to play eight games in 11 days against second place Columbus.

Rochester lost seven of those games, and tacked on three more losses with Toledo, ultimately dropping 10 consecutive games, eight of those on one homestand. One game “featured” the dubious debut of reliever Onix Concepcion, up from Charlotte where he had five saves but 32 walks in 24 innings. In one inning of a 10-4 loss to Columbus, Concepcion threw three wild pitchs to move a runner from first base to home. The same date it was announced (prophetically, some wondered) that one-third of the Wings’ radio network, WASB in Brockport, was going off the air.

The Wings were even routed 8-1 in an exhibition game against the traveling U.S. Olympic baseball team, played in front of a sparse 3,516. The next night a loss to the Tidewater Tides put the team within one loss of tying the franchise record of 12 consecutive losses by the 1920 squad.

Verdi’s squad avoided matching the dubious record, but it was not the harbinger of a turnaround. Pitcher Ramirez and shortstop Jones went on the disabled list, and once again wholesale reinforcements needed to be brought up from Double-A: outfielder John Tutt, reliever Chris Willsher, and first baseman Dave Falcone.

The organization line held that this was a talented team not playing up to expectations. O’s General Manager Hank Peters said, “In all the years I’ve been with the Orioles, this is the most expensive club that’s ever been in Rochester. Tom [Giordano] has literally knocked himself out trying to come up with people to help make Rochester a winner.” At first glance it was an impressive lineup, but upon closer examination a case could be made that almost all the big-name Triple-A vets were on the downside of their careers. Most were two years removed from their best seasons, except for Williams and Gulliver, and the former went hitless in his first 30 at-bats and was replaced by the rookie Tutt. It was, some suggested, a good lineup — if it was 1981 or 1982. Not 1984.

No one was taking the miserable season harder than Verdi. “This is sickening,” he said, “I’m getting ulcers.” It was so bad he stopped frequenting his favorite restaurant, trying to avoid being seen in public.

He was, at least, not going to go down without pulling out all the stops. For a June 29 game at home versus Pawtucket, he had his players don their red warmup shirts for the game. He also reversed the batting order of his lineup. The team won that game and the one following, but a loss the next night, the 16th in 19 games, sent the red jerseys back to pre-game duties.

More players came and went. Pitcher Barr was cut, two days after being shelled and afterward verbally abusing a female reporter. (Barr did, however, offer to pitch for free to help out the tattered staff.) Reliever Morogiello, who did not endear himself to Verdi when he refused to step into the beleaguered rotation, was traded, as finally was the popular Gulliver. Left-handed pitcher John Martin was obtained in the trade for Morogiello, and right-hander Francisco “Herbi” Oliveras was added from Charlotte. The moves raised the total of roster shifts to 44 for the season, with 40 different players on the Rochester roster through early July.

The atmosphere at the ballpark was gloomy, and attendance well down, at a time when financial losses would hurt efforts to raise money for the stadium renovation. The boos were beginning to cascade down on Verdi on a regular basis and one evening a handful of fans were seen wearing paper bags over their heads. The team began being referred to as the “Dead Wings,” and the following joke began making the rounds: “Q: What do the Red Wings and the Amerks have in common? A: Neither can play baseball.”

It got literally ugly on July 20, when sparks from a welder’s torch destroyed the one-year-old electronic scoreboard in left-center field. Workers were attaching metal framework in order to erect a new advertising sign. Employees of the sign company left the area for lunch and came back to find fire crews present. The electronic board, which covered only a small portion of the towering 40-foot-high original structure, hung in pieces from the wall. Planks that covered the openings through which numbered placards formerly displayed the score were ripped away, exposing a charred checkerboard.

Insurance would cover the loss and co-General Manager Goughan immediately ordered a replacement. But it would take at least three days to install after it was received, and it would not be up in time for the July 25 International League all-star game, which would — somewhat comically — pit the IL all-stars versus the last place Red Wings.

The Wings had agreed to take the game as part of Rochester’s Sesquicentennial Celebration. Only 2,378 showed up — an all-time low for a league all-star tilt — to watch the Wings lose 4-1, pushing the team to 0-3 in exhibition games. A tarp covered the scorched remains of the scoreboard.

Despite the on-field disaster, the Wings announced in late July that Verdi would be rehired for 1985. There was no need to convince him to come back; his pride was wounded and he wanted to return.

The season’s final month mercifully came, but the parade of injuries and the rotating clubhouse door refused to stop swinging. Kucharski won his fifth game of the season (5-12) finally tying Swaggerty (who had been in Baltimore since May 11) for the team lead in wins. The Orioles signed U.S. Olympian John Hoover during the Games and announced he would join the Wings immediately thereafter. Hoover, considered the best college pitcher in the country, reportedly preferred to rest after his long season (he pitched over 400 innings in 1984 between college and the Olympics), but the O’s wanted him to play. His Rochester debut was on Aug. 15 and he received credit for the win in relief. He was shelled in three subsequent appearances.

The year was a sad ending for two of the most popular and professional Red Wings players of the late-’70s and early-’80s. Both Bobby Bonner and John Valle announced their forthcoming retirements in mid-August. The Wings held a Bobby Bonner night on the last home date of the season, and flew in his mother from Texas. Valle, who had risen to tenth place on the all-time Red Wing home run list, turned down the opportunity for a similar ceremony. He was, one newspaper scribe described, “one of the classiest athletes to play for the Wings.” He never complained, sulked or questioned, and always hustled. His season had ended prematurely (and characteristically) on July 27 when he suffered a broken hand and dislocated finger after running into the wire-link fence near the bullpen while in pursuit a foul fly ball.

The only thing left to play for was the Fays Trophy versus seventh place Syracuse. The Wings went into the final home-and-home series with the Chiefs tied in head-to-head contests. The teams split two in Rochester (with the left-center field scoreboard still missing — the new one had been delivered, but never installed), closing out a home season in which the Wings went 30-39. The attendance total of 197,501 was down over 86,000. It was the lowest figure since 1956 (179,739) and only the fourth time since 1947 the turnstile count was under 200,000. A doubleheader loss the next night in Syracuse clinched the Fays Trophy for the Chiefs and assured the worst record in modern history for the Wings. Another doubleheader mercifully ended a season in which the Wings went 52-88, in last place, 30 1/2 games back of pennant-winning Columbus and 5 1/2 games back of seventh place Syracuse.

It was a truly puzzling year. On paper, this team did not appear to be as bad as it was on the field. As John Valle said, “In ’79, you could at least look out on the field and say that’s a bad team. But this year, to me, you look out and this is the best worst-team I’ve ever seen.” It was bizarre, agreed fellow retiree Bobby Bonner. “All the years I’ve been in baseball, I’d thought I’d already seen it all. But this season I’ve seen things I thought I’d never see.”

In retrospect there were a couple of turning points. A lot of the team’s heart seemingly went down with infielder Jeff Schaefer when he was demoted to Charlotte on May 25. A pair of losses in June — an 18-2 loss at Columbus, and a last-inning 7-5 loss at Toledo — sent the Wings on a downward spiral that culminated in its 11-game losing streak.

For once there were few complaints about the Orioles — or at least in their efforts to bring in players. (The Orioles sank a record $531,400 into Rochester salaries for the season, up $125,000 from the previous year.) The recalls of Young and Swaggerty forced the Orioles to look outside the organization. Ashford looked to be a savior, but after a hot start, it was readily apparent that his skills had declined both offensively and defensively. He finished at .247. Williams, Sanchez, Barr and Martin were all brought in in failed attempts to turn the season around.

But for the most part the team was one-dimensional from the outset — decent offense, but terrible defense (155 errors) and pitching (4.72 ERA), and no quickness on the base paths (19 stolen bases) whatsoever. It was a team effort. Mike Calise stated, “All of us have had our worst years together.” He was one of the prime disappointments. The talk of spring training, his nagging injuries and a penchant for striking out (.235 average) did not offset 17 home runs and 43 RBI. Larry Sheets led the team at .302, but supplied little power until late in the season. Lee Granger was a gamble in center field that didn’t pay off and a handful of pitchers rotated through the staff were outright busts.

There were those who had respectable years, including Leo Hernandez, who hit .275 and led the team with 21 home runs and 83 RBI. He was mysteriously overlooked in late-season recalls, however, and his future in the organization was questionable. Luis Rosado hit .291 and played respectably behind the plate. Second baseman Vic Rodriguez showed improvement in his second Triple-A season. Pitchers Tony Arnold (5-6), John Pacella (6-3) and Joe Kucharski (7-13, team leader in wins) were the best of the hurlers.

But Verdi was blunt about the prospects for 1985: “The first thing we have to do, without a doubt, is sweep out one-third of them and then go from there. If we don’t do it, we’re not going to win.” He upped that estimate in December, stating the team would need at least seven new faces, and as many as 11. “They’ve [Baltimore] got to get us help,” stated the Wings’ manager. “Otherwise you can throw an Atom bomb on the ballpark next year, because no one will come out.”

The drastic drop in attendance was the largest concern. The Wings did manage a profit of $27,561, despite the decreasing crowds and the expenditure of nearly $300,000 in stadium maintenance and improvements. Cash reserves remained around $450,000, thanks mainly to the revenue received from the All-Star and Olympic exhibition games. But it was not a pretty financial picture for a team that needed to overhaul its stadium.

It was seen as the most critical time for the franchise since the Cardinals’ departure in 1956. Strauss put the on-field problems in perspective when he admitted, “Rochester baseball is suffering through hard times, but remember. Last place is still better than no place.” There was still little news on the stadium front. At the start of the season Strauss had stated he was anxious to get on with the renovation, but he curiously tempered his statement with the belief that he was not convinced that the renovation would dramatically improve attendance. The UDC feasibility study was expected in late January of 1985, but a renovation bill of $4 million was still expected.

Most of the changes over the off-season promised little improvement. Five veteran pitchers, four over the age of 30, were inked to contracts in January, and the Orioles’ themselves went big into the free agent market, revealing the true state of their farm system. The Wings were trying to lure Bonner and Valle out of retirement, and despite some acquisitions at baseball’s annual winter meetings in December, Bob Goughan predicted, “We’re far from being a playoff contender.”

RCB made some changes off the field, but in a more gentle style than in the past. Bill Terlecky left to run an Eastern League club, making Bob Goughan the sole general manager. Sam Polizzi and Pat Brown would assist him. The Wings announced new uniform designs for 1985. The change had been revealed in August, but the details left to be decided until after season’s end. The most noticeable change was the switch from navy blue to black as the second color. The navy and red matched the St. Louis Cardinals and had been the team’s colors since 1928. Only the stadium and the name Red Wings remained from the relationship that was severed in 1960.

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.