Tag Archives: Bill Veeck
My Favorite Weird Baseball Promotions
My longtime friend Mike Green and I recently discussed the weirdest, strangest, most ridiculous promotions we could think of. Since we had collaborated on a biography of Charlie Finley, published last year by Walker and Co., we had a lot … Continue reading
Major League Baseball, the Cardinals and the Browns, and the Challenge of “Small Markets”
Not until the 1960s did baseball executives begin to use terms like “small market” to describe the unique challenges of operating a successful major league franchise in an environment that did not generate the type of revenues available to teams … Continue reading
Bill Veeck’s Rules of Etiquette for Baseball Owners
When Bill Veeck was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in 1991 his widow, Mary-Frances Veeck, offered some interesting comments about how he conducted himself, offering twelve commandments of professional life. They were, in essence, Veeck’s rules of etiquette … Continue reading
Why Do Teams Leave their Host Cities? Major League Baseball in St. Louis as a Case Study
Between 1902 and 1954 the American League and the National League franchises in St. Louis competed for control of the fans in the city. The National League’s Cardinals eventually won that competition, forcing the Browns to leave for Baltimore where … Continue reading
Wednesday’s Book Review: “Bill Veeck: Baseball’s Greatest Maverick”
Bill Veeck: Baseball’s Greatest Maverick. By Paul Dickson. New York: Walker and Co., 2012. 448 pages, photographs, acknowledgments, appendix, notes, bibliography, index. Hardcover with dustjacket, ISBN: 978-0-8027-1778-8, $28.00 U.S. Paul Dickson’s Bill Veeck: Baseball’s Greatest Maverick is a most welcome … Continue reading
Five MLB Teams that Should Have Been in the Minor Leagues
When a player does not perform to a level that the team he plays for demands he typically is sent back to the minor leagues for more training, rehabilitation, etc., or is released outright. Too bad we can’t do that … Continue reading
Bill Veeck and Charlie Finley: What About MLB Hall of Fame Enshrinement?
Bill Veeck Bill Veeck and Charlie Finley are two of the most interesting, original, and provocative owners in Major League Baseball. Both had adept promotional skills, and remarkably similar beliefs, yet observers of the game have assigned them remarkably … Continue reading
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