Ben Geraghty
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Raymond Geraghty (July 19, 1912 – June 18, 1963) was an American
infielder
in Major League Baseball
and one of the most successful and respected minor league
managers
of the 1950s.
A native of Jersey City, New Jersey
, Geraghty was a graduate of Villanova University
, where he received a degree in journalism
. He appeared in only 70 Major League games with the Brooklyn Dodgers
(1936) and Boston Braves
(1943–44), compiling a batting average
of .199 in 146 at bat
s. Geraghty threw and batted right-handed, stood 5 in 11 in (1.8 m) tall and weighed 175 pounds (79.4 kg).
team, the Spokane Indians
of the Class B Western International League
, crashed while attempting to avert an oncoming car on a rain-slicked mountain pass. Nine players were killed; Geraghty was among the injured. He sustained a severe head wound when he was thrown through a window before the bus burst into flames, but was able to climb up the hillside and signal for help. The Indians team was decimated and could only continue the season with players loaned from other clubs and organizations. "I guess I'm pretty lucky," Geraghty told the Associated Press
the day after the crash. "I was thrown right out a window. I took the window frame right with me. I remember flying out the window, but I must have been knocked out because I don't remember landing."
Despite his head injury, Geraghty was able to return to Spokane to manage the Indians later in 1946 (the team's original manager, Mel Cole, had perished in the crash). Then, in 1947, he led Spokane to a second place finish and 87 victories. But his health would never be the same. He would manage in the minors for the next 16 seasons, but he was troubled by heart disease
, cardiovascular disease
and ulcers, and developed a reputation as a heavy drinker.
and Class AAA American Association
farm clubs of the Braves, then based in Milwaukee
. In the ten seasons of 1953 through 1962, a Geraghty-managed team never finished lower than second place. But his impact was felt beyond mere wins and losses. In 1953, Geraghty managed an integrated team in the Jim Crow
South
with the Jacksonville Braves
, and one of his players was 19-year-old Henry Aaron
.
Aaron, wrote author and former minor league pitcher
Pat Jordan
in his 1975 memoir A False Spring, "believed that Ben Geraghty was the greatest manager who ever lived, certainly the greatest manager he ever played for ..." In addition to his on-field strategic acumen and his ability to develop playing talent, Geraghty, a white man, regularly confronted the rigid racial segregation of the times, insisting that he and his African-American players be served as equals at the finest restaurants. "Invariably, they would be refused service," Jordan wrote. "While Aaron waited nervously outside, Geraghty complained loudly to the management ... They [would go] to the next best restaurant, and the next and the next, until Geraghty finally located one that would serve [them] ..."
AAA farm club. In 1962, he left the Braves and joined the Cleveland Indians
farm system as manager of their new AAA International League
affiliate, the Jacksonville Suns
. During the 1961-62 offseason, he also underwent a four-hour operation in a Jacksonville hospital to correct a circulatory condition. Recovering in time for spring training
, he led his 1962 Suns to 94 victories and earned his second Minor League Manager of the Year Award and final pennant. The following June 18, in Jacksonville, in the middle of his second season in the new job, Geraghty was stricken with a fatal heart attack
, one month shy of his 51st birthday. He is interred in Evergreen Cemetery, Jacksonville.
Before his 1946 injury from the Spokane bus accident, Geraghty also was a basketball
coach
, serving as an assistant with the varsity at Seton Hall University
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
infielder
Infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
and one of the most successful and respected minor league
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
managers
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
of the 1950s.
A native of Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
, Geraghty was a graduate of Villanova University
Villanova University
Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
, where he received a degree in journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
. He appeared in only 70 Major League games with the Brooklyn Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
(1936) and Boston Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
(1943–44), compiling a batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of .199 in 146 at bat
At bat
In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...
s. Geraghty threw and batted right-handed, stood 5 in 11 in (1.8 m) tall and weighed 175 pounds (79.4 kg).
Survived 1946 Spokane bus tragedy
On June 24, , Geraghty survived one of the greatest tragedies in baseball history, when the bus carrying his minor leagueMinor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
team, the Spokane Indians
Spokane Indians
The Spokane Indians are a minor league baseball team located in Spokane, Washington, United States. They are a Short-Season A classification team in the Northwest League and have been a farm team of the Texas Rangers since 2003. The Indians play home games at Avista Stadium...
of the Class B Western International League
Western International League
The Western International League was a mid- to higher-level circuit in American and Canadian minor league baseball. It operated in 1923, 1937-42, and 1946-54. In 1955, it changed its name to the Northwest League, and still operates today as a Short Season A loop under that name.The WIL consisted of...
, crashed while attempting to avert an oncoming car on a rain-slicked mountain pass. Nine players were killed; Geraghty was among the injured. He sustained a severe head wound when he was thrown through a window before the bus burst into flames, but was able to climb up the hillside and signal for help. The Indians team was decimated and could only continue the season with players loaned from other clubs and organizations. "I guess I'm pretty lucky," Geraghty told the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
the day after the crash. "I was thrown right out a window. I took the window frame right with me. I remember flying out the window, but I must have been knocked out because I don't remember landing."
Despite his head injury, Geraghty was able to return to Spokane to manage the Indians later in 1946 (the team's original manager, Mel Cole, had perished in the crash). Then, in 1947, he led Spokane to a second place finish and 87 victories. But his health would never be the same. He would manage in the minors for the next 16 seasons, but he was troubled by heart disease
Heart disease
Heart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. , it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States.-Types:-Coronary heart disease:Coronary...
, cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular disease
Heart disease or cardiovascular disease are the class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels . While the term technically refers to any disease that affects the cardiovascular system , it is usually used to refer to those related to atherosclerosis...
and ulcers, and developed a reputation as a heavy drinker.
Manager of young Henry Aaron
In his 17-year managing career, Geraghty won 1,317 games and lost 1,021 (.563) and won five pennants in seven years (1953–59) while piloting Class A South Atlantic LeagueSouthern League (baseball)
The Southern League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the Southern United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The original league was formed in , and shut down in . A new league, the Southern Association, was formed in , consisting of twelve teams...
and Class AAA American Association
American Association (20th century)
The American Association was a minor league baseball league at the Triple-A level of baseball in the United States from to and to . Together with the International League, it contested the Junior World Series which determined the championship team in minor league baseball, at least for the...
farm clubs of the Braves, then based in Milwaukee
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
. In the ten seasons of 1953 through 1962, a Geraghty-managed team never finished lower than second place. But his impact was felt beyond mere wins and losses. In 1953, Geraghty managed an integrated team in the Jim Crow
Jim Crow laws
The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. They mandated de jure racial segregation in all public facilities, with a supposedly "separate but equal" status for black Americans...
South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
with the Jacksonville Braves
Jacksonville Braves
The Jacksonville Braves were a minor league baseball team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They played in the South Atlantic League for eight seasons, from 1953 to 1960, and were the Class A affiliate of the Milwaukee Braves Major League Baseball team during that time...
, and one of his players was 19-year-old Henry Aaron
Henry Aaron
Henry Louis "Hank" Aaron , nicknamed "Hammer," "Hammerin' Hank," and "Bad Henry," is a retired American baseball player whose Major League Baseball career spanned the years 1954 through 1976. Aaron is widely considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time...
.
Aaron, wrote author and former minor league pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Pat Jordan
Pat Jordan (author)
Pat Jordan is a leading sports writer with his work included in the Best American Sports Writing anthology series seven times. He is also the acclaimed author of A False Spring, a bittersweet memoir about his minor league baseball career, which is ranked #37 on Sports Illustrated's Top 100 Sports...
in his 1975 memoir A False Spring, "believed that Ben Geraghty was the greatest manager who ever lived, certainly the greatest manager he ever played for ..." In addition to his on-field strategic acumen and his ability to develop playing talent, Geraghty, a white man, regularly confronted the rigid racial segregation of the times, insisting that he and his African-American players be served as equals at the finest restaurants. "Invariably, they would be refused service," Jordan wrote. "While Aaron waited nervously outside, Geraghty complained loudly to the management ... They [would go] to the next best restaurant, and the next and the next, until Geraghty finally located one that would serve [them] ..."
Afflicted by health woes
But Geraghty would never be called to manage or coach in the Major Leagues. Ulcers sidelined him for much of the 1960 season, while he was in the midst of a three-year run as skipper of Milwaukee's Louisville ColonelsLouisville Colonels (minor league baseball team)
The Louisville Colonels was the name of several minor league baseball teams that played in Louisville, Kentucky, in the 20th century. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels.-Twentieth century minor league teams:...
AAA farm club. In 1962, he left the Braves and joined the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
farm system as manager of their new AAA International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
affiliate, the Jacksonville Suns
Jacksonville Suns
The Jacksonville Suns are a minor league baseball team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The team is currently a member of the Southern League and is the class Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins Major League Baseball team...
. During the 1961-62 offseason, he also underwent a four-hour operation in a Jacksonville hospital to correct a circulatory condition. Recovering in time for spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
, he led his 1962 Suns to 94 victories and earned his second Minor League Manager of the Year Award and final pennant. The following June 18, in Jacksonville, in the middle of his second season in the new job, Geraghty was stricken with a fatal heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
, one month shy of his 51st birthday. He is interred in Evergreen Cemetery, Jacksonville.
Before his 1946 injury from the Spokane bus accident, Geraghty also was a basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
coach
Coach (basketball)
Basketball coaching is the act of directing and strategizing the behaviour of a basketball team or individual basketball player. Basketball coaching typically encompasses the improvement of individual and team offensive and defensive skills, as well as overall physical conditioning.Coaching is...
, serving as an assistant with the varsity at Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
.