Buzzie Bavasi
Encyclopedia
Emil Joseph "Buzzie" Bavasi (icon; December 12, 1914 – May 1, 2008) was an American
executive in Major League Baseball
who played a major role in the operation of three franchises from the late 1940s through the mid-1980s.
He was best known as the general manager
of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers
from 1951 to 1968, during which time the team captured eight National League
pennants and its first four World Series
titles. He was previously a key figure in the integration
of minor league baseball
in the late 1940s while working for the Dodgers organization. He went on to become the first general manager of the San Diego Padres
, and assembled the California Angels
teams which made that franchise's first two postseason appearances. His sons Peter Bavasi
and Bill Bavasi
have also served as major league general managers.
, New York City, New York, his sister Iola ("Lolly") nicknamed him Buzzie because his mother said he was "always buzzing around." Bavasi was raised in Scarsdale, New York
by Joseph and Sue Bavasi. Joseph, his immigrant father, was a newspaper distributor. He went to high school at Fordham Preparatory School
, in the Bronx, with Fred Frick, the son of Ford Frick
, president of the National League.
He attended DePauw University
, in Greencastle, Indiana
, where he was a catcher
. At DePauw he roomed with Fred Frick, and Ford Frick recommended Bavasi for office boy position for the Dodgers to Larry MacPhail
.
Bavasi was hired by Larry MacPhail in 1938
, for $35 a week, to become a front office assistant with the Brooklyn Dodgers
, and after one year was named the business manager of the Dodgers' Class D minor league team in Americus, Georgia
, were he spent three seasons. In 1941 he moved to Durham, North Carolina
Class B team of the Dodgers and married his wife, Evit.
After being drafted, he won a Bronze Star Medal
in the Italian Campaign
of World War II
as machine-gunner in the United States Army
.
In late 1945, after serving 18 months, Staff Sargent Bavasi returned to Georgia to rest with his family. While there, Dodgers president Branch Rickey
telephoned and asked Bavasi to become business manager of a new minor-league baseball team in the New England League
, and to find a suitable city in which to place the club.
the previous October, might be planning to sign more African Americans to contracts. If that was the case, the Dodgers needed a low-level minor-league team outside the American South
to which to assign these players. Ultimately, Bavasi chose Nashua, New Hampshire
. With fewer than 35,000 people, Nashua would be the smallest market in the New England League, and fewer than fifty African Americans resided in the community. However, the Nashua Dodgers
were assured of a predominantly French Canadian fan base, a fact which both Rickey and Bavasi believed would help in the integration of African Americans into minor league baseball. Additionally, Nashua was home to the relatively new Holman Stadium
, which Bavasi was able to lease from the city.
In March 1946, Bavasi received word that Brooklyn had signed former Negro League
ballplayers Roy Campanella
and Don Newcombe
, and that they would be sent to Nashua for the season. Bavasi spent nearly a month planning for their arrival, naming Nashua Telegraph publisher Fred Dobens to the position of President of the Nashua Dodgers to ensure the newspaper's support for the integration project; Dobens's newspaper did not release any word of the signings until April. Bavasi also publicly linked the team to Clyde Sukeforth
, who had scouted Campanella, Newcombe, and Jackie Robinson for Rickey and who had played minor-league baseball in Nashua in the mid-1920s. He promoted the team's French Canadian connection through his team's Quebec
-born players, and even attempted to hire Frenchy Bordagaray
to manage the team (eventually he settled on Walter Alston
).
The 1946 season was a successful one. The Nashua Dodgers placed second in the league and won the Governor's Cup, defeating the Lynn Red Sox
. In terms of attendance, Nashua also proved successful, in part because of Bavasi's imaginative promotional skills. The league saw few racially motivated incidents, with two exceptions. Campanella has claimed that Manchester Giants catcher
Sal Yvars
threw dirt in his face during a game at Manchester Athletic Field (Gill Stadium
), but the incident was resolved on the field (though Yvars has denied that the incident took place). More seriously, players and the manager of the Lynn Red Sox
hurled racial slurs and insults at Campanella and Newcombe, particularly late in the season when the two clubs were locked in a tight pennant race. On one occasion, Bavasi was so enraged by the comments of the Red Sox that he met Lynn's manager and players in the Holman Stadium parking lot and challenged them to a fight. Players restrained Bavasi and the Lynn manager, and the Lynn team boarded their bus without further incident.
As a result of their success in Nashua, Bavasi, Campanella, and Alston all were promoted to teams in higher-level leagues in 1947, and Newcombe followed in 1948.
of the Montreal Royals
, the Dodgers' top farm team. Around that time, as a result of continued prejudice against Brooklyn's African American ballplayers during spring training
, Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley
sent Bavasi to find property at which to establish a permanent spring training facility. Bavasi chose a site outside Vero Beach, Florida
, at which to establish Dodgertown, anchored by the newly constructed Holman Stadium
. The Dodgers continued to train there virtually without interruption through 2008
before moving to a new facility in Glendale, Arizona
.
He was promoted to the position of Dodgers general manager before the 1951
season. In his nearly 18 years as the Dodgers' GM, the team won 8 National League
pennants – including the first four World Series
titles in franchise history, three of them after the team's move to Los Angeles
in 1958
(A move that Bavasi was not in favor of.). After the team won the Series in 1959
, in only their second year in Los Angeles, The Sporting News
named Bavasi the Major League Executive of the Year.
In 1968
, Bavasi resigned from the Dodgers to become president and part owner of the expansion San Diego Padres
, serving until 1977
; his son Peter
was then running the Toronto Blue Jays
, making the Bavasis the first father and son to run two different major league teams at the same time. After the 1977 season, Gene Autry
hired him to be executive vice president and general manager of the California Angels
. Bavasi retired in 1984
after the Angels reached the playoffs twice during his tenure.
His son Bill
is the former general manager of the Seattle Mariners
; son Peter held president or general manager positions with the Padres, Blue Jays and Cleveland Indians
during the 1970s and 1980s; and another son, Chris, formerly served as mayor of Flagstaff, Arizona
, and with his wife, Evit, the couple had a fourth son Bob.
In 2007, Bavasi was also inducted by the San Diego Hall of Champions
into the Breitbard Hall of Fame honoring San Diego's finest athletes both on and off the playing surface.http://www.sdhoc.com/awards/hall-of-fame/baseball/buzzie-bavasi/
Bavasi died on May 1, 2008 in San Diego, California
, near his home in La Jolla, aged 93.
In November of 2011, Bavasi was placed onto the Golden Era Veterans Committee list for consideration into the Hall of Fame. The voting will take place by a 16 member committee on December 4-5 in Dallas, Texas.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
executive 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...
who played a major role in the operation of three franchises from the late 1940s through the mid-1980s.
He was best known as the general manager
General manager (baseball)
In Major League Baseball, the general manager of a team typically controls player transactions and bears the primary responsibility on behalf of the ballclub during contract discussions with players....
of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles 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...
from 1951 to 1968, during which time the team captured eight National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
pennants and its first four World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
titles. He was previously a key figure in the integration
Racial integration
Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
of minor league baseball
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...
in the late 1940s while working for the Dodgers organization. He went on to become the first general manager of the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
, and assembled the California Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
teams which made that franchise's first two postseason appearances. His sons Peter Bavasi
Peter Bavasi
Peter Bavasi was the farm director for the US baseball team the San Diego Padres from 1969 to 1972. He then replaced his father, Buzzie Bavasi as General Manager of the Padres from 1973 to 1976. Peter later went on to become the first GM of the Toronto Blue Jays in 1977. He was president of the...
and Bill Bavasi
Bill Bavasi
William J. Bavasi, born December 27, 1957 in Scarsdale, New York, is a former general manager and vice president of baseball operations for the Seattle Mariners, and currently works as a Special Assistant to the GM for the Cincinnati Reds, under Reds GM Walt Jocketty...
have also served as major league general managers.
Early life
Born Emil Joseph Bavasi in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York City, New York, his sister Iola ("Lolly") nicknamed him Buzzie because his mother said he was "always buzzing around." Bavasi was raised in Scarsdale, New York
Scarsdale, New York
Scarsdale is a coterminous town and village in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the northern suburbs of New York City. The Town of Scarsdale is coextensive with the Village of Scarsdale, but the community has opted to operate solely with a village government, one of several villages...
by Joseph and Sue Bavasi. Joseph, his immigrant father, was a newspaper distributor. He went to high school at Fordham Preparatory School
Fordham Preparatory School
Fordham Preparatory School is a private Jesuit all-boys high school located in the Bronx, New York City, with an enrollment of approximately 950 students. It is located on the Rose Hill campus of Fordham University....
, in the Bronx, with Fred Frick, the son of Ford Frick
Ford Frick
Ford Christopher Frick was an American sportswriter and executive who served as president of the National League from to and as the third Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1951 to . He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1970...
, president of the National League.
He attended DePauw University
DePauw University
DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, USA, is a private, national liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the Great Lakes Colleges Association...
, in Greencastle, Indiana
Greencastle, Indiana
Greencastle is a city in Greencastle Township, Putnam County, Indiana, United States, and the county seat of Putnam County. It was founded in 1821 by Scots-Irish American Ephraim Dukes on a land grant. He named the settlement for his hometown of Greencastle, Pennsylvania...
, where he was a catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
. At DePauw he roomed with Fred Frick, and Ford Frick recommended Bavasi for office boy position for the Dodgers to Larry MacPhail
Larry MacPhail
Leland Stanford "Larry" MacPhail, Sr. was an American lawyer, and an executive and innovator in Major League Baseball.-Biography:...
.
Bavasi was hired by Larry MacPhail in 1938
1938 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Yankees over Chicago Cubs *All-Star Game, July 6 at Crosley Field: National League, 4-1-Awards and honors:*Most Valuable Player**Jimmie Foxx, Boston Red Sox, 1B...
, for $35 a week, to become a front office assistant 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...
, and after one year was named the business manager of the Dodgers' Class D minor league team in Americus, Georgia
Americus, Georgia
-Early years:Americus, Georgia was named and chartered by Sen. Lovett B. Smith in 1832.For its first two decades, Americus was a small courthouse town. The arrival of the railroad in 1854 and, three decades later, local attorney Samuel H. Hawkins' construction of the only privately financed...
, were he spent three seasons. In 1941 he moved to Durham, North Carolina
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
Class B team of the Dodgers and married his wife, Evit.
After being drafted, he won a Bronze Star Medal
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
in the Italian Campaign
Italian Campaign (World War II)
The Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war in Europe. Joint Allied Forces Headquarters AFHQ was operationally responsible for all Allied land forces in the Mediterranean theatre, and it planned and commanded the...
of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as machine-gunner in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
.
In late 1945, after serving 18 months, Staff Sargent Bavasi returned to Georgia to rest with his family. While there, Dodgers president Branch Rickey
Branch Rickey
Wesley Branch Rickey was an innovative Major League Baseball executive elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967...
telephoned and asked Bavasi to become business manager of a new minor-league baseball team in the New England League
New England League
The New England League was a mid-level league in American minor league baseball that played sporadically in five of the six New England states between 1886 and 1949. After 1901, it existed in the shadow of two Major League Baseball clubs in Boston and alongside stronger, higher-classification...
, and to find a suitable city in which to place the club.
Baseball integration
Although Bavasi did not know for certain, he suspected that Rickey, who had started to integrate the Dodgers' farm system with the signing of Jackie RobinsonJackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
the previous October, might be planning to sign more African Americans to contracts. If that was the case, the Dodgers needed a low-level minor-league team outside the American 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...
to which to assign these players. Ultimately, Bavasi chose Nashua, New Hampshire
Nashua, New Hampshire
-Climate:-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 86,494 people, 35,044 households, and 21,876 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,719.9 people per square mile . There were 37,168 housing units at an average density of 1,202.8 per square mile...
. With fewer than 35,000 people, Nashua would be the smallest market in the New England League, and fewer than fifty African Americans resided in the community. However, the Nashua Dodgers
Nashua Dodgers
The Nashua Dodgers was a farm club of the Brooklyn Dodgers, operating in the class-B New England League between 1946 and 1949. It is believed to be the first professional baseball team based in the United States in the twentieth century to play with a racially integrated roster...
were assured of a predominantly French Canadian fan base, a fact which both Rickey and Bavasi believed would help in the integration of African Americans into minor league baseball. Additionally, Nashua was home to the relatively new Holman Stadium
Holman Stadium (Nashua)
Holman Stadium is a baseball stadium in Nashua, New Hampshire. It was constructed in 1937, as a multi-purpose stadium, by the City of Nashua. The official seating capacity is 4,375 people. Holman is currently the home of the Nashua Silver Knights of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League...
, which Bavasi was able to lease from the city.
In March 1946, Bavasi received word that Brooklyn had signed former Negro League
Negro league baseball
The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams predominantly made up of African Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relatively successful leagues beginning in...
ballplayers Roy Campanella
Roy Campanella
Roy Campanella , nicknamed "Campy", was an American baseball player, primarily at the position of catcher, in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball...
and Don Newcombe
Don Newcombe
Donald Newcombe , nicknamed "Newk", is an American former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher who played for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers , Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians .Until 2011 when Detroit Tigers Pitcher Justin Verlander did it, Newcombe was the only baseball...
, and that they would be sent to Nashua for the season. Bavasi spent nearly a month planning for their arrival, naming Nashua Telegraph publisher Fred Dobens to the position of President of the Nashua Dodgers to ensure the newspaper's support for the integration project; Dobens's newspaper did not release any word of the signings until April. Bavasi also publicly linked the team to Clyde Sukeforth
Clyde Sukeforth
Clyde Leroy Sukeforth , nicknamed "Sukey," was a former Major League Baseball catcher, coach, scout and manager who was best known for scouting and signing the Major Leagues' first black player in the modern era, Jackie Robinson.Sukeforth was born in Washington, Maine...
, who had scouted Campanella, Newcombe, and Jackie Robinson for Rickey and who had played minor-league baseball in Nashua in the mid-1920s. He promoted the team's French Canadian connection through his team's Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
-born players, and even attempted to hire Frenchy Bordagaray
Frenchy Bordagaray
Stanley George "Frenchy" Bordagaray was an American Major League Baseball outfielder and third baseman. Born in Coalinga, California, he lettered in four sports at Fresno State College before making his professional baseball debut in 1931 with the Sacramento Solons of the Pacific Coast League...
to manage the team (eventually he settled on Walter Alston
Walter Alston
Walter Emmons Alston , nicknamed "Smokey," was an American baseball player and manager. He was born in Venice, Ohio but grew up in Darrtown. He is a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he lettered three years in both basketball and baseball and is a member of the University's Hall...
).
The 1946 season was a successful one. The Nashua Dodgers placed second in the league and won the Governor's Cup, defeating the Lynn Red Sox
Lynn Red Sox
The Lynn Red Sox, based in Lynn, Massachusetts, were a Class B farm system affiliate of the Boston Red Sox from 1946-48 in American minor league baseball...
. In terms of attendance, Nashua also proved successful, in part because of Bavasi's imaginative promotional skills. The league saw few racially motivated incidents, with two exceptions. Campanella has claimed that Manchester Giants catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
Sal Yvars
Sal Yvars
Salvador Anthony Yvars was a Major League Baseball catcher who played with the New York Giants from to and the St. Louis Cardinals from to . Born in Manhattan's Little Italy to a Spanish gravedigger and an Italian laundress, he was a three-sport star at White Plains High School, playing...
threw dirt in his face during a game at Manchester Athletic Field (Gill Stadium
Gill Stadium
Gill Stadium is a sporting stadium located in Manchester, New Hampshire. It is believed to be the oldest stadium constructed of concrete and steel in New England outside of the Boston area...
), but the incident was resolved on the field (though Yvars has denied that the incident took place). More seriously, players and the manager of the Lynn Red Sox
Lynn Red Sox
The Lynn Red Sox, based in Lynn, Massachusetts, were a Class B farm system affiliate of the Boston Red Sox from 1946-48 in American minor league baseball...
hurled racial slurs and insults at Campanella and Newcombe, particularly late in the season when the two clubs were locked in a tight pennant race. On one occasion, Bavasi was so enraged by the comments of the Red Sox that he met Lynn's manager and players in the Holman Stadium parking lot and challenged them to a fight. Players restrained Bavasi and the Lynn manager, and the Lynn team boarded their bus without further incident.
As a result of their success in Nashua, Bavasi, Campanella, and Alston all were promoted to teams in higher-level leagues in 1947, and Newcombe followed in 1948.
After Nashua
By 1948, Bavasi had become general managerGeneral manager (baseball)
In Major League Baseball, the general manager of a team typically controls player transactions and bears the primary responsibility on behalf of the ballclub during contract discussions with players....
of the Montreal Royals
Montreal Royals
The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec, that existed from 1897–1917 and from 1928–60 as a member of the International League and its progenitor, the original Eastern League...
, the Dodgers' top farm team. Around that time, as a result of continued prejudice against Brooklyn's African American ballplayers during 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...
, Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley
Walter O'Malley
Walter Francis O'Malley was an American sports executive who owned the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers team in Major League Baseball from to . He served as Brooklyn Dodgers chief legal counsel when Jackie Robinson broke the racial color barrier in...
sent Bavasi to find property at which to establish a permanent spring training facility. Bavasi chose a site outside Vero Beach, Florida
Vero Beach, Florida
Vero Beach is a city in Indian River County, Florida, USA. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 estimates, the city had a population of 16,939. It is the county seat of Indian River County...
, at which to establish Dodgertown, anchored by the newly constructed Holman Stadium
Holman Stadium (Vero Beach)
Holman Stadium is a baseball stadium in Vero Beach, Florida, built in 1953 to accommodate spring training for the Dodgers as part of a complex called Dodgertown. In addition to the Dodgers' spring games, it was also the home of the Vero Beach Devil Rays of the Florida State League, through the...
. The Dodgers continued to train there virtually without interruption through 2008
2008 Major League Baseball season
The 2008 Major League Baseball season began on March 25, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan with the 2007 World Series champion Boston Red Sox defeating the Oakland Athletics at the Tokyo Dome 6–5 in the first game of a two-game series, and ended on September 30 with the host Chicago White Sox defeating the...
before moving to a new facility in Glendale, Arizona
Glendale, Arizona
Glendale is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, located about nine miles northwest from Downtown Phoenix. According to 2010 Census Bureau, the population of the city is 226,721....
.
He was promoted to the position of Dodgers general manager before the 1951
1951 in baseball
-Headline Event of the Year:Baseball's Shot Heard 'Round the World gives the New York Giants the National League Pennant in the third game of a best-of-three-games tiebreaker series over the Brooklyn Dodgers.-Major League Baseball:...
season. In his nearly 18 years as the Dodgers' GM, the team won 8 National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
pennants – including the first four World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
titles in franchise history, three of them after the team's move to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
in 1958
1958 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Yankees over Milwaukee Braves ; Bob Turley, MVP*All-Star Game, July 8 at Memorial Stadium: American League, 4-3-Other champions:*Caribbean World Series: Marianao *College World Series: USC...
(A move that Bavasi was not in favor of.). After the team won the Series in 1959
1959 World Series
The 1959 World Series featured the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers beating the American League champion Chicago White Sox, four games to two. It was the first pennant for the White Sox in 40 years . They would have to wait until 2005 to win another championship...
, in only their second year in Los Angeles, The Sporting News
The Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
named Bavasi the Major League Executive of the Year.
In 1968
1968 in baseball
-The Year of the Pitcher:In Major League Baseball, the trend throughout the 1960s was of increased pitching dominance, caused by enforcing a larger strike zone beginning in 1963...
, Bavasi resigned from the Dodgers to become president and part owner of the expansion San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
, serving until 1977
1977 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Yankees over Los Angeles Dodgers ; Reggie Jackson, MVP*American League Championship Series MVP: None*National League Championship Series MVP: Dusty Baker...
; his son Peter
Peter Bavasi
Peter Bavasi was the farm director for the US baseball team the San Diego Padres from 1969 to 1972. He then replaced his father, Buzzie Bavasi as General Manager of the Padres from 1973 to 1976. Peter later went on to become the first GM of the Toronto Blue Jays in 1977. He was president of the...
was then running the Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
, making the Bavasis the first father and son to run two different major league teams at the same time. After the 1977 season, Gene Autry
Gene Autry
Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
hired him to be executive vice president and general manager of the California Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
. Bavasi retired in 1984
1984 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Detroit Tigers over San Diego Padres ; Alan Trammell, MVP*American League Championship Series MVP: Kirk Gibson*National League Championship Series MVP: Steve Garvey...
after the Angels reached the playoffs twice during his tenure.
His son Bill
Bill Bavasi
William J. Bavasi, born December 27, 1957 in Scarsdale, New York, is a former general manager and vice president of baseball operations for the Seattle Mariners, and currently works as a Special Assistant to the GM for the Cincinnati Reds, under Reds GM Walt Jocketty...
is the former general manager of the Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
; son Peter held president or general manager positions with the Padres, Blue Jays and 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...
during the 1970s and 1980s; and another son, Chris, formerly served as mayor of Flagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff is a city located in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2010, the city's population was 65,870. The population of the Metropolitan Statistical Area was at 134,421 in 2010. It is the county seat of Coconino County...
, and with his wife, Evit, the couple had a fourth son Bob.
In 2007, Bavasi was also inducted by the San Diego Hall of Champions
San Diego Hall of Champions
The San Diego Hall of Champions is an American multi-sport museum in San Diego, California. Located in the Federal Building in Balboa Park, the facility recognizes outstanding athletic accomplishments and traditions involving more than forty-two sports...
into the Breitbard Hall of Fame honoring San Diego's finest athletes both on and off the playing surface.http://www.sdhoc.com/awards/hall-of-fame/baseball/buzzie-bavasi/
Bavasi died on May 1, 2008 in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, near his home in La Jolla, aged 93.
In November of 2011, Bavasi was placed onto the Golden Era Veterans Committee list for consideration into the Hall of Fame. The voting will take place by a 16 member committee on December 4-5 in Dallas, Texas.
External links
- Baseball Hall of Fame - 2008 Veterans Committee candidate profile
- Baseball Hall of Fame - 2007 Veterans Committee candidate profile at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
- A "Chat" with Buzzie Bavasi - San Diego chapter of SABR
- December 2004 interview, San Diego Union-Tribune
- Baseball Library
- Photo, with Walter O'Malley