Cedric Tallis
Encyclopedia
Cedric Tallis was an American
executive in Major League Baseball
who served as the first general manager
of the expansion Kansas City Royals
and later played an important role in the New York Yankees
' dynasty of the late 1970s.
Tallis was the general manager of teams in minor league baseball
, including the Vancouver Mounties
of the Pacific Coast League
, through the end of the 1960 season. His first major league job was as business manager of one of the first American League
expansion teams, the Los Angeles Angels
, whom he joined in their maiden season, 1961
. Seven years later, Tallis was hired by Royals owner Ewing Kauffman
to build his team when it entered the AL in 1969
. Tallis recruited a management team that included future GMs John Schuerholz
, Lou Gorman
, Syd Thrift
, Jack McKeon
and Herk Robinson
. He drafted wisely in the 1968 AL Expansion Draft, supervised the founding and operation of the Kansas City Royals Baseball Academy
, a revolutionary training ground for athletes without significant baseball
experience, and built a strong farm system. By 1971
, their third season, the Royals sported a winning record — earning Tallis the Executive of the Year Award from The Sporting News
that season — and they would go on to dominate the American League West Division from the mid-1970s through mid-1980s.
But by then, Tallis was working for one of the Royals' chief nemeses. He was replaced as Kansas City's GM by Joe Burke
, former general manager of the Texas Rangers
, in June 1974
, and then joined the front office of the Yankees, reporting to George Steinbrenner
and Yankee president/GM Gabe Paul
. Tallis' first task in the Bronx was to serve as the Yanks' supervisor of the successful 1974-75 renovation of Yankee Stadium
. After the 1977
season, and the Yankees' first world championship
in 15 years, Paul left the club to become president of the Cleveland Indians
. In the front office overhaul that followed, Tallis was named Yankee general manager.
Tallis would hold the title during the 1978
and 1979
seasons, although owner Steinbrenner took a very involved role in the team's day-to-day operations and at one point named manager
Bob Lemon
as the team's GM-designate during the middle of the '78 season. With Tallis in command, the Yankees continued their aggressive role in baseball free agency
and, in his first season, New York roared back from a 14½-game midseason deficit to beat the Boston Red Sox
in a one-game playoff for the AL East flag, defeat Tallis' old Royals club for the third consecutive season in the ALCS
, then take the 1978 World Series
in six games from the Los Angeles Dodgers
. The following season, however, the Yankees suffered the tragic loss of catcher
and team captain Thurman Munson
in a plane crash and finished fourth, 13½ games in arrears of the Baltimore Orioles
. Tallis was replaced by Gene Michael at the end of the season.
He spent three more years in the Yankee front office as an executive vice president before leaving the organization in 1982. He then became executive director of the Tampa Bay Baseball Group, which was established to lure a major league club to the Tampa Bay
area. Although the group nearly convinced the Chicago White Sox
to move to the Florida
enclave, it did not succeed in its mission during Tallis' lifetime. He died of a heart attack in Tampa
at the age of 76 in 1991. All told, Tallis had a 43-year career in baseball management.
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 served as the first 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 expansion Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
and later played an important role in the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
' dynasty of the late 1970s.
Tallis was the general manager of teams in 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...
, including the Vancouver Mounties
Vancouver Mounties
The Vancouver Mounties were a high-level minor league baseball club based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Mounties played in the Pacific Coast League from 1956 through 1962 as the relocated Oakland Oaks franchise, and from 1965 through 1969 when the Dallas Rangers moved back to Canada.The...
of the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
, through the end of the 1960 season. His first major league job was as business manager of one of the first American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
expansion teams, the Los Angeles 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...
, whom he joined in their maiden season, 1961
1961 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Yankees over Cincinnati Reds ; Whitey Ford, MVP*All-Star Game , July 11 at Candlestick Park: National League, 5-4 *All-Star Game , July 31 at Fenway Park: 1–1 tie...
. Seven years later, Tallis was hired by Royals owner Ewing Kauffman
Ewing Kauffman
Ewing Marion Kauffman was an American pharmaceutical magnate, philanthropist, and Major League Baseball owner....
to build his team when it entered the AL in 1969
1969 in baseball
-Expansion:Four expansion teams joined Major League Baseball for this season: the San Diego Padres, the Kansas City Royals, the Seattle Pilots, and the first MLB team in Canada, the Montreal Expos. To accommodate the additional teams, the two leagues were split into two divisions of East and West...
. Tallis recruited a management team that included future GMs John Schuerholz
John Schuerholz
John Schuerholz is the President of the Atlanta Braves of the National League. Before joining Atlanta, he spent twenty-two years with the Kansas City Royals organization, including nine as the club's General Manager. Among the teams he has built are the 1985 Royals and 1995 Braves, both world...
, Lou Gorman
Lou Gorman
James Gerald "Lou" Gorman was an American baseball executive, and the former general manager of the Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball...
, Syd Thrift
Syd Thrift
Sydnor W. Thrift Jr. was an American scout and executive in Major League Baseball who served as the general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1985 to 1988, and the de facto general manager of the Baltimore Orioles from 1999 to 2002...
, Jack McKeon
Jack McKeon
John Aloysius McKeon , nicknamed Trader Jack, is a former Major League Baseball manager. In 2003, he won a World Series with the Florida Marlins...
and Herk Robinson
Herk Robinson
Spencer "Herk" Robinson is a retired American front office executive in Major League Baseball. He served for almost a decade as general manager of the Kansas City Royals, from October 10, 1990, through June 17, 2000, and was an executive in the Royals' front office for almost 35 years.Robinson...
. He drafted wisely in the 1968 AL Expansion Draft, supervised the founding and operation of the Kansas City Royals Baseball Academy
Kansas City Royals Baseball Academy
The Kansas City Royals Baseball Academy was a part of the player development system of the Kansas City Royals in the early-1970. An innovation conceived by Ewing Kauffman, the franchise's original owner, the goal was to develop quality athletes into major-league-caliber ballplayers for the...
, a revolutionary training ground for athletes without significant baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
experience, and built a strong farm system. By 1971
1971 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:National League: Pittsburgh PiratesAmerican League: Baltimore Orioles1971 World Series: Pittsburgh def. Baltimore , 4 games to 3.Inter-league playoff: Pittsburgh declined challenge by Tokyo Yomiuri Giants....
, their third season, the Royals sported a winning record — earning Tallis the Executive of the Year Award from 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"...
that season — and they would go on to dominate the American League West Division from the mid-1970s through mid-1980s.
But by then, Tallis was working for one of the Royals' chief nemeses. He was replaced as Kansas City's GM by Joe Burke
Joe Burke (baseball executive)
Joseph R. Burke was a front office executive in American Major League Baseball who served as general manager or club president of the Kansas City Royals during the most successful period in that franchise's history....
, former general manager of the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
, in June 1974
1974 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*1974 World Series: Oakland Athletics over Los Angeles Dodgers ; Rollie Fingers, MVP*All-Star Game, July 23 at Three Rivers Stadium: National League, 7-2; Steve Garvey, MVP-Other champions:...
, and then joined the front office of the Yankees, reporting to George Steinbrenner
George Steinbrenner
George Michael Steinbrenner III was an American businessman who was the principal owner and managing partner of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees. During Steinbrenner's 37-year ownership from 1973 to his death in July 2010, the longest in club history, the Yankees earned seven World Series...
and Yankee president/GM Gabe Paul
Gabe Paul
Gabriel Howard Paul was an American executive in Major League Baseball who served as general manager of three teams and, perhaps most famously, as president of the New York Yankees under George Steinbrenner during the 1970s....
. Tallis' first task in the Bronx was to serve as the Yanks' supervisor of the successful 1974-75 renovation of Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium was a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York...
. After the 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...
season, and the Yankees' first world championship
1977 World Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 11, 1977 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkThe Dodgers drew first blood off Don Gullett in the first when Davey Lopes walked and scored on a Bill Russell triple. Ron Cey made it 2–0 on a sacrifice fly...
in 15 years, Paul left the club to become president of 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...
. In the front office overhaul that followed, Tallis was named Yankee general manager.
Tallis would hold the title during the 1978
1978 in baseball
-Other champions:*Caribbean World Series: Indios de Mayagüez *College World Series: USC*Japan Series: Yakult Swallows over Hankyu Braves *Little League World Series: Pin-Kuang, Pin-Tung, Taiwan-Awards and honors:*Most Valuable Player...
and 1979
1979 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Pittsburgh Pirates over Baltimore Orioles ; Willie Stargell, MVP*American League Championship Series MVP: None.*National League Championship Series MVP: Willie Stargell...
seasons, although owner Steinbrenner took a very involved role in the team's day-to-day operations and at one point named manager
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...
Bob Lemon
Bob Lemon
Robert Granville Lemon was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976....
as the team's GM-designate during the middle of the '78 season. With Tallis in command, the Yankees continued their aggressive role in baseball free agency
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
and, in his first season, New York roared back from a 14½-game midseason deficit to beat the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
in a one-game playoff for the AL East flag, defeat Tallis' old Royals club for the third consecutive season in the ALCS
American League Championship Series
In Major League Baseball, the American League Championship Series , played in October, is a round in the postseason that determines the winner of the American League pennant...
, then take the 1978 World Series
1978 World Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 10, 1978 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CaliforniaWith Yankee ace Ron Guidry unavailable at least until Game 3, the Dodgers pounded twenty-game winner Ed Figueroa. Figueroa left after two innings, allowing home runs to Dusty Baker and Davey Lopes. Lopes would add a...
in six games from the 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...
. The following season, however, the Yankees suffered the tragic loss of 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...
and team captain Thurman Munson
Thurman Munson
Thurman Lee Munson was an American Major League Baseball catcher. He played his entire 11-year career for the New York Yankees...
in a plane crash and finished fourth, 13½ games in arrears of the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
. Tallis was replaced by Gene Michael at the end of the season.
He spent three more years in the Yankee front office as an executive vice president before leaving the organization in 1982. He then became executive director of the Tampa Bay Baseball Group, which was established to lure a major league club to the Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and estuary along the Gulf of Mexico on the west central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay."Tampa Bay" is not the name of any municipality...
area. Although the group nearly convinced the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
to move to the Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
enclave, it did not succeed in its mission during Tallis' lifetime. He died of a heart attack in Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
at the age of 76 in 1991. All told, Tallis had a 43-year career in baseball management.