Ed Doherty (baseball executive)
Encyclopedia
Edward Sylvester Doherty, Jr. (ca. 1900 — July 8, 1971) was an American
front office executive in minor league
and Major League Baseball
. He served as the first general manager
in the history of the second Washington Senators franchise (now the Texas Rangers
), from the expansion team's formation following the 1960
season through the end of the 1962
campaign.
. Doherty's early career included a stint in the front office of the Boston Red Sox
as publicity director and six seasons (1947-52) as president of Boston farm teams — the Scranton Red Sox
of the Class A Eastern League and the Louisville Colonels
of the American Association. After assuming the league presidency, he led the Association through a tumultuous time during which it lost (or would lose) some of its most established cities (Milwaukee
, Kansas City
, Minneapolis
and St. Paul — as well as new entry Houston
) to major league franchise shifts and planned expansion. He also faced a threat from a putative third major league, the Continental League
, that would have taken many of those same markets had it been born. With the loss of Milwaukee and Kansas City, and struggles in less successful venues (Toledo
and Columbus), Doherty oversaw the Association's expansion into markets such as Charleston
, Denver
, Omaha
, Wichita
, Houston, Dallas
and Fort Worth
, during that period.
Doherty was one of the most vocal opponents of Major League Baseball expansion, leading the minor leagues' resistance to rumored plans at the 1959 baseball winter meetings. Ironically, Doherty would gain his major league general manager job when the original Washington franchise decamped for the Association's Minneapolis and St. Paul
territories after 1960 to become the Minnesota Twins
, which created an opening for an expansion club in the U.S. capital.
, a retired United States Air Force
general, and his first task was to sign a manager
and draft players. He selected as his skipper Mickey Vernon
, longtime Washington fan favorite from the 1940s and 1950s as a first baseman
and two-time batting champion, and a member of the 1960 World Series
champion Pittsburgh Pirates
coaching staff. He drafted well-known veterans such as Dick Donovan, Bobby Shantz
, Gene Woodling
and Dale Long
in the expansion lottery, then traded Shantz to Pittsburgh to acquire a package of players that included pitcher
Bennie Daniels
, who would lead the 1961 Senators
in victories.
Predictably, the new Senators struggled in their maiden season
, losing 100 games and finishing tied for last place in the ten-team American League
. Seeking improvement on the field and a drawing card at the gate as the Senators prepared to move into the new DC Stadium for 1962, Doherty traded Donovan, the 1961 AL earned run average
champion, and his leading home run
hitter, Gene Green
, to the Cleveland Indians
for charismatic veteran center fielder
Jimmy Piersall
, coming off one of his best seasons. But Piersall struggled in Washington, batting only .244, and the 1962 Senators
lost 101 games and finished, by themselves, in the basement. During the season, Doherty and Vernon were publicly criticized by owner Quesada because of the team's poor showing. At the close of the campaign, Quesada sold his share in the team, and Doherty was replaced by George Selkirk
.
Ed Doherty died at age 71 in Winchester, Massachusetts
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
front office executive in 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...
and 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...
. He 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....
in the history of the second Washington Senators franchise (now 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...
), from the expansion team's formation following the 1960
1960 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Pittsburgh Pirates over New York Yankees ; Bobby Richardson, MVP*All-Star Game , July 11 at Municipal Stadium: National League, 5-3*All-Star Game , July 13 at Yankee Stadium: National League, 6-0...
season through the end of the 1962
1962 in baseball
The 1962 season is perhaps most notable for the dismal 40–120 record of the New York Mets, the third-worst winning percentage and the record for most games lost since 1900.-Major League Baseball:...
campaign.
Minor league executive
Doherty had spent the previous 7½ seasons as president of one of the three Triple-A minor leagues of the day, the American AssociationAmerican 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...
. Doherty's early career included a stint in the front office of 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"...
as publicity director and six seasons (1947-52) as president of Boston farm teams — the Scranton Red Sox
Scranton Red Sox
The Scranton Red Sox were a minor league baseball team based in Scranton, Pennsylvania. They played from 1939 to 1943 and from 1946 to 1951, and they played in the Eastern League.-Year-by-year record:...
of the Class A Eastern League and the Louisville Colonels
Louisville 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:...
of the American Association. After assuming the league presidency, he led the Association through a tumultuous time during which it lost (or would lose) some of its most established cities (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...
, Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
and St. Paul — as well as new entry Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
) to major league franchise shifts and planned expansion. He also faced a threat from a putative third major league, the Continental League
Continental League
The Continental League was a proposed third major league for baseball, announced in 1959 and scheduled to begin play in the 1961 season...
, that would have taken many of those same markets had it been born. With the loss of Milwaukee and Kansas City, and struggles in less successful venues (Toledo
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
and Columbus), Doherty oversaw the Association's expansion into markets such as Charleston
Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...
, Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, Omaha
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, Wichita
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, Houston, Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
and Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
, during that period.
Doherty was one of the most vocal opponents of Major League Baseball expansion, leading the minor leagues' resistance to rumored plans at the 1959 baseball winter meetings. Ironically, Doherty would gain his major league general manager job when the original Washington franchise decamped for the Association's Minneapolis and St. Paul
Twin cities
Twin cities are a special case of two cities or urban centres which are founded in close geographic proximity and then grow into each other over time...
territories after 1960 to become the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
, which created an opening for an expansion club in the U.S. capital.
The expansion Senators
Doherty was appointed by the expansion team's first majority owner, Elwood "Pete" QuesadaElwood Richard Quesada
Elwood Richard "Pete" Quesada, CB, CBE was a United States Air Force General, FAA administrator, and, later, a club owner in Major League Baseball.-Early years:...
, a retired United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
general, and his first task was to sign a 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...
and draft players. He selected as his skipper Mickey Vernon
Mickey Vernon
James Barton "Mickey" Vernon was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Washington Senators for the majority of his career, as well as four other teams: the Cleveland Indians , Boston Red Sox , Milwaukee Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates...
, longtime Washington fan favorite from the 1940s and 1950s as a first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
and two-time batting champion, and a member of the 1960 World Series
1960 World Series
The 1960 World Series was played between the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League and the New York Yankees of the American League from October 5 to October 13, 1960...
champion Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
coaching staff. He drafted well-known veterans such as Dick Donovan, Bobby Shantz
Bobby Shantz
Robert Clayton Shantz was a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics , Kansas City Athletics , New York Yankees , Pittsburgh Pirates , Houston Colt .45's , St...
, Gene Woodling
Gene Woodling
Eugene Richard Woodling was a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Cleveland Indians , Pittsburgh Pirates , New York Yankees , Baltimore Orioles , Washington Senators , and the New York Mets in their expansion year of 1962...
and Dale Long
Dale Long
Richard Dale Long was a first baseman in professional baseball. Between 1951 and 1963, Long played in Major League Baseball with the Pittsburgh Pirates , St. Louis Browns , Chicago Cubs , San Francisco Giants , New York Yankees and Washington Senators...
in the expansion lottery, then traded Shantz to Pittsburgh to acquire a package of players that included 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...
Bennie Daniels
Bennie Daniels
Bennie Daniels Jr. is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched from 1957-1965 for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Washington Senators...
, who would lead the 1961 Senators
1961 Washington Senators season
The Washington Senators season was a season in American baseball. The team was in its inaugural season, having been established as a replacement for the previous franchise of the same name, which relocated to the Twin Cities of Minnesota following the 1960 season, becoming the Minnesota Twins...
in victories.
Predictably, the new Senators struggled in their maiden season
1961 Washington Senators season
The Washington Senators season was a season in American baseball. The team was in its inaugural season, having been established as a replacement for the previous franchise of the same name, which relocated to the Twin Cities of Minnesota following the 1960 season, becoming the Minnesota Twins...
, losing 100 games and finishing tied for last place in the ten-team 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...
. Seeking improvement on the field and a drawing card at the gate as the Senators prepared to move into the new DC Stadium for 1962, Doherty traded Donovan, the 1961 AL earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
champion, and his leading home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
hitter, Gene Green
Gene Green (baseball)
Gene Leroy Green was a Major League Baseball outfielder-catcher. Born in Los Angeles, California, he was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals before the 1952 season. He played for the Cardinals , Baltimore Orioles , Washington Senators , Cleveland Indians , and Cincinnati Reds...
, to 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...
for charismatic veteran center fielder
Center fielder
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field...
Jimmy Piersall
Jimmy Piersall
James Anthony Piersall is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball. Between 1950 and 1967, he played for the Boston Red Sox , Cleveland Indians , Washington Senators , New York Mets , and Los Angeles/California Angels .While he had a fairly good professional career as a center...
, coming off one of his best seasons. But Piersall struggled in Washington, batting only .244, and the 1962 Senators
1962 Washington Senators season
The Washington Senators season involved the Senators finishing 10th in the American League with a record of 60 wins and 101 losses, 35½ games behind the World Champion New York Yankees. 1962 was the first season in which the Senators played their home games at D.C...
lost 101 games and finished, by themselves, in the basement. During the season, Doherty and Vernon were publicly criticized by owner Quesada because of the team's poor showing. At the close of the campaign, Quesada sold his share in the team, and Doherty was replaced by George Selkirk
George Selkirk
George Alexander Selkirk was a Canadian outfielder and front office executive in Major League Baseball. In 1935, Selkirk succeeded the legendary Babe Ruth as the right fielder of the New York Yankees...
.
Ed Doherty died at age 71 in Winchester, Massachusetts
Winchester, Massachusetts
Winchester is a town located in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, eight miles north of Boston. With its agricultural roots having mostly disappeared, it is now an affluent suburb...
.