European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 9, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 26 the stars and stripes wednesday october 9,1991peers share recollections of the lip from wire reports former players friends and rivals of Leo Durocher who died monday at the age of 86, remembered him moist for his aggressiveness and his will to win. A Leo was my idol a los Angeles dodgers manager Tom Lasorda said. A the had an electrifying personality and he was the most aggressive manager i have Ever seen. A the had an outstanding personality and he was great for the game of baseball and deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. I took his number 2 because of the love admiration and respect i had for him. We lost a wonderful Eddie Stanky who played for six years under Durocher and was on Pennant winners with him in Brooklyn in 1947 and for the new York giants in 1951, was one of Durocher a favourites. A a in a really shocked a Stanky said from his Fairhope ala., Home. A no player or manager had As close an association As Leo Durocher and myself. We had great respect and admiration for each other. He was a great manager and a great Friend. A a in a deeply saddened. He was the Best Man 1 Ever played Durocher a nickname was a the lip a while Stanky earned the tag a the brat for his Pesky style of play a much of it Learned under Durocher. Dodgers president Peter of Malley whose father owned the club in Brooklyn during Durocher a Days As manager said Durocher a made a tremendous Impact on All of baseball and in particular the dodger organization. No one wanted to win More than Leo and his great career As a player coach and manager will always be remembered. We will miss Durocher played for 17 seasons almost All As a shortstop with the dodgers Cincinnati reds St. Louis cardinals and new York Yankees the team he broke into baseball with in 1925. He managed the dodgers new York giants Chicago cubs and Houston astros before retiring in 1973. Though his fiery style As a manager Drew the most attention Durocher also Drew tributes for his knowledge of the game and his ability to get the most out of his players. A this is a sad thing for me a said Long time major league manager Gene Mauch who came to the dodgers in 1944 As a 19-year-old Rookie when Durocher was their manager. A a there a so Many things to say about Leo. It would take forever just to talk about a Little part of the Man. Leo was a great Man a great Man. A the was a great Hunch player and manager. He made a Good team better right Quick with his great Hall of Famor Willie Mays nurtured by Durocher a file looking a lot like a Nice Guy himself at Wrigley Field in 1971, Leo Durocher did finish last once a with his 1966 cubs. When the Young Center fielder arrive in Manhattan in 1951, said Durocher was always ahead of the manager in the opposing dugout a the was in the third inning when everyone else was in the former cubs third baseman Ron Santo said Durocher commanded instant respect from other teams. A they All knew about Leo Durocher that he would take his Mother out at second base a Santo said from Chicago. A a that a the Way the game was played. A the Best thing i could say about the Man was he was a Many a Man a players manager. He protected his players. He wanted to win in the worst Santo recalled an incident in 1970 when he grabbed the 65-year-old Durocher during an argument. A the said a go ahead and hit me. I can take it a a Santo said. Hall of Famer Don Drysdale who pitched for the dodgers while Durocher was a coach in the Early �?T60s, then opposed him when Durocher managed the cubs said he belongs in the Hall of Fame. A the was just a wonderful Man and baseball will miss the Man a Drysdale said. He belongs in the Hall of Fame but if he Ever gets into the Hall it will be like so Many other deserving people. It always seems they get in after they the dodgers current general manager Fred Claire agreed that Durocher deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. A a Leo a career in baseball stretches from the Gas House gang to the present Day a Claire said. A Leo was a tremendous competitor As a player coach and manager and his achievements Are deserving of Hall of Fame recognition. His friends in the dodger organization will miss him Durocher a retirement did nothing to diminish his reputation As a firebrand. A the was colourful outspoken inspirational to his players and infuriating to opposing teams a commissioner Fay Vincent said. A the was a magnetic figure right to the end almost 40 years to the Day after his greatest Triumph. Personally i will miss him and baseball has truly lost one of its Durocher had More than his share of run ins with umpires. But Long time National league Umpire de Vargo said All Durocher wanted to do was win. A Leo played to win like All managers do a he told Abc radio sports. A i heard a lot of stories about Leo but they were just stories. I never witnessed it. I had the highest respect for , braves draw blueprint for doormats by Hal Bock the associated press when the baseball season began depending on where you shopped you could get 100-1 Odds or better from Las vegas sport books on the Atlanta braves to win the world series. Or if you were really into Lon shots the Price on the Minnesota twins was even fatter 120-1 in some places up to As much As 200-1 in others. They re considerably lower now a 4-1 on the braves 9-5 on the twins a after Atlanta and Minnesota executed the ultimate baseball turnaround going from worst to first. Never in baseball history had one team made such a dramatic reversal. And this season there were two. What does that mean for perpetual also rans like Cleveland which lost a franchise record 105 games this season and Houston which finished at 65-97, the same record the braves had a year ago �?o1 want our Guys to realize what can happen in a Short period of time a Houston manager Art Howe said. A i think what they be done is exciting for everyone especially for us. They basically built from within to turn things around just like we expect to the indians Are taking the same approach with the youngest team in baseball at an average of 26.1. There a a new Ballpark being built and a new general manager John Hart and new president Rick Bay hoping to breathe new life into the franchise. Other general managers watched and admired the turnarounds of the twins and braves. A in the Case of Atlanta its very simple Quot said Joe Mcllvain vice president of baseball operations for the san Diego padres. A Bobby Cox got beat Over the head for four years As general manager while he was quietly drafting Good Young left handed pitchers. Suddenly this year they All came together. They added Otis Nixon. Terry Pendleton and Sid Bream and when the Good pitching kicked in it had Good defense behind Nixon stole 72 bases until his suspension for drugs. Pendleton led the league in batting at .319 and hits with 187 and tightened the infield defense As did Bream and shortstop Rafael Belliard another free agent pickup. A pitching and defense win in the National league a Mcllvain said. A a they re a perfect example of Mcllvain said the braves Success was an affirmation of the player development system. A free Agency and trades supplement it but there s no substitute for Strong player development a he said. A a that a the key to the health and longevity of any organization. It does no to happen by Accident. The trick is not to count on one or two Guys. They had a number of Good Young pitchers. If you have 20, two might come through. If you have two your chances Are of cashed in with Tom Glavine Steve Avery Kent Mercker All key parts of Atlanta a staff All Home grown. Joe Mcdonald vice president for player development of the Detroit tigers watched the twins work the same kind of magic in the american league. A a it a mind boggling a he said. A i can account for Atlanta More easily with that Good Young pitching. But its shocking to go from last to like Atlanta the twins came up with some Young pitchers in 20-game Winner Scott Erickson and Kevin Tapani. Jack Morris arrived As a free agent a from Detroit a to Supply an instant Anchor for the pitching staff. Still in place were Kirby Puckett and Kent Hrbek holdovers from the twins 1987 world champions. A sometimes everything just Falls in place Quot said Mcdonald who saw the same phenomenon occur with the 1969 new York mets. A a team gets in a winning Frame of mind. Players begin to believe in themselves. They believe they can win and they go out and do
