Skip to main content

Sunday School: History Lesson 54

By
Burt Shotton was a swift-footed outfielder with a good eye at the plate in his playing days. He spent most of his playing career in St. Louis, playing for both the Browns and Cardinals. He twice led the American League in walks and stole 35 or more bases in 5 straight seasons. While playing with the Cardinals, Shotton would unofficially fill in on Sundays for manager Branch Rickey, as Rickey observed Christian Sabbath. Shotton would later spend six years as the skipper of the Phillies after beginning his true managerial career in the Cardinals farm system.

In his time as Philadelphia's manager, Shotton helped the team achieve a brief rise in the standings, up to 4th place from 8th (last) place. He took the Phils from a 43 win team in 1928 to an above .500 club in 1932. It was the Phillies' first winning record in 15 years and their last for the next 17 years.

Shotton's arrival coincided with an influx of offensive talent. Players like outfielder Chuck Klein, first baseman Don Hurst, outfielder Lefty O'Doul and third baseman Pinky Whitney arrived in the late 1920's to give the Phillies a boost and to serve as a solid middle of the lineup for Philadelphia.

After the winning season in 1932, the Phillies quickly fell back into old habits, losing 92 games and finishing in 7th place in 1933, which led to the Phillies parting ways with Shotton. After that, Shotton would go on to coach for the Reds and Indians before he retired from the field & clubhouse then took a scouting position with the Dodgers, where Branch Rickey was the general manager. The "retirement" didn't last long as Shotton was summoned to Brooklyn at the start of the 1947 season and asked, by Rickey, to take the reins of the Dodgers as manager.

Shotton inherited a tough situation in Brooklyn, as, within weeks of taking the managerial gig, the Dodgers ended the racial segregation of Major League Baseball when Jackie Robinson joined the team. The Dodgers won 92 regular season games and the National League pennant that year.

Also of note, Shotton is believed to be the last MLB manager to wear a suit, instead of the typical uniform that the players of the team wear.

-------------------------------------

Follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter HERE for unique trivia, stats and other updates!


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Eric B Needs to be Cut (and My Name is Rakim)

By
While the Phillies are on a hot streak this month, one player on the team is not. Eric Bruntlett is 1-for-12 in July. Since the start of May, Bruntlett's apex in batting average has been .167 on June 14th. Bruntlett's ineptitude can be tolerated no longer. Get rid of this guy NOW! Eric B. is the 2009 Endy Chavez. Remember Endy...the guy who in 2005 managed just 2 hits in his final 42 games played as a Phillie? That is about the sort of output the Phillies are getting from Bruntlett, and it's time to fix this void. Julio Lugo was designated for assignment last week by the Red Sox and is expected to become a free agent. The Metropolitans are rumored to be interested. Why wouldn't the Phillies be interested in a guy who could surely outhit Bruntlett? Lugo was hitting .284 through 37 games played this season with Boston. Suspended Lehigh Valley IronPig Pablo Ozuna is eligible to return next Wednesday. Ozuna is batting .294 through 51 games at triple A. Miguel Cairo is also...
6 comments
Read more

Yankees Fans Misled By Pepsi Promotion

By
**** Today, New York Yankees fans attended a Pepsi promotion in Times Square hoping for chances to win opening day tickets to the new stadium, but the tickets, which were difficult to track down due to poor organization on Pepsi's part, were actually for a game in June. Furthermore, the 250 pairs that were promised were actually only 100 pairs. The fans, who were made to sprint through traffic over multiple city blocks when locations for the promotion changed, quickly turned against the soda brand by pooring out their beverages and chanting anti-Pepsi phrases. Yankees fans are even threatening a boycott of Pepsi. An appearance by Yankee great Goose Gossage could not even settle the angry mob, as he had to be whisked away, as a precaution, according to the Daily News . Ooo , I'd hate to see what "the worst fans in sports" (Philadelphia fans) would have done to their free Pepsi cans and beloved reliever in that situation. Because this happened in a non-Philly city, th...
5 comments
Read more

5th spot, Wall, Old timers, Links

By
The race for the Phillies' fifth starter spot is still on. While it's not fully fair to compare Grapefruit League stats, when some of the pitchers have had "B game" and scrimmage outings mixed in, Kyle Kendrick and Carlos Carrasco look to be falling behind Chan Ho Park and "Jay" Happ. Happ added to his solid Grapefruit League stats (2.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP in 4 games) today against the Rays. Pitching coach Rich Dubee had been displeased with Kendrick even before he surrendered 8 earned runs in 3 innings of work yesterday against the Braves. Park has been working on improving his change up, with (Coach) Jamie Moyer. Park noticed Moyer's location control on his change, so he sought out Moyer to teach him the grip and positioning of the ball. Moyer, of course, feels good about helping anyone on the Phils' staff. Park has been coached by greats like Nolan Ryan with the Rangers and Sandy Koufax with the Dodgers, so Moyer is in great company. Park is working h...
5 comments
Read more