Burt Shotton
Encyclopedia
Burton Edwin Shotton was an American
player, manager
, coach
and scout
in Major League Baseball
. As manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers
(1947, 1948–50), he won two National League
pennants and served as Jackie Robinson
's first permanent major league manager.
, a township in Lorain County, Ohio
. In his playing days, he was a speedy outfielder
— he was nicknamed "Barney" after race car driver Barney Oldfield
— who batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He compiled a .270 batting average
for the St. Louis Browns
, Washington Senators
and St. Louis Cardinals
(1909; 1911–23). Although he stole
over 40 bases in four consecutive seasons (1913–16), he was also caught stealing over 26 times in each of those seasons. In an American League
dominated by speedsters such as Ty Cobb
and Clyde Milan
, Shotton was never among the top five base stealers in the league, and he had a high rate of being caught stealing, but he pilfered 294 bases during his MLB career. However, his real talent may have been in on-base percentage, finishing in the Top 10 in the league in that category four times in his career. He twice (in 1913
and 1916
) led AL batters in walks
and finished in the top 10 in six years of his career.
In the early 1920s, as a player and coach, he was the Cardinals' "Sunday manager," relieving skipper Branch Rickey
, who always observed the Christian Sabbath. Rickey and Shotton had formed a longstanding friendship and professional relationship dating back to their years together (1913–15) with the Browns when Rickey was the manager. After Shotton’s playing career, he was a Cardinals' coach from 1923–25, until taking over the Cardinals’ top farm club, the Syracuse Stars
of the AA International League
, in 1926–27.
. He lasted six seasons (1928–33) with the Phils, who twice lost more than 100 games during his tenure; more notably, under Shotton the Phillies finished above .500 in 1932
(78-76, fourth in the National League). The 1932 campaign would be the only winning season the Phillies would record between 1917
and .
After coaching with the Cincinnati Reds
(in 1934
, including a 1-1 record as manager) and Cleveland Indians
(1942–45), and a long stint (1935–41) as a minor league manager for the Cardinals' Rochester Red Wings
and Columbus Red Birds
farm clubs, Shotton had settled into a scouting role for the Dodgers (where Rickey was president and general manager) when he received a telegram summoning him to Brooklyn on the eve of the 1947
season. "Be in Brooklyn in the morning. Call nobody, see no one", Rickey's wire admonished.
, the Dodgers' iconic manager since 1939, had been suspended for the entire '47 campaign by Baseball Commissioner
Happy Chandler
. In his search for a temporary replacement, Rickey had been rebuffed by former New York Yankees
manager Joe McCarthy and two of Durocher's coaches, Clyde Sukeforth
(who managed the first two games of the season on an emergency basis) and Ray Blades
.
Rickey pleaded with Shotton to take over the Dodgers for the season. Then 62, and convinced that his on-field career was over, Shotton reluctantly took the reins, still in street clothes. (Shotton was one of the last baseball managers to wear everyday apparel rather than the club uniform. Unlike Connie Mack
, Shotton did usually add his team's cap and jacket.) He inherited what historian Jules Tygiel called Baseball's Great Experiment — the Dodgers' and Robinson's breaking of the infamous color line
to end sixty years of racial segregation in baseball. The rookie was facing withering insults from opposing players, and a petition by Dodger players protesting Robinson's presence had only recently been quashed by Durocher.
Shotton's calm demeanor, however, provided the quiet leadership the Dodgers needed. They won the pennant by five games, and took the New York Yankees
to seven games in the 1947 World Series
before bowing. With Durocher's suspension over, Shotton retired again to a front office post. But the 1948
Dodgers did not respond to Durocher's return; they even (briefly) fell into the NL cellar. Durocher was also under siege by the Catholic Youth Organization
because of his scandalous extramarital relationship with, and then quick marriage to, actress Laraine Day
.
also floundering, owner Horace Stoneham
decided to replace his manager, Mel Ott
, with Shotton. He called Rickey to ask permission to speak with Shotton, and was stunned when Rickey offered him the opportunity to hire Durocher instead. On July 16, 1948, Durocher moved from Brooklyn to Harlem, and Shotton was back in the Dodger dugout — still in street clothes. He rallied the Dodgers to a third place finish in 1948, then won his second pennant in 1949
, again bowing to the Yankees in the World Series
, this time in only five games. Nevertheless, he continually faced criticism from Durocher loyalists on the Dodgers — who claimed that Shotton was a poor game strategist and lacked Durocher's competitive intensity — and from noted New York Daily News
baseball writer Dick Young
, who came to refer to him in print only by the acronym KOBS, short for "Kindly Old Burt Shotton."
In 1950
, despite chronic pitching woes, Shotton guided the Dodgers to within a game of first place on the final day of the season. When Dick Sisler
's home run off Don Newcombe
won the pennant for the Phillies' "Whiz Kids", the Dodger season was over. So was Shotton's managerial career. Rickey was forced from the Brooklyn front office by new majority owner Walter O'Malley
at the end of the 1950 season. Back home in Winter Haven, Florida
, Shotton ignored O'Malley's repeated suggestions that he fly to Brooklyn to "discuss his future." "I don't intend to go all the way up there just to be fired," Shotton said. Indeed, O'Malley had already decided on Chuck Dressen
as his new manager.
Shotton's last connection with baseball was as a consultant for Rickey's Continental League
, the planned "third major league" that ultimately forced expansion of MLB in 1961-62. In 1960, Shotton was engaged by Rickey, the CL president, to assist and supervise the managers in the Western Carolinas League
, a Class D minor league
originally set up to groom talent for the CL.
He died in Lake Wales, Florida
, of a heart attack
at age 77 during the second All-Star break in 1962
; his career record as a big league manager was 697-764 (.477).
According to an informal look by researchers at the National Baseball Hall of Fame, it's believed that the last manager to wear street clothes was Burt Shotton of the Brooklyn Dodgers, who last managed a game on October 1, 1950. (Although Mack, who famously wore a full suit during his 50 years as manager of the Philadelphia Athletics
, also retired on October 1, 1950.)
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
player, 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...
, coach
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
and scout
Scout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...
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...
. As manager of 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...
(1947, 1948–50), he won two 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 served as Jackie Robinson
Jackie 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...
's first permanent major league manager.
Playing career: Fleet-of-foot outfielder
Shotton was born in BrownhelmBrownhelm Township, Lorain County, Ohio
Brownhelm Township is one of the eighteen townships of Lorain County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 7,782 people in the township, 1,792 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township...
, a township in Lorain County, Ohio
Lorain County, Ohio
Lorain County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio, and is considered to be a part of what is locally referred to as Greater Cleveland. As of the 2010 census, its population was 301,356. an increase from 284,664 in 2000...
. In his playing days, he was a speedy outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
— he was nicknamed "Barney" after race car driver Barney Oldfield
Barney Oldfield
Berna Eli "Barney" Oldfield was an automobile racer and pioneer. He was born on a farm on the outskirts of Wauseon, Ohio. He was the first man to drive a car at 60 miles per hour on an oval...
— who batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He compiled a .270 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
for the St. Louis Browns
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...
, Washington Senators
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...
and St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
(1909; 1911–23). Although he stole
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
over 40 bases in four consecutive seasons (1913–16), he was also caught stealing over 26 times in each of those seasons. In an 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...
dominated by speedsters such as Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...
and Clyde Milan
Clyde Milan
Jesse Clyde Milan was an American baseball player who spent his entire career as an outfielder with the Washington Senators . He was not a powerful batter, but was adept at getting on base and was fleet of foot, receiving the nickname "Deerfoot" for his speed...
, Shotton was never among the top five base stealers in the league, and he had a high rate of being caught stealing, but he pilfered 294 bases during his MLB career. However, his real talent may have been in on-base percentage, finishing in the Top 10 in the league in that category four times in his career. He twice (in 1913
1913 in baseball
-Champions:*World Series: Philadelphia Athletics over New York Giants -Awards and honors:*Chalmers Award** Walter Johnson, Washington Senators, P** Jake Daubert, Brooklyn Dodgers, 1B-MLB statistical leaders:1MLB Triple Crown Winner for Pitching...
and 1916
1916 in baseball
left|thumb|300px|[[Woodrow Wilson]] throws out the ball on opening day.-Champions:*World Series: Boston Red Sox over Brooklyn Robins -MLB statistical leaders:-American League final standings:-National League final standings:-Events:...
) led AL batters in walks
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
and finished in the top 10 in six years of his career.
In the early 1920s, as a player and coach, he was the Cardinals' "Sunday manager," relieving skipper Branch Rickey
Branch Rickey
Wesley Branch Rickey was an innovative Major League Baseball executive elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967...
, who always observed the Christian Sabbath. Rickey and Shotton had formed a longstanding friendship and professional relationship dating back to their years together (1913–15) with the Browns when Rickey was the manager. After Shotton’s playing career, he was a Cardinals' coach from 1923–25, until taking over the Cardinals’ top farm club, the Syracuse Stars
Syracuse SkyChiefs
The Syracuse Chiefs are a minor league baseball team based in Syracuse, New York. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals...
of the AA International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
, in 1926–27.
Baptism of fire in Philadelphia
Shotton's first formal major league managing opportunity came with the NL's traditional tailending team, the Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. He lasted six seasons (1928–33) with the Phils, who twice lost more than 100 games during his tenure; more notably, under Shotton the Phillies finished above .500 in 1932
1932 Philadelphia Phillies season
- Roster :- Starters by position :Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in- Other batters :Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg...
(78-76, fourth in the National League). The 1932 campaign would be the only winning season the Phillies would record between 1917
1917 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:* World Series: Chicago White Sox over New York Giants -MLB statistical leaders:-American League final standings:-National League final standings:-Events:...
and .
After coaching with the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
(in 1934
1934 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: St. Louis Cardinals over Detroit Tigers *All-Star Game, July 10 at Polo Grounds: American League, 9-7-Awards and honors:*Most Valuable Player:**American League: Mickey Cochrane, Detroit Tigers, C...
, including a 1-1 record as manager) 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...
(1942–45), and a long stint (1935–41) as a minor league manager for the Cardinals' Rochester Red Wings
Rochester Red Wings
The Rochester Red Wings are a minor league baseball team based in Rochester, New York. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins major-league club. The Red Wings play in Frontier Field, located in downtown Rochester.The Red Wings were an...
and Columbus Red Birds
Columbus Red Birds
The Columbus Red Birds was the name of a top-level minor league baseball team that played in Columbus, Ohio, in the American Association from 1931 through 1954. The Columbus club, a member of the Association continuously since 1902, was previously known as the Columbus Senators — a typical...
farm clubs, Shotton had settled into a scouting role for the Dodgers (where Rickey was president and general manager) when he received a telegram summoning him to Brooklyn on the eve of the 1947
1947 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Yankees over Brooklyn Dodgers *All-Star Game, July 8 at Wrigley Field: American League, 2-1-Other champions:*First College World Series: California...
season. "Be in Brooklyn in the morning. Call nobody, see no one", Rickey's wire admonished.
A stand-in for Durocher
Flying immediately to Flatbush, not knowing what to expect, Shotton was ushered into Rickey's presence. Leo DurocherLeo Durocher
Leo Ernest Durocher , nicknamed Leo the Lip, was an American infielder and manager in Major League Baseball. Upon his retirement, he ranked fifth all-time among managers with 2,009 career victories, second only to John McGraw in National League history. Durocher still ranks tenth in career wins by...
, the Dodgers' iconic manager since 1939, had been suspended for the entire '47 campaign by Baseball Commissioner
Baseball Commissioner
The Commissioner of Baseball is the chief executive of Major League Baseball and its associated minor leagues. Under the direction of the Commissioner, the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball hires and maintains the sport's umpiring crews, and negotiates marketing, labor, and television contracts...
Happy Chandler
Happy Chandler
Albert Benjamin "Happy" Chandler, Sr. was a politician from the US state of Kentucky. He represented the state in the U.S. Senate and served as its 44th and 49th governor. Aside from his political positions, he also served as the second Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1945 to 1951 and...
. In his search for a temporary replacement, Rickey had been rebuffed by former 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...
manager Joe McCarthy and two of Durocher's coaches, 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 managed the first two games of the season on an emergency basis) and Ray Blades
Ray Blades
Francis Raymond Blades was an American left fielder, manager, coach and scout in Major League Baseball.A native of McLeansboro, Illinois, Blades was first scouted as a baseball player as a teenager in 1913. Branch Rickey, then the manager of the St. Louis Browns, spotted Blades during a sandlot...
.
Rickey pleaded with Shotton to take over the Dodgers for the season. Then 62, and convinced that his on-field career was over, Shotton reluctantly took the reins, still in street clothes. (Shotton was one of the last baseball managers to wear everyday apparel rather than the club uniform. Unlike Connie Mack
Connie Mack (baseball)
Cornelius McGillicuddy, Sr. , better known as Connie Mack, was an American professional baseball player, manager, and team owner. The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, he holds records for wins , losses , and games managed , with his victory total being almost 1,000 more...
, Shotton did usually add his team's cap and jacket.) He inherited what historian Jules Tygiel called Baseball's Great Experiment — the Dodgers' and Robinson's breaking of the infamous color line
Baseball color line
The color line in American baseball excluded players of black African descent from Organized Baseball, or the major leagues and affiliated minor leagues, until Jackie Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers organization for the 1946 season...
to end sixty years of racial segregation in baseball. The rookie was facing withering insults from opposing players, and a petition by Dodger players protesting Robinson's presence had only recently been quashed by Durocher.
Shotton's calm demeanor, however, provided the quiet leadership the Dodgers needed. They won the pennant by five games, and took 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...
to seven games in the 1947 World Series
1947 World Series
The 1947 World Series matched the New York Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers, with the Yankees winning the Series in seven games for their first title since , and the eleventh championship in team history...
before bowing. With Durocher's suspension over, Shotton retired again to a front office post. But the 1948
1948 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Cleveland Indians over Boston Braves *All-Star Game, July 13 at Sportsman's Park: American League, 5-2-Other champions:*College World Series: USC*Little League World Series: Lock Haven, Pennsylvania...
Dodgers did not respond to Durocher's return; they even (briefly) fell into the NL cellar. Durocher was also under siege by the Catholic Youth Organization
Catholic Youth Organization
A Catholic Youth Organization is an organization for young Catholics. Usually each group uses the church for meeting and gathering, although some have their own premises. It was initiated by Bishop Bernard J...
because of his scandalous extramarital relationship with, and then quick marriage to, actress Laraine Day
Laraine Day
Laraine Day was an American actress and a former MGM contract star.-Career:Born La Raine Johnson in Roosevelt, Utah, to an affluent Mormon family, she later moved to California where she began her acting career with the Long Beach Players...
.
Return to Brooklyn's bench
With the New York GiantsSan Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
also floundering, owner Horace Stoneham
Horace Stoneham
Horace C. Stoneham was the principal owner of Major League Baseball's New York/San Francisco Giants from the death of his father, Charles Stoneham, in 1936 until 1976. During his ownership, the team won National League pennants in 1936, 1937, 1951, 1954 and 1962, a division title in 1971, and a...
decided to replace his manager, Mel Ott
Mel Ott
Melvin Thomas Ott , nicknamed "Master Melvin", was a Major League Baseball right fielder. He played his entire career for the New York Giants . Ott was born in Gretna, Louisiana. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed...
, with Shotton. He called Rickey to ask permission to speak with Shotton, and was stunned when Rickey offered him the opportunity to hire Durocher instead. On July 16, 1948, Durocher moved from Brooklyn to Harlem, and Shotton was back in the Dodger dugout — still in street clothes. He rallied the Dodgers to a third place finish in 1948, then won his second pennant in 1949
1949 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Yankees over Brooklyn Dodgers *All-Star Game, July 12 at Ebbets Field: American League, 11-7-Caribbean leagues:*Cuba - Almendares Scorpions*Panama - Spur Cola*Puerto Rico - Mayaguez Indians...
, again bowing to the Yankees in the World Series
1949 World Series
The 1949 World Series featured the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers, with the Yankees winning in five games for their second defeat of the Dodgers in three years, and the twelfth championship in team history...
, this time in only five games. Nevertheless, he continually faced criticism from Durocher loyalists on the Dodgers — who claimed that Shotton was a poor game strategist and lacked Durocher's competitive intensity — and from noted New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
baseball writer Dick Young
Dick Young (sportswriter)
Dick Young was a sportswriter best known for his direct and abrasive style, and his 45-year association with the New York Daily News...
, who came to refer to him in print only by the acronym KOBS, short for "Kindly Old Burt Shotton."
In 1950
1950 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Yankees over Philadelphia Phillies *All-Star Game, July 11 at Comiskey Park: National League, 4-3 -Other champions:*Caribbean World Series: Carta Vieja *College World Series: Texas...
, despite chronic pitching woes, Shotton guided the Dodgers to within a game of first place on the final day of the season. When Dick Sisler
Dick Sisler
Richard Alan Sisler was an American player, coach and manager in Major League Baseball. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Sisler was the son of Hall of Fame first baseman and two-time .400 hitter George Sisler. Younger brother Dave Sisler was a relief pitcher in the 1950s and 1960s with four MLB...
's home run off 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...
won the pennant for the Phillies' "Whiz Kids", the Dodger season was over. So was Shotton's managerial career. Rickey was forced from the Brooklyn front office by new majority 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...
at the end of the 1950 season. Back home in Winter Haven, Florida
Winter Haven, Florida
Winter Haven is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. The population was 26,487 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2007 estimates, the city had a population of 32,577, making it the second most populated city in Polk County...
, Shotton ignored O'Malley's repeated suggestions that he fly to Brooklyn to "discuss his future." "I don't intend to go all the way up there just to be fired," Shotton said. Indeed, O'Malley had already decided on Chuck Dressen
Chuck Dressen
Charles Walter Dressen , known as both "Chuck" and "Charlie," was an American third baseman, manager and coach in professional baseball during a career that lasted almost fifty years, and was best known as the manager of the powerful Brooklyn Dodgers of 1951–1953...
as his new manager.
Shotton's last connection with baseball was as a consultant for Rickey's 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...
, the planned "third major league" that ultimately forced expansion of MLB in 1961-62. In 1960, Shotton was engaged by Rickey, the CL president, to assist and supervise the managers in the Western Carolinas League
Western Carolinas League
The Western Carolinas League was a Class D and a low Class A full-season league in American minor league baseball. The WCL changed its name prior to the 1980 season and has been known since as the South Atlantic League, a highly successful low Class A circuit with teams up the Eastern Seaboard...
, a Class D 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...
originally set up to groom talent for the CL.
He died in Lake Wales, Florida
Lake Wales, Florida
Lake Wales is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. The population was 10,194 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 11,802 . It is part of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
at age 77 during the second All-Star break in 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:...
; his career record as a big league manager was 697-764 (.477).
According to an informal look by researchers at the National Baseball Hall of Fame, it's believed that the last manager to wear street clothes was Burt Shotton of the Brooklyn Dodgers, who last managed a game on October 1, 1950. (Although Mack, who famously wore a full suit during his 50 years as manager of the Philadelphia Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
, also retired on October 1, 1950.)
External links
- Baseball-Reference.com - career managing record and playing statistics