Ed Short
Encyclopedia
Edwin G. Short was an American
professional baseball
front office executive. Short worked for the Chicago White Sox
of Major League Baseball
for over 20 years, including nine seasons as the team's general manager
— from August 26, 1961, through September 2, 1970. The White Sox were frequent contenders for the American League
pennant during the first six seasons of his administration, but the last three years of Short's tenure saw the team lose 95, 98 and 106 games and play some of its home games in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
, because of falling attendance at Comiskey Park
.
Short joined the White Sox in 1950 as publicity director, and later was named the club's traveling secretary. Despite his having served in administrative positions, rather than in baseball operations, he was promoted to succeed Hank Greenberg
as the Chisox' general manager late in the 1961
season. But, as a GM, Short was noted for his bold moves.
In his first off-season, he traded aging White Sox stars Billy Pierce
, Minnie Miñoso and Roy Sievers
to the National League
for younger players. After the campaign, Short swung one of the biggest deals of the off-season, sending future Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop
Luis Aparicio
and outfielder
Al Smith to the Baltimore Orioles
for Aparicio's Baltimore counterpart, Ron Hansen
, young third baseman
Pete Ward
, power-hitting outfielder Dave Nicholson
and future Hall of Fame knuckleball
pitcher
Hoyt Wilhelm
. Hansen, Ward and Nicholson became regulars in 1963
. Wilhelm would be Chicago's bullpen
ace for six seasons (1963–1968) and compile an earned run average
of 1.92 in 361 games and 675⅔ innings pitched in a White Sox uniform. Short also would trade another veteran star and future Hall of Famer, Nellie Fox
, after the 1963 campaign. The White Sox were serious pennant contenders in 1963, 1964
, 1965
and 1967
.
However, Short believed that the best trade he ever made happened in January 1965, a three-way deal also involving the Kansas City Athletics
and Cleveland Indians
. In that transaction, the White Sox acquired ace left-handed starting pitcher Tommy John
and centerfielder Tommie Agee
.
The White Sox of the mid-1960s relied on pitching and defense. In addition to Wilhelm, and, later, John, the team's pitchers also included starters Gary Peters, Juan Pizarro
and Joel Horlen. But after competing for the 1967 pennant into the last week of the season, the 1968 White Sox started poorly and signaled the beginning of three years of desperate struggle at the gate and on the field. In 1968
and 1969
, the White Sox played one game against every other AL opponent at Milwaukee County Stadium
, which was wooing an expansion or relocated MLB team —such as the White Sox — at the time. At Comiskey, the Chisox drew an average of only 7,493 (1968), 6,633 (1969) and 6,115 (1970
) fans per game. Finally, in early September 1970, after an ownership transition between two brothers, Arthur
and John Allyn
, Short was released in a general housecleaning of White Sox management.
In his final job in professional sports, Short served as general manager of the Chicago Cougars
of the World Hockey Association
.
He died in Skokie, Illinois
, aged 64, on July 16, 1984.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional baseball
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
front office executive. Short worked for 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...
of 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...
for over 20 years, including nine seasons as the team's 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....
— from August 26, 1961, through September 2, 1970. The White Sox were frequent contenders for the 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...
pennant during the first six seasons of his administration, but the last three years of Short's tenure saw the team lose 95, 98 and 106 games and play some of its home games in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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...
, because of falling attendance at Comiskey Park
Comiskey Park
Comiskey Park was the ballpark in which the Chicago White Sox played from 1910 to 1990. It was built by Charles Comiskey after a design by Zachary Taylor Davis, and was the site of four World Series and more than 6,000 major league games...
.
Short joined the White Sox in 1950 as publicity director, and later was named the club's traveling secretary. Despite his having served in administrative positions, rather than in baseball operations, he was promoted to succeed Hank Greenberg
Hank Greenberg
Henry Benjamin "Hank" Greenberg , nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank" or "The Hebrew Hammer," was an American professional baseball player in the 1930s and 1940s. A first baseman primarily for the Detroit Tigers, Greenberg was one of the premier power hitters of his generation...
as the Chisox' general manager late in the 1961
1961 Chicago White Sox season
The 1961 Chicago White Sox season was the team's 61st season in the major leagues, and its 62nd season overall. They finished with a record 86-76, good enough for fourth place in the American League, 23 games behind the first-place New York Yankees....
season. But, as a GM, Short was noted for his bold moves.
In his first off-season, he traded aging White Sox stars Billy Pierce
Billy Pierce
Walter William Pierce is a former left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played most of his career for the Chicago White Sox. He was the team's star pitcher between 1952 and 1961, and was named the American League's top pitcher in 1956 and 1957 after being runner-up in both 1953...
, Minnie Miñoso and Roy Sievers
Roy Sievers
Roy Edward Sievers is a former first baseman/left fielder in Major League Baseball. From through , Sievers played for the St. Louis Browns , the original Washington Senators , Chicago White Sox , Philadelphia Phillies , and finally the new Senators...
to the 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...
for younger players. After the campaign, Short swung one of the biggest deals of the off-season, sending future Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
Luis Aparicio
Luis Aparicio
Luis Ernesto Aparicio Montiel is a former shortstop in professional baseball. His career in Major League Baseball spanned three decades, from through . Aparicio played for the Chicago White Sox , Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox . He batted and threw right-handed...
and 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...
Al Smith to 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...
for Aparicio's Baltimore counterpart, Ron Hansen
Ron Hansen (baseball)
Ronald Lavern Hansen is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for the Baltimore Orioles , Chicago White Sox , Washington Senators , New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals...
, young third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
Pete Ward
Pete Ward
Peter Thomas Ward is a retired professional baseball player who played 9 seasons for the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, and New York Yankees of Major League Baseball...
, power-hitting outfielder Dave Nicholson
Dave Nicholson
David Lawrence Nicholson is a former outfielder for the Baltimore Orioles , Chicago White Sox , Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves , known for his towering, although infrequent, home runs...
and future Hall of Fame knuckleball
Knuckleball
A knuckleball is a baseball pitch with an erratic, unpredictable motion. The pitch is thrown so as to minimize the spin of the ball in flight. This causes vortices over the stitched seams of the baseball during its trajectory, which in turn can cause the pitch to change direction—and even...
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...
Hoyt Wilhelm
Hoyt Wilhelm
James Hoyt Wilhelm was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985....
. Hansen, Ward and Nicholson became regulars in 1963
1963 Chicago White Sox season
The 1963 Chicago White Sox season was the team's 63rd season in the major leagues, and its 64th season overall. They finished with a record 94-68, good enough for second place in the American League, 10½ games behind the first-place New York Yankees....
. Wilhelm would be Chicago's bullpen
Bullpen
In baseball, the bullpen is the area where relief pitchers warm-up before entering a game. Depending on the ballpark, it may be situated in foul territory along the baselines or just beyond the outfield fence. Also, a team's roster of relief pitchers is metonymically referred to as "the bullpen"...
ace for six seasons (1963–1968) and compile an 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...
of 1.92 in 361 games and 675⅔ innings pitched in a White Sox uniform. Short also would trade another veteran star and future Hall of Famer, Nellie Fox
Nellie Fox
Jacob Nelson Fox was a Major League Baseball second baseman for the Chicago White Sox. Fox was born in St. Thomas Township, Pennsylvania. He was selected as the MVP of the American League in...
, after the 1963 campaign. The White Sox were serious pennant contenders in 1963, 1964
1964 Chicago White Sox season
The 1964 Chicago White Sox season was the team's 64th season in the major leagues, and its 65th season overall. They finished with a record 98-64, good enough for second place in the American League, just one game behind the first-place New York Yankees....
, 1965
1965 Chicago White Sox season
The 1965 Chicago White Sox season was the team's 65th season in the major leagues, and its 66th season overall. They finished with a record 95-67, good enough for second place in the American League, 7 games behind the first-place Minnesota Twins....
and 1967
1967 Chicago White Sox season
The 1967 Chicago White Sox season was the team's 67th season in the major leagues, and its 68th season overall. They finished with a record 89-73, good enough for fourth place in the American League, 3 games behind the first-place Boston Red Sox.- Offseason :...
.
However, Short believed that the best trade he ever made happened in January 1965, a three-way deal also involving the Kansas City 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....
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...
. In that transaction, the White Sox acquired ace left-handed starting pitcher Tommy John
Tommy John
Thomas Edward John Jr. is a former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball whose 288 career victories rank as the seventh highest total among left-handers in major league history...
and centerfielder Tommie Agee
Tommie Agee
Tommie Lee Agee was a Major League Baseball center fielder most noted for making two of the greatest catches in World Series history, both of which occurred in game three of the 1969 World Series.-Cleveland Indians:...
.
The White Sox of the mid-1960s relied on pitching and defense. In addition to Wilhelm, and, later, John, the team's pitchers also included starters Gary Peters, Juan Pizarro
Juan Pizarro
Juan Ramon Pizarro Cordova is a former major league baseball pitcher.-Milwaukee Braves:Juan Pizarro signed with the Milwaukee Braves as an amateur free agent in 1956. After going 27-6 with a 2.06 earned run average in the minors, he made his major league debut on May 4, 1957 against the Pittsburgh...
and Joel Horlen. But after competing for the 1967 pennant into the last week of the season, the 1968 White Sox started poorly and signaled the beginning of three years of desperate struggle at the gate and on the field. In 1968
1968 Chicago White Sox season
The 1968 Chicago White Sox season was the team's 68th season in the major leagues, and its 69th season overall. They finished with a record 67-95, good enough for eighth place in the American League, 36 games behind the first-place Detroit Tigers....
and 1969
1969 Chicago White Sox season
The 1969 Chicago White Sox season was the team's 69th season in the major leagues, and its 70th season overall. They finished with a record 68-94, good enough for fifth place in the newly-established American League West, 29 games behind the first-place Minnesota Twins.The White Sox nearly left...
, the White Sox played one game against every other AL opponent at Milwaukee County Stadium
Milwaukee County Stadium
Milwaukee County Stadium was a ballpark in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 1953 to 2000. It was primarily used as a baseball stadium for the Milwaukee Braves and Brewers, but was also used for football games, ice skating, religious services, concerts and other large events...
, which was wooing an expansion or relocated MLB team —such as the White Sox — at the time. At Comiskey, the Chisox drew an average of only 7,493 (1968), 6,633 (1969) and 6,115 (1970
1970 Chicago White Sox season
The 1970 Chicago White Sox season was the team's 70th season in the American League, and its 71st overall. They finished with a record 56-106, good enough for sixth place in the American League West, 42 games behind the first-place Minnesota Twins....
) fans per game. Finally, in early September 1970, after an ownership transition between two brothers, Arthur
Arthur Allyn, Jr.
Arthur Allyn, Jr. was the co-owner of the Chicago White Sox of the American League with his brother John Allyn from through...
and John Allyn
John Allyn
John Allyn was the co-owner of the Chicago White Sox of the American League with his brother Arthur Allyn, Jr. from through , and sole principal owner from through . In 1975, Allyn sold the club back to the person he and his brother had purchased it from in 1961, Bill Veeck.-References:*...
, Short was released in a general housecleaning of White Sox management.
In his final job in professional sports, Short served as general manager of the Chicago Cougars
Chicago Cougars
The Chicago Cougars were an original franchise in the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1975. The Cougars played their home games in the dilapidated International Amphitheatre. During the 1974 Avco Cup Finals against Gordie Howe and the Houston Aeros, the team's two home games were played at...
of the World Hockey Association
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
.
He died in Skokie, Illinois
Skokie, Illinois
Skokie is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Its name comes from a Native American word for "fire". A Chicago suburb, for many years Skokie promoted itself as "The World's Largest Village". Its population, per the 2000 census, was 63,348...
, aged 64, on July 16, 1984.