Boston Braves - The End of an Era (1940-1952)

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1940

1944

1949

Decade

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Titles:

Top Boston Players of the Forties / Early Fifties

1948 National League Champs (Lost to Cleveland)

Pitchers:

BallPark:

Warren Spahn (39.95) - 90

Braves Field

Johnny Sain (20.92) - 76

Jim Tobin (15.99) - 53

Team Name:

Vern Bickford (13.29) - 40

Bees (1940)

Al Javery (5.57) - 37

Braves (1941-1952)

Nate Andrews (10.83) - 24

Red Barrett (6.77) - 22

Owner:

Manny Salvo (3.88) - 17

Syndicate led by Charles Adams (1940)

Max Surkont (5.4) - 16

Syndicate of twelve Boston Millionaires (1941-1944)

Bill Voiselle (6) - 16

Three Steamshovels (Lou Perini, Guido Rugo, Joe Maney) (1945-1952)

Dick Errickson (2.67) - 14

Mort Cooper (4.18) - 11

General Managers:

Bob Quinn (1940-1944)

John Quinn (1945-1952)

Catchers:

Phil Masi (11.81) - 48

Managers:

Walker Cooper (8.19) - 23

Casey Stengel (1940-1943)

Bob Coleman (1943-1945)

First Basemen:

Del Bissonette (1945)

Earl Torgeson (18.6) - 52

Bill Southworth (1946-1951)

Max West (8.18) - 19

Tommy Holmes (1951)

Charlie Grimm (1952)

Second Basemen:

Connie Ryan (8.33) - 20

Hall of Famers:

Whitey Wietelmann (1.75) - 13

Warren Spahn

Eddie Stanky (7.83) - 8

Rookie of the Year:

ShortStop:

Alvin Dark (1948)

Al Dark (6.2) - 14

Sam Jethroe (1950)

Eddie Miller (9.88) - 18

Dick Culler (2.88) - 11

MVP:

Nanny Fernandez (0.45) - 10

Bob Elliott (1947)

Third Base:

Cy Young

Bob Elliott (26.39) - 40

None

Outfield:

No Hitters:

Tommy Holmes (34.69) - 91

Jim Tobin (1944)

Sam Jethroe (8.77) - 38

Vern Bickford (1950)

Sid Gordon (16.09) - 27

Johnny Hopp (5.86) - 22

Notable Events:

Butch Nieman (4.86) - 18

Chuck Workman (2.16) - 16

1940 - Midway thru the Forties, the Braves become relevant in the NL

Carden Gillenwater (4.33) - 16

for the first time since the mid Teens. Altho' the first half dozen years

Bama Rowell (5.86) - 16

of the Forties unfortunately look like business as usual for Boston.

Johnny Cooney (3.19) - 15

Jim Russell (2.98) - 13

1940 - Coming into the Forties there are only three players on the 1940

Jeff Heath (6.03) - 13

roster who will contribute significantly during the decade. They are:

Gene Moore (4.43) - 11

□ RHP Jim Tobin, 27, obtained from Pirates prior to 1940 season

Pete Reiser (1.43) - 3

□ RHP Al Javery, 22, obtained from Evansville prior to 1940 season

□ C Phil Masi, 24, obtained from Springfield prior to 1939 season

Notable Events:

1941 - A syndicate of twelve Boston millionaires buys the club from Charles

1948 - With all the pieces in place, pitchers Spahn, Sain, Bickford, RHP

Adams. The club's name is changed back to the Braves from the Bees.

Bill Voiselle, 29, C- Masi, IF Torgeson, Stanky, Dark and Elliott and

They retain both Bob Quinn and John Quinn in the front office. Smart move.

OF Holmes and Jeff Heath, 33, the Braves win the National League

pennant. They draw 1.45 million fans.

1942 - The Braves make a terrific deal, trading Buddy Hassett

to the Yankees for young outfielder Tommy Holmes, 25.

1949 - After the Braves are in first place as late as June 4, it all

falls apart for them and they finish at 75-79. Manager Southworth,

1942 - RHP Johnny Sain, 24, comes up as a rookie. He had originally

who has a 3 year contract, takes a leave of absence in August

signed with Detroit but was granted free agency in 1940 when

after the team mutinies.

Commissioner Landis accused the Tigers of hoarding minor leaguers.

Sain was obtained from Nashville.

1949 - Chief mutineers Dark and Stanky are dealt to the Giants

Interestingly, both end up being long time big league managers after

1943 - Casey Stengel is fired as manager.

they retire. You have to wonder who were the real culprits in this incident.

1944 - The three steamshovels (Lou Perini, Guido Rugo and Joe Maney)

1950 - Sam Jethroe, obtained from the Negro Leagues, is

emerge as the principal owners among the syndicate of twelve millionaire

named National League Rookie of the Year.

Boston owners. The three are willing to spend to make the Braves a winner.

1952 - After treading water in 1950 and 1951, the Braves take a

1946 - LHP Warren Spahn and SS Alvin Dark are rookies. Spahn was

nosedive to seventh place. Meanwhile, Boston has been absolutely

signed in 1940 as a nineteen year old and spent three years in the Army.

dying at the box office. After their high water mark of 1.45 million in 1948,

Dark was signed as a twenty four year old and brought directly up to the

they have steadily declined in attendance going from 944,391 in 1950

Braves. He was later farmed out in 1947 to Milwaukee before coming up

to 487,485 In 1951 to 281,278 in 1952.

for good in their championship year 1948. Dark had been in college

during the war where he was also a good enough football player to be

1952 - So what happened? The team going backward in the standings

drafted by the NFL Philadelphia Eagles.

does not adequately explain the city of Boston deciding to completely

abandon the Braves. There is a smoking gun here. The Braves started

1946 - First Baseman Earl Torgeson is obtained from Seattle for two

adding black players to their roster in 1950. Plus, the National league was

lesser lights. He is twenty two years old. He becomes the second Earl

bringing in black players at a much faster rate than the American league.

of Snohomish, Washington. Earl Averill was the original

And, the city of Boston has traditionally been a city with severe racial issues.

Boston fans were now avoiding the Braves like the plague.

1947 - The Braves obtain 3B Bob Elliott, 30, from the Pirates in a

Meanwhile, seeing what happened to the Braves, the crosstown

terrific deal for four lesser lights. He goes on to win the MVP.

Red Sox would not touch adding a black player until 1959 when they

Altho' he was always a good hitter, Elliott's power numbers were low in

dipped their toes in the water bringing up reserve infielder Pumpsie Green.

Pittsburgh where Forbes Field was a bad fit for him. He turned into one

The Sox were the last team in baseball to integrate. No surprise here as

of the NL's top sluggers after moving to Braves field.

It's obvious that the Sox were very leery about offending their fan base

after seeing what happened to the Braves when they started playing blacks.

1948 - RHP Vern Bickford, 27, is a rookie. He had knocked around the

minors and spent 3 years in the army since he was eighteen.

1953 - The Braves bolt for Milwaukee during spring training. This was

a sheer panic move on the part of the Braves and major league baseball

1948 - 2B Eddie Stanky,32, is obtained from Brooklyn for two lesser players

as the Braves would no longer be able to stay solvent in Boston. There had

Stanky doesn't supply big numbers, but he does supply a winning

been talk about franchise moves for years, this situation forced baseball's

attitude and he's a fiesty, hard nosed, heady player

hand to finally pull the trigger and in a very haphazzard way, not the

way a large public entity would like to conduct it's business.

Not only that, but the racial issues with the Braves in Boston opened up the

door for a bunch of franchise moves in the Fifties with the A's, Browns

Dodgers, Giants and Senators all moving after fifty years of stability

and no franchise moves in major league baseball.