Bill DeWitt, Sr.: Patriarch of a Baseball Family

by Burton A. Boxerman, Benita W. Boxerman

Overview

In 1954, one year after Baltimore bought the St. Louis Browns, the New York Yankees hired former Browns executive and owner William O. DeWitt as assistant to general manager George Weiss. "DeWitt," the news announced, "was considered an astute baseball man who would have a definite role to play with the Yankees." Baseball fans had assumed that once the Browns were no longer the American League's doormats, DeWitt would quietly retire. But for DeWitt, a shrewd protege of Branch Rickey, his years with the Browns began a long and fascinating career, including his years as owner and general manager of the Cincinnati Reds. This first ever biography focuses on the career of a baseball executive who contributed greatly to America's pastime.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476672601
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	09/03/2021
Pages:	231
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.46(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

A member of the Society for American Baseball Research, Burton A. Boxerman taught history for 30 years and contributes to numerous historical journals. A longtime baseball fan, he lives in St. Louis, Missouri. The late Benita W. Boxerman was a writer and researcher. Retired from one of the largest public relations firms in the United States and a member of SABR, she lived in St. Louis, Missouri.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vi

Foreword Bill De Witt III 1

Foreword William O. DeWitt, Jr. 3

Preface 5

1 Growing Up in St. Louis 7

2 Branch Rickey's Protégé 12

3 Donald Barnes and the St. Louis Browns 25

4 A World War and a World Series 47

5 Richard Muckerman and the Post-War Years 67

6 An Owner at Last 89

7 A Three Ring Circus 107

8 Interregnum 116

9 A New Team, Another World Series 140

10 Elder Statesman 173

11 The DeWitt Legacy 182

Chapter Notes 187

Bibliography 209

Index 217