Wednesday, April 30, 2014

How the Browns Helped the Orioles Acquire Frank Robinson

Bob Turley and Don Larsen were Brownies  ....


... and two hot right-handed pitching prospects as ever there was.  But the Orioles traded them to the Yankees for Willie Miranda, in 1955
(who, by the way, was an ex-Brown traded away to the Yankees by Bill Veeck)

Willy Miranda (his preferred spelling) was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1960 for Jim Gentile
... who was traded in 1963 to the Kansas City Athletics for Norm Siebern (another left-handed-hitting first baseman)
… who was traded to the California Angels December 2, 1965 for Dick Simpson….
yes, THIS Dick Simpson:
and a week later, the Orioles dangled him before the eyes of Cincinnati Reds general manager Bill DeWitt Sr.,  who found the 1965 Angels Rookie Star too good to resist, so he promptly traded
for him (plus Milt Pappas and Jack Baldschun).  "Surely a young Dick Simpson will eventually make up for that hole in the outfield," Dewitt must have thought.   

And just like that, F. Robby was a Brownie, er.... Oriole. (Frank doesn't look very happy about the trade. The Reds recently won a pennant, but the Orioles haven't won one since since 1944.  And then they weren't even the Orioles, but rather the Browns.  But Frank will be happy with the trade soon enough.  It sucks to have a receding hairline. General managers think you are old.  And shaved heads to hide it won't be in style for another 40 years yet.)

So to Review, 

 += .

And that is how the Browns helped the Orioles acquire Frank Robinson, Hall of Famer.



[Another Brownie connection, this one quite real: Jim Russo -- the scout who'd been trying to get the Orioles to make the deal for Robinson since 1961 -- was the last employee of the Browns still with the club.  ~Ed.]


4 comments:

  1. I have been told that my grandfather played for the St.Louis Browns. My cousin says she has seen a picture but we have no idea what happened to it. His name was Oliver Edward Hayes and he was from Festus Mo. He was born in 1907 and died in 1970. Can you help me find out any info or direct me in the right direction. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello D.. We don’t have anyone with the name Hayes who played for the Browns. And I don’t find any major league player named Hayes who is born in Missouri. And I can’t locate a minor-league player that may have played in the Browns organization with the name Hayes. I also checked the common alternate spelling "Hays". But minor league records are notoriously incomplete. I would suggest getting a subscription to newspapers.com and searching in the relevant time. With the name “Oliver Hayes” and baseball.

      Delete
  2. Possible Hawks Hayes who pitched for the minor league Orioles in 1928? Age matches (would have been 21). Maybe Hawks was a nickname?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Im afraid that was Walter Hayes, who had played earlier for Richmond

      Delete