Damn Yankees by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview

Damn Yankees

Page 107

Although the team won ten pennants in his twelve seasons, and won seven World Series, his final two years brought less success, with a third place finish in 1959, and a loss in the 1960 World Series. By then aged 70, he was dismissed by the Yankees shortly after the defeat.

Stengel had become famous for his humorous speech while with the Yankees, and these skills of showmanship served the expansion Mets well when they hired him in late 1961. He promoted the team tirelessly, as well as managing it to an atrocious 40–120 win/loss record, the most losses of any twentieth century team.

The team finished last all four years he managed it, but was boosted by considerable support from fans. Stengel retired in 1965, and became a fixture at baseball events for the rest of his life. He is sometimes described as one of the great managers in major league history, and is remembered as one of the great characters in baseball history.

Charles Dillon Stengel’s ancestry is German and Irish. His parents; Louis Stengel and Jennie (Jordan) Stengel; were from the Quad Cities area of Illinois and Iowa, and had moved to Kansas City soon after their 1886 wedding so Louis could take an insurance job. "Charlie" was the youngest of three children, and

the second son. Charlie Stengel played sandlot baseball as a child, and also played baseball, football and basketball at