» February 6, 1934: Ford Frick, New York newspaperman and sports broadcaster, is named PR director for the National League. » November 8, 1934: Ford Frick, National League publicity director, is named league president. He will eventually become commissioner.
» August 23, 1935:
NL President Ford Frick announces an undisclosed punishment of umpires Reardon and Sears for arguing with Cincinnati fans on July 11.
» September 4, 1935:
Babe Ruth receives a lifetime pass for all National League games from NL prexy Ford Frick.
» December 10, 1935:
Ford Frick is reelected NL president for two years and given a raise. The American League votes down night ball and awards a $500 cash prize for batting leaders retroactive to include Buddy Myer in 1935.
» June 2, 1937:
NL President Ford Frick suspends Dizzy Dean for refusing to retract statements made after a balk call in the May 19th game, which led to an on-field brawl. Dean forces a meeting with the press at which he denies the statements, and his suspension is lifted a few days later.
» December 6, 1937: It is announced that Ford Frick has been reelected president of the National League for three years.
» May 14, 1938: After a 7–6 ten-inning loss to the Cardinals, the Reds file a protest regarding a disputed hit by the Reds Dusty Cooke. Cooke hits a ball that bounced off the part of the RF pavilion at Sportsman's Park that juts out over the playing field. The ball bounces back in play and Cooke reaches 3B. Reds manager Bill McKechnie contends it should be a home run, stating that if it had been hit lower it would miss the pavilion and been a homer. On June 3, Ford Frick rules the game should be replayed as part of a August 20 twinbill. The Reds will win the first game, 4–2, then lose the nitecap, 5–4.
» June 3, 1938: National League President Ford Frick orders the May 14th game at Sportsman's Park replayed, upholding the Reds protest of the Cardinals' 7–6, 10-inning win. Dusty Cooke's disputed triple is ruled a home run for the Reds OF. One umpire had signaled Cooke's hit a home run, and Cooke slowed down, only to be tagged out.
» July 15, 1939:
A disputed call on a fly ball down the LF foul line at the Polo Grounds touches off a melee in which the Giants Billy Jurges and umpire George Magerkurth spit at each other. Both will be fined $150 and suspended for 10 days. NL President Ford Frick announces that 2-foot screens are to be installed inside all foul poles to prevent future arguments. The Al eventually also adopts the rule. The Giants lose 8-4 to the Reds and will add another eight in a row to take them out of contention.
» March 3, 1940: The Boston Bees sell Debs Garms to the Pirates. Garms will get only 358 at bats for the Bucs but, nevertheless, will lead the NL in hitting with a .355 average. Unlike the AL's 400 at bats, the NL rules state that a player must appear in at least a hundred games: Garms will play in 103. Ford Frick, NL prexy, will clarify this in September when it is clear that Garms will not reach the 400 ABs. (Pirate teammate Virgil Davis will be the nominal runnerup at .326, but play just 99 games). Garms will drop to .264 in 1941 and he will be out of baseball in 1942.
» May 4, 1943: Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick demonstrates the revised "balata ball" to reporters by bouncing it on his office carpet. This ball will prove to be 50 percent livelier than the 1942 one. When introduced in games on May 9th, six home runs will be hit in four doubleheaders compared with nine home runs hit with the previous ball in the first 72 games.
» April 24, 1945: At a meeting of owners in Cleveland a list of possible successors to Judge Landis is cut to 6: Ford Frick, president of the National League, and five politicians, Jim Farley, Carl Vinson, Robert Patterson, Bob Hannegan, and Frank Lausche. Larry MacPhail suggests adding the name of Albert "Happy" Chandler, a Kentucky senator. The list then narrows to Chandler and Hannegan. On the first ballot Chandler leads 11-5, short of the required three-fourths. One vote switches over, and the owners unanimously approve the selection. Also approved is the Malaney Plan for interleague play, first brought up at the February meeting. Besides the same-city games, Cincinnati will play at Cleveland, Brooklyn at Washington, and Detroit at Pittsburgh. The latter contest will later be scrapped when the ODT refused to grant the Tigers permission to detour 62 miles to get to Pittsburgh. The seven benefit games will held on July nine and 10.
» May 8, 1947: A movement among Cardinal players to protest its first meeting with Jackie Robinson and the Dodgers is aborted by a clubhouse talk from owner Sam Breadon, according to a story by writer Stanley Woodward, League president Ford Frick had warned the team that if a strike occurred, any player involved would be suspended. Cardinal manager Eddie Dyer denies there was any strike talk. The Cards win 5–1, for their 2nd win in a row.
» July 17, 1948:
The Dodgers down the Reds, 8–4 and 10–4 for their 12th win in 14 games. Ralph Branca wins the opener as Jackie Robinson clouts a 3-run homer in the 8th. Paul Minner wins his first ML game in the nitecap with six innings of relief. During an argument with Frank Dascoli, Reds catcher Dewey Williams grabs the ump. Willliams will be fined $100 and suspended for five games. However, with catcher Ray Mueller on the disabled list with a broken ankle, the Reds appeal the suspension, stating they have only one catcher, Ray Lamanno. Ford Frick, National League prexy, will rule that Williams will serve the suspension in the Reds clubhouse, while dressed in full uniform. If anything happens to Lamanno, Williams can substitute, and a game will added to the suspension.
» June 9, 1950: Commissioner Happy Chandler orders the Cardinals to cancel their Sunday night game with the Dodgers. On the advice of NL President Ford Frick, the Cards comply and reschedule it as a July 17th day/night doubleheader.
» August 14, 1950: NL President Ford Frick reproaches Giant Eddie Stanky and bans his tactics, disallowing the Giants’ protest. He also fines Andy Seminick and Bill Rigney for the incident.
» November 16, 1950: League presidents Ford Frick and Will Harridge vote to deposit $950,000 received for World Series TV-radio rights into the player's pension fund.
» September 20, 1951:
The owners elect National League President Ford Frick as the 3rd commissioner of baseball for a 7-year term at $65,000 per annum. Warren Giles withdraws on a vote deadlock to open the way for Frick, who has been NL prexy since 1934.
» October 10, 1951: Hank Bauer's bases-loaded triple propels the Yankees to a 4–3 win and their 3rd straight championship. Just before the game, Leo Durocher turns over a letter he received to Ford Frick that offers the Giants manager a $15,000 bribe "if the Giants manage to lose the next three games."
» July 30, 1952:
Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick sets a waiver rule to bar inter-league deals until all clubs bid with the club lowest in the league to get the first pick. He sets the price at $10,000. He also bars all other deals after July 31st.
» November 20, 1952:
Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick states that he thinks the PCL will eventually reach ML status.
» December 2, 1952: Dodger executive Buzzie Bavasi dismisses the Yankees reaction to Jackie Robinson's charges. Commissioner Ford Frick plans no action against Robinson.
» May 25, 1953:
Russ Meyer of the Dodgers is fined $100 and suspended three days for obscene gestures and abusive language picked up by TV close-ups. National League President Warren Giles and Commissioner Ford Frick oppose dugout shots by TV cameras.
» October 31, 1953:
After touring Japan with the Giants, Commissioner
Ford Frick says that Japanese baseball is the equivalent
of Class A in the U.S.
» November 30, 1953: The player reps reject Commissioner Ford Frick's plan for a conference on their pension after he bars their attorney's presence.
» March 7, 1955: Commissioner Ford Frick states that he favors legalization of the spitter, "a great pitch and one of the easiest to throw."
» July 6, 1956:
Ford Frick inaugurates the Cy Young Award, to honor to outstanding pitcher each year. The BBWAA will do the voting. Only one pitcher will be honored each year until 1967, when a pitcher in each league will be selected.
» January 10, 1957: Commissioner Ford Frick rules that singer Bing Crosby can keep his "token" stock in the Detroit Tigers, even though he owns part of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
» March 11, 1957: Representative Emanuel Celler, whose committee investigated baseball, calls Ford Frick a "czar" who wishes to "gag" officials; Frick had cautioned ML owners about commenting on the recent Supreme Court decision on pro football coming under antitrust rules.
» June 28, 1957:
By stuffing the ballot box, Cincinnati fans elect 8 Redlegs as starters in the All-Star Game. Over protests
from Reds fans, Commissioner Ford Frick names Stan Musial, Willie Mays, and Hank Aaron to replace Reds Gus Bell, George Crowe, and Wally Post in the starting lineup. In the final vote tally, Musial is the only non-Redleg who would have started.
» July 1, 1957:
Cincinnati fans threaten to sue Commissioner Ford Frick unless Bell, Crowe, and Post are restored to the All-Star team.
» July 8, 1957:
The owners decide to re-elect Commissioner Ford Frick to another 7-year term when his present contract is up in 1958.
» January 30, 1958: Commissioner Ford Frick announces that players and coaches, rather than the fans, will vote for the All-Star teams this year.
» February 9, 1959: Frank D. Lawrence, owner of the Portsmouth, VA, club, files a $250,000 suit against Commissioner Ford Frick and ML baseball for breach of contract, alleging that broadcasts of ML games effectively forced him out of business.
» May 21, 1959: Commissioner Ford Frick announces that he foresees the formation of a 3rd league within five years.
» July 12, 1959: NBC uses outfield TV cameras with 80-inch lenses to show the catchers' signals during a Yankee-Red Sox game. Commissioner Ford Frick requests that they halt its use. It doesn't help New York, which drops their last four games to the Red Sox. Boston wins today, 7–3.
» July 25, 1959:
Fidel Castro supporters, enjoying a raucous July 26th Celebration in La Gran Stadium in downtown Havana, bring a halt to the IL contest between the Red Wings and the Sugar Kings with random gunshots from the grandstand. Red Wings 3B coach Frank Verdi and Havana SS Leo Cardenas both suffer minor flesh wounds, which causes manager Cot Deal to pull his players from the field and retreat to their hotel. League officials cancel the remainder of the Havana team's homestand, and, with pressure on Ford Frick from U.S. Secretary of State Christian Herter, eventually relocate the franchise to Newark for the 1960 season.
» September 24, 1959:
The Phillies P Humberto Robinson says that gambler
Harold Friedman offered him $1,500 to throw a game
with the Reds. The pitcher ignores him and hurls a
7-2 win. Friedman is held on bail. Commissioner
Ford Frick later commends Robinson for promptly reporting
to him.
» October 1, 1959:
Commissioner Ford Frick bars a Chicago auto
dealer's plan to give out a free auto for every HR
hit by a White Sox player.
» March 24, 1960: Commissioner Ford Frick says he will not allow the Continental League to pool players in the Western Carolinas League as it would violate existing major-minor league agreements.
» July 17, 1961:
Commissioner Ford Frick decrees that Babe Ruth's record of 60 home runs in a 154-game schedule in 1927 "cannot be broken unless some batter hits 61 or more within his club's first 154 games."
» July 19, 1961:
Ford Frick, an old friend of Babe Ruth's, announces that should Ruth's record be beaten after 154 games, the record will carry an asterisk. When asked about the ruling, Roger Maris replies, "A season is a season."
» September 20, 1961: The Yankees' 154th game of 1961 (including a tie) is Roger Maris' last chance to beat Babe Ruth, in compliance with Commissioner Ford Frick's statement that, for the record to be broken, Maris must do it in the same number of games as Ruth. Maris' 59th home run of the year, off Milt Pappas, is short of the record, but helps New York beat Baltimore 4–2, clinching its 26th American League pennant. In 1998, Pappas will state that he told Maris the night before that, if the game's outcome is not on the line, he would throw him nothing but fastballs.
» January 8, 1962: Commissioner Ford Frick denies charges that Carl Furillo has been blacklisted by the ML because of a 1959 salary dispute with the Dodgers.
» April 24, 1962:
Mets manager Casey Stengel is fined $500 by Commissioner Ford Frick for allowing his picture to appear in a beer ad.
» July 31, 1962:
The National League rejects Commissioner Ford Frick's proposal for inter-league play in 1963.
» September 6, 1962: Commissioner Ford Frick announces that any transfer of Bo Belinsky to the Athletics as part of the Dan Osinski deal will be voided due to a technicality in the rules.
» June 23, 1963:
Jimmy Piersall of the New York Mets hits the 100th home run of his ML career—and his only one in the National League—and celebrates by running around the bases backwards. Dallas Green of the Phillies, who gave up the home run, is not amused. Neither is Commissioner Ford Frick, who is in the stands. Nor are the Mets who will hand Jimmy his walking papers in a few days.
» August 5, 1964: After weeks of negotiating, Ford Frick tells the league presidents and club owners he will not run for another term as commissioner.
» February 17, 1965: Commissioner Ford Frick suspends U.S.-Japan baseball relations until the dispute over Masanori Murakami's contract with the Giants is resolved.
» November 17, 1965: Retired Air Force Lieutenant-General William Eckert is unanimously elected commissioner of baseball. Ford Frick leaves office after 14 years.
» February 1, 1970: The Hall of Fame Special Committee on Veterans selects former commissioner Ford Frick and former players Earle Combs and Jesse Haines for enshrinement.
» July 27, 1970:
The Expos beat the White Sox 10–6 in the annual Hall of Fame game, following the induction ceremonies for Lou Boudreau, Earle Combs, Ford Frick, and Jesse Haines.
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