Books and articles about Paul Richards

Paul Richards neither led a team to a pennant as a field manager nor presided over a winner as a general manager. He often got a team ready to win, only to move to another franchise before success was realized. He was considered among baseball's most brilliant and innovative strategists, an astute judge of pitching talent, and a skilled teacher.

SHOPPING » Look for Paul Richards books at BN.com » Look for Paul Richards books at Amazon.com Your purchases keep BaseballLibrary.com online. Thank you!

RELATED LINKS Book Excerpts » From 33rd Street to Camden Yards by John Eisenberg Around the Web » A feast of data from boston.com (5/14/06) Jump directly to Library content from any website!

" x x After a playing career as a reserve catcher, Richards became a successful minor league manager with the Atlanta Crackers. He credited Bill Terry, for whom he had played briefly in New York, with teaching him the techniques of managing. When WWII brought manpower shortages, Richards resurfaced as a major league catcher with Detroit. He was the Tigers' regular catcher in the 1945 WS. When players came back after WWII, Richards returned to minor league managing. He got his chance to manage in the major leagues in 1951, taking over the White Sox. His "Go-Go" Sox had four winning seasons, but they always finished behind the Yankees and Indians.

His success in Chicago earned him the challenge of converting the perennially dismal Browns into a winner in their new identity as the Baltimore Orioles. He served as both field manager and general manager of the transplanted club. He built the franchise into a winner, developing a pitching staff called The Kiddie Korps, strong-armed throwers backed up by knuckleball reliever Hoyt Wilhelm. Richards invented the oversized catcher's mitts that have been used since to handle knuckleball pitchers. Just as the Orioles moved toward pennant contention, the Texan from Waxahachie went home to the Lone Star State to head up("-h)h)h)the newly formed Houston Colt .45s.

He brought Houston to a competitive position when another new challenge beckoned. The Braves had gone south, from Milwaukee to Atlanta, and Richards, who had led the old Crackers to glory, was deemed the man to rejuvenate the Braves in their new setting as vice president for baseball operations. The team won a divisional title in 1969. It was as close as Richards came to a pennant, and he left Atlanta and was out of baseball for the first time in 45 years. Not for long, however, as Bill Veeck had taken over the White Sox and hired the sixty-seven-year-old Richards as manager. Richards's White Sox finished last in 1976. (JK)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » October 6, 1945: Tavern owner "Billy Goat" Sianis buys a box seat for his goat for the 4th game of the WS and is escorted out of Wrigley Field. In retaliation Sianis casts a "goat curse" over the Cubs. The Tigers tie the series on Dizzy Trout's 5-hit 4-1 win. Detroit scores all its runs in the 4th, with Hank Greenberg, Roy Cullenbine, Paul Richards, and a force-out scoring the runners. » October 10, 1950: The Chicago White Sox hire Seattle Rainiers (PCL) manager Paul Richards as their manager for 1951 ushering in the era of the "Go Go" Sox. Chicago, which stole an ML-low 19 bases in 1950, will top the majors next year with 99. » May 15, 1951: The game that followed the ceremony featured dramatic home runs as Ted Williams hits the 300th of his career in the 4th inning against Chicago's Howie Judson. With Williams up in the 8th inning, White Sox manager Paul Richards moves reliever Harry Dorish to 3B and brings in Billy Pierce to pitch to Ted. Williams pops up against the lefty, and Dorish then returns to the mound. Boston ties the game against Dorish at 7–7, but little Nellie Fox, playing in his 6th season, cracks his first major league homer in the 11th to give Dorish a 9–7 victory. Ray Scarborough is the loser. The Sox will win their next 13 games. » May 30, 1952: Over the protests of manager Paul Richards, White Sox GM Frank Lane swaps fleet CF Jim Busby, along with Mel Hoderlein, to Washington for Sam Mele. Busby's loss leaves a defensive hole in the outfield, which the Sox will fill when they acquire Jim Rivera in July. » January 27, 1953: In another deal that GM Lane pulls over the protests of Paul Richards, the White Sox send slugging 1B Eddie Robinson along with OF Ed McGhee and SS Joe DeMaestri to the A's for two-time batting champ Ferris Fain and infielder Robert Wilson. » June 25, 1953: White Sox manager Paul Richards uses five firstbasemen in beating the Yankees 4-2. He brings in Harry Dorish to face two batters, moving Billy Pierce to 1B. The Sox 3-game sweep still leaves New York nine games up on the Indians and 91Ž2 on Chicago. » May 15, 1957: When Ted Williams comes up to bat for the Red Sox, manager Paul Richards moves White Sox P Harry Dorish to 3B. After reliever Billy Pierce retires the slugger, Dorish returns to the mound to relieve himself, and goes on to finish the game for a 9–7 win in 11 innings. » September 11, 1958: Orioles manager Paul Richards lists three pitchers in his starting line-up, hoping for a scoring chance in the first inning, at which point he can remove the extra pitchers for a batter of his choice. Billy O'Dell, batting 9th at P; Jack Harshman in CF, batting 5th; Milt Pappas at 2B, batting 7th. Only O'Dell bats as he goes to 14–11, losing to KC's Ned Garver, 7–1. The A's plate five in the 8th, paced by Bob Cerv's 33rd home run. » May 27, 1960: Since there is no rule limiting the size or shape of the catcher's mitt, Baltimore manager Paul Richards combats the passed-ball problem while catching Hoyt Wilhelm (38 in 1959; 11 so far this year) by devising an oversized mitt to gather in Hoyt's fluttering knuckler. It is half again as large as the standard glove and 40 ounces heavier. Wilhelm goes the distance in beating New York 3–2 at Yankee Stadium. Clint Courtney has no passed balls behind the plate. » August 28, 1961: At LA's Wrigley Field, Baltimore takes advantage of the friendly confines to hit five home runs and beat the Angels 11–5. Jack Fisher has a CG win, despite allowing 12 walks. The game is the last for Paul Richards as the manager for Baltimore. » September 1, 1961: Paul Richards (38-57) resigns as manager of the Orioles to become GM of the new Houston National League club. Coach Lum Harris takes over. » October 10, 1963: The Mets take 1B Bill Haas from the Dodgers and P Jack Fisher from the Giants, while Houston grabs P Claude Raymond from the Braves in a supplemental draft for the expansion teams. In the draft, each of the eight original clubs was required to make available four players from their roster of August 31st (the Reds list five players). Houston and the Mets can pay $30,000 for each of the players chosen. Haas will never reach the majors, and the two pitchers chosen will make contributions: the other players go unchosen. Paul Richards, Houston GM, who had originated the idea of the draft, had second thoughts after seeing the players made available. » May 28, 1971: The Braves Clete Boyer, involved in a dispute with owner Paul Richards and manager Lum Harris over alleged silly rules and mismanagement, gets his release and retires. Boyer had hit safely in the last nine games of his career, including five home runs and 14 RBIs. » December 17, 1975: Bill Veeck fires Chuck Tanner and hires old friend Paul Richards, 67, to manage the White Sox. Tanner then accepts a 3-year contract to manage Oakland. » May 4, 1986: Veteran manager and executive Paul Richards dies. The innovative Richards is probably best known for designing the oversized catcher's glove used to catch knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm.