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(More customer reviews)Bing Devine became the General Manager of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1958, and I fondly remember those Cardinals teams from the 1960's onward. We have heard about the Cardinals in books from Harry Caray, Jack Buck, Bob Gibson, Bob Broeg, and others. Missing has been the story of their marvelous General Manager, Bing Devine. Just as Bill Veeck will always be associated with Eddie Gaedel, Bing Devine will always be associated with the acquisition of Lou Brock from the Chicago Cubs in 1964 in exchange for pitcher Ernie Broglio. It was Devine that brought together the 1964 All-Star game starting infield of Boyer, Groat, Javier, and White. The latter three all acquired in trades by Devine. Devine provides us with his viewpoint of his mid-season firing in 1964 when his team then went on to win the National League pennant and the World Series against the Yankees. Manager Johnny Keane was to be fired at the end of the season, before the team fooled owner Gussie Busch and won it all. Devine also explains his tenious relationship with Branch Rickey who Mr. Busch had brought in as a "senior consultant." I knew that Mr. Busch was unhappy with GM Devine and manager Johnny Keane due to a problem with shortstop Dick Groat, but I never knew the reason for it. Groat was unhappy that Keane had taken away permission from Groat to use the hit-and-run play on his own. Busch got word there was a problem with Groat, but Devine, believing the problem had been solved, didn't tell Busch when Busch asked him if he had anything to tell him. Devine then went on to join the New York Mets for three years before being rehired again as GM of the Cardinals. Devine also explains his dislike of being ordered by Mr. Busch to trade pitchers Steve Carlton and Jerry Reuss against Devine's better judgment. Bing Devine does not bad mouth anybody in the book. He just gives his opinions regarding the trading of players, and his relationships with the people he has worked with over the years. As a measure of the respect Devine is held, he is now 88 years old and still is involved in an active capacity with his beloved Cardinals. St. Louis has a tremendous baseball tradition and history, and Bing Devine is responsible for a great part of it. Thank you, Mr. Devine, for this book. We needed to hear your viewpoint.
Click Here to see more reviews about: The Memoirs of Bing Devine: Stealing Lou Brock and Other Brilliant Moves by a Master G.M.
In The Memoirs of Bing Devine, this quiet gentleman details -- after years of coaxing by family and friends -- the staggering scope of his 65 years in pro baseball. And he does so in typical fashion, deferring credit for every triumph and taking blame for every setback, even if not personally at fault. Devine was best known for his two decades as a big-league general manager from 1958 through 1978. He built, from scratch, four World Series teams in two cities: The Cardinals of '64, '67, '68, and New York's Miracle Mets of '69. In Devine's remarkable 88 years of life, he was deeply involved with a Who's Who of baseball greats. He pitched batting practice to his idol, Joe Medwick. He hired a young broadcaster named Jack Buck in the minors, then recommended him to the Cardinals. He worked for and with legendary GMs Branch Rickey, George Weiss and Frank Lane. He argued against Lane's proposed trade of Stan Musial to Pittsburgh. In his first act as GM, he vetoed Lane's pending trade of Ken Boyer for Richie Ashburn. He brought Johnny Keane to St. Louis and Gil Hodges to New York to lead future World Series champs. In The Memoirs of Bing Devine, Devine for the first time gives his take on that tumultuous turn of events. And, after his unlikely return three years later, of Busch's disastrous demand to trade Steve Carlton. It was Devine who inadvertently opened the Flood-gates of free agency, trading Curt Flood to Philly in a move that wound up in the U.S. Supreme Court.
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