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Leo Durocher’s Tumultuous 1947 - March 1
Leo Durocher’s Tumultuous 1947: Scandal, Suspension, and Missed History
On March 1, 1947 — Father Vincent Powell announces the diocese’s Catholic Youth Organization will no longer participate in the Dodgers’ Knothole Club, stating the church cannot continue to have their youngsters associated with the team’s manager, Leo Durocher. The monsignor, who has been the director of the local CYO since 1940, believes the Brooklyn skipper “represents an example in complete contradiction” to the faith’s moral teachings.
A Controversial Time Cover
On April 14, 1947, Leo Durocher graced the cover of Time magazine with the headline, “I don’t want any nice guys on my ball club.” The Brooklyn Dodgers’ fiery manager, known as “The Lip,” was depicted mid-argument with an umpire. However, just days earlier, Durocher had been suspended from baseball for a year due to associations with gamblers, personal scandals, and public controversies.
Scandal and Suspension
Baseball Commissioner Happy Chandler’s ruling came as a shock to Brooklyn fans but was welcomed by many outsiders. Durocher’s off-field antics, including gambling ties and a high-profile affair with actress Laraine Day, had drawn increasing scrutiny. Just as the Dodgers were preparing to make history by debuting Jackie Robinson, Durocher found himself banned from the game.
Jackie Robinson’s Debut and the Dodgers’ Success
With Durocher sidelined, the mild-mannered Burt Shotton stepped in as manager. Despite losing their fiery leader, the Dodgers thrived, winning the National League pennant and pushing the Yankees to a Game 7 in the World Series. While the 1947 season cemented Robinson’s legacy, it became a lost opportunity for Durocher, who might have played a significant role in supporting baseball’s first Black player.
A History of Trouble
Durocher’s issues weren’t new. As a young shortstop with the Yankees in 1928, he gained a reputation for reckless spending and brash behavior. Babe Ruth nicknamed him “The All-American Out” and accused him of stealing his watch. Throughout his career, Durocher’s gambling habits and connections with shady figures followed him from team to team.
Rickey, MacPhail, and a Power Struggle
Durocher’s troubles in 1947 were tied to an ongoing feud between Dodgers executive Branch Rickey and Yankees owner Larry MacPhail. Both had managed Durocher before, and MacPhail, bitter after losing him to the Dodgers, pushed for punishment when Durocher criticized him in the press. Chandler, already under pressure from Catholic leaders and concerned about gambling in sports, took decisive action.
The Role of a Midnight Meeting
Despite his suspension, Durocher played a pivotal role in integrating baseball. In spring training, he shut down a players’ petition against Jackie Robinson, making it clear that talent—not race—mattered. His fiery speech warned his team that Black players were coming, and they had better accept it or be replaced. This stance aligned with his win-at-all-costs mentality, but he never got to manage Robinson that season.
Fallout and Legacy
While Durocher returned to baseball in 1948, his absence from the 1947 season remains one of the greatest “what-ifs” in baseball history. His unchecked behavior led to his downfall, but his influence on the game—both positive and negative—was undeniable. Durocher’s ability to create chaos overshadowed what could have been a defining season of his career.
Despite his flaws, he remains a fascinating figure in baseball lore, forever linked to both scandal and success.
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Trivia:
How did Leo Durocher get the nick name the LIP?
Hint: The answer is below
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March 1, 1909 -- The Pittsburgh Pirates begin construction of their new stadium near Schenley Park near the Oakland section of Pittsburgh. The state-of-the-art stadium will be named Forbes Field in honor of John Forbes, a pre-Revolutionary British general.
Forbes Field will never have a no-hitter thrown in its spacious confines during the sixty-one years the Bucs call the ballpark home, a span of more than 4,700 games.
March 1, 1947 — Father Vincent Powell announces the diocese’s Catholic Youth Organization will no longer participate in the Dodgers’ Knothole Club, stating the church cannot continue to have their youngsters associated with the team’s manager, Leo Durocher. The monsignor, who has been the director of the local CYO since 1940, believes the Brooklyn skipper “represents an example in complete contradiction” to the faith’s moral teachings.
March 1, 1947 -- In anticipation of the signing of the team's first black players, Bill Veeck, a resident of Phoenix, Arizona, sets up a spring training camp there for the Cleveland Indians. Arizona is chosen because of its relatively tolerant racial climate. During the season, Veeck will sign the American League's first black player, Larry Doby, who will train at the camp. The New York Giants also set up camp in Arizona, while the Brooklyn Dodgers move their training camp from Florida to Havana, Cuba.
March 1, 1965 -- Future Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente misses the first day of spring training because of a bout with malaria. The Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder will sit out a full month of training camp with the disease, which he contracted during the off-season. Clemente will recover to bat .329, but will hit only 10 home runs with 65 RBI, his worst totals since 1959.
March 1, 1967 — Commissioner General William Eckert approves the BBWAA’s plan to select a Cy Young Award recipient from both the National League and American League. The honor, initiated in 1956, had been given to just one pitcher in the major leagues each season, a position strongly supported by former commissioner Ford Frick.
March 1, 1969 — New York Yankees legend Mickey Mantle announces his retirement. Mantle, who slumped to a .237 batting average in 1968, finishes his 18-season career with 536 home runs and a .298 average, numbers that would have certainly been higher if not for persistent knee injuries. The Yankees offer Mantle a coaching position on manager Ralph Houk’s staff. Mantle was an idol to millions, known for his remarkable power and speed and his everyman personality. While “The Mick” patrolled center field and batted clean-up between 1951 and 1968, the Yankees won 12 American League pennants and seven World Series.
March 1, 2015 – Minnie Minoso, one of the first black stars of the American League in the 1950s and one of only two men to play in the major leagues in five different decades, dies in Chicago, IL at either 92 or 89, as there is uncertainty over his true date of birth.
Quote of the day:
"I do not care if the guy is yellow or black, or if he has stripes like a zebra. I'm the manager of this team, and I say he plays. What's more, I say he can make us all rich. And if any of you cannot use the money, I will see that you are traded." -
Leo Durocher, settling the issue of Dodger players refusing to associate with Jackie Robinson in 1947
MILESTONES
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Dick Dremer, Hank Wyse, Harry Caray, Jim Panther, Larry Brown and Ron Klimkowski
Passings.
Arndt Jorgens, Dan McGinn, Ed Heusser, Frank Crespi, Joe Tipton and Minnie Minoso
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Trivia Answer: Durocher won the 1928 World Series with the Yankees, then won another Fall Classic as captain of the St. Louis Cardinals' “Gashouse Gang” in 1934. In addition to his hustle, Durocher also garnered his famous nickname “The Lip,” or “Lippy,” for his hard-scrabble conversations with umpires from the dugout.
