#661 Bill Virdon

Bespectacled Pirate turned skipper of the incumbent champion…Only 40 years old at the time…Big shoes to fill after Danny Murtaua move to farm director after taking the WS…fell one game short of the previous regular season’s mark but lost to the Reds in playoff…Next year the Pirates suffered greatly from upheaval caused by Clemente death and Steve Blass mysterious drop off…had a losing record with a month remaining and was let go….Resurfaced with Yankee in the early Steinbremer era…moved on to Astros where he made his name… presided over 1066 games over 8 seasons, and made the playoff twice plus two manager of the year awards…his clubs were tailored to the Astrodome, small ball and pitching…A losing record in 1982 prompted a mid season firing…Resurfaced in Montreal the next year where he helmed for 1 4/5 seasons…Has coached in various organizations since then…As a player he was rookie of the year with St Louis…but it Pittsburgh where he was a regular feature player…unspectacular but steady and above par defensive skills.