Last name pronounced Loo-Case-ee....Long
time minor league skipper landing with a struggling team...did not make things
better....had nearly 20 years of minor league managing experience before
landing the Phillies top spot...taking
the reins in 1970, rough going as a reconstruction began....first year finished
½ game over the sophomore Expos.... in 1971 despite a new stadium, Phils
backtracked 6 games and were overtook by Montreal to wind up in the NL East
basement....1972 imported Steve Carlton but little else....Frank was let go
after a 26-50 record....Frank resurfaced in 1975 as the Rangers new manager
replacing the controversial Billy Martin...Frank forged a winning record for
the remainder of the season....following year was a bit of a disappointment
going 76-86....1977 was contentious...starting with spring training fight
initiated by Lenny Randle which resulted in Frank's concussion and assault charges were filed....Randle was quickly discarded and Frank stayed....Rangers played .500 ball in 62
games....Frank was let go and replaced by Eddie Stanky who only coached one
game and stepped aside...Despite wild times, at the end of the season Rangers
won a franchise best 94 games good for 2nd AL West sans Lucchesi...continued in
baseball with scouting positions with Texas, Dodgers, and Cubs....finished out
the last 25 games of the 1987 Cubs season as their manager ...continued to do
some AAA managing before retiring
That's a long list of minor-league stops on the back of his card! I think it was all in the Phillies' chain (at least as far back as 1957). Notice that he skippered their AAA team from 1964-66, then was pushed down to AA Reading to make room for Bob Skinner to manager their AAA tam in '67 and '68 (although having NO prior managing experience!)
ReplyDeleteAlso, Lucchesi is the oldest man alive with a baseball card after 1965. At age 91, he beats Elroy Face and Tommy Lasorda by 1 year, and Whitey Ford by 2.
ReplyDeleteWow! I was going to mention still alive. Hope he is doing well. I also read that once when he scouting, he once have gave a drink vendor who dropped his tray the full amount of what he lost. If true a stand up guy.
ReplyDeleteDidn't Eddie Sawyer pull a 'Stanky' and manage one game about 1960 and then quit, famously saying, 'I'm 49 years old and I'd like to be 50.' Remember, you don't 'coach' a ball club, you manage! Also, you don't need apostrophes with team names. Tigers and Giants, not Tiger's and Giant's. Nice blog, but that drives me nuts.
ReplyDeleteI remember the Stanky incident well. It took place on a Ranger road trip to Minnesota. The Minnesota media took notice of the managerial because Stanky was 20 years earlier the skipper of the minor league Minneapolis Millers. Wins his game and then calls it quits (if I recall right citing family commitments) which brought on further notoriety. I wonder if it was also newly empowered players (Stanky last managed in 1968) or owner Brad Corbett influencing his decision.
Delete