George Robert "Birdie" Tebbetts (November 10, 1912 – March 24, 1999) was an American catcher, manager, scout and front office executive in Major League Baseball. Events 1444 - Battle of Varna: The crusading forces of King Vladislaus III of Varna (aka Ulaszlo I of Hungary and Wladyslaw Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting Events 1401 - Mongol emperor Timur sacks Damascus. 1603 - James VI of Scotland Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Catcher is also a general term for a fielder who catches the ball in Cricket. In Baseball, the head coach of a team is called the manager (or more formally the field manager) this individual controls matters "Talent scout" redirects here For talent scouting in the music industry see A&R Professional sports scouts are trained talent
Born in Burlington, Vermont, and raised in Nashua, New Hampshire. Burlington is the largest city in the US state of Vermont and is the shire town ( County seat) of Nashua is a city in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, USA. As of the 2000 census Nashua had a total population of 86605 making it the second largest Tebbetts acquired his nickname as a boy when an aunt said of his high-pitched voice, "He chirps like a bird".
In 1934 he graduated from Providence College with a degree in philosophy, an unusual beginning for one of the most abrasive managers in baseball history, whose major league career encompassed 53 years as a catcher (14), manager (11) and scout (28). Year 1934 ( MCMXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. This page refers to a college in Rhode Island. For the college in Manitoba, see Providence College and Theological Seminary. Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language Catcher is also a general term for a fielder who catches the ball in Cricket. In Baseball, the head coach of a team is called the manager (or more formally the field manager) this individual controls matters "Talent scout" redirects here For talent scouting in the music industry see A&R Professional sports scouts are trained talent
Tebbetts played with the Detroit Tigers between 1936 and 1947 — with the exception of three years that he served in World War II (1943-45) — and also played for the Boston Red Sox (1947-50) and Cleveland Indians (1951-52). The Detroit Tigers are a professional baseball team based in Detroit, Michigan, USA World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Boston Red Sox are a Professional baseball team based in Boston Massachusetts, and are the reigning (2007 World Series Champions. The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. He batted and threw right-handed, was a career . 270 hitter with 38 home runs and 469 RBI in 1162 games, and made four All-Star teams. The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also popularly known as the "Midsummer Classic" is an annual Baseball game between players from the National League Before the arrival of Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk, Tebbetts was voted the Red Sox' all-time best catcher in a 1969 fan poll — a remarkable feat considering he only spent four years with the Bosox. Carlton Ernest Fisk (born December 26 1947 in) is a former Major League Baseball Catcher who played for 24 years with the Boston Red Sox Champions Major League Baseball The most notable part of the 1969 season were the Miracle Mets World Series: New York Mets
After his playing career, Tebbetts was a moderately successful manager who compiled a 748-705 record with the Cincinnati Redlegs (1954-58), Milwaukee Braves (1961-62) and Cleveland Indians (1963-66). The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati Ohio, USA In April 1964 he suffered a heart attack. Myocardial infarction ( MI or AMI for acute myocardial infarction) also known as a heart attack, occurs when the blood supply Three months later, he returned to limited duties and resigned in August 1966. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Baltimore Orioles over Los Angeles Dodgers (4-0 Frank Robinson, Tebbetts enjoyed his best season for the 1956 Cincinnati Redlegs with a 91-63 mark and a third place, being rewarded by The Associated Press as the NL Manager of the Year. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: New York Yankees over Brooklyn Dodgers (4-3 Don Larsen, MVP The Associated Press ( AP) is an American News agency. The AP is a Cooperative owned by its contributing Newspapers radio The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the National League ( NL) is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball
He also served as executive vice president of the Braves from 1959 through September 1961, when he took over as the team's field manager from Chuck Dressen. Charles Walter Dressen ( September 20, 1898 – August 10, 1966) known as both "Chuck" and "Charlie" was an American From 1968 to 1994, he scouted for the Mets, Yankees, Orioles and Marlins. "Mets" redirects here For the medical term see Metastasis. The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of The Bronx, in New York City, New York. The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Florida Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami Gardens Florida.
Tebbetts also earned a reputation for speaking his mind and for his frank assessments. About his career, he regarded himself as an ordinary player and manager who worked hard. Between other things, he said:
- My whole world is wrapped up in baseball, and that means I must live the loneliest of lives. I can't discuss my problems with my friends or the newspapermen or the players or the coaches or my wife.
- I was sold for a dollar by one drunk owner to another.
- There ought to be a second-string or "Junior Hall of Fame" for guys like me. I had a lifetime average of . 270 and I'm proud of it. I poured my life's blood into it. I clawed and scrambled and fought and hustled to get it.
In 1950 Tebbetts referred to some of his Red Sox teammates as "moronic malcontents" and "juvenile delinquents". In consequence, he was traded to Cleveland at the end of the season. He also dismissed former Detroit teammate Hal Newhouser as a World War II phenomenon who "got into the Hall of Fame by begging to get in. Harold "Prince Hal" Newhouser ( May 20, 1921 – November 10, 1998) was a professional Major League Baseball Pitcher "
About the theory that catching was difficult, he expressed:
- I don't think the physical part of catching is what it's cracked up to be. I think it's an easy job. The only thing about it is you sweat more than anybody else. Most catchers catch because they can't play anyplace else. They don't have much to complain about. They've got to be happy. There are too many catchers who are not good catchers who are showboating too much so that they can keep their job.
When Tebbetts scouted for Cincinnati, in 1953, he filed such no-nonsense reports as this on a promising young pitcher:
- "Major league stuff and a great arm. In Baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the Pitcher's mound toward the Catcher to begin each play with the goal of Screwy in the head. Eliminate head and I recommend him. Get good surgeon. "
But perhaps most revealing of Tebbetts's character is his recollection of an umpire who suffered dizzy spells following his return from the war. Afraid of losing his job, the umpire asked Tebbetts, then the Tigers catcher, to help calling balls and strikes, and Tebbetts tipped him off with hand signals following each pitch.
Finally, Tebbetts also offered his version of what makes a baseball manager successful:
- If my players like me it's an accident of personality. I happen to like my players and I treat them like men. If a manager doesn't have confidence in his ball players, even when they're going badly, they're not going to have confidence in themselves. And when a ballplayer's confidence is gone, you haven't got a ballplayer. If you want to be a good manager, get good ballplayers.
Birdie Tebbetts died in Bradenton, Florida, at age of 86. Bradenton is a city in Manatee County, Florida, United States.
Resources
- Birdie: Confessions of a Baseball Nomad, by Birdie Tebbetts and James Morrison. Triumph Books, 2002.
External links
- Birdie Tebbetts at:
- Birdie Tebbetts at Find A Grave
| Preceded by Rogers Hornsby | Cincinnati Reds Manager 1954-1958 | Succeeded by Jimmie Dykes |
| Preceded by Chuck Dressen | Milwaukee Braves Managers 1961-1962 | Succeeded by Bobby Bragan |
| Preceded by Mel McGaha | Cleveland Indians Manager 1963 | Succeeded by George Strickland |
| Preceded by George Strickland | Cleveland Indians Manager 1964–1966 | Succeeded by George Strickland |
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