George Stallings
An innovative manager, dapper George Stallings guided the Boston Braves to the most miraculous pennant in baseball history. His team followed it with a stunning sweep of the heavily-favored Athletics in the 1914 World Series. One of the first managers to regularly use platooning on a regular basis, Stallings also made shrewd player personnel decisions, acquiring valuable players to help his teams, which often played above their talent-level. He won more than 800 games in his 13-years as a skipper, following a brief playing career in the late 19th century.
| Career Batting Stats |
| G |
AB |
H |
R |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
SLG |
OBP |
OPS |
OPS+ |
| 7 |
20 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.100 |
.150 |
.182 |
.332 |
47.4 |
|
Teams George Stallings Managed
Philadelphia Phillies (1897-1898)
Detroit Tigers (1901)
New York Yankees (1909-1910)
Boston Braves (1913-1920)
Best Season: 1914
On July 5, the Braves were 15 games behind the first-place Giants. They were in last place on July 19. Stallings rallied his team, consisting of mostly castoffs and unknowns, and ran down the Giants. The Braves went 68-19 to finish the season, running away with their first flag of the 20th century.
Description
Stallings was broad-shouldered and had a thick chest. He had been a catcher. He had dark hair and eyes, and was usually sporting a tan. His teeth were so vibrantly white against his brown skin, that he used his smile as a sign for a hit-and-run. He loved nice clothes, and was very particular about his fittings, often taking hours being tailored. For much of his career as a manager, he did not wear a uniform, choosing instead to don a fine suit with a hat. Like Pat Riley, he paced the sidelines in his fashionable threads, his hair coiffed and shoes shined to perfection. He was extremely superstitious, almost to an obsession. He believed it was bad luck for scraps of paper to be left on the floor or ground, and opposing teams would assign a player to sprinkle confetti on the field before games. Fans would chuckle at the sight of Stallings skipping across the field to retrieve the scraps of paper. When his team was on a winning streak, Stallings would wear the same clothes, take the same route o the ballpark, and eat the same foods for days at a time. He was a man of routines. It's possible that he was obsessive/compulsive. In the dugout, once his team rallied, he believed it was bad luck to move. Once, he bent over to tie his shoes just as the Braves started a six-run inning. He stayed stooped over so long that his players had to help him back to a standing position. Another time, he faced the outfield for 15 minutes during a rally, rather than watch his team at the plate, because he had been looking out there when the inning started. Despite his quirks, his teams were fiercely loyal. Hank Gowdy called him a genius, and Johnny Evers considered him the best manager he played under. Stallings rode his teams hard, kept a good distance from them, and demanded that they be prepared. He was a master handler of pitchers, and helped several mediocre hurlers have their finest seasons.
Born
George Tweedy Stallings was born on November 17, 1867, in Augusta, GA.
Died
May 13, 1929, Haddock, GA
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Major League Debut
5 22,
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1890
Coming soon...
Nicknames
Gentleman George
Related Players
His favorite playes were Johnny Evers and catcher Hank Gowdy.
Post-Season Notes
During the 1914 World Series, Stallings wore the same suit every day, wearing out the pants from his fidgeting on the bench.
Best Strength as a Player
Ability to recognize the strengths of his players and ignore their weaknesses. In this trait, he was similar to Earl Weaver.
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