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Move over Charles Finley. Step aside George Steinbrenner. Walter O’Malley? Forget about it. Of all the colorful, controversial, or so-called visionary men who have owned baseball clubs through the years, none can compare to the late, great Bill Veeck. From his zany promotions designed to put fannies in the seats, to his irreverence towards the game’s power brokers, to his wide appeal as the most populist owner ever, Veeck re-defined, in his time, what it meant to be a major league baseball team owner. Indeed, he was truly a man ahead of his time. Bill Veeck’s life and times are covered in detail in his extraordinary autobiography, Veeck--As in Wreck, co-written with Ed Linn. To understand this man named Veeck, one need only look to the term that Veeck used to describe himself (and others) who sat in the owners’ seats around the league. Veeck always proudly referred to himself as “an operator.” He knew that baseball was serious business but, more importantly, he recognized that it was ultimately entertainment for the masses, like the circus, and many of the decisions he made were driven by the theory that providing good (and fairly priced) entertainment is a civic responsibility. As a baseball “operator,” Veeck did make tough business decisions to survive, but he never lost sight of the fact that baseball existed primarily for the fans. Son of a one-time Chicago Cubs executive, Bill Veeck cut his teeth in the game by starting out at the ground floor (sweeping the floors, that is) and working his way up. Legend has it that was Veeck who came up with the idea of the ivy covered walls in Wrigley Field, as well as being the primary architect behind the famous Wrigley Field scoreboard that still stands today. In later years, Veeck was also credited with the outrageous exploding scoreboard that greeted Chisox homers in old Comiskey. Veeck went on to own the Cleveland Indians, the St. Louis Browns and the Chicago White Sox. This book is full of the many anecdotes that made Veeck a household name in the mid-20th century. Most notably, there is his famous stunt with the St. Louis Browns, the anemic American League club that was lucky to have 500 fans in the ballpark each night. For sheer shock value (read publicity), Veeck inserted into the line-up 3 foot, 7 inch Eddie Gaedel, who easily walked on four pitches. Among his other ideas, Veeck was responsible for: You Be the Manager Night (fans voted on managerial strategy with cuecards), raffles where fans won new automobiles; and the infamous disco demolition night in Comiskey Park. In addition, Veeck instituted the concept of the ballpark promotional giveaway that has turned into a regular feature today around the majors. Interestingly, Veeck saw the potential for boosting attendance by appealing to “non-traditional” audiences, e.g. woman and minorities, and he tailored many of his promotions to drawing these groups in to the ballpark. Veeck wasn’t just a showman, though. He was probably the first owner to do serious and comprehensive analysis of ticket sale trends and patterns, and his research resulted in sophisticated marketing campaigns to increase attendance. After his great success with the late 1940’s Cleveland Indians, Veeck was bombarded by other club executives with requests for assistance with their marketing campaigns. Veeck recalls how even the vaunted Yankee organization grudgingly came calling for advice on selling tickets.Veeck was also one of the first owners to see the potential for innovative structuring of deals with radio (and later television) outlets for baseball games. One can only imagine if he had lived to see the mega-deals with cable television that exist today. As interesting as the publicity stunts are, one of the best parts of this book is when Veeck takes you behind the scenes to various ownership meetings. His skewering of the ruling powers of major league baseball, as well as his fellow owners, is worth the price of admission. Veeck did not suffer fools gladly and, in his opinion, fools were exactly what he was mostly dealing with. The account of the events leading up to the re-location of the St. Louis Browns to Baltimore in 1954 is absolutely fascinating, and he does the same with the rancorous wheeling and dealing that took place in the early 60’s when baseball expanded to NewYork, Houston, Minneapolis, and Los Angeles. This may be the best part of the book, and Veeck’s comments about the future of baseball will make you think the man carried a crystal ball in his back pocket. If you have read Veeck As In Wreck before, please read it again. If not, I strongly recommend that you buy this book. Don’t just read it, buy it. If I had to make a list of, say, my top 5 favorite baseball books of any category, this book would be on that list every time. It’s that good. A final note. Veeck’s legacy lives on (literally!) in the person of his son, Mike Veeck. A former owner of several minor league teams, Mike Veeck is now an executive with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Check their promotional schedule lately? They are doing, among other things, “Lawyers Night” this season. All attorneys get in for free, but then the team is going to “bill them” by the inning. Veeck--As in Wreck may be available for purchase on the net at one of these sites. --Birdbrain, March 15, 1999 |
