The View from the Dugout: The Journals of Red Rolfe

1949 Season

1949 SEASON Spring training for pitchers and catchers began at ten o’clock A.M. on March 1 at the Tiger complex in Lakeland, Florida. Red Rolfe’s ‹rst speech was what one would expect from a taciturn person—brief. He told his players to be on the ‹eld in uniform at ten o’clock A.M. each day and in the hotel by midnight. And he emphasized the importance of avoiding sore arms and told them not to lie in the sun lest it interfere with their ability to practice. His notes following his ‹rst day with a portion of the team illustrate his attention to detail and the kind of exacting person he was: “Notify secretary to leave calls for players at eight o clock in the morning. Next season have players report a tri›e earlier to get their uniforms . There was some delay the ‹rst day.” After the full squad arrived, everyone knew the new manager’s regimen and his expectations. “I’m sure of one thing,” declared Rolfe to the press, “we’ll be the best conditioned club to leave Florida a month hence.” After his pitchers had been gradually worked into shape, jogging progressed to serious running. A review of his daily training schedules shows heavy emphasis on fundamentals of every kind, with particular stress on learning how to bunt, a strategy Rolfe would frequently employ in game situations. He removed the protective netting in front of the 19 pitcher’s mound, stating: “I want the pitchers to be working under game conditions. How is a pitcher going to learn to ‹eld his position if he has a net in front of him?” As Rolfe prepared his team for the upcoming season, he set his sights on getting just a little more from everyone: “If we are going hard all the time, hustling and trying our level best, we can ‹nish much better than ‹fth place.” This was precisely what the Sporting News predicted. “Our aim is improvement. If we had won as much as one game a week more than we did [in 1948], we would have been right up there. We’re out to win that extra game a week and sound fundamentals—‹elding, throwing , batting, bunting, running, sliding—will help us win them.” “I’m down here in Florida to work—hard. And I expect the players to work just as hard. It’s their business as much as mine. If we’re working we’ll be hustling. And if we’re hustling we’ll win more of those close ones. That’s what the Tigers will stand for while I’m here.” Although not a naturally enthusiastic kind of person, Rolfe surely began with a high degree of optimism, particularly given his inexperience . Disappointments came quickly: an overweight Virgil Trucks, Dick Wake‹eld down with a tender back injured in a water skiing mishap, and Neil Berry nursing a sore arm. An unsympathetic manager issued a blunt challenge to each. Clearly irritated with Berry’s lack of readiness, Rolfe said: “Berry knew he had a chance to be our regular second baseman. Why didn’t he get his arm in shape during the winter? There is absolutely no excuse for any player, especially an in‹elder, to come up with a sore arm in spring training.” The talk all spring, whenever the press probed Rolfe about the strength of his probable lineup, centered on three perceived de‹ciencies— ‹rst base, second base, and left ‹eld. To date, the only signi‹cant player acquisition had been the trade to acquire catcher Aaron Robinson in exchange for Billy Pierce, a young left-handed pitcher. Lots of other potential transactions were ›oating, but clearly the Tigers coveted the St. Louis Browns’ second baseman Jerry Priddy most of all. Barring another trade, Rolfe would rely on an assortment of candidates to ‹ll the other in‹eld positions. The assumed regulars were going to receive some competition from a fairly strong crop of youngsters developing in the team’s farm system. Rolfe had already handed the starting center-‹eld position to potential star Johnny Groth, coming up from a spectacular year at Buffalo, where he hit .340 and led the league in hits and runs scored. Starting pitching prospect Lou Kretlow would be closely watched following his ‹ne seaTHE VIEW FROM THE DUGOUT 20 son, winning twenty-one games at Williamsport and then...