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Thursday, April 26, 2007

Newberg Report: Swapping Stories: The Lenny Randle Trade of 1977

Newberg-Old Story…Lenny Randle.

Randle threatened to walk out of camp. Generally easygoing manager Frank Lucchesi was incensed. “It’s just too damn bad somebody stopped him from leaving,” he told a group of reporters. “I’m tired of these punks saying play me or trade me. Anyone who makes $80,000 a year and gripes and moans all spring is not going to get a tear out of me.”

Lucchesi insisted that the writers print what he said. They complied.

Randle was already upset about losing his job to an unproven rookie. Being called out like that by his skipper was more than he could take.

On March 28, 1977—the day that the new issue of Sports Illustrated featured Wills on the cover—Texas had traveled to Orlando for a spring training game against the Twins. An hour before the first pitch, Randle walked up to Lucchesi during Rangers batting practice and said he wanted to talk to the 49-year-old, who was still in street clothes. After a few words were exchanged, Randle punched Lucchesi in the face, landing several more blows as the manager fell to the ground.

Repoz Posted: April 26, 2007 at 02:35 PM | 22 comment(s) | Login to Bookmark
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1. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: April 26, 2007 at 02:54 PM (#2346339)

On March 28, 1977 -- the day that the new issue of Sports Illustrated featured Wills on the cover

Wow, that has to rank up there with the Clint Hurdle cover in terms of pure awesomeness.

Also, they had an Italian baseball league in the early 80s?

2. Designated Sitter (GGC) Posted: April 26, 2007 at 03:02 PM (#2346350)

Also, they had an Italian baseball league in the early 80s?

Yes. My boss played for Milan in this league.

3. Hello Rusty Kuntz, Goodbye Rusty Cars Posted: April 26, 2007 at 03:23 PM (#2346374)

Lucchesi filed a civil suit against Randle, seeking a reported $200,000 in damages but settling out of court for $25,000 -- which was probably less than his hospital bill, based on published reports.

Did Lucchesi have to pay his own hospital bill?

4. Slinger Francisco Barrios (Dr. Memory) Posted: April 26, 2007 at 03:38 PM (#2346385)

If I remember rightly: despite being only 31-31, the Rangers were in first place when they fired Lucchesi that year.

5. Roadblock Jones Posted: April 26, 2007 at 03:39 PM (#2346386)

Randle was very close to Billy Martin, whom Lucchesi replaced, and I suppose might have influenced how to solve problems at times too. The NY papers treated the Randle trade like they would Latrell Sprewell to the Knicks 20+ years later.

I remember that SI issue, specifically how the photo showed his glove with:

WILLS
BUMP

written that way in marker on the pinky. I wrote my name on my glove the same way.

6. Will Young Posted: April 26, 2007 at 03:41 PM (#2346391)

I was just reading about the Billy Martin-Dave Boswell fight last night. Is Shea Hillenbrand the closest this has come to reoccurring lately?

7. There are no words... (Met Fan Charlie) Posted: April 26, 2007 at 03:42 PM (#2346393)

Randle was (arguably) the Mets' MVP in '77 -- a horrid year...

8. Rich Rifkin I Posted: April 26, 2007 at 03:56 PM (#2346400)

Meanwhile, in those two seasons, a second baseman named Elliott “Bump” Wills, the son of the legendary Maury Wills, had hit .307 for Class AA Pittsfield and .324 for Class AAA Sacramento, after the Rangers had drafted him in the first round in 1975 -- also out of Arizona State.

As a kid I went to a number of Sacramento Solons games at Hughes Stadium. (Arguably the worst "baseball stadium" in the history of AAA baseball.) But I have no memories of the team ever being affiliated with the Rangers. I thought in those years the Solons were always a Brewers' affiliate. The great thrill was to see Gorman Thomas blasting monster shots over the net in left field. So I ask, to anyone who has knowledge of this, if Elliot Wills did play in Sacramento, was it really affiliated with the Rangers, then?

9. Hello Rusty Kuntz, Goodbye Rusty Cars Posted: April 26, 2007 at 04:07 PM (#2346406)

Baseball-Reference's Solons page says they were affiliated with Milwaukee in 1974 and 1975, and Texas in 1976. It mentions both Gorman Thomas and Bump Wills.

10. Pasta-diving Jeter (jmac66) Posted: April 26, 2007 at 04:17 PM (#2346418)

don't axe me why, but, for some reason, I always got Lenny Randle confused with Elliott Maddox

(and vice-versa)

likewise Candy Maldonado and Carmello Martinez

(and Ron Hansen and Russ Snyder)

11. Jolly Old St. Neck Wound, Moral Idiot

Posted: April 26, 2007 at 04:27 PM (#2346429)

Digression Dept: Bump Wills and Eddie Murray had their debuts in the same game, on Opening Day 1977. Funny how Wills made the cover of SI long before Murray did.

12. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: April 26, 2007 at 04:51 PM (#2346452)

If I remember rightly: despite being only 31-31, the Rangers were in first place when they fired Lucchesi that year.

Retrosheet says no. Three way tie for third, four games behind Chicago. They won their first four games of the year, lost their next four, and were never more than three games above or below .500 until July. Very consistent team until they got hot in late July.

13. Perros Posted: April 26, 2007 at 05:57 PM (#2346507)

Thought back to Randle when the Sprewell incident occurred.

I don't recall a huge uproar over Randall -- likely because there were no 24/7 cable outlets to stoke outrage.

Sprewell probably would have been lynched if he had put PJ in the hospital for a week.

14. JPWF13

Posted: April 26, 2007 at 08:25 PM (#2346605)

Thought back to Randle when the Sprewell incident occurred.

So did I, I also remembered thinking that what Sprewell did wasn't half as bad as what Randle did...

15. Gern Blanston Posted: April 26, 2007 at 08:28 PM (#2346606)

Wow. Bump Wills. One of my earliest Cub favorites. (Hey--I was 10. He hit a triple in the first game I ever attended.)

16. Flynn Posted: April 26, 2007 at 08:35 PM (#2346608)

Also, they had an Italian baseball league in the early 80s?

They still do. I think it's the best league in europe after the Netherlands.

17. alio intuito Posted: April 26, 2007 at 09:04 PM (#2346627)

As a kid I went to a number of Sacramento Solons games at Hughes Stadium. (Arguably the worst "baseball stadium" in the history of AAA baseball.)

I had not thought of Hughes Stadium in years. I attended a couple of Solons games in the mid-70's (I was in the USAF then, stationed at Travis AFB). I don't know about being the worst stadium in the history of AAA baseball, but I do remember that any batter was a threat to hit one into or over the net. Visiting managers probably hated the place most of all because it likely turned all of their RHBs into dead pull hitters. Not a good place to play baseball at all.

18. HowardMegdal

Posted: April 26, 2007 at 09:25 PM (#2346653)

Pittsfield, MA was AA? I sure do miss games there. A vacation built around baseball and Tanglewood is about as good as it gets.

19. Rich Rifkin I Posted: April 26, 2007 at 09:37 PM (#2346658)

Rusty Kuntz, thanks.

20. Slinger Francisco Barrios (Dr. Memory) Posted: April 26, 2007 at 10:08 PM (#2346676)

Retrosheet says no.

Damned dirty Retrosheet! Actually, I have Jmac66's Disease: I get Pat Corrales and Frank Lucchesi mixed up because they were both Phillies managers and Lucchesi was in a situation with a similar outcome to Corrales's. Corrales was fired 7/17/83 with the Phils in a virtual tie for first. Paul Owens then took the flag for them.

21. Benji Posted: April 27, 2007 at 03:39 AM (#2347026)

I remember this all so well. It showed the desperation of the M Donald Grant sinking ship, that they were so devoid of talent that they had to pick up a guy everyone thought would be a pariah. That he did OK for them was beside the point. He seemed like a good guy on "Kiner's Korner" and was a favorite with the beat guys because he was quotable and accessable.

And it led me to wonder if there wasn't already bad blood between Luchessi and him before the beatdown. What Luchessi said was so foolishly out of character that it seemed like he was hoping to provoke Randle. 99% of managers would say something like "well, it's a long season and you never know what's gonna happen so I'm glad Lenny wants to play..." kind of thing instead of that nonsense. When the civil suit settlement was so small I figured the bad blood was exposed.

The funniest part of it all was that Bump Wills was such a bust and Randle outlasted him by years.

22. RMc's grumbling has gone far enough Posted: April 27, 2007 at 10:22 AM (#2347069)

Lucchesi was hospitalized for a week, needing plastic surgery to repair his fractured cheekbone and recovering from bruises to his kidney and back.

Why exactly was Randle not immediately banned for life? Having players beating up their managers is a bad thing, yes?

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Thursday, April 26, 2007

Newberg Report: Swapping Stories: The Lenny Randle Trade of 1977

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