The Memoirs of Bing Devine: Stealing Lou Brock and Other Brilliant Moves by a Master G.M. [Hardcover]

Bing Devine (Author), Tom Wheatley (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2004

In The Memoirs of Bing Devine, this quiet gentleman details -- after years of coaxing by family and friends -- the staggering scope of his 65 years in pro baseball. And he does so in typical fashion, deferring credit for every triumph and taking blame for every setback, even if not personally at fault. Devine was best known for his two decades as a big-league general manager from 1958 through 1978. He built, from scratch, four World Series teams in two cities: The Cardinals of '64, '67, '68, and New York's Miracle Mets of '69. In Devine's remarkable 88 years of life, he was deeply involved with a Who's Who of baseball greats. He pitched batting practice to his idol, Joe Medwick. He hired a young broadcaster named Jack Buck in the minors, then recommended him to the Cardinals. He worked for and with legendary GMs Branch Rickey, George Weiss and Frank Lane. He argued against Lane's proposed trade of Stan Musial to Pittsburgh. In his first act as GM, he vetoed Lane's pending trade of Ken Boyer for Richie Ashburn. He brought Johnny Keane to St. Louis and Gil Hodges to New York to lead future World Series champs. In The Memoirs of Bing Devine, Devine for the first time gives his take on that tumultuous turn of events. And, after his unlikely return three years later, of Busch's disastrous demand to trade Steve Carlton. It was Devine who inadvertently opened the Flood-gates of free agency, trading Curt Flood to Philly in a move that wound up in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

So you want to be a big-league general manager? It's not as easy as it looks. Take it from Bing Devine, who built the Cardinals' dynasty of the 1960s and turned the Amazin' Mets from 100-game losers into the world champion Miracle Mets.

Bing is already immortalized in baseball lore as the man who stole Lou Brock from the Cubs for Ernie Broglio. In The Memoirs of Bing Devine, baseball fans receive a thorough introduction to the best GM never inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Nudged by award-winning sportswriter Tom Wheatley, Bing swings open an office door that has been closed for decades in revealing all the details behind the Cardinals' acquisition of players Lou Brock, Curt Flood, Mike Shannon, Joe Torre, Bill White, and Keith Hernandez. Bing also recalls the key role he played in ensuring that Stan Musial retired a Cardinal, championing a young broadcaster named Jack Buck, and steering Whitey Herzog into the front office.

Bing explores his complex relationships with beer baron owner Gussie Busch, who compulsively ordered him to trade emerging star Steve Carlton, legendary executive Branch Rickey, whose return to St. Louis cost Bing his job in 1964, and quirky owner Bill Bidwill of the football Cardinals, who hired Bing as team president and then ignored him.

The only GM ever fired and rehired by the same big-league club, Bing details his wild ride in '64, the season he was named Executive of the Year-despite being fired by Busch in August-as the Cardinals were on their way to winning a world championship. Bing also explains why he declined invitations to be part owner of the Mets and commissioner of baseball.

Bing refuses to take a bow for his stunning career. But a dozen admirers-including Brock, Musial, Herzog, Shannon and Red Schoendienst-shine a spotlight on him here with glowing guest commentaries.

Spanning 65 years in pro sports, The Memoirs of Bing Devine is your invitation inside the office of one of baseball's greatest GMs.

About the Author

VAUGHAN P. "BING" DEVINE was born in 1916 in St. Louis. He starred in basketball and baseball at Washington University in St. Louis and joined the Cardinals as an office boy in 1939. After serving as a naval officer in World War II, he ran Cardinals farm teams from 1941 through 1955, when the Cardinals promoted him to assistant general manager at the big-league level. Two years later he succeeded Frank Lane as GM, a career that lasted 18 years and spanned two franchises. Bing built four World Series teams: The '64, '67 and '68 Cardinals and '69 Mets. He and his wife, Mary, live in the St. Louis suburb of Ladue, where they raised their daughters Joanne, Janice and Jane. Today, at age 88, Bing still serves the Cardinals as a special assignment scout some 65 years after first joining his beloved ball club.

TOM WHEATLEY has been with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch since 1984 and is a four-time Missouri Sportswriter of the Year. He is the author of St. Louis Sports Folks and coauthor of Bob Plager's Tales from the Blues Bench, Bob Forsch's Tales from the Cardinals Dugout, Get With it Girls! Life Is Competition, 70! Mark McGwire, and Fathers and Sons. Tom and his wife Suzanne met while both were in the Marine Corps.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 184 pages
• Publisher: Sports Publishing LLC (February 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582617635
• ISBN-13: 978-1582617633
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,184,345 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bing Devine: A Respected Member of the Cardinals, May 12, 2004

By 

C. W. Emblom "Bill Emblom" (Ishpeming, Michigan USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Memoirs of Bing Devine: Stealing Lou Brock and Other Brilliant Moves by a Master G.M. (Hardcover)

Bing Devine became the General Manager of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1958, and I fondly remember those Cardinals teams from the 1960's onward. We have heard about the Cardinals in books from Harry Caray, Jack Buck, Bob Gibson, Bob Broeg, and others. Missing has been the story of their marvelous General Manager, Bing Devine. Just as Bill Veeck will always be associated with Eddie Gaedel, Bing Devine will always be associated with the acquisition of Lou Brock from the Chicago Cubs in 1964 in exchange for pitcher Ernie Broglio. It was Devine that brought together the 1964 All-Star game starting infield of Boyer, Groat, Javier, and White. The latter three all acquired in trades by Devine. Devine provides us with his viewpoint of his mid-season firing in 1964 when his team then went on to win the National League pennant and the World Series against the Yankees. Manager Johnny Keane was to be fired at the end of the season, before the team fooled owner Gussie Busch and won it all. Devine also explains his tenious relationship with Branch Rickey who Mr. Busch had brought in as a "senior consultant." I knew that Mr. Busch was unhappy with GM Devine and manager Johnny Keane due to a problem with shortstop Dick Groat, but I never knew the reason for it. Groat was unhappy that Keane had taken away permission from Groat to use the hit-and-run play on his own. Busch got word there was a problem with Groat, but Devine, believing the problem had been solved, didn't tell Busch when Busch asked him if he had anything to tell him. Devine then went on to join the New York Mets for three years before being rehired again as GM of the Cardinals. Devine also explains his dislike of being ordered by Mr. Busch to trade pitchers Steve Carlton and Jerry Reuss against Devine's better judgment. Bing Devine does not bad mouth anybody in the book. He just gives his opinions regarding the trading of players, and his relationships with the people he has worked with over the years. As a measure of the respect Devine is held, he is now 88 years old and still is involved in an active capacity with his beloved Cardinals. St. Louis has a tremendous baseball tradition and history, and Bing Devine is responsible for a great part of it. Thank you, Mr. Devine, for this book. We needed to hear your viewpoint.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BING'S BOOK IS DEVINE, November 25, 2008

By 

COOL JEWEL (MACEDONIA, OHIO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Memoirs of Bing Devine: Stealing Lou Brock and Other Brilliant Moves by a Master G.M. (Hardcover)

THIS IS A GREAT BOOK BY BING DEVINE FORMER GM OF THE BASEBALL AND FOOTBALL CARDINALS AND A FEW OTHER BASEBALL TEAMS. WE READ ABOUT HIS FAMOUS TRADE FOR LOU BROCK AND HIS FAMOUS TRADING OF STEVE CARLTON. BING HAS BEEN IN BASEBALL SINCE THE STONE AGE. HIS BOOK ALSO COVERS THE MANY YEARS AND PEOPLE WHO HAVE WORKED FOR AND UNDER BING. BING REFLECTS ON JOHNNY KEANE, AUGGIE BUSCH, MIKE SHANNON, LOU BROCK AND MANY MORE. CAN YOU BELIEVE HE WAS FIRED IN 1964 AND THE TEAM HE BUILT WON THE WORLD SERIES A FEW MONTHS AFTER. BING ALSO WENT TO THE METS, CARDS AGAIN, FOOTBALL CARDINALS AND A FEW OTHERS. HE CERTAINLY IS AN EXPERT AT JUDGING TALENT, HIRING MANAGERS AND NEGOTIATING CONTRACTS. I HAVE READ MANY BOOKS ABOUT BASEBALL AND THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS FOR ALL BASDEBALL FANS BUT MOSTLY FOR ST LOUIS FANS WHO ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE TEAMS IN THE 1960'S AND 1970'S. A GREAT READ.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Remarkable Display of Honesty & Integrity, June 12, 2009

By 

Larry Underwood "Author - St Louis Cardinals ... (Scottsdale, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Memoirs of Bing Devine: Stealing Lou Brock and Other Brilliant Moves by a Master G.M. (Hardcover)

As a lifelong St Louis Cardinals fan, it was a pleasure reading Bing Devine's memoirs. I was immediately struck by how down to earth and geniunely nice this man is, and as I got deeper into the book, it's obvious from the comments made by such people as Mike Shannon, Bob Broeg, Marty Marion, and Lou Brock, among others; they all felt the same way.

This is one of baseball's nicest guys, and the outstanding career success Mr Devine achieved could be attributed to not only the good work ethic he possessed, but his strong personal character as well. This is a man of great integrity, who dealt with life's challenges in an upfront manner, with complete honesty at all times.

Of course, on top of the strong moral fiber this man possesses, he was a darned good General Manager, to boot. In addition to blocking trades that would've sent Stan Musial and Ken Boyer away from St Louis, he imported such talent as Curt Flood (his very first deal), Bill White, Julian Javier, and of course, Lou Brock. Not bad; not bad at all.

As Tom Wheatley wrote himself, on my autographed copy of this book, "Bing proves that nice guys do finish first!" Based on his tremendous track record, I'd second that motion!