Читать книгу Bad Boys, Bad Times. The Cleveland Indians and Baseball in the Prewar Years, 1937–1941 онлайн

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The Indians finished the year fourth in the standings, with eighty-three wins versus seventy-one losses. Their inspired play in September, featuring twenty-three wins and thirteen losses, enabled them to remain in the first division. The Yankees swept everybody away, winning 102 games while losing only 52. They would cruise through the World Series, needing only five games to put away their cross-town rival the New York Giants.

Alva Bradley and his group of shareholders had now completed ten seasons running the ball club. In all these years they were never a serious threat to win a pennant. Bradley had gone through three different managers in that time period, each with similar results. With the 1937 season concluded. he had to mull over the status of current manager Steve O’Neill.

In early October the Cleveland newspapers floated rumors that Bill McKechnie might be willing to manage the Indians. The veteran was highly regarded by most Major League owners and front office people. A former player, McKechnie had seventeen years of National League managing experience with Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and recently Boston. While Alva Bradley did not comment on the speculation, the will-he-or won’t-he grew until days later, when McKechnie signed on to pilot the Cincinnati Reds. Bradley then issued a statement saying that O’Neill was staying unless someone decidedly better came along.