Buzzie Bavasi, former Brooklyn and LA Dodgers GM, dies at 93

From Call wire services

May 4, 2008

Buzzie Bavasi's prime years as a general manager were before free agency, before most players had agents, before virtually every fan and talk show host was a mock executive.

Bavasi, who died Thursday at age 93 in the La Jolla area of San Diego, used that power like few others, building Dodger teams that won four World Series titles in Brooklyn and Los Angeles.

When Alex Rodriguez signed with the New York Yankees in 2000, the retired Bavasi said ''The guy makes $25 million a year and he gets another $100,000 for making the All-Star team? If I was paying a guy $25 million a year, he sure as hell better make the All-Star team.''

Bavasi's death was announced by several teams Thursday, first by the Seattle Mariners, whose general manager is Bill Bavasi, Buzzie's son.

Emil Joseph Bavasi -- nicknamed Buzzie by his family for the way he buzzed around as a kid -- helped put together Dodgers teams that included future Hall of Famers Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese, Roy Campanella, Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale.

''Buzzie was one of the game's greatest front office executives during a period that spanned parts of six different decades,'' baseball commissioner Bud Selig said. ''He loved the game, and he loved talking about it.''

As an executive in the Dodgers' minor league system, he helped Robinson, Campanella and Don Newcombe through their often difficult integration into professional baseball. Robinson went on to break the major league color barrier.

''I don't know where Roy Campanella and I would have been if Buzzie didn't give us a chance at Nashua in 1946,'' said Newcombe, now the Dodgers' community relations director. ''I didn't always do the right thing as a player, but Buzzie always gave me a chance to straighten myself out and get back on track.''

Bavasi later was part owner and president of the San Diego Padres, then became executive vice president of the California Angels.

He spent 44 years working in baseball, including 34 in the major leagues. He began as a traveling secretary and publicity director for the Dodgers in Brooklyn in 1939.

Cubs send Hill to minors: Chicago left-hander Rich Hill was optioned to Triple-A Iowa less than a day after he walked four and recorded just two outs in a start against the St. Louis Cardinals.

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