Ed Short | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1919-07-27)July 27, 1919 |
| Died | July 16, 1984(1984-07-16) (aged 64) Skokie, Illinois, U.S. |
| Occupation | American professional sports executive |
| Years active | 1950–1973 |
Edwin Gerald Short (July 27, 1919 – July 16, 1984) was an Americanprofessional baseball front office executive. Short worked for theChicago White Sox ofMajor League Baseball for over 20 years, including nine seasons as the team'sgeneral manager, from August 26, 1961, until September 2, 1970.[1] The White Sox were frequent contenders for theAmerican League pennant during the first six seasons of his administration, but the last three years of Short's tenure saw the team lose 95, 98 and 106 games and play some of its home games inMilwaukee, Wisconsin, because of falling attendance atComiskey Park.
After graduating fromRoosevelt High School inChicago in 1937, Short attendedWright Junior College. He worked for theChicago Tribune and was a publicity man forChicago Stadium in 1940–41. He then served in theUnited States Army during World War II, attaining the rank ofcaptain, and was a radiobroadcaster after the war, including a stint as sports director ofWJJD-AM, Chicago.[2] He joined the White Sox in 1950 as publicity director, and later was named the club's traveling secretary. Despite his having worked in administrative positions, rather than in baseball operations, he was promoted to succeedHank Greenberg as the Chisox' general manager late in the1961 season. But, as a GM, Short was noted for his bold moves.
In his first off-season, he traded aging White Sox starsBilly Pierce, futureBaseball Hall of FamerMinnie Miñoso andRoy Sievers to theNational League for younger players. After the1962 campaign, Short swung one of the biggest deals of the off-season, sending Hall of FameshortstopLuis Aparicio andoutfielderAl Smith to theBaltimore Orioles for Aparicio's Baltimore counterpart,Ron Hansen, youngthird basemanPete Ward, power-hitting outfielderDave Nicholson and future Hall of FameknuckleballpitcherHoyt Wilhelm. Hansen, Ward and Nicholson became regulars in1963. Wilhelm would be Chicago'sbullpen ace for six seasons (1963–68) and compile anearned run average of 1.92 in 361 games and675+2⁄3 innings pitched in a White Sox uniform. That winter, Short also released Cooperstown-bound veteran pitcherEarly Wynn, then stalled at 299 career victories. Short also would trade another White Sox legend and future Hall of Famer,Nellie Fox, after the 1963 campaign.
However, Short believed that the best trade he ever made happened in January 1965, a three-way deal also involving theKansas City Athletics andCleveland Indians.[3] In that transaction, the White Sox acquired ace left-handed starting pitcherTommy John andcenterfielderTommie Agee.
The White Sox were serious pennant contenders in 1963,1964,1965 and1967. They finished second in the ten-team American League from 1963 through 1965, and were edged out by theNew York Yankees for the 1964 ALpennant by a single game.
The White Sox of the mid-1960s relied on pitching, speed and defense. In addition to Wilhelm, and, later, John, the team's pitchers also included startersGary Peters,Juan Pizarro andJoel Horlen. Short also obtained left-handed knuckleball aceWilbur Wood, who starred first in the bullpen and then, as a starting pitcher, won 20 games four times during his 12-season (1967–78) White Sox career.
But after competing for the 1967 pennant into the last week of the season, the 1968 White Sox started poorly and signaled the beginning of three years of desperate struggle at the gate and on the field. In1968 and1969, the White Sox played one game against every other AL opponent atMilwaukee County Stadium, which was wooing an expansion or relocated MLB team —such as the White Sox — at the time. At Comiskey, the Chisox drew an average of only 7,493 (1968), 6,633 (1969) and 6,115 (1970) fans per game.[4] After an ownership transition fromArthur Allyn, Jr. to his younger brotherJohn, and with the team's record at 49–87 and en route to a franchise-worst 56–106 finish,[5] Short was dismissed and replaced byStu Holcomb on September 1, 1970.[6]
In his final job in professional sports, Short served as general manager of theChicago Cougars of theWorld Hockey Association.
He died inSkokie, Illinois, aged 64, on July 16, 1984.
Short developed a reputation for being humorless and impersonal. Chicago sportswriter David Condon, supposedly quoting a friend, commented "An empty cab pulled up, and out stepped Ed Short."[ChicagoTribune, September 27, 1969, sec.2, p.1]
| Preceded by | Chicago White SoxGeneral manager 1961–1970 | Succeeded by |