Casey Stengel

Charles Dillon Stengel (1890-1975), nicknamed ""Casey"" because he came from Kansas City (K.C.), was a solid player in the minor as well as the major leagues from 1910 to 1931 and a major-league manager with some bad teams (Brooklyn Dodgers, Boston Braves, New York Mets) and one genuinely great one (New York Yankees). He led the Yankees to 10 pennants in 12 years in the 1950s and early 1960s. Known more for his clowning than for his diamond skills, he was dismissed or disparaged until his Yankee years. He was also notorious for Stengelese-involved circumlocutions that seemed like rambling non sequiturs but turned out to make sense after all. With a subject that cannot miss, Bak (Lou Gehrig; Ty Cobb) hits home with this solid, entertaining bio featuring such well-publicized events as Casey doffing his cap at the plate to release a sparrow he'd concealed. Appendices include Stengel's major-league playing record and his 1958 testimony before the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust and Monopoly-""seven thousand words of vintage Stengelese."" Photos not seen by PW. (Feb.)