Birdie Tebbetts

George Robert "Birdie" Tebbetts (November 10, 1912 – March 24, 1999) was an American catcher, manager, scout and front office executive in Major League Baseball. Born in Burlington, Vermont, and raised in Nashua, New Hampshire. Tebbetts acquired his nickname as a boy when an aunt said of his high-pitched voice, "He chirps like a bird". In 1934 he graduated from Providence College with a degree in philosophy, an unusual beginning for one of the mo... more

George Robert "Birdie" Tebbetts (November 10, 1912 – March 24, 1999) was an American catcher, manager, scout and front office executive in Major League Baseball. Born in Burlington, Vermont, and raised in Nashua, New Hampshire. Tebbetts acquired his nickname as a boy when an aunt said of his high-pitched voice, "He chirps like a bird". In 1934 he graduated from Providence College with a degree in philosophy, an unusual beginning for one of the most abrasive managers in baseball history, whose major league career encompassed 53 years as a catcher (14), manager (11) and scout (28). Tebbetts played with the Detroit Tigers between 1936 and 1947 — with the exception of three years that he served in World War II (1943-45) — and also played for the Boston Red Sox (1947-50) and Cleveland Indians (1951-52). He batted and threw right-handed, was a career .270 hitter with 38 home runs and 469 RBI in 1162 games, and made four All-Star teams. Before the arrival of Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk,... less