John Joseph Keane (November 3, 1911 — January 6, 1967) was an American manager in Major League Baseball. Born in St. Louis, Missouri and known as a patient manager of young players, Keane participated in one of the strangest turns of events in baseball history in 1964, his final season at the helm of the St. Louis Cardinals.
In mid-August of that year, with the team seemingly out of the race, owner August "Gussie" Busch became convinced (possibly...
more
John Joseph Keane (November 3, 1911 — January 6, 1967) was an American manager in Major League Baseball. Born in St. Louis, Missouri and known as a patient manager of young players, Keane participated in one of the strangest turns of events in baseball history in 1964, his final season at the helm of the St. Louis Cardinals.
In mid-August of that year, with the team seemingly out of the race, owner August "Gussie" Busch became convinced (possibly by Branch Rickey, whom he had hired as a consultant) that only a thorough housecleaning of Cardinal management would bring him the pennant he had craved since he bought the Redbirds in 1953. He fired (or accepted the resignations of) almost every senior St. Louis front office executive. Keane was temporarily spared, but Busch was rumored to be secretly negotiating with Leo Durocher (then a coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers) to become manager at the close of the 1964 season.
However, in the last two weeks of the season, the front-running...
less
