Jimmy Dykes

[TLAK]

With little going on until spring training, I’ve been reading up on Jimmy Dykes, a White Sox manager from 70 years ago. Dykes autobiography is “You Can’t Steal First Base”, out of print but easily find-able on the web. A lot about Jimmy reminds me of Ozzie Guillen.

 

Dykes was a better ballplayer than Oz and starred on the great Philadelphia A’s World Series championship teams of ’29 and ’30. At age 36, he was sold to the White Sox after the 1932 season in what amounts to a salary dump. He played 6 seasons with the Sox, becoming player manager in 1934. He managed them into 1946, getting fired after 30 games. He was 899 - 940 overall with the Sox, despite some very bad teams. He later managed 5 other teams, ending in 1961, but never won a pennant.

 

Jimmy Dykes demanded that his players keep their heads in the game and got rid of guys who didn’t. The talented Zeke Bonura drove him nuts. One time Dykes called on him to sacrifice and Zeke stood there staring dumbly at the 3rd base coach. After several repetitions, Dykes finally climbed to the top step and shouted ‘BUNT, B-U-N-T”. Zeke got the bunt down and Dykes laid down on the dugout bench and sobbed.

 

Dykes traded him to Washington. When the Senators next came to Comisky his coaches asked if they should change the signs, Jimmy said, “He didn’t know ‘em when he was with us. Why should we change ‘em now?” During the game Bonura reached third. A mosquito landed on Dykes nose so he swatted it away with his scorecard, the Sox steal sign, Bonura took off and bowled over the catcher.

 

Ozzie doesn’t take guff from anyone, getting suspended for his run in with Hunter Wendelstedt, son of famous umpire Harry Wendelstedt, when he told Hunter he was not a pimple on his fathers behind. During the suspension, he called Wendelstedt a liar and got suspended again. Dykes earned a suspension for ‘abusive language’ to an umpire. He appealed to the commissioner “I may have sworn at him, but I was telling the truth”.

 

One time Jimmy Dykes was stalling a game and changed pitchers, he slowly walked to the mound to get the ball. Umpire Cal Hubbard waved to the bullpen for a lefty. Dykes protested he wanted a righty but couldn’t risk a forfeit because the Sox didn’t have the $1,000 fine, so he went with the Ump’s pitcher. Umpire Joe West did almost exactly the same thing to Guillen, prompting Mark Buehrle to tape large L and R’s on Ozzie’s warm up jacket.

 

Jimmy confronted a player who blew curfew “What time did you get to bed last night?” The player answered “I was in bed by midnight.” Dykes said, “Who’s bed?”

 

Jimmy Dykes said, “When you're winning, beer tastes better.” Ozzie's version is ‘When you win the beer tastes better”. On his years managing the White Sox, Dykes summed it up as “I’d had fun everyday”. Ozzie says ‘Winning is fun and fun is winning”

 

Jimmy Dykes died in 1976. I hope Ozzie gets the pennant that always eluded Jimmy, that he keeps having fun and we keep having fun along side him.

[elrockinMT]

TLAK,

 

that was a great story

[SoxAce]

Thanx for the insight on that TLAK. That's a hellofa comparison.

[SoxFanForever]

Really nice post man. Nice work.

[Guest JimH]

Great historical stuff, and thanks for posting it. My dad remembers when Dykes managed. In fact Dykes was about the first guy my dad recalls, in terms of a manager.

 

Late 30's and early 40's, that was about the time his father was a vendor at Comiskey, selling ice cream.

[YASNY]

I really enjoyed reading that piece, Tlak. Thank you.

[Al Lopez Ghost (old)]

Dykes was a superb fielder.

 

About a month ago on ESPN news there was a field reporter talking about an NCAA basketball game, and the name of the reporter was Jimmy Dykes. That just can't be a coincidence. I'm guessing a grandson.

[Yossarian]

The White Sox enjoyed a mini revival under Manager Jimmy Dykes. The original owner Charles Comiskey died in 1931 and the franchise was bottoming out. Comiskey had rebuilt his franchise into a winner once in the WW1 era and was confident he could do it again. Alas, it was not to be. The Black Sox scandal just buried the organization. His son J. Louis Comiskey did a good job of making the Sox competitive again. Dykes was a big part of it. Unfortunately the Sox couldn't quite get over the hump (sound familiar?) and J. Louis died in 1939 IIRC. The Sox had decent teams in 1940 and 1943 but the widow of J. Louis was penurious and by the late 40's the White Sox were again a near comatose franchise. Then the Chuck Comiskey (grandson), John Rigney, Frank Lane team took control and the White Sox ultimately won a real pennant. That's a story for another time I guess. By the way, absolutely great post by TLAK.

[TLAK]

The White Sox enjoyed a mini revival under Manager Jimmy Dykes. The original owner Charles Comiskey died in 1931 and the franchise was bottoming out. Comiskey had rebuilt his franchise into a winner once in the WW1 era and was confident he could do it again. Alas, it was not to be. The Black Sox scandal just buried the organization. His son J. Louis Comiskey did a good job of making the Sox competitive again. Dykes was a big part of it. Unfortunately the Sox couldn't quite get over the hump (sound familiar?) and J. Louis died in 1939 IIRC. The Sox had decent teams in 1940 and 1943 but the widow of J. Louis was penurious and by the late 40's the White Sox were again a near comatose franchise. Then the Chuck Comiskey (grandson), John Rigney, Frank Lane team took control and the White Sox ultimately won a real pennant. That's a story for another time I guess. By the way, absolutely great post by TLAK.

 

Thanks to all for the compliments. Yossarian, I think the problem with Charles Comiskey is that he was a creature of an earlier era. He was born in 1859 -before the Civil War- and played in the 1880’s. By the 1920’s the good teams had gone big league, spending money on unproven talent to make money later, developing players. Comiskey regarded the White Sox as if they were traveling musicians, which is how they had put teams together in the 80’s and 90’s. Like you would put together a good 16-inch softball team today.

 

Before the farm team system and player draft, clubs would find a guy they liked and reach a gentleman’s agreement with a minor league team to play him in return for handling part of his salary, which was pennies. The minors would also find guys on their own, develop them and sell them to the bigs. Some teams had scores of players on the come plus scouts covering every little Podunk Junction looking for talent to sign before anyone else got wind of them. A lot of money. The Old Roman resisted all this, the young talent he got were guys everybody else rejected because he wouldn’t spend a nickel unless the fellow was on the roster.

 

Even on the big team, his cheapness was legendary and, I believe, was a major factor in the Black Sox scandal. Again this was a throw back to the pre-major league days, when he was treated that way and everybody treated players like that.

 

Comiskey was just as unsuccessful using the methods of the 1890’s in the 1920’s as Bill Veeck was trying to use the methods of the 1940’s in the 1970’s.