Former manager Vern Rapp died today, Thursday, just missing the new year:
The Cardinals hired him before the 1977 season as the managerial replacement to Red Schoendienst.
Rapp, then 49, led the Redbirds to an 83-79 record, a third-place finish that marked an 11-game improvement from 1976. But the hard-nosed managerial tactics he formed in the minors didn’t always mesh with his new players.
”With Vern, it was such a big transition, ” former Cardinals pitcher Bob Forsch once told the Post-Dispatch. ”From laid-back Red to Vern. Vern was more military, where he’d say, ‘I’ll even tell you how to dress.’ He stood (coach) Sonny Ruberto on a trunk in spring training and said, ‘This is how to wear your uniforms.'”
Rapp managed just a short time, going 140-160 for the Cardinals and Reds. His poor start with Cincinnati led to the hiring of Pete Rose.
My thoughts go out to his family and friends.
from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/1TsF1zZ
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