John Claiborne lasted a mere 22 months as Cardinals general manager because he didn’t produce the results club owner Gussie Busch wanted and didn’t connect with Busch the way Whitey Herzog did.
In what the St. Louis Post-Dispatch described as “a surprise move,” Busch fired Claiborne on Aug. 18, 1980, citing “basic disagreements” between the two “regarding progress of the team in all areas of operation.” Two weeks later, Herzog was promoted from manager to general manager.
Given the authority to rebuild the Cardinals into a club featuring defense, speed and relief pitching, Herzog transformed them from losers in 1980 to World Series champions in 1982.
Front office intrigue
A St. Louis native who worked in the front offices of the Mets, Cardinals, Athletics and Red Sox, Claiborne, 39, was hired to replace his mentor, Bing Devine, as Cardinals general manager in October 1978 on the recommendation of Busch’s personal attorney, Lou Susman.
In 1979, the Cardinals finished 86-76, but it was a different story the next year. The 1980 Cardinals were 8-10 in April and 8-18 in May. Claiborne had made a bad trade, acquiring Bobby Bonds to play left field after Lou Brock retired, failed to sign top free agents and didn’t obtain a closer for the bullpen.
On June 8, 1980, with the Cardinals’ record at 18-33, Claiborne fired manager Ken Boyer between games of a doubleheader and Herzog was hired as the replacement.
After a couple of weeks as manager, Herzog was called into Busch’s office and asked to give his assessment of the team. In his book, “White Rat: A Life in Baseball,” Herzog said he told Busch, “Well, Chief, you’ve got a bunch of prima donnas, overpaid SOBs who ain’t ever going to win a goddamned thing. You’ve got a bunch of mean people, some sorry human beings. It’s the first time I’ve ever been scared to walk through my own clubhouse. We’ve got drug problems, we’ve got ego problems and we ain’t ever going anywhere.”
Herzog said, “I’ve never seen such a bunch of misfits. Nobody would run out a ball. Nobody in the bullpen wanted the ball.”
Busch asked, “You really think it’s that bad?”
“I know so,” Herzog responded. “We’ve got to do some housecleaning.”
Personnel flops
Busch began thinking the housecleaning should start with Claiborne.
“Claiborne went to the Cardinals as an innovative thinker,” columnist Bill Conlin wrote in The Sporting News. “He convinced Gussie Busch that the free-agent raffle was a viable shortcut to a pennant. The trouble was, despite St. Louis’ willingness to spend, John couldn’t sign any first-liners.”
The free agents signed by Claiborne were pitchers Darold Knowles and Don Hood, and reserve outfielder Bernie Carbo.
“Claiborne spent too much money for too little talent,” wrote Rick Hummel in the Post-Dispatch.
Top free agents such as outfielder Pete Rose, pitcher Tommy John and closer Mike Marshall rejected Cardinals offers.
“In two or three cases, our offer actually was the best, but the player chose another club,” Claiborne said.
Post-Dispatch sports editor Bob Broeg noted Claiborne could have acquired Cubs closer Bruce Sutter for catcher Terry Kennedy, first baseman Leon Durham and second baseman Tommy Herr, but declined. “A sizable request, yes, but there’s an old saw in baseball that if you think you’re only one player away from competing for the top banana, you’ll give more than you can get,” Broeg wrote.
Claiborne “probably hesitated when he should have acted,” Post-Dispatch columnist Tom Barnidge concluded. “This club did, after all, need a relief pitcher like a cripple needs a cane.”
Drinking buddies
As Busch was contemplating what to do, Herzog met for lunch with Bing Devine and told him he was having trouble getting access to Busch. In his book, Herzog said Devine replied, “You’ve got a hell of an advantage. You drink. So does Gussie. Claiborne doesn’t drink. Just call him up and tell him you’re coming out for a few beers.”
Herzog said he followed Devine’s advice. He called Busch and told him, “I’m coming out to have a beer and a braunschweiger sandwich.”
Herzog began meeting regularly at Busch’s home and told him what should be done to improve the team. “Sometimes I’d bring him some fresh fish, which he loved, or some headcheese, which a friend of mine made. We’d sit and eat sandwiches, play gin and drink beer.”
After hearing how Herzog thought the Cardinals should be rebuilt, Busch decided Claiborne wasn’t up to the task and fired him.
Claiborne told the Post-Dispatch, “I was a failure at trying to win quickly. The blame has to be placed on someone and I accept it.”
Though Herzog undercut Claiborne by going directly to Busch with his thoughts rather than working through the general manager, Herzog was taken aback when Busch fired Claiborne, The Sporting News reported. Asked about Busch’s decision, Herzog said, “You wonder why at this time.”
Herzog said he wasn’t interested in being general manager because the job was too time-consuming. “I like to hunt, fish and golf,” Herzog said.
Executive level
Busch put attorney Lou Susman in charge of conducting a search for Claiborne’s replacement.
While Susman was interviewing candidates in New York, Herzog was called to Busch’s home by club vice president Margaret Snyder and told Busch wanted him to be general manager. Herzog asked for time to think about it.
In his book, Herzog said, “I didn’t really want to be a general manager,” but he was concerned someone would be hired who he couldn’t work with. So he called Busch and accepted.
When his promotion to general manager was announced Aug. 29, 1980, Herzog told the Post-Dispatch, “I feel I’m the right guy for the job. I don’t know how anybody can be better qualified for it than me. I decided this is one time I can control my own destiny. I sure as heck didn’t come here to be general manager, but I can do more for the Cardinals as GM than as field manager.”
Former Cardinals manager Red Schoendienst became interim manager.
Herzog wanted to hire Gene Mauch or Dick Williams to be Cardinals manager after the 1980 season but couldn’t work out an arrangement. On Oct. 24, 1980, the Cardinals announced Herzog would have the dual role of general manager and manager. Herzog hired his friend, Joe McDonald, former general manager of the Mets, to be executive assistant/baseball and take care of the administrative and business duties while Herzog focused on baseball matters.
RetroSimba 
Whitey’s assessment of the ball club upon first seeing them, cracks me up. The 1970’s Cardinals! You not only have to give credit to Herzog for telling it like it is, but also to Mr. Busch to be willing to accept reality. This was a special time for the Cardinals and their long suffering fans. Whitey really did work wonders. Even the ’82 Brewers are indebted to him. It’s to bad the drug problem continued. It probably cost us at least one World Series.
Thanks, Phillip. Yes, Whitey Herzog was the right person for the franchise at the right time.
A number of pundits believed that Whitey made one trade too many with the Brewers deal, and they may have had a point. Rollie Fingers and Pete Vuckovich both won a Cy Young award, though I’m guessing that Pete was probably one of the “scary people” that Whitey referred to. Ted Simmons hit better than Darrell Porter overall. Porter did have an outstanding post season in 1982 but he didn’t hit well other than that. The return in the trade wasn’t great. I’ve often wondered if they could have made it work with Fingers and Sutter both in the bullpen. That could have been something.
Thanks for the good thoughts. in his book, “White Rat: A Life in Baseball,” Whitey Herzog said Rollie Fingers told him he’d have no objection to working in the same bullpen with Bruce Sutter. It was Herzog who said, “Two right-handed closers in the same bullpen would never work.” After acquiring Fingers before trading for Sutter, Herzog said Fingers was “the great relief pitcher I needed, but not the one I really wanted.” It was Sutter he wanted.
As for the 1980 trade with the Brewers, Herzog in his book acknowledged, “It turned out to be a great one” for the Brewers. The key player for the Cardinals in the deal, David Green, “was mostly a bust,” Herzog said in the book. Herzog concluded, “That’s the way it goes. You make a deal based on your best judgment at the time, on your needs at the time, and on your best guess about what will happen down the road.”