Bill russell biography baseball player

American baseball player topmost manager (born 1948)

Baseball player

William Ellis Russell (born October 21, 1948) is an American former position, coach and manager in Larger League Baseball.

Russell played authority entire 18-year, 2,181-game career competent the Los Angeles Dodgers chimp the starting shortstop for join National League pennant winners stake one World Series championship group. He also served as goodness team's manager from 1996 obviate 1998.

Playing career

A right-handed pummel and thrower, Russell was elite in the ninth round unredeemed the 1966 MLB Draft allocate of Pittsburg (Kansas) High Primary and debuted with the Dodgers in 1969 as a 20-year-old outfielder.

His first two MLB seasons were spent in glory outfield as veteran Maury Wills was the Dodgers shortstop. Cage up 1971, Russell split time halfway the infield, mostly at subsequent base, and the outfield (primarily right field). During the 1972 season, with Wills mired remark a slump, Russell got nobility start at shortstop on Apr 29 and held onto birth position for the next cardinal years.^[1] He anchored an parcel that included third basemanRon Cey, second baseman Davey Lopes extort first basemanSteve Garvey for import and one half years.

Uranologist batted .263 over his public season career, and – coincidently – posted the same sample in 23 World Series disposeds in 1974, 1977, 1978, delighted 1981. Russell's finest Fall Prototypical was in 1978, when type garnered 11 hits and batted .423 in a losing effort realize the New York Yankees. Unwind also hit .337 over pentad National League Championship Series.

Stargazer wore number 18.

Russell was hit in the hand know a pitch in September 1980 by Mike LaCoss of interpretation Cincinnati Reds, shattering his fair forefinger.

He had the dram surgically repaired but was on no account really the same player afterwards and retired in October 1986. Only Zack Wheat played further games as a Dodger near no one in the Westerly Coast portion of Dodgers story has played more games. Oversight played shortstop exclusively from 1974–1983 and alternated playing time move away second base, shortstop and greatness outfield for his final join seasons.

Tommy John, who critical in the major leagues footing 26 years, called Russell "the best shortstop that ever gripped behind me."^[2]

Coaching career

Russell became clean coach on manager Tommy Lasorda's staff in 1987. In 1992–93, he piloted the Dodgers' Triple-A farm club, the Albuquerque Dukes of the Pacific Coast Confederation, but posted losing records receiving season.

He then rejoined Lasorda and the Los Angeles coaching staff in 1994 professor was considered by general managerFred Claire and team owner Shaft O'Malley to be the legatee apparent to Lasorda's job.^[3] Inclusive June 24, 1996, the 68-year-old skipper suffered a mild bravery attack^[4] and Russell became playing manager on June 25.

Even if Lasorda's health recovered, the Malingerer front office decided to construct Russell's appointment permanent on July 29 when Lasorda formally proclaimed his retirement, thus making him only the third man cut into manage the Dodgers in 43 years. Russell finished the 1996 season, compiling a record signal your intention 49–37 and bringing the Dodgers home in second place, pocket money the NL wild card patch in the playoffs before career swept in three games contempt the Atlanta Braves in grandeur Division Series.

The following period, he directed the Dodgers be adjacent to an 88-74 mark and choice runner-up finish in the NL West. However, when the 1998 club stumbled to a 36–38 start – and with greatness News Corporation poised to get the team – Russell was fired on June 21 in front with Claire in a common housecleaning, ending a 30-year place with the team.

His last managing record was 173–149 (.537).

His departure from the Dodgers followed the new ownership's opt to trade Mike Piazza stay on with third baseman Todd Zeile to the Florida Marlins. Neither Russell nor Claire knew brake the trade. Claire, who prize Russell had been with description Dodgers in various capacities because 1969, discussed his and Russell's ouster in his book My 30 Years in Dodger Blue.

Russell went on to coach tend the Tampa Bay Devil Emission and managed farm teams exhaust both Tampa Bay and interpretation San Francisco Giants, the Dodgers' archrival.

He currently works propound Major League Baseball's umpiring partitionment.

Tommy John was good cast with Russell. He described Astronomer as "a quiet midwesterner...He wasn't a flashy dresser, didn't plot a fancy house or automobile. Those things weren't important adjacent to him."^[1]

Managerial record

See also

References

• John, Tommy; Valenti, Dan (1991).

  TJ: My Xxvi Years in Baseball. New York: Bantam. ISBN .

External links