Nobody Did More for Kids Than Bobby Bragan!
Sometimes the end comes quietly and mercifully to the lions of this world. It seems to have happened that way for Bobby Bragan this week. He had been suffering a cold for about week and had simply retired early from watching television for a shave and shower before going to bed at his home in Fort Worth around 6:30 PM on Thursday, January 21, 2010. When he did not return in a normal amount of time, his wife Betty went to the bathroom to check on him. She found him sitting on the dressing bench, leaning against the wall as though he were asleep.
In this final quiet exit from the dugout of Home Team Earth, the brassy 92-year old Bobby Bragan was gone from the game of life forever and those of us who knew him and were touched directly by his kindness will miss him greatly.
Bragan was truly a Renaissance Man. He was an athlete, a baseball player, a manager, an innovator, an artist, a comedian, an entertainer, a musician, an actor, a good friend, a loyal husband and family man, and one of the most generous humanitarians and philanthropists who ever came down the pike.
"You Can't Hit the Ball with the Bat on Your Shoulder!" - Bobby Bragan.
From its 1992 inception forward, the Bobby Bragan Foundation in Fort Worth raised around one million dollars in scholarship money for deserving students. It was the thing that Bobby put the full weight of his personal influence and friends energies into and it paid off handsomely for the kids he supported. Now it’s up the foundation and Bobby’s friends to make sure that the good work continues. The effort takes a great hit with the loss of Bobby.
Bobby Bragan was born In Birmingham, Alabama on October 30, 1917. As a kid who grew up loving baseball, he had a seven-year playing record as a shortstop/catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies (1940-42) and Brooklyn Dodgers (1943-44, 1947-48). Bobby had five brothers who also played professional baseball, but none of them made it to the major leagues.
Bragan only hit .240 with 15 homers over his MLB career, but his real talent was leadership. After four seasons as manager of the Fort Worth Cats (1948-52) and three seasons as manager of the Hollywood Stars (1953-55) Bobby Bragan moved up to the big leagues for stints as field manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates (1956-57), the Cleveland Indians (1958), and the Milwaukee Braves (1964-65) / Atlanta Braves (1966). Bobby also served time as a coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers and was a member of the original club developmental staff for the 1962 Houston Colt .45s.
Bobby Bragan managed five Hall of Famers: Roberto Clemente, Bob Lemon, Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, and Warren Spahn.
In his later years, he served as President of the Texas League when the designated hitter rule was put on trial for later use by the American League. Bobby never defended the “DH” rule in his discussions with me, but he did feel strongly that MLB should either apply the rule across the board, or else, get rid of it.
Bobby Bragan was a member of several halls of fame, including the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, and the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame. He had a reputation as a manager for being thrown out of games for arguing with umpires that later spilled over into his later years. When the independent league Fort Worth Cats decided to honor Bobby by making their official manager for one game at age 87, Bragan not only established a record as the oldest official manager in baseball history, he also managed to get thrown out of that game early for arguing with an umpire.
Some spots never go away.
My favorite Bragan story concerns the exciting role he played in the 1947 Word Series for the Brooklyn Dodgers against the New York Yankees. It almost didn’t happen. Bragan seemed destined for bullpen catching as the great Roy Campanella, another Hall of Famer, took charge in the starting lineup as expected.
In spite of his remote chances for game action, Bobby persuaded his parents, George and Corinne Bragan, to take the train up to New York from Birmingham in the hope of seeing him play. By Game Six, it was beginning to look as though that wasn’t going to happen, but suddenly, Bobby’s luck changed.
The Dodgers were down 3 games to 2 in the Series and 5 to 4 in the 6th inning of Game Six and facing elimination when, suddenly, they got two runners on base.
Dodger manager Burt Shotton sent a call to the bullpen. He wanted Bragan to come in and hit for pitcher Ralph Branca against Yankee relief ace Joe Page. Bobby’s heart ascended to his throat, but he heeded the word and trotted out of the shadows and into the limelight.
On a 1-2 count, Bragan put the wood on a double down the left field line, tying the game. The Dodgers went on to win the game, 8-6, forcing the decisive Game Seen that would unfortunately lose, but Bragan had known his moment in the sun.
Here’s the kicker. After the game, Bobby couldn’t wait to hear his parents’ reaction to seeing his heroic moment. It wasn’t there. George and Corinne had chosen the moment immediately prior to the announcement of Bobby’s entry into the game to leave their seats for a quick bathroom trip. They missed the whole thing. And that turned out to be Bobby’s only World Series appearance.
Bobby's Pinch Hit Double Saved Game 6 of the '47 world Series.
Bobby Bragan played the piano, sang and wrote songs, and even recorded his own CD album in later years to help boost contributions to his foundation. My favorite Bragan number will always be the one that best typifies his character and attitude about baseball and life. Its title and second line in the verse says everything you need to know about how Bobby Bragan felt about facing life’s challenges: “You can’t hit the ball with the bat on your shoulder. You got step up there and swing.”
We’ll keep swinging down here, Bobby, but we’ll miss seeing you in that third base coaching box, from here to eternity. Keep us in mind even now, old friend. We shall continue to thrive upon precious memory and contact with your indomitable spirit.
Tags: Baseball, Bobby Bragan, History
The Pecan Park Eagle 
January 24, 2010 at 8:20 am |
[…] Baseball's Bobby Bragan Passes Away at 92. « The Pecan Park EagleIt seems to have happened that way for Bobby Bragan this week. He had been suffering a cold for about week and had simply retired early from watching television for a shave and shower before going to bed at his home in Fort Worth around … Read more […]
January 25, 2010 at 4:15 am |
I like beans
January 25, 2010 at 2:26 pm |
Even the Wall Street Journal noted his passing. I believe there’s a picture in the files of Pirate manager Bragan conversing with the umpires while sipping a beverage of some sort, just to illustrate his displeasure with one of their rulings. He was asked to leave the premises.