Horace Stoneham
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'''Horace Charles Stoneham''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|t|oʊ|n|ə|m}} {{respell|STOW|nəm}}; April 27, 1903 – January 7, 1990) was the owner of the [[San Francisco Giants|New York / San Francisco Giants]] from 1936 to 1976. During his ownership, the Giants won the [[1954 World Series]] and four [[List of National League pennant winners|National League pennants]] in [[1936 New York Giants (MLB) season|1936]], [[1937 New York Giants (MLB) season|1937]], [[1951 New York Giants (MLB) season|1951]], and [[1962 San Francisco Giants season|1962]], and [[History of the San Francisco Giants|moved]] from [[Manhattan]] to [[San Francisco]]. |
'''Horace Charles Stoneham''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|t|oʊ|n|ə|m}} {{respell|STOW|nəm}}; April 27, 1903 – January 7, 1990) was the owner of the [[San Francisco Giants|New York / San Francisco Giants]] from 1936 to 1976. During his ownership, the Giants won the [[1954 World Series]] and four [[List of National League pennant winners|National League pennants]] in [[1936 New York Giants (MLB) season|1936]], [[1937 New York Giants (MLB) season|1937]], [[1951 New York Giants (MLB) season|1951]], and [[1962 San Francisco Giants season|1962]], and [[History of the San Francisco Giants|moved]] from [[Manhattan]] to [[San Francisco]] in {{by|1957}}, one of two NL owners to bring [[Major League Baseball]] to the [[West Coast (United States)|West Coast]] territory. |
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Although the Giants won only one pennant ({{baseball year|1962}}) and one division title ({{baseball year|1971}}) in their first 15 years after moving to the [[San Francisco Bay Area|Bay Area]], they were a consistent contender that featured some of the era's biggest stars. But during the mid-1970s, lacklustre on-field performance and dwindling attendance forced Stoneham to sell the team in {{baseball year|1976}}. |
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Stoneham's ownership witnessed three separate pennant-contending and -winning eras: the team that he inherited, the 1936–1938 Giants with [[Bill Terry]], [[Carl Hubbell]] and [[Mel Ott]]; the 1949–1955 teams of [[manager (baseball)|manager]] [[Leo Durocher]], with [[Monte Irvin]], [[Sal Maglie]], [[Bobby Thomson]] and [[Willie Mays]]; and the star-studded Giants of 1959–1971. During Stoneham's 41 years as owner, the Giants won National League pennants in [[1936 New York Giants (MLB) season|1936]], [[1937 New York Giants (MLB) season|1937]], [[1951 New York Giants (MLB) season|1951]], [[1954 New York Giants (MLB) season|1954]] and [[1962 San Francisco Giants season|1962]], a [[National League West]] division title in [[1971 San Francisco Giants season|1971]], and the [[World Series]] title in [[1954 World Series|1954]]. |
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Horace Stoneham was born in [[Newark, New Jersey]], on April 27, 1903, to [[Charles Stoneham]] and Johanna McGoldrick. He studied at the [[Hun School of Princeton]] and graduated from [[Trinity-Pawling School]] in 1921.{{Cite web |last=Garratt |first=Rob |last2=Treder |first2=Steve |date= |title=Horace Stoneham |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/horace-stoneham/ |access-date=18 January 2024 |website=Society for American Baseball Research |language=en-US}} He briefly attended [[Fordham University]] but dropped after four days and was sent by his father to work in a [[copper mine]] in [[California]] during the winter of 1923-24.{{Cite journal |last=Graham |first=Frank |date=May 1956 |title=The Shy Boss of the Giants |journal=Sport |pages=49}} His father bought the New York Giants in October 1918. He returned at his father's insistence to the Giants' spring training camp in [[Sarasota, Florida]] ahead of the [[1924 New York Giants season|1924]] season to begin his apprenticeship as a baseball executive and future owner.[https://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/09/obituaries/horace-c-stoneham-86-owner-who-moved-giants-to-west-coast.html Obituary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204094307/https://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/09/obituaries/horace-c-stoneham-86-owner-who-moved-giants-to-west-coast.html |date=2023-02-04 }}, ''The New York Times'', 1990-01-09 He worked on the Giants' [[Groundskeeping|grounds crew]] and in their ticket office and then moved into their front office, working as an assistant in the ticketing department.{{Cite book |last=Angell |first=Roger |title=Five Seasons: A Baseball Companion |publisher=Simon and Schuster |year=1977 |isbn=9780803259508 |location=New York |pages=269}} |
Horace Stoneham was born in [[Newark, New Jersey]], on April 27, 1903, to [[Charles Stoneham]] and Johanna McGoldrick. He studied at the [[Hun School of Princeton]] and graduated from [[Trinity-Pawling School]] in 1921.{{Cite web |last=Garratt |first=Rob |last2=Treder |first2=Steve |date= |title=Horace Stoneham |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/horace-stoneham/ |access-date=18 January 2024 |website=Society for American Baseball Research |language=en-US}} He briefly attended [[Fordham University]] but dropped after four days and was sent by his father to work in a [[copper mine]] in [[California]] during the winter of 1923-24.{{Cite journal |last=Graham |first=Frank |date=May 1956 |title=The Shy Boss of the Giants |journal=Sport |pages=49}} His father bought the New York Giants in October 1918. He returned at his father's insistence to the Giants' spring training camp in [[Sarasota, Florida]] ahead of the [[1924 New York Giants season|1924]] season to begin his apprenticeship as a baseball executive and future owner.[https://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/09/obituaries/horace-c-stoneham-86-owner-who-moved-giants-to-west-coast.html Obituary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204094307/https://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/09/obituaries/horace-c-stoneham-86-owner-who-moved-giants-to-west-coast.html |date=2023-02-04 }}, ''The New York Times'', 1990-01-09 He worked on the Giants' [[Groundskeeping|grounds crew]] and in their ticket office and then moved into their front office, working as an assistant in the ticketing department.{{Cite book |last=Angell |first=Roger |title=Five Seasons: A Baseball Companion |publisher=Simon and Schuster |year=1977 |isbn=9780803259508 |location=New York |pages=269}} |
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But the National League was so powerful and competitive—it had far outpaced the [[American League]] in signing [[African-American]] and [[Latin American]] players—the Giants had only one pennant to show for a decade-plus of contention. In {{baseball year|1962}}, the team won 101 games and forced another [[1962 National League tie-breaker series|best-of-three playoff]] with the Dodgers, then prevailed in the final [[inning (baseball)|inning]] of the decisive third game. In another echo of 1951, they were defeated by the Yankees in the [[1962 World Series|World Series]]. |
But the National League was so powerful and competitive—it had far outpaced the [[American League]] in signing [[African-American]] and [[Latin American]] players—the Giants had only one pennant to show for a decade-plus of contention. In {{baseball year|1962}}, the team won 101 games and forced another [[1962 National League tie-breaker series|best-of-three playoff]] with the Dodgers, then prevailed in the final [[inning (baseball)|inning]] of the decisive third game. In another echo of 1951, they were defeated by the Yankees in the [[1962 World Series|World Series]]. |
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===Slow decline during 1970s=== |
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Stoneham was partially to blame for the Giants' lack of sustained dominance, as he squandered the resources of his productive [[farm system]] through a series of poorly advised trades, usually for [[starting pitcher]]s who could complement Marichal and Perry. He also hired as his manager from 1961–64 [[Alvin Dark]], who had a brilliant baseball mind but a poor relationship with at least some of his minority players. Dark was fired after the [[1964 San Francisco Giants season|1964 Giants]] fell just short in a wild, end-of-season pennant race; almost as notably, his dismissal came after he had made well-publicized and derogatory remarks to the press about Latin and Black ballplayers during the season. (Dark insisted that he was misquoted.)[http://seamheads.com/2014/11/20/alvin-dark-and-the-persistence-of-racial-stereotypes/ Seamheads.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141123090158/http://seamheads.com/2014/11/20/alvin-dark-and-the-persistence-of-racial-stereotypes/ |date=2014-11-23 }} Long-time Durocher aide [[Herman Franks]], Dark's successor, then produced four consecutive second-place finishes through 1968. |
Stoneham was partially to blame for the Giants' lack of sustained dominance, as he squandered the resources of his productive [[farm system]] through a series of poorly advised trades, usually for [[starting pitcher]]s who could complement Marichal and Perry. He also hired as his manager from 1961–64 [[Alvin Dark]], who had a brilliant baseball mind but a poor relationship with at least some of his minority players. Dark was fired after the [[1964 San Francisco Giants season|1964 Giants]] fell just short in a wild, end-of-season pennant race; almost as notably, his dismissal came after he had made well-publicized and derogatory remarks to the press about Latin and Black ballplayers during the season. (Dark insisted that he was misquoted.)[http://seamheads.com/2014/11/20/alvin-dark-and-the-persistence-of-racial-stereotypes/ Seamheads.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141123090158/http://seamheads.com/2014/11/20/alvin-dark-and-the-persistence-of-racial-stereotypes/ |date=2014-11-23 }} Long-time Durocher aide [[Herman Franks]], Dark's successor, then produced four consecutive second-place finishes through 1968. |
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In {{baseball year|1971}}, Mays' final full season with San Francisco, the Giants roared to an early lead in the NL West, winning 37 of their first 51 games to build a {{frac|10|1|2}}-game margin over the Dodgers through May 31. Then they fell to earth, going only 53–58 for the rest of the season. Still, they prevailed by a single game over Los Angeles to become division champions. In the [[1971 National League Championship Series]], however, the eventual world champion [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] handled Stoneham's club in four games. |
In {{baseball year|1971}}, Mays' final full season with San Francisco, the Giants roared to an early lead in the NL West, winning 37 of their first 51 games to build a {{frac|10|1|2}}-game margin over the Dodgers through May 31. Then they fell to earth, going only 53–58 for the rest of the season. Still, they prevailed by a single game over Los Angeles to become division champions. In the [[1971 National League Championship Series]], however, the eventual world champion [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] handled Stoneham's club in four games. |
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| ⚫ | In 1959, Stoneham began developing a spring training facility for the San Francisco Giants at [[Francisco Grande]], in [[Casa Grande, Arizona]]. Francisco Grande hosted its first exhibition game in 1961, where Willie Mays hit a 375-foot home run in the fourth inning. Francisco Grande, now a hotel and golf resort, still houses various memorabilia of the San Francisco Giants of the 1960s. |
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After their initial success, Stoneham's Giants fell on hard times after 1971. The arrival of the cross-bay [[Oakland Athletics]] in 1968 split the market. The Athletics themselves struggled at the turnstiles, leading to doubts about whether the Bay Area was big enough for two MLB teams. Attendance at cold and windy [[Candlestick Park]] plummeted after 1971 to levels even below those at the Polo Grounds in the mid-1950s; during Stoneham's final five years as owner, only in {{baseball year|1973}} did the Giants draw more than 648,000 fans, causing Stoneham financial hardship. This was the same situation that forced him to move to San Francisco almost 20 years earlier. |
After their initial success, Stoneham's Giants fell on hard times after 1971. The arrival of the cross-bay [[Oakland Athletics]] in 1968 split the market. The Athletics themselves struggled at the turnstiles, leading to doubts about whether the Bay Area was big enough for two MLB teams. Attendance at cold and windy [[Candlestick Park]] plummeted after 1971 to levels even below those at the Polo Grounds in the mid-1950s; during Stoneham's final five years as owner, only in {{baseball year|1973}} did the Giants draw more than 648,000 fans, causing Stoneham financial hardship. This was the same situation that forced him to move to San Francisco almost 20 years earlier. |
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Finally, in [[1976 in baseball|1976]], he put the team up for sale. The Giants very nearly moved back east, to [[Toronto]], when a deal with Canadian investors seemed imminent. In addition, it was briefly rumoured that they might return to the metropolitan New York area, perhaps to a new baseball stadium in the [[Meadowlands Sports Complex|New Jersey Meadowlands]]. Instead, Stoneham sold it to San Francisco real estate magnate [[Bob Lurie]] and [[Phoenix, Arizona]]-based [[Meat-packing industry|meat-packer]] Bud Herseth for $8 million, with the transaction unanimously approved by the other National League club owners on March 2, 1976.[https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=DS19760303.2.121&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1 "Herseth Replaces Short As Co-Owner; Rigney Named Giants Manager," ''United Press International'', Wednesday, March 3, 1976.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011110928/https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=DS19760303.2.121&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1 |date=October 11, 2023 }} Retrieved February 29, 2020 The deal represented a handsome return on his father's purchase of the team for $1 million 57 years earlier. |
Finally, in [[1976 in baseball|1976]], he put the team up for sale. The Giants very nearly moved back east, to [[Toronto]], when a deal with Canadian investors seemed imminent. In addition, it was briefly rumoured that they might return to the metropolitan New York area, perhaps to a new baseball stadium in the [[Meadowlands Sports Complex|New Jersey Meadowlands]]. Instead, Stoneham sold it to San Francisco real estate magnate [[Bob Lurie]] and [[Phoenix, Arizona]]-based [[Meat-packing industry|meat-packer]] Bud Herseth for $8 million, with the transaction unanimously approved by the other National League club owners on March 2, 1976.[https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=DS19760303.2.121&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1 "Herseth Replaces Short As Co-Owner; Rigney Named Giants Manager," ''United Press International'', Wednesday, March 3, 1976.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011110928/https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=DS19760303.2.121&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1 |date=October 11, 2023 }} Retrieved February 29, 2020 The deal represented a handsome return on his father's purchase of the team for $1 million 57 years earlier. |
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===Property developer=== |
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| ⚫ | In 1959, Stoneham began developing a spring training facility for the San Francisco Giants at [[Francisco Grande]], in [[Casa Grande, Arizona]]. Francisco Grande hosted its first exhibition game in 1961, where Willie Mays hit a 375-foot home run in the fourth inning. Francisco Grande, now a hotel and golf resort, still houses various memorabilia of the San Francisco Giants of the 1960s. |
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== Personal life == |
== Personal life == |
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Stoneham married his wife Valleda (née Pyke) on |
Stoneham married his wife Valleda (née Pyke) on April 14, 1924. They had two children, son Charles Stoneham and a daughter also named Valleda. Stoneham died at age 86 in a nursing home in [[Scottsdale, Arizona]]. He was survived by his wife, son, daughter, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.{{Cite news |last=Rogers |first=Thomas |date=1990-01-09 |title=Horace C. Stoneham, 86, Owner Who Moved Giants to West Coast |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/09/obituaries/horace-c-stoneham-86-owner-who-moved-giants-to-west-coast.html |access-date=2024-01-18 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=2023-02-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204094307/https://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/09/obituaries/horace-c-stoneham-86-owner-who-moved-giants-to-west-coast.html |url-status=live }} |
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==References== |
==References== |
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