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Joe Frazier, Mets Manager, Is Dead at 88

Benjamin Grimm Feb 18 2011 06:34 AM

New York Times wrote: February 17, 2011 Joe Frazier, Who Managed Mets in Turbulent Time, Is Dead at 88 By KEN BELSON Joe Frazier, the manager of the Mets in the turbulent period between the tenures of Yogi Berra and Joe Torre, died Tuesday in Broken Arrow, Okla. He was 88 and a longtime Broken Arrow resident. His death was confirmed by the Christian-Gavlik Funeral Home in Broken Arrow. Frazier, who spent almost a half-century in organized baseball, primarily as a right fielder, was chosen to manage the Mets for the 1976 season after successfully leading the Tidewater Tides, the team’s Class AAA affiliate. The Mets were in decline after World Series appearances in 1969 and 1973. Berra, their popular manager, had been dismissed during the 1975 season. In Frazier’s only full year as manager, the Mets won 86 games and finished third in the East Division of the National League. With a rotation that included Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and Jon Matlack, the team had excellent pitchers but few good hitters. Frazier’s ship listed in 1977. The Mets’ owners were unwilling to bid for newly minted free agents, prompting Seaver, Matlack and the slugging outfielder-first baseman Dave Kingman to criticize management. Frazier was fired at the end of May after the Mets won only 15 of their first 45 games. A few weeks later, Seaver and Kingman were traded. Matlack was traded after the season. The Mets finished in last place in 1977 and in the next two years. Attendance fell sharply just as the Yankees turned into a powerhouse. Frazier was succeeded as manager by Torre and never managed in the majors again. Joseph Filmore Frazier was born Oct. 6, 1922, in Liberty, N.C. He played 17 years in the minor and major leagues, including parts of four seasons with the Indians, the Cardinals, the Reds and the Orioles. He batted .241 with 10 home runs as a major leaguer.He is survived by his wife, Jean; two sons, Joe Jr. and Marty; a daughter, Cindy Means; a sister, Marie Jordan; and six grandchildren.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Feb 18 2011 06:42 AM Re: Joe Frazier, Mets Manager, Is Dead at 88

RIP Joe. He was a good guy but sort of out of his depth amid the tumultuousness between players and owners at the time. I get the impression he -- like Westrum and Art Howe -- were relieved to be relieved.

Edgy DC Feb 18 2011 07:20 AM Re: Joe Frazier, Mets Manager, Is Dead at 88

Ten-year-old Edgy was led to believe by older folks (adults? 14-year-olds?) that Frazier's name was to be cursed. It wasn't. He may have been out of his depth, but what was set in motion was largely out of his control. I imagine he wasn't any happier about Don Grant's stewardship than any of the fans, or he probably could have lasted a little longer. One of Lee Mazzilli's best best moments hosting the post-game show was references something Joe Frazier, his first big league manager, told him, leading Matt Yallof to snicker at the name of the man briefly associated with Met futility (but who, unlike Joe Torre, never got the chance to redeem himself). Mazzilli, rather than genially defending Frazier with a smile, raised his eyebrows at this nobody's contempt and snarled back at Yallof, "Joe Frazier was a good man." Chilling. it was the sort of humorless exchange that doomed Mazzilli, but the honesty and loyalty were impressive at the time. Leo Foster's and Roy Staiger's entire big league careers were played under Frazier, and one might imagine he had them in the minors and nobody else would have given them a chance.

Benjamin Grimm Feb 18 2011 07:24 AM Re: Joe Frazier, Mets Manager, Is Dead at 88

I've sometimes wondered what would have happened if Gil Hodges had survived Joan Payson, and had to manage the Mets during the reign of Don Grant. I'm pretty sure he would have been gone by 1977 and managing elsewhere.

metsguyinmichigan Feb 18 2011 07:25 AM Re: Joe Frazier, Mets Manager, Is Dead at 88

That 86-win season was the team's second-highest win total for a while, I think.

TheOldMole Feb 18 2011 07:54 AM Re: Joe Frazier, Mets Manager, Is Dead at 88

Half a century as a right fielder? RIP Cobra Joe.

smg58 Feb 18 2011 07:57 AM Re: Joe Frazier, Mets Manager, Is Dead at 88

My memories of Frazier are very vague, outside of him being the manager when I first started watching baseball. Obviously the circumstances surrounding the team became ridiculous in 1977 -- far, far worse than anything happening now, in case people need to be reminded -- and Frazier was an innocent victim of it.

Edgy DC Feb 18 2011 08:01 AM Re: Joe Frazier, Mets Manager, Is Dead at 88

Yeah, they say "primarily" when they meant "most prominently" or something. Foster's humility shone through in that he didn't take the manager's privilege and wear a number outside of the coaches ghetto that is the 50s. Did any other non-interim Met manager elect to live in such a low-rent numerical neighborhood? Also a Texas League MVP.

themetfairy Feb 18 2011 08:02 AM Re: Joe Frazier, Mets Manager, Is Dead at 88

RIP Joe

Edgy DC Feb 18 2011 08:05 AM Re: Joe Frazier, Mets Manager, Is Dead at 88

Looks like he lost his best chance to stick as a big league player to World War II, and his best chance to stick as a big league manager to M. Donald Grant.

Frayed Knot Feb 18 2011 08:08 AM Re: Joe Frazier, Mets Manager, Is Dead at 88

Probably didn't help him get a high profile when much of his coaching/managerial career occurred at a time when if his name came up during a sports discussion you always had to say, "no, the other one".

G-Fafif Feb 18 2011 08:51 AM Re: Joe Frazier, Mets Manager, Is Dead at 88

At the risk of dimming Joe's accomplishments, Leo Foster and Roy Staiger each had major league experience (and Met experience) under other managers. Nice second-half surge -- or too-late salary drive from that '76 club. However it was crafted, there was a lovely 34-16 stretch in there that included a short-circuiting of the Pirates' mad dash to catch the Phillies. I remember Frazier being likened in the papers to Walter Alston in that nobody had heard of him from the minor leagues when he was promoted to Brooklyn. As it was, Frazier barely outlasted Alston in real time, by not quite a third of a season. To be fair to Joe, there wasn't a ton to work with for the long haul when he got his big break. The farm system was fairly barren and given the Grant-Seaver feud and post-Payson inertia, nobody was going to lead that team to much beyond 15-30 to start 1977. On a broader scale, 88 is quite impressive.

Ashie62 Feb 18 2011 09:43 AM Re: Joe Frazier, Mets Manager, Is Dead at 88

R.I.P. He seemed like an odd choice to manage back then. It seemed like many people, including myself, had barely heard of him. The fugliness of the 1977 selaed Joe's fate.

batmagadanleadoff Feb 18 2011 09:45 AM Re: Joe Frazier, Mets Manager, Is Dead at 88

metsguyinmichigan wrote: That 86-win season was the team's second-highest win total for a while, I think. Yes it was. I came on board for the '70 season, so the '76 squad was the best I'd ever seen, to date. Mickey Lolich was their 4th pitcher. He pitched considerably better than his 8-13 W-L record would indicate. The '76 Mets probably had the best starting rotation in all of baseball. Koosman won 20 and Kingman was threatening Maris' HR record until he injured himself.

Valadius Feb 18 2011 09:57 AM Re: Joe Frazier, Mets Manager, Is Dead at 88

Did Bob Murphy get him the job?

Benjamin Grimm Feb 18 2011 10:00 AM Re: Joe Frazier, Mets Manager, Is Dead at 88

G-Fafif wrote: On a broader scale, 88 is quite impressive. It is. Not many Mets people have lived longer: http://ultimatemets.com/necrology.php?sortby=A

Benjamin Grimm Feb 18 2011 12:04 PM Re: Joe Frazier, Mets Manager, Is Dead at 88

Holy crap. I just realized that in three months I'll be as old as Gil Hodges was when he died. Damn.

G-Fafif Feb 18 2011 12:07 PM Re: Joe Frazier, Mets Manager, Is Dead at 88

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Holy crap. I just realized that in three months I'll be as old as Gil Hodges was when he died. Damn. A rite of passage for all 48-year-old Mets fans, apparently.

batmagadanleadoff Feb 18 2011 12:21 PM Re: Joe Frazier, Mets Manager, Is Dead at 88

G-Fafif wrote: Benjamin Grimm wrote: Holy crap. I just realized that in three months I'll be as old as Gil Hodges was when he died. Damn. A rite of passage for all 48-year-old Mets fans, apparently. I was measuring my age against Gil's lifespan a year or three before I even got there.

Fman99 Feb 18 2011 08:37 PM Re: Joe Frazier, Mets Manager, Is Dead at 88

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Holy crap. I just realized that in three months I'll be as old as Gil Hodges was when he died. Damn. Stay off the golf course!

Benjamin Grimm Feb 18 2011 08:38 PM Re: Joe Frazier, Mets Manager, Is Dead at 88

Not a problem for me! But thanks!