[303rd-Talk] Billy Southworth

[Gary Moncur]

Here's an interesting tidbit for you.
As you may know, original 427th BS Pilot Billy B. Southworth was the 
son of St. Louis Cardinals manager Billy Southworth, Sr.  He named 
his B-17 "Winning Run," because it  always "comes home."  It has the 
St. Louis Cardinal on its nose art.
http://www.303rdbg.com/na-winningrun.jpg
Billy Jr. was killed in a B-29 accident after the war was over.

Today Billy Southworth Sr. was named to the Major League Baseball 
Hall of Fame by the Veteran's Committee.  See the story on MLB.com 
here:

http://tinyurl.com/2bnglc

Here's some background info on Billy Sr.:
------------------------
Southworth began his managing career with the Cardinals in 1928, 
after a playing career of 13 years with a lifetime batting average of 

.297 with Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Boston, New York and St. Louis.

In 1928, while managing the St. Louis Cardinals' Rochester minor 
league team, Southworth led the team to the pennant, before returning 

to the majors in 1929 as a player-manager.

The hard-core Southworth was considered too tough on the players, and 

as such, the players resisted his discipline and the changes 
Southworth was committed to make to turn the Cardinals into 
contenders. Southworth was returned to Rochester, where he went on to 

win three more pennants.

In 1940, Southworth got another chance with the Cardinals when 
manager Ray Blades was fired. The new skipper moved the Cardinals 
from sixth place to third that season and finished second in 1941. 
>From there he took the Cardinals to three straight pennants from 1942 

through 1944.

The Cards won the World Series in 1942 and 1944. During this span 
Southworth's Cardinals won 106 games in 1942, and 105 games in both 
the 1943 and 1944 seasons.

During the 1942 season, the Dodgers or Reds were picked to win the 
pennant.

"If the Cardinals can beat Brooklyn," one writer mused, "it will be a 

triumph of courage, harmony, youth and speed over seemingly superior 
forces."

World War II wreaked havoc over the Cardinals' roster, as they lost 
several players to the military, including second baseman, Frank 
Crespi, popular outfielder, Terry Moore, future Hall of Famer, 
outfielder Enos Slaughter, staff ace Johnny Beazley, and starting 
pitcher Hollie Pollet, who had an 8-4 record when he entered the 
armed services.

In 1944, the Cardinals had to make do without, Harry Walker, Lou 
Klein and pitchers Al Brazzle, Howie Kirst and Ernie White.

The ability of Southworth to manage through these difficult times was 

truly that triumph of courage, harmony, youth and speed over superior 

forces.

After finishing second in 1945, Southworth moved to Boston with the 
blessings of the Cardinals owner Sam Breadon, when the then, Boston 
Braves, offered him $50,000, considerably more than the salary the 
Cardinals were paying of $16,000.

Southworth left the Cardinals, a team that he loved so much, that he 
even had a picture of a Cardinal sitting on a bat inlaid in the 
linoleum of the kitchen floor in his home.

"The Little General" finished his career in St. Louis with 620 wins, 
346 losses, and 15 ties for a .642 career winning percentage as the 
Cardinal manager.


-- Gary L. Moncur
         303rd Bomb Group (H)
         http://www.303rdBG.com