(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photo by Frans Nieuwenburg (Inside Magazine); Videos by MLB Film)
IN MEMORIAM
...Sal Bando...
(1944 - 2023) |
 Former Oakland and Milwaukee-great and Team Hall of Famer Sal Bando passed away
Nederlands
 OCONOMOWOC, Wisconsin (USA) -
Sal Bando, the solid third baseman and powerhitter who played in 16 Major League-seasons, passed away on Friday, January 20 at age 78, three weeks before he would have turned 79.
It was reported that the infielder had lost his battle with cancer that began five years ago.
Bando played in eleven seasons for Kansas City/Oakland Athletics and he was part of the successful team that won the World Series in three consecutive years (1972-1974).
He then played the final five seasons of his career for Milwaukee Brewers, where he also was the General Manager for several years.
Bando lived in Oconomowoc, which is located some 34 miles (54 kilometers) west of Milwaukee.
Salvatore Leonard (Sal) Bando was born of February 13, 1944 in Cleveland, Ohio.
While in school, Bando played several sports.
He then played baseball for Arizona State University with whom he won the College World Series in 1965.
Afterwards, Bando was named the Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series.
During the Amateur Draft in 1965, Sal Bando was selected by Kansas City Athletics.
The infielder immediately showed his talent and his star rose quickly.
After just over one season in the Minor League, Bando made his debut in the Major League.
Afer having signed in the Summer of 1965, Bando played in 60 games for the Double-A team of the Athletics and batted .262.
The next year, the infielder began in Double-A, playing in 119 games and hitting .277.
In early September 1966, Bando was recalled to the Major League-team of Kansas City Athletics.
He made his debut on September 3 in a home-game against Boston Red Sox.
On that day, Bando started at third base and was 0-for-3.
Three days later, Bando recorded his first basehit.
He was then inserted in the fifth inning as pinch-hitter for pitcher Catfish Hunter and delivered a lead-off single.
In 1966, Bando played in eleven games and batted .292 (7-for-24) with one double and one triple.
In 1967, Sal Bando played the majority of the season in Triple-A, appearing in 116 games.
But he also was added again to the Major League-squad.
This time, he played in 47 games for Kansas City A's, collecting 25 basehits.
The club was founded as Philadelphia Athletics in 1901, then moved to Kansas City after the 1954 season.
In October 1967, new owner Charlie Finley moved the club from Kansas City to Oakland.
After moving to Oakland, the team became very successful in the early seventies.
From 1971 through 1975, the team was known as ''Swingin' A's'' and won the World Series in three consecutive years, 1972, 1973 and 1974.
In all three seasons, Sal Bando was selected for the All-Star Game.
From 1968 on, Sal Bando was the prime third baseman of the team, which then first played in California.
Bando played in all 162 regular season-games and batted .251 (152-for-605) with nine homeruns.
He scored 67 runs and also batted in 67.
In the 1968 season, legendary Joe DiMaggio was the Hitting Coach of Oakland.
DiMaggo played in twelve seasons for New York Yankees (13 times All-Star Game, nine times winner World Series) and was elected in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955.
In the following 1969 season, Bando again played in all 162 games.
This time, he batted .281 (171-for-609) with 31 homeruns and 113 runs batted in, while scoring 106.
Bando led the team with his 171 basehits.
He was second with his homeruns behind Reggie Jackson, who hit 47.
Bando also was second behind Jackson in runs scored (123) and RBI's (118).
In May 1969, Bando was named team-captain by then-Manager Hank Bauer.
Also in 1969, Bando played in his first All-Star Game, which was the 40th in history.
He then was the starting third baseman for the American League in the game that was played in Washington, DC.
Sal Bando became a workhorse as third baseman.
After having played in all 162 regular season-games in 1968 and 1969, he did the same during the 1973 season.
Bando also led the Major League by playing 160 games in the 1975 season.
From 1968 through 1979, Bando played in 150 games or more in ten consecutive seasons.
In 1970, Bando led the Oakland-team with 118 walks and was third-best with his 132 basehits.
He also led the team with 75 runs batted in and was second-best with 93 runs scored, only four behind Bert Campaneris.
Bando kept on to be one of the best offensive leaders of Oakland in the following seasons.
In 1971, he batted .271, the second highest batting average in the team behind Reggie Jackson (.277).
He also trailed Jackson in basehits and homeruns.
The outfielder collected 157 hits and 32 homeruns, Bando had 146 basehits and 24 homers.
But Bando led Oakland with 94 runs batted in and also led again in walks (86).
After the season, Bando finished second in the voting for Most Valuable Player in the American League, behind teammate and pitcher Vida Blue.
The lefthander was 24-8 with eight shutouts and had the best ERA with 1.82, while striking out 301 batters.
Sal Bando also finished high in the MVP-voting in 1973 (third) and 1974 (fourth).
In 1972, Bando underscored his good batter's eye, as he led Oakland again in walks (78), but he also led the team in RBI's (77).
In 1973, the third baseman led the American League with 32 doubles and 295 total bases.
Bando led Oakland with 170 basehits, was second in homeruns (29) and RBI's (98) and was third in runs scored (97).
In most cases, it was Reggie Jackson who did somewhat better.
Jackson hit 32 homeruns and batted in 117 runs, while scoring 99 runs.
In the 1974 season, Sal Bando was one of four Oakland-players who hit 20 or more homeruns.
Reggie Jackson led the team with 29, followed by Gene Tenace (26) and Bando and Joe Rudi (both 22).
Bando led the team in RBI's (103).
Other team-leaders in 1974 were pitcher Catfish Hunter (25 wins), closer Rollie Fingers (18 saves) and Bill North (54 stolen bases).
1972, 1973 and 1974 clearly were very productive seasons for Oakland Athletics.
In 1972, led by Manager Dick Williams, Oakland won the World Series 4-3 against Cincinnati Reds.
For Oakland, this was its first of three consecutive (winning) trips to the World Series.
In these years, Cincinnati clearly was the best team in the National League, nicknamed 'Big Red Machine' with players as Johnny Bench, Tony Perez, Joe Morgan, Dave Concepcion, Pete Rose, Ken Grifffey, Cesar Geronimo and George Foster and pitchers Jack Billingham, Pedro Borbon, Ross Grimsley and Don Gullett, led by famous Manager Sparky Anderson.
On the other hand, Oakland also was loaded with star-players, including Matty Alou, Sal Bando, Bert Campaneris, George Hendrick, Reggie Jackson, Angel Mangual, Billy North, Joe Rudi, Gene Tenace and pitchers Vida Blue, Rollie Fingers, Ken Holtzman, Catfish Hunter and Blue Moon Odom.
It was Reggie Jackson who not only was an offensive leader for Oakland, he also set something else in motion.
During Spring Training before the 1972 season, Jackson had a mustache.
Back then, there were not that much mustaches (or beards) in the Majors and some of his teammates wanted him to shave it off, but Jackson refused.
However, Charles O. Finley, who then was the team-owner, liked Jackson's mustache.
He liked it so much that he offered each player 300 dollars to also grow one.
A new tradition was born and many Oakland-players sported a mustache during these successful seasons, including Bando, Catfish Hunter, Joe Rudi and of course, the famous mustache of pitcher Rollie Fingers.
Even Manager Dick Williams grew a mustache.
Finley always liked things for publicity-stunts and always offered entertainment at the stadium.
Like a dixieland-band that performed between innings or very colorful (green) uniforms.
Due to a hamstring-injury, Jackson was unable to play during the 1972 World Series.
And so, it was thought that Oakland would not win the title.
However, the team was led by catcher Gene Tenace, who became the hero of the team by hitting four homeruns, which then equaled the record of legends Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Hank Bauer.
Tenace was the MVP of the 1972 Series.
Oakland won the first two games in Cincinnati, but then lost two of the next three at home.
Back at home, Cincinnati then forced a seventh game by winning 8-1 in Game 6.
The next day, Oakland won 3-2.
In the first inning, Gene Tenace batted in the first (unearned) run with a single.
After Cincinnati had come alongside in the fifth inning, Oakland re-took the lead in the sixth inning on back-to-back doubles by Tenace and Bando.
For the Athletics, this was its first World Series-title since 1930 when the team played in Philadelphia and then was led by legendary Manager Connie Mack.
The 1973 World Series was another exciting season-finale and again, all seven games were needed.
This time, Oakland Athletics won 4-3 against New York Mets, which then was led as Manager by legendary Yogi Berra, the former longtime catcher of New York Yankees.
In this season, Reggie Jackson was recovered from his hamstring-injury and led the team with Bando.
Jackson would be named Most Valuable Player in the American League in the 1973 season.
After five games, New York Mets led 3-2.
This time, playing at home at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, it was the Athletics-team that forced a seventh game by winning 3-1 in Game 6.
The next day, on October 21, Oakland won 5-2.
Oakland then rallied for four runs in the third inning to take a decisive lead, thanks to 2-run homeruns by Bert Campaneris and Reggie Jackson.
The latter became the Series MVP.
After Oakland had won its second title in a row, Manager Dick Williams resigned due to some conflicts with team-owner Charlie Finley.
Williams was hired by New York Yankees, but Finley protested stating that Oakland still had one year left of his contract.
And so, Williams initially was without a club when the 1974 season began, but in July he became the new Manager of California Angels.
This time, Finley agreed after talks with Gene Autry, the wellknown former actor (93 movies) and singer ('The Singing Cowboy'), who then was the owner of California, who he led in 1961-1997.
...Game 5 - World Series 1974 - 8th inning...
...Bill Bucker hits the ball in centerfield and tries to reach 3rd base...
...Rightfielder Reggie Jackson throws the ball to 2B Dick Green...
...who relays it to Sal Bando, who tags out Buckner...
...The 3B Umpire is Bill Kunkel...
...The 3B Coach is Tom Lasorda...
(Video: MLB Film) |
Al Dark was named as the successor of Williams for 1974.
As the team was still the same with all its star-players, Oakland again reached the World Series and won it again!
This time, Oakland played against Los Angeles Dodgers, which was led by wellknown Manager Walter Alston, who was the predecessor of another legend, Tom Lasorda, then the 3B Coach.
Oakland captured the title in five games in what was the first all-California World Series.
The team won the opener in Dodger Stadium, then lost the next day.
Both games ended with a 3-2 score.
The next three games were played in Oakland and again, the final scores were small.
Oakland first won 3-2, then 5-2, then again with a 3-2 score.
Closer Rollie Fingers earned a save in the final two games after having been the winning pitcher in the first game.
The righthander was named Series MVP.
In the fifth game, Oakland scored in the first inning on a sacrifice fly by Sal Bando, then added a run in the second when Ray Fosse homered.
But Los Angeles came alongside by scoring twice in the sixth inning via a sacrifice fly by Jimmy Wynn and a single by Steve Garvey.
Oakland re-took the lead in the seventh inning when Joe Rudi hit a homerun.
Los Angeles came close to tying the score again in the top of the eighth inning.
Bill Buckner led off with a single into centerfield, advances on an error by centerfielder Bill North and tries to reach third base.
However, rightfielder Reggie Jackson fields the ball and makes a great throw to second baseman Dick Green.
He then throws the ball to third baseman Sal Bando, who tags out Buckner in what was a crucial play.
With that, Oakland A's became the first team since 1953 to win three consecutive World Series.
Back then, New York Yankees had won five in a row (1949-1953).
In the following two years (1975 and 1976), it was Cincinnati Reds that won the Series to underscore that it also was one of the dominating teams in those years.
In 1975 and 1976, Sal Bando played in respectively 160 and 158 games for Oakland.
In 1975, Bando shared the lead with team-mate Phil Garner, who played in 159 games in the next season.
Bando was second-best with 87 walks, behind Gene Tenace (106).
In 1976, Bando led Oakland with 27 homeruns and was second-best in RBI's (84), behind Joe Rudi (94).
After the 1976 season, Sal Bando was a Free Agent.
He then signed a 5-year contract with Milwaukee Brewers with a total worth of 1,5 million dollars.
Bando was not the only star-player of Oakland who then was a Free Agent and signed with another club.
Infielder Bert Campaneris (Texas Rangers), closer Rollie Fingers, catcher Gene Tenace (both San Diego Padres) and outfielder Joe Rudi (California Angels) also left.
Outfielder Reggie Jackson had been traded by Oakland to Baltimore Orioles just before the start of the 1976 season.
From 1977, Jackson would play in five successful seasons with New York Yankees, earning his nickname 'Mr. October'.
In his career with the A's, Bando batted in 789 runs, which was the team-record until 1996 when it was broken by Mark McGwire.
Bando also was the A's-recordholder in homeruns with 192, until that was broken in 1991 by José Canseco.
At Oakland, short stop Bert Campaneris was Bando's teammate in all his eleven seasons.
Other longtime teammates were pitchers Paul Lindblad, Blue Moon Odom and outfielder Joe Rudi (all ten seasons), pitchers Rollie Fingers, Jim 'Catfish' Hunter, second baseman Dick Green and outfielder Reggie Jackson (all nine seasons), pitcher Vida Blue and catcher Gene Tenace (both eight seasons).
They all belonged to the core group of players of the successful teams that won the three consecutive World Series.
Other players then also included pitcher Ken Holtzman, catcher Ray Fosse and outfielders Angel Mangual and Bill North.
Of this group of players, three were elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame: Catfish Hunter (1987), Rollie Fingers (1992) and Reggie Jackson (1993).
Other teammates in his 11 seasons at Oakland included Felipe Alou, Danny Cater, John Donaldson, Dave Duncan, Phil Garner, George Hendrick, Ted Kubiak, Dal Maxvill, Rick Monday, Phil Roof, Manny Trillo, Claudell Washington and pitchers Glenn Abbott, Stan Bahnsen, Chuck Dobson, Mudcat Grant, Darold Knowles and Diego Segui.
In the eighties, Bahnsen played one season in the Dutch big league for Haarlem Nicols.
In his final two seasons at Oakland (1975, 1976), one of Sal Bando's teammates was veteran outfielder Billy Williams (Hall of Fame 1987), who had joined the team after having played in sixteen seasons for Chicago Cubs.
During the 1976 season, another future Hall of Famer played for Oakland.
That was outfielder Willie McCovey.
After having played for San Francisco Giants (15 seasons) and San Diego Padres (almost three), McCovey joined Oakland in August 1976.
When Bando was signed by Milwaukee Brewers, future Major League Commissioner Bud Selig was the team-owner and President.
In his first two seasons at Milwaukee, Sal Bando continued his dominance as solid third baseman, playing in 159 and 152 games respectively in 1977 and 1978.
In his first season with Milwaukee, he scored 65 runs, third-best of the team behind Cecil Cooper, Don Money (both 86) and Robin Yount (66).
Bando was clearly one of the offensive leaders of the team.
He was one of five players in the team with 140 or more basehits and was second-best with 82 runs batted, trailing only Don Money, who had one more.
However, Bando kept on reaching base frequently again on walks.
This time, he led his new team with 75 walks.
In his second season at Milwaukee, Sal Bando batted .285, his highest average while playing for the Brewers.
It also was the second-highest average in his career after having hit .287 while with Oakland in 1973.
Bando had another productive season, leading the team with 154 basehits, including 17 homeruns.
His 85 runs scored and 78 runs batted in were third-best.
In 1979, Bando played in 130 games, the lowest total in his career since becoming a regular in 1968.
The lowest total before this season had been 146 in 1974.
In his final two seasons, Bando became more a back-up player, playing in 78 and 32 games respectively in 1980 and 1981.
Despite playing in only 32 games in 1981, he played in all five games during the best-of-five American League Division Series against New York Yankees, who won and advanced to the World Series.
Bando batted .294 (5-for-17) with three doubles.
For Milwaukee, this was the first time the team had reached the postseason.
Bando retired after the 1981 season.
Amongst his teammates in all his five seasons at Milwaukee were Cecil Cooper, Jim Gantner, Don Money, Charlie Moore, Robin Yount (who was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1999) and pitchers Jerry Augustine, Mike Caldwell, Moose Haas and Bob McClure.
In four of his seasons, amongst his teammates were Dick Davis, Larry Hisle, Sixto Lezcano, Paul Molitor (Hall of Fame in 2004), Ben Oglivie, Gorman Thomas and pitchers Bill Castro, Jim Slaton and Larry Sorensen.
Other teammates included Steve Brye, Larry Haney, Roy Howell, Von Joshua, Buck Martinez, Jamie Quirk, Lenn Sakata, Jim Wohlford, Jim Wynn and pitchers Reggie Cleveland and Jamie Easterly.
During the 1979 season, Bando was re-united with former Oakland-teammate Ray Fosse, who then played in 19 games before retiring.
Later, Fosse became the longtime popular color commentator for television and radio covering games of Oakland A's in 36 seasons.
Fosse passed away in October 2021.
In his final season at Milwaukee (1981), Bando was re-united with another former Oakland-teammate, pitcher Rollie Fingers.
Another teammate that season was catcher Ted Simmons, who was elected into the Hall of Fame in 2020.
In his sixteen Major League-seasons, Sal Bando played in 2,019 games, including 1,896 as third baseman, which then was the third-highest total all-time.
Defensively, Bando had 3,720 assists and participated in 345 double plays, which are high totals historically for third basemen.
Bando collected 1,790 basehits in his long career, including 289 doubles, 38 triples and 242 homeruns.
He scored 982 runs, batted in 1,039 and finished with a .254 batting average.
Bando walked 1,031 times in his career.
...Players of the successful 1973 Oakland-team reunite in 2013...
...to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the World Series-title...
(Video: MLB Film) |
After he had retired as a player after completion of the 1981 season, Sal Bando became a Special Assistant at Milwaukee.
When Manager Buck Rodgers was dismissed in June of the 1982 season, Bando was offered the job as new Manager, but he declined.
However, he did travel with the team during the remainder of the season and also served in a coach-like function to support Manager Harvey Kuenn.
During the 1982 season, the former infielder was a color analyst for NBC-Television.
Bando then became a Special Assistant of Milwaukee Brewers General Manager Harry Dalton and continued to do so until 1991.
In October 1991, Sal Bando was named General Manager of Milwaukee as the successor of Dalton.
One of Bando's first action in his new role was the firing of then-Manager Tom Trebelhorn.
He was replaced by Phil Garner, who had been a teammate of Bando at Oakland in 1973-1976.
After completion of his first season as General Manager (1992), Milwaukee's longtime star-player Paul Molitor was without a contract, but wanted to re-sign with the club.
However, Milwaukee saw Molitor more as a designated hitter instead of a position-player.
Molitor then signed with Toronto Blue Jays, won the World Series with the Canadian team in 1993 and was the World Series Most Valuable Player.
Phil Garner stayed on a Milwaukee's Manager through August in the 1999 season.
Under his leadership, Milwaukee finished in second place of the American League East in his first season (1992).
Thereafter, the team dropped in the rankings, but finished third in 1996 and 1997.
After finishing fifth in 1998 and with the team again in fifth place in August 1999, Garner was fired and replaced by Jim Lefebvre.
Shortly thereafter, Bando resigned as General Manager.
In the late sixties and early seventies, active Major League-players, -coaches and -umpires frequently traveled to annual clinics in Europe that were at American military bases in Ramstein, Wiesbaden or Frankfurt in what was then West-Germany.
But there also were annual clinics in the Dutch city of Voorburg, a suburb of The Hague, which were attended by both Dutch and American coaches.
These clinics were organized by the Netherlands Baseball Coaches Association and the Educational Committee of the Dutch Federation.
Some times, the Major Leaguers who gave the clinics in West-Germany also traveled to the Netherlands.
Through the years, several wellknown active Major Leaguers came to the Netherlands to give clinics in Voorburg, including players Johnny Bench and Bob Gibson, coach Red Schoendienst, umpires Nestor Chylak, Tom Gorman and Emmett Ashford and college-coach Rod Dedeaux.
...In 1973, Sal Bando was in Voorburg (Netherlands)...
...to give a clinic for coaches and youth-players...
(© Photo: Frans Nieuwenburg, Inside Magazine) |
In February 1973, Sal Bando, then the star and captain of World Series-champion Oakland Athletics, was one ot the two active Major League-players who came to Voorburg in the Netherlands, the other being outfielder Bob Oliver, who then played for California Angels.
Oliver passed away in April 2020.
They were joined by National League-umpire Chris Pelekoudas and college-coach Lee Eilbracht, the Head Coach of the University of Illinois.
In his long career, Eilbracht led the team in 27 seasons (through 1978), winning the title in the Big Ten Conference four times.
Eilbracht also was an Assistant Coach of the USA Team that played in a demonstration-game during the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo (Japan).
Head Coach of that team was Rod Dedeaux.
All four gave successful clinics in Voorburg for interested coaches as well as youth-players.
In 2006, Sal Bando had a voice cameo in an episode of the wellknown animation-series The Simpsons.
In the episode titled 'Regarding Margie', Bando played himself.
The episode, which was the 20th of the seventeenth season was broadcast on May 7, 2006.
In 2013, Sal Bando was inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame for his accomplishments with Arizona State University.
Bando was then elected together with Tom Borland, Ralph Garr, Tino Martinez and Roy Smalley III, who all also played in the Major League.
In 2014, Sal Bando was one of the inaugural members to be named to the Milwaukee Brewers Wall of Honor.
Back then, the club established the Wall of Fame and the first group consisted of 58 persons, including 55 players, one manager, one owner and one broadcaster.
And in 2022, Sal Bando was inducted into the Oakland Atletics Hall of Fame, which was established in 2018.
Bando was part of the fourth Class to be inducted, alongside players Eric Chavez, Joe Rudi and Ray Fosse (who also was a broadcaster), Director of Player Development Keith Lieppman and Clubhouse Manager Steve Vucinich.
Oakland Athletics released the following statement:
''We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of Athletics Hall of Famer Sal Bando.
'Captain Sal', as he was affectionately known among the A’s faithful, was a four-time All-Star and led the Club to three consecutive World Series titles.
Our deepest condolences are with his family, friends, and fans''.
In a release, Milwaukee Brewers said:
,,It is with a heavy heart, the Bando family is sad to announce the passing of its beloved husband and father, Sal, who last night lost his battle with cancer that began over five years ago.
Sandy, Sal's wife of 54 years, and sons Sal Jr., Sonny and Stef, send their love to family, friends and fans who mourn the loss of a humble and faithful man''.
Rick Schlesinger, President of Business Operations of Milwaukee, said:
,,We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Sal Bando.
Sal impacted the organization proudly for many years as both a player and as an executive.
His addition to the team in 1977 helped establish the first great era of Brewers baseball.
Our heartfelt condolences go out to Sal's loved ones''.
The webmaster of Grand Slam * Stats & News offers his condolences to the family and friends of Sal Bando and wishes them a lot of strength with this big loss.
(February 14)
|
