Manager Chuck Tanner on Why Sports Prevents Revolutions in Society

Chuck Tanner (7/4/28-2/11/11) was a left-handed batter and thrower, who signed his first contract with the Boston Braves. He played for eight seasons (1955 - 1962) for four different teams: the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Angels, as well as the Braves (then based in Milwaukee) and the Indians. In 396 games played, Tanner batted .261 with 21 home runs.In 1963 he began managing in the Angels' minor league system, where in 1970 he led the AAA Hawaii Islanders to 98 wins in 146 games and the Pacific Coast League pennant. He then received his first major league managing assignment in 1970 with the Chicago White Sox.With the White Sox, Tanner managed the temperamental Dick Allen. His most successful season with the Sox came in 1972, when he managed them to a close second-place finish in the AL West behind the eventual World Series champion Oakland Athletics. Tanner managed the Sox until 1975.In 1976, Charles Finley hired Tanner to manage the Oakland Athletics. With speedy players such as Bert Campaneris, Bill North, and Don Baylor, Tanner made the A's into a running team, stealing a major league-record 341 bases. Before the 1977 season, the A's were in the process of trading off many of their stars of the great team that won three straight championships from 1972-74. Part of the sell-off was the trading of Tanner's services to the Pittsburgh Pirates for an aging Manny Sanguillen. He reached the pinnacle of his managerial career in '79 with the World Champion Pittsburgh Pirates. Tanner was well known for his unrelenting optimism, which permeated his teams. The Pirates won in 79 after falling behind, 3-1 in the World Series. Tanner finished his managerial career with the Atlanta Braves.He is the father of former MLB player and coach Bruce Tanner. In 2006, he was invited to be a coach in the 2006 All Star game by NL manager Phil Garner, and threw out the first pitch.