Word: veeck
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...what happens on the track. On opening day three months ago, Veeck parlayed the current publicity for girl jockeys into a $10,000 Lady Godiva Handicap ("Eight fillies on eight fillies"). Two weeks ago, he introduced the $252,750 Yankee Gold Cup, America's richest race on grass...
Technically, the race was a fiasco; among other things, Veeck allowed 14 starters-at least two too many for comfort on the narrow track. Still, he insists that the event was remarkably successful as a trial run. "After all," he says, "we're showing people that we're trying to improve the quality of the sport in this area." Quality, in fact, is the keynote of Veeck's latest pitch. "You shoot off your fireworks and pull your stunts," he says, "but all that is frosting on the cake. Great racing is the thing...
Lots of Frosting. It is, but Veeck still does not stint on the frosting. In recent weeks, he has rewarded fans with such door prizes as 2,000 coloring books, a lifetime supply of balloons and 1,000 hot dogs. Between races, he has minstrels strolling around the grandstand. To lure more women to the betting windows, he is talking about exchanging trading stamps for each losing ticket...
...gimmickry recalls the Veeck of old, who was baseball's most imaginative impresario. While operating the Cleveland Indians (1946-49), the St. Louis Browns (1951-53) and the White Sox (1959-61), he annoyed fellow owners by introducing jugglers and tightrope walkers into the pre-game festivities and staging cow-milking contests for players. Though Veeck is perhaps best remembered as the man who sent a 3-ft. 7-in. midget to bat against the Detroit Tigers,* he also performed some praiseworthy services for the game. He broke the color barrier in the American League by hiring Outfielder Larry...
...trouble was, says Veeck, "baseball was becoming boring. More games, more clubs, less talent and duller stretches than ever before." He opted for horse racing because "nine times a day you have something exciting happening. That's something most ball clubs can't guarantee these days." Win or lose, he says, "we promise that the fan will have a little fun." Even more, once Veeck gets around to installing the steam calliope that he recently bought...