Earlier this month, the Museum of the City of New York hosted a program on Casey Stengel, the famous outfielderand manager, called “Casey Stengel's Baseball, The Greatest Character of the Game.” More than 100 people gathered at the museum to hear Steve Steinberg, coauthor of 1921:The Yankees, the Giants, and the Battle for Baseball Supremacy in New York and a panel of people giving their insights to Stengel’s life. For those of you who are diehard baseball history fans, Steve Steinberg took detailed notes. Following is a rundownof the panel discussion that night, complete with many nuggets of baseball trivia.

Guest post by Steve Steinberg

*Marty Appel spoke of his memories of Casey, both as a youngster and when he actually interacted with Casey, as Publicit yDirector of the Yankees. He spoke of how close the Yankees cameto not hiring Casey- had Bucky Harris won the 1948 pennant for the Yankees (they fell just short), he would not
have been let go. Marty touched on the difficulty some of the old guard (DiMaggio, Rizzuto) had with their new manager and how Casey dealt with them. Marty talked about the similarities between the Yankees letting Casey and Joe Torre go- both men relieved before they should have gone.
*Steve Goldman (author of FORGING GENIUS: THE MAKING OF CASEY STENGEL) gave insight into the reasons why Case ycould not succeed in Brooklyn and Boston (the Braves), with two franchises that had serious financial problems. Steve explained how Phil Rizzuto's belittling of Casey led him to take a
closer look at this misunderstood man and how Steve began to realize that Casey's 25 years before the Yankees were critical to understanding his success in New York.
*Jim Kaplan (coauthor with Ira Berkow of THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CASEY) shared the skill with which Casey approached different players differently, based on their different needs. Jim quoted from different players and the respect they had for their managers and why.
*Toni Mollett, Casey's grandniece, provided intimate remembrances of the man who treated her as his granddaughterand her memories of travelling with him with the Mets in the early years and again in 1969. They would take a walk around the block of the Essex Housein Manhattan each evening- a short
walk interrupted by countless fans approaching Casey, asking for autographs,etc. Casey considered it his role with the Mets at the start to be that link to the public, a role in which he succeeded so well.
*Moderator Dan Fost (authorof GIANTS PAST AND PRESENT) led the panel with a give-and-take on subjects as diverse as Casey's differences and similarities to McGraw, and how Casey dealt with superstars.Dan also shared some stories that Yogi Berra had shared with us the previous day, including how Casey brought Bill Dickey out of retirement to nurture Yogi and how Casey depended on Yogi
to call the pitches and the signal Yogi used to give Casey when he felt a pitcher was tiring.
*A lively Q & A followed,with questions covering everything from Casey's use of his pitching staff to the extent of his role and responsibility for the slow integration of the Yankees.

The biggest applause of the night came when I least expected it-
when the Museum Director of Programs mentioned in his intros that 1921 had
been awarded the 2011 Seymour Medal, for best baseball book of 2010.

Among the audience was senior New York Times sportswriter George Vecsey
and novelist/journalist Kevin Baker, author of the City of Fire Trilogy and
the contemporary baseball novel, Sometimes You See it Coming. Also present
were the officers of the local chapterof SABR, the Society for American
Baseball Research, aptly named the Casey Stengel Chapter.

Sportswriter Red Smith once wrote that Casey Stengel should be reintroduced to the public every ten years or so. He's that important of a leader, and contributor to the National Pastime. Perhaps we'll do a reprise of this event in 2021.