Alvin Ralph Dark Malaria and diphtheria prevented Dark from being able to attend school until he turned seven, but by the time he reached high school, he was playing baseball, basketball, and football. As a tailback, Dark was an All State and All Southern player for Lake Charles High School, and he captained the basketball team as well. The school did not have a baseball team, but Dark played American Legion baseball in his teens. He was offered a basketball scholarship from Texas A&M University, but he turned it down in favor of a baseball and basketball scholarship from Louisiana State University (LSU). During his sophomore year in 1942–43, he lettered in baseball, basketball, and football. Used as a halfback by the football team, he averaged 7.2 yards rushing, gaining 433 yards on 60 attempts. "A month after I got back to the States, I received word that the Marines who took our place were ambushed in the Communist town and massacred," he wrote in his autobiography. Upon his return to the States in 1946, Dark discovered he had been drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1945 NFL Draft. He preferred baseball over football, however, and Ted McGrew, a scout for the Boston Braves, was impressed with Dark's "tenacity and competitive spirit in all sports," according to Eric Aron of the Society for American Baseball Research. Dark signed a $50,000 contract with the Braves on July 4, 1946, joining them 10 days later when his military service ended. On August 8, he had his first hit, doubling against Lefty Hoerst as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Braves by a score of 9–8. In 1947, Dark hoped to be the Braves' starting shortstop, but manager Billy Southworth elected to go with the veteran Sibby Sisti at the position. He batted .303 with 10 home runs and 66 runs batted in (RBI). Defensively, though he led the league in errors, he earned a reputation for steady play at the shortstop position. In just his second game of the year, the second half of a doubleheader against the New York Giants, Dark had a season high three RBI despite not entering the game until the third inning. From June 20 through July 11, Dark had a 23 game hitting streak, three short of Guy Curtright's record for rookies. During that streak, he hit his first major league home run, against Elmer Singleton in a 12–3 win over the Pirates. In his first full major league season, Dark ranked among the NL leaders in batting average (.322, fourth), hits (175, fifth), and doubles (39, third behind Stan Musial's 46 and Del Ennis's 40). He scored 85 runs, hit three home runs, and had 48 RBI. Dark was named the MLB Rookie of the Year in 1948, the second winner of the award (after Jackie Robinson) and the last winner before the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) started giving separate awards for the best rookie in the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). Dark also finished third in MLB MVP voting in 1948 after playing a vital part of the Braves' run to the pennant, their first since 1914. He struggled in the World Series, though, hitting only .167 as the Braves dropped the World Series to the Cleveland Indians, four games to two. In Game 3, he committed an error that allowed Gene Bearden to score the first run of the game in a 2–0 loss to the Indians. Dark remained the Braves' starting shortstop in 1949. He had four hits on May 13 in a 10 inning, 6–5 win over the Brooklyn Dodgers. On May 18 and May 21, he had three RBI games, in a 13–9 loss to the Cincinnati Reds and an 8–2 victory over the Pirates. He had two hits and three RBI on August 20, in a 4–0 victory over the Dodgers. In 130 games (529 at bats), Dark batted .276 with 74 runs scored, 146 hits, three home runs, and 53 RBI. He finished 25th in MVP voting after the season. Dark said, "I think Leo chose me because he knew Stanky would be the way he was regardless, and he wanted me to develop more of that brashness Stanky had and Leo loved." In the first game of a doubleheader against the Reds on May 20, 1950, Dark had four hits in an 8–0 victory. He hit a three run home run against Bud Podbielan in the second game of a doubleheader against the Dodgers on July 4, but that was all the scoring for the Giants as they lost 5–3. On July 23, against the Chicago Cubs in Game 2 of a doubleheader, he had a home run and a two RBI single against Johnny Schmitz as the Giants won 3–0. In the second game of a doubleheader versus the Cubs on August 2, he had a bases clearing triple against Johnny Klippstein and an RBI sacrifice fly against Doyle Lade as the Giants won 8–6. On September 9, his home runs against Preacher Roe were the only scores in a 2–0 win over the Dodgers. In 154 games, Dark batted .279 with 79 runs scored, 164 hits, 16 home runs, and 67 RBI. In May 1951, Dark had four RBI games on the first, the fifth, and the ninth, racking up four hits in each of the latter two contests; the Giants won each of the games. He had his third four hit game of the month on May 25, adding two RBI in an 8–5 victory over the Phillies. Against the Cubs on June 9, Dark hit a three run home run in the fourth inning against Paul Minner, then delivered the second of back to back home runs off Bob Schultz in the fifth inning (with Stanky) as the Giants won 10–1. Dark made the NL All Star team for the first time in 1951. In an 8–5 win over the Phillies on August 17, Dark again had four hits, this time scoring three runs. During Game 2 of a doubleheader against the Braves on September 5, he had four hits in a 9–1 victory. On September 16, in the second game of a doubleheader against the Pirates at Forbes Field, he had four hits, including an inside the park home run against Bill Werle as the Giants won 6–4. In 156 games, Dark had 14 home runs and 69 RBI. Although he led NL shortstops with 45 errors, Dark also led in putouts (295), assists (465) and double plays (114). In Game 1 of the 1951 World Series against the New York Yankees, Dark hit a three run home run against Allie Reynolds, helping the Giants to a 5–1 victory. He had an RBI single against Vic Raschi in Game 3, which the Giants won 6–2. In Game 4, he had three doubles, though the Yankees won that game 6–2. Ultimately, Dark had a hit in every game of the series, batting .417, but the Giants fell to the Yankees in six games. The following year, 1952, Dark picked up where he'd left off. He had three hits and two runs scored, including a home run against Howie Pollet, on June 8, 1952, in a 9–1 victory over the Pirates. On June 29, he had three runs scored, three hits, and three RBI in a 12–3 victory over the Phillies. For the second year in a row, he was selected to the All Star Game, though he did not play this time because Hamner started for the NL, and Durocher (the manager) let all the starting players (except the pitcher) play the whole game. In the first game of a doubleheader against the Cubs on July 30, his eighth inning three run home run against Bob Rush gave the Giants three insurance runs in their 10–6 victory. He had three hits in each of three wins in a row over the Pirates on August 26, 27, and 28. On September 24, he had five hits and three runs scored, including a home run against Sheldon Jones as the Giants defeated Boston 11–8 in the first game of a doubleheader. In 151 games, Dark had 14 home runs and 73 RBI. Though he lost Stanky as a double play partner (the second baseman had been traded to the Cardinals before the season), Dark still led the NL with 116 double plays turned as shortstop, now working with Davey Williams at second base. He also led the NL in putouts for the second straight year, with 324. After having made $25,000 the year before, Dark held out at the beginning of spring training, seeking a higher salary for 1953, as Reese of the Dodgers had made $40,000 the year before. Once spring training was underway, there were reports that Dark was playing indifferently at second base, hoping to force the team to move him back to shortstop. Durocher held a press conference at his hotel room to address the rumors on March 20, and Dark barged in as it was going on. "I have told Leo I will play second, third, or anywhere else he wants me to if he thinks it will improve the club," Dark said, and Durocher concurred that there was no ill feeling between him and Dark. John Drebinger of The New York Times doubted that Dark had played indifferently, noting that his worst day as a fielder in spring training occurred in a game in which he was playing shortstop, a game he had insisted on playing even though he was "not feeling well" that day. Durocher shifted him to left field on June 21, then to second base on June 25, as Spencer began to get time at short. He scored four runs and had three RBI in a 20–6 victory over Brooklyn on July 5, including a two run home run against Clem Labine. After spending much of July playing second base, Dark was shifted back to shortstop for the rest of the season on July 29, as Spencer's batting average had been low the past month. He had back to back four hit games in victories over the Cubs on August 31 and September 1. In 155 games, Dark batted .300 with 88 RBI. His 23 home runs were a record for NL shortstops at the time, though Ernie Banks would break it two years later by hitting 44. Spencer departed to serve in the United States Army in 1954, leaving the shortstop position unquestionably Dark's. He had five hits, two runs scored, and two RBI, including a home run against Rush, on May 14 in a 9–6 victory over the Cubs. On June 3, he had four hits and scored five runs in a 13–8 victory over the Cardinals. He had four hits against Cincinnati the next day, then had back to back four hit games again against the Milwaukee Braves on June 8 and 9. In the first game of a doubleheader against the Phillies on July 5, Dark had four hits, three runs scored, and an RBI in a 10–0 victory. On July 10, he hit a grand slam against Max Surkont, but the home run came in a 10–7 loss to Pittsburgh. He was the starting shortstop in the All Star Game, recording a single against Bob Keegan in the NL's 11–9 loss to the AL. On August 6, he hit a solo home run against Gene Conley of the Braves. Next time Dark batted, Conley threw a pitch towards his chin, leaving Dark face first on the ground as the hitter dove out of the way. He had four hit games on August 14 and September 1, but these both came in losses. His 20 home runs made him the first NL shortstop to hit at least 20 home runs in multiple seasons. In the 1954 World Series, the Giants faced the Cleveland Indians, who had set an AL record with 111 wins. Dark batted .412 with a hit in every game. In the World Series parade, Dark rode in the first car with Willie Mays in front of 500,000 parade goers in New York City. It was decided that the first runner to reach third base would be charged with this task. On the following day, with the Giants trailing Brooklyn 5–3 in the ninth, Dark hit a two run home run against Billy Loes to tie the game; the Giants won the next inning 11–10. In the second game of a doubleheader against the Cubs on May 15, Dark had four hits and scored two runs in a 9–4 victory. He hit a three run home run against Murry Dickson on July 7 in an 8–5 victory over the Phillies. In the second game of a doubleheader against Cincinnati on August 7, Dark hurt his rib after colliding with first baseman Ted Kluszewski. He thought the injury was a bruise and tried to play again on August 14, but he had to leave that game early and was later diagnosed with a broken rib. The injury kept him out until September 1, but he only played two games upon his return before he tripped over a base in a game against the Phillies on September 2, separating his shoulder. That injury kept him out the rest of the season. Together, the injuries cost Dark 40 games. In 115 games, Dark batted .282 with 77 runs scored, 134 hits, 20 doubles, nine home runs, and 45 RBI. Recovered from his injuries by 1956, Dark was back in the lineup for Opening Day. He batted .364 in April but only hit .222 in his next 37 games, through June 15. That June, the Giants were searching for a second baseman. Meanwhile, the Cardinals wanted a shortstop and also desired to trade second baseman Red Schoendienst, as prospect Don Blasingame seemed ready to take over the position and St. Louis wanted to trade the veteran before his skills declined. On June 14, Dark, Lockman, Ray Katt, Don Liddle, and cash were traded to the Cardinals for Schoendienst, Bill Sarni, Dick Littlefield, Jackie Brandt, and two players to be named later (eventually Bob Stephenson and Gordon Jones). The next day, Dark had four hits and three RBI, including a tie breaking two run double in the eighth inning against Hoyt Wilhelm as the Cardinals defeated New York by a score of 7–5. In the third game of the series, he had three RBI in a 5–2 victory. Then, in the first game of a July 15 doubleheader against Philadelphia, he had three hits, two runs scored, and four RBI in St. Louis's 9–1 victory. On September 14, Dark had four hits and scored three runs, including a two run home run against Mike McCormick, in a 9–4 victory over the Giants. In 100 games for St. Louis, Dark batted .286 with 54 runs scored, 118 hits, four home runs, and 37 RBI. He hit only four home runs in 1957, three of which came against the Giants. In Game 1 of a doubleheader against Cincinnati on May 30, he had three RBI in a 7–2 victory. On June 11, he had four hits and an RBI in a 5–2 victory over the Phillies. He had four hits, two runs scored, and an RBI on July 3 in a 5–4 victory over the Cubs. On July 31, he had four hits and two RBI in a 5–1 victory over the Giants. He had three RBI in a 10–1 victory over the Braves on September 1. In 140 games, Dark batted .290 with 80 runs scored, 169 hits, 25 doubles, and 64 RBI. He started the year at shortstop but, after making two errors in his first four games, was moved to third base in favor of Ducky Schofield. After batting .297 in 18 games, Dark was traded to the Cubs on May 20 for Jim Brosnan. He had three hits, three RBI, and a run scored on May 23 in an 11–4 victory over the Phillies. On June 20, he had four hits and three RBI in an 11–3 victory over Cincinnati. Two days later, in the second game of a doubleheader against Cincinnati, he had two hits and three RBI in an 8–6 victory. In the second game of a doubleheader against the Phillies on July 13, he had four hits and scored both Cub runs in a 2–1 victory. His two RBI single against Don Erickson in the 10th inning on September 16 snapped an 8–8 tie in a 10–8 victory over the Phillies. In 114 games with the Cubs, Dark batted .295 with 54 runs scored, 137 hits, 16 doubles, three home runs, and 43 RBI. He had three hits, scored three runs, and had two RBI on May 13 in a 10–0 win over Cincinnati. On June 30, in a game against the Cardinals, Dark had a role in one of baseball history's most unusual plays. Musial was at the plate, with a count of 3–1. Pitcher Bob Anderson threw a wild pitch that evaded catcher Sammy Taylor and rolled all the way to the backstop. Umpire Vic Delmore called ball four, but Anderson and Taylor contended that Musial foul tipped the ball. As the ball was still in play, and because Delmore was embroiled in an argument with the catcher and pitcher, Musial decided to try to advance to second base. Seeing that Musial was trying for second, Dark ran to the backstop to retrieve the ball. A ball boy had tossed it towards field announcer Pat Pieper, who was in charge of holding baseballs for the umpire, but Dark picked it up before it could get to Pieper. Absentmindedly, however, Delmore pulled out a new ball and gave it to Taylor. Anderson finally noticed that Musial was trying for second, took the new ball, and threw it to second baseman Tony Taylor. Anderson's throw flew over Tony Taylor's head into the outfield. Dark, at the same time that Anderson threw the new ball, threw the original ball to Banks. Musial did not see Dark's throw and tried to go to third base, having seen Anderson's ball fly over the second baseman's head. On his way there, he was tagged by Banks, and after a delay, Musial was ruled out. Still, the Cardinals won the game by a score of 4–1. Dark hit only six home runs in 1959, three of which came in consecutive games from August 11–13. His two run double against Jack Sanford provided the only runs for Chicago in a 2–1 victory over the Giants on September 4. On September 26, he hit a three run home run against Podres in a 12–2 victory over the Dodgers. In 136 games, he batted .264 with 60 runs scored, 126 hits, 22 doubles, a career high nine triples, and 45 RBI. He began the year as Philadelphia's starting third baseman. Facing the Braves in the second game of the year, on April 14, he notched his 2,000th hit, a single against Don McMahon in a 10 inning, 5–4 victory. He hit back to back home runs against the Dodgers on May 6 and 7. Dark hit .298 in 50 games for Milwaukee. Over a 14 year major league career, Dark recorded a .289 career batting average, 2,089 hits, 358 doubles, 126 home runs, 1,064 runs scored, and 757 RBI over 1,828 games played. Defensively, he recorded a .959 fielding percentage. Giants owner Horace Stoneham tried to fill coaching vacancies with former Giants players, rewarding loyalty to the organization. Upon becoming manager of the Giants, one of the first things Dark did was rearrange the team's locker assignments so that players were no longer grouped by race. Tex Maule of Sports Illustrated wrote in May 1961, "the Giants are no longer a conglomerate of stars, divided roughly along color lines, with no sense of being a team." During a fit of rage following a 1–0 loss to the Phillies on June 26, Dark threw a metal stool against the wall, then realized he'd lost part of the tip of his little finger. "I made up my mind two weeks ago not to take my anger out on the players. So, I guess I took it out on myself tonight," he quipped. One sore spot in the rivalry concerned infield dirt. The Dodgers used to pack the dirt at Dodger Stadium tightly, creating a hard infield that made it easier for Maury Wills, who would steal 104 bases in 1962, to run on. When Dark's complaints fell on deaf ears, he decided to get revenge at Candlestick Park. Before a Dodger series with three weeks to go in the season, Dark had the groundskeepers soak the infield around first base; the muddy soil prevented anybody from getting enough of a foothold to steal bases. For the incident, Dark earned the nickname "The Swamp Fox." The Dodgers had a four game lead with seven games to go in the season, but San Francisco pulled into a tie on the final day of the season, necessitating another tie breaker series. Prevailing in three games, the Giants faced the Yankees in the World Series. In a nailbiter, the teams forced the series all the way to its maximum seven games, with the Giants losing 1–0 in the series finale after Bobby Richardson snared a Willie McCovey line drive that likely would have won the series for the Giants had it been a hit. Dark had a rocky relationship with Orlando Cepeda, one of the Giants' most popular players. During 1963 spring training, while Cepeda was refusing to play in hopes of getting a higher paying contract, Dark revealed to the press that he had a point system by which he rated the players. When asked about Cepeda, Dark responded, "He's got more minuses than anybody." "It may have been unfair for me to bring it up," Dark admitted later. In 1964, Dark named Willie Mays the captain of the Giants, making Mays the first African American captain in Major League Baseball. "You should have had it long before this," Dark told the player. Sports Illustrated reported on July 6 that Stoneham was thinking of firing Dark amidst rumors that the two were not speaking. On July 23, Dark became embroiled in controversy when Stan Isaacs of Newsday quoted him as saying the number of black and Hispanic players on the team was a source of trouble: "They are just not able to perform up to the white player when it comes to mental alertness." Dark responded that he had been severely misquoted; Mays, whom he had named as team captain, met with several of the black and Hispanic players at the Carlton House in Pittsburgh (where the Giants were on a road trip) and calmed the team, reminding them that their best chance of winning came if Dark remained the manager the rest of the year. "I have known Dark for many years, and my relationships with him have always been exceptional," said Jackie Robinson. "I have found him to be a gentleman and, above all, unbiased." "You don't have to be prejudiced if you are accused of it," Dark later wrote in his autobiography. "The accusation convicts you every time." The Giants were contenders for the pennant most of the season, and they ended the year just three games out of first place; however, in 1964, that was fourth place in a close three way race. Stoneham fired Dark during the sixth inning of the last game of the season, after the Giants had been eliminated from playoff contention. With a month to go in the season, Dark was hired as an assistant to Kansas City Athletics owner Charlie Finley. After the season, he was named manager of the last place Athletics, who had lost 103 games in 1965. Their seventh place finish in 1966 was Kansas City's finest since Finley had purchased the team, and the grateful owner rewarded Dark with a Cadillac after the season. Their record was not quite as good in 1967, as Dark piloted them to a 52–69 record in their first 131 games. His second season with the Athletics ended in August, due to a disagreement over player discipline after Finley fined and suspended pitcher Lew Krausse Jr. for his behavior on a team flight. In a seven hour meeting, Finley fired his manager, decided to rehire him, then fired him again when he was presented with a player's statement backing Dark and criticizing Finley's use of spies to keep tabs on the players. Additionally, Finley released first baseman Ken Harrelson, who had also stood up for Krausse. Harrelson dubbed Finley "a menace to the sport." After an initial third place season, Dark requested and was given the additional duties of general manager, but having the field manager negotiate the players' contracts proved an untenable situation. Over the next two seasons, the team slumped to a 62–99 record in 1969 and a 76–86 finish in 1970. With the team in last place in the AL East in mid 1971 and attendance down by 60,000, Dark was fired on July 29. Because he had signed a five year contract with the team in 1969, Cleveland had to continue to pay him through the 1973 season. Noren and Vern Hoscheit, the bullpen coach, were replaced in July. Dark also had trouble earning the respect of Athletics pitchers such as Vida Blue and Ken Holtzman. Frequently, when he went out to the mound to replace the starter, the pitchers would disrespectfully flip the baseball to him instead of handing it over. In July, Dark had finally had enough. "I made up my mind to have a squad meeting [on July 14] at the park," he said. In the speech, he criticized the team for their attitudes, fining Blue $250. (Sparky Anderson, Dick Williams, Tony La Russa, Jim Leyland, and Joe Maddon have since accomplished that feat.) In the World Series, the Athletics faced the Dodgers in the first World Series composed of only California teams. Entering the 1975 season, the Athletics had to cope with the loss of pitcher Catfish Hunter, winner of 20 or more games four straight seasons, who had used a contract breach to become a free agent and sign with the Yankees. Still, the team posted a 55–32 record in the first half of the season, and seven Athletics were part of the AL All Star Team, managed by Dark. The team won the AL West by seven games over the runner up Kansas City Royals; however, they were swept in the ALCS by the Boston Red Sox. When Finley announced Dark would not return for 1976, he stated that the manager was "too busy with church activities." His tenure with the Cubs was short lived, as on May 28, he was hired to replace John McNamara as manager of the San Diego Padres. Dark ended his managerial career with a 994–954 record, good for a .510 winning percentage. He went beyond traditional statistics in evaluating players, using a point system to determine who his best were. Hits in key situations or hits that advanced a runner garnered points for players, but miscues such as overrunning a base or ignoring a sign would lead to a deduction. "There are winning .275 hitters and losing .310 hitters," Dark said of his system. Cepeda had a rather low score, which annoyed the player once he found out about it.