Fred Claire
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Fred Claire (born October 5, 1935) is a former
major league baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
executive who served in numerous roles for the
Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
from 1969–1998 including the role of
general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...
from 1987 to 1998.


Early life

Claire was born on October 5, 1935 in
Jamestown, Ohio Jamestown is a village in Greene County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,993 at the 2010 census. Joshua Bradley is the current mayor. Jamestown is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Jamestown was platted in 1816 ...
. His father owned and operated a drugstore. Claire has one brother and a sister. In 1950, Marston and Mary Francis Claire moved their family to
Torrance, CA Torrance is a city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay region of the metropolitan area. Torrance has of beachfront on the Pacific O ...
, a suburb of
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
. Fred graduated from
Torrance High School Torrance High School is a high school located in Torrance, California. Founded in 1917, it is one of the oldest high schools in continuous use in California and is the oldest of the four high schools in the Torrance Unified School District. Four ...
, then obtained his
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in journalism from San Jose State University. He holds an Associate of Arts degree from Mt. San Antonio College and has been honored by the college as an outstanding alumnus. He also attended
El Camino College El Camino College (Elco or ECC) is a two-year public community college located in the unincorporated area of Los Angeles County known as Alondra Park.Baseball Magazine ''Baseball Magazine'' is a now-defunct baseball magazine, the first monthly baseball magazine published in the United States. The magazine was founded by Boston sportswriter Jake Morse prior to the 1908 season. It continued publishing until Se ...
'' called "Make Way for the Coast League" which discussed baseball on the west coast and turning the Pacific Coast League into a Major League. Throughout the late 1950s and 1960s, Claire worked as a sports editor/sports writer for the '' Whittier Daily News'', the ''
Pomona Progress-Bulletin The ''Inland Valley Daily Bulletin'' is a daily newspaper based in Rancho Cucamonga, California, serving the Pomona Valley and southwest San Bernardino County. The ''Daily Bulletin'' is a member of the Southern California News Group (formerly th ...
'', and the '' Long Beach Independent Press-Telegram''. He married and had three children, Jen, Jeff, and Kim.


Dodgers Public Relations executive

In the spring of 1969, Fred was assigned to cover the Dodgers during spring training in
Vero Beach, FL Vero Beach is a city in and the seat of Indian River County, Florida, United States. Vero Beach is the second most populous city in Indian River County. Abundant in beaches and wildlife, Vero Beach is located on Florida's Treasure Coast. It is th ...
for the Press-Telegram. During the season, one of the assistants in the public relations department for the Dodgers was fired. Claire expressed his interest in the position to Dodger executives and was hired in July 1969. He worked in that same position until 1975 when his boss, Dodgers
vice president A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...
of public relations, Red Patterson, left to work for the California Angels. Claire moved into Patterson's position. During his time as VP of Public Relations, he was instrumental in creating the branding that came to be known as "
Dodger blue Dodger blue is a rich bright tone of the color azure named for its use in the uniform of the Los Angeles Dodgers. It is also a web color used in the design of web pages. The web color is not used in the Dodgers' uniform but rather resembles th ...
" and the subsequent "Think Blue" campaign and also the hiring of announcer Ross Porter. Porter would remain a Dodger announcer from 1977 until 2004.


Dodgers general manager

On April 6, 1987, Dodgers General Manager
Al Campanis Alexander Sebastian Campanis (Greek: Αλέξανδρος Σεβαστιανός Καμπάνης; November 2, 1916 – June 21, 1998) was an American executive in Major League Baseball (MLB). He had a brief major league playing career, as a ...
accepted the offer to appear on the '' Nightline'' television show to talk about his thoughts on the 40th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier. Campanis did not alert anyone in the Dodgers organization that he would be on the show. When Campanis was asked why he felt there were not
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
baseball managers, he stated, "I truly believe they may not have some of the necessities to be, let's say, a field manager, or perhaps, a general manager. Why are black people not good swimmers? Because they don't have
buoyancy Buoyancy (), or upthrust, is an upward force exerted by a fluid that opposes the weight of a partially or fully immersed object. In a column of fluid, pressure increases with depth as a result of the weight of the overlying fluid. Thus the ...
." These comments stunned the baseball world. Campanis, who did not have a reputation as a racist and was one of the few Dodger players to welcome Robinson during his debut, was forced to resign his post with the Dodgers with Claire assuming player personnel responsibilities. Dodgers president
Peter O'Malley Peter O'Malley (born December 12, 1937) is an American former owner (1979–98) and president (1970–98) of the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Life and sports O'Malley was born at Carson C. Peck Memorial Hospital in Brookly ...
moved Claire into the general manager position. After a dismal 1987 season, Claire rebuilt the team into an instant playoff contender. During the offseason before the 1988 season, Claire acquired veteran
outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...
s
Kirk Gibson Kirk Harold Gibson (born May 28, 1957) is an American former professional baseball player and manager. He is currently a color commentator for the Detroit Tigers on Bally Sports Detroit and a special assistant for the Tigers. As a player, Gibson ...
and Mike Davis, veteran
shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...
Alfredo Griffin Alfredo Claudino Baptist Read Griffin (born October 6, 1957) is a Dominican former professional baseball player. He played shortstop in Major League Baseball (MLB) for four teams from 1976 to 1993. Playing career Griffin began his career as a m ...
, and
pitchers In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a ...
Jay Howell Jay Canfield Howell (born November 26, 1955) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds (1980), Chicago Cubs (1981), New York Yankees (1982–1984), Oakland Athletics (1985–1987), Los Angeles Dodgers (1988–1992), ...
and
Jesse Orosco Jesse Russell Orosco (born April 21, 1957) is a Mexican American former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who holds the major league record for career pitching appearances, having pitched in 1,252 games. He pitched most notably for the New ...
. The Dodgers would go on to win the 1988
World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
against the heavily favored Oakland Athletics in just five games. His later moves were not as successful. On November 8, 1990 the Dodgers gave
free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
outfielder Darryl Strawberry a five-year contract worth $20 million. At the time it looked like a good deal. Strawberry hit 37
home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
s with a .277
batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
in 1989 for the
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
. However, Strawberry's time with the Dodgers was characterized by chronic back problems, drug abuse and overall underachievement. The following year, on November 27, 1991, Claire traded pitchers
Tim Belcher Timothy Wayne Belcher (born October 19, 1961) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1987 to 2000 for seven different teams. He was named ''The Sporting News'' Rookie Pitcher of the Year ...
and
John Wetteland John Karl Wetteland (born August 21, 1966) is an American former baseball pitcher who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (1989–2000). He pitched for four teams: the Los Angeles Dodgers, Montreal Expos, New York Yankees, and Texas Rang ...
to the Cincinnati Reds for outfielder Eric Davis and pitcher
Kip Gross Kip Lee Gross (born August 24, 1964) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played for the Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers, Nippon-Ham Fighters, Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros in Major League Baseball and Nippon Professi ...
. It was supposed to set up a reunion of childhood friends Strawberry and Davis. However, Davis was also plagued by injuries throughout his less than 2-year stint with the Dodgers. He was traded to the Detroit Tigers in August 1993. Wetteland, was traded from the Reds to the
Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...
less than a month after he had joined the Reds. Wetteland went on to become one of the most dominating relief pitchers in the MLB throughout the rest of the 1990s. Darryl Strawberry was given his outright release on May 26, 1994 after he failed to show up to a game. The transaction even Claire would later regret occurred in 1994. In need of a second baseman after a contract dispute with
Jody Reed Jody may refer to: *Jody (given name), a list of people with the given name *Jody (singer), French singer, real name Julie Erikssen * "Jody" (song), 1986 single by Jermaine Stewart *"Jody", a 1982 song by America from ''View from the Ground'' *"Jod ...
, Claire sent the talented
Pedro Martínez Pedro Jaime Martínez (born October 25, 1971) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball starting pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from to , for five teams—most notably the Boston Red Sox from to . At the time o ...
to Montreal for
Delino DeShields Delino Lamont DeShields (born January 15, 1969), also nicknamed "Bop", is an American former professional baseball second baseman and current first base coach for the Cincinnati Reds. He played for 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for ...
. Martinez became one of the best pitchers in the MLB for the next decade and a half. Martinez was selected to 8 All Star teams and won the Cy Young Award in 1997, 1999 and 2000 and, eventually, was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Deshields spent three years as the Dodgers starting second baseman in which he was more known for his various injuries and numerous complaints that the Dodgers did not have enough black players on the team.


FOX takeover/Claire's removal

Claire continued as the Dodger general manager through the 1997 season. When
Rupert Murdoch Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian-born American business magnate. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of local, national, and international publishing outlets around the world, including ...
's
News Corporation News Corporation (abbreviated News Corp.), also variously known as News Corporation Limited, was an American multinational mass media corporation controlled by media mogul Rupert Murdoch and headquartered at 1211 Avenue of the Americas in New ...
, owner of the
Fox network The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations ...
and
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
purchased the team in 1998, officials stated that Claire and Field Manager
Bill Russell William Felton Russell (February 12, 1934 – July 31, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. A five-time NBA Most Va ...
would remain in their positions. On May 15, 1998, new Dodger officials made a blockbuster trade without the involvement or knowledge of General Manager Claire, a move that was unheard of in baseball at the time. The trade was one of the biggest in Dodger history. The Dodgers traded
Mike Piazza Michael Joseph Piazza ( ; born September 4, 1968) is an American former professional baseball catcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1992 to 2007. He currently serves as the manager of the Italian national baseball te ...
and
Todd Zeile Todd Edward Zeile (; born September 9, 1965) is an Americans, American former professional baseball third baseman, catcher, and first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played sixteen seasons, from 1989 to 2004, for the St. Louis Cardinals ...
to the
Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The fran ...
for
Gary Sheffield Gary Antonian Sheffield (born November 18, 1968) is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball for eight teams from 1988 to 2009. He is a sports agent. For most of his career, Sheffield played right ...
, Charles Johnson, Jim Eisenreich and
Bobby Bonilla Roberto Martin Antonio Bonilla (, born February 23, 1963) is an American former professional baseball third baseman and outfielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1986 to 2001. Bonilla was one of the Major League's best batters a ...
. Claire was furious that the new FOX officials would make such a deal as Piazza had been with the organization for over a decade and Zeile had signed for less than market value to be closer to his home in suburban
Santa Clarita, CA Santa Clarita (; Spanish for "Little St. Clare") is a city in northwestern Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California. With a 2020 census population of 228,673, it is the third-largest city by population in Los Angeles County, the 17t ...
. Claire, who had full control of player transactions before FOX took over, pulled no punches when he was asked his feeling on the trade. On June 21, 1998 Claire and Russell were both relieved of their duties in what was deemed by those in baseball as the "Sunday Night Massacre." Russell was replaced by Glenn Hoffman, Claire by
Tom Lasorda Thomas Charles Lasorda (September 22, 1927 – January 7, 2021) was an American professional baseball pitcher and manager. He managed the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1976 through 1996. He was inducted into the Nati ...
.


References


See also

{{DEFAULTSORT:Claire, Fred 1935 births Living people Los Angeles Dodgers executives Major League Baseball general managers People from Jamestown, Ohio El Camino College alumni Baseball writers American sportswriters