Staten Island Advance

Baseball Lifer

Pitchers and catchers from all 30 MLB clubs will have reported to spring training by Friday afternoon, so who better to take an in-depth look at than George Bamberger, a Staten Island baseball lifer.

Last week, we delved into the life and career of Gloria Cordes Elliott, a friend and pupil of Bamberger -- this week, we take a look at the man himself.

While hundreds of players will be fighting for a shot at making their Big League clubs in Florida and Arizona over the next six weeks, Bamberger spent 18 years toiling in the Minors, hoping for one last shot at the Bigs.

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Staten Island Advance

Breaking Through

Born on Staten Island in 1923, Bamberger served in the United States Army during World War II before signing with the New York Giants in 1946.

A right-handed starting pitcher by trade, Bambi spent five years in the Minors before finally breaking through with the Giants in 1951.

He would make appearances as a reliever with NYG in '51 and '52, before spending the next SEVEN seasons in the Minors without appearing in an MLB game.

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One Shot

At 35-years-old, now in the Baltimore Orioles organization, Bamberger got the call once more in 1959.

Yet to make a start in the Big Leagues, Bambi took on the arduous task of taking the hill against the defending World Series champion New York Yankees -- as a starter.

The veteran twirled five scoreless innings, before leaving the game in the seventh frame after coughing up four runs -- it would be the only start of Bamberger's MLB playing career.

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No Record

He would appear as a reliever as well for Baltimore in '59, though he was banished to the Minors for the rest of his playing days, which came to an end in 1963.

Bamberger, who racked up 213 wins in the Minors, amassed just 14.1 innings in the Bigs over 18 years in professional baseball, and never recorded a single decision in that time.

He sported an 0-0 record with a 9.42 ERA and three strikeouts.

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Staten Island Sinker

Nevertheless, Bambi's days in the MLB were far from over.

Following his playing career, he joined the Orioles in an advisory role, helping to develop the team's young pitchers -- and did he ever.

Bamberger's tutelage, which included teaching his famed pitch the "Staten Island sinker", helped advance a group of young pitchers to the 1966 World Series crown.

Headed by staff ace Jim Palmer, the O's starting pitchers surrendered just two earned runs en route to a four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers in '66.

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A Decade in Orange

By 1968, Bambi was the Orioles pitching coach -- a position he would hold until 1977.

Under Bamberger's guidance, the 1971 Orioles boasted arguably the league's greatest starting rotation of all time, which featured the likes of four 20-game winners in Palmer, Mike Cuellar, Dave McNally, and Pat Dobson.

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20-game Winners

In Bambi's 10 seasons as the O's pitching coach, his teams captured five division crowns and three American League pennants, as well as a World Series title in 1977.

Coaching under Hank Bauer before Hall of Famer Earl Weaver took over for Baltimore in '68, Bamberger's staffs produced 18 20-game winners over his decade as pitching coach.

For reference, there were TWO pitchers in 2018 who reached the 20-win plateau.

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Bambi's Bombers

Bamberger was off to bigger things in '78, taking the vacant Milwaukee Brewers managerial position.

In his first season in MIL, the Brewers won 93 games, improving their record by a whopping 26 games from the prior season while shaking off a string of eight straight losing campaigns.

Though the team's pitching statistics improved drastically across the board, the Brewer's earned the nickname "Bambi's Bombers" for their hitting prowess.

The '78 Brew Crew slugged 173 home runs, 47 more than the prior year.

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Coming Home

After two successful seasons in Mikwaukee, Bambi was forced to step down from his post in 1980 due to health concerns.

He would return to the club before ultimately resigning, though he couldn't stay away from the game for long.

In 1982, Bamberger was back in New York, replacing Joe Torre as manager of the Mets.

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Suffered Enough

Nevertheless, by the summer of '83 Bambi was once again stepping down amid the team's immense struggles.

"I probably suffered enough," Bamberger famously said after resigning his post.

He returned to Milwaukee for a second stint as manager in 1985, but retired for good after the '86 season.

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Baseball Man

Managing nearly 1,000 MLB games, Bamberger compiled a 458-478 record.

He was elected to the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame, as well as the Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.

Bamberger retired to Florida, where he passed away in the spring of 2004 as an 80-year-old, lifelong baseball man.

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