by Michael Ceraolo
I had been in the Cardinals organization
as a player, a coach, and a manager
for most of my adult life,
but when they got rid of Bing in August ’64
I sensed I would be the next to go
if we didn’t win the pennant
My hunch was confirmed a few weeks later
with reports of Gussie meeting with Durocher
The Yankees were going to fire Yogi
if they didn’t come back and win the pennant,
so I was open to their backchannel overtures
You know what happened:
the Yankees won the flag but fired Yogi anyway
after we beat them in the Series
Gussie decided to give me a new contract,
but at the press conference to announce it
I handed him the resignation letter
I had been carrying around for weeks
and a few days later took the Yankees job
Biggest mistake of my life:
I was a Cardinal and should have stayed so
I wasn’t cut out for New York or the Yankees,
they fired me early in the ’66 season,
and I died within a year
