A. Bartlett Giamatti
From BR Bullpen
Dr. Angelo Bartlett Giamatti
- Born April 4, 1938 in Boston, MA USA
- Died September 1, 1989 in Edgartown, MA USA
[edit] Biographical Information
"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." - Frequently-quoted prose by Bart Giamatti
Bart Giamatti was an English professor at Yale University who was a strict traditionalist. He first gained notice when he published a piece in the New York Times about the 1981 strike. In fact, he was on the short list to replace Bowie Kuhn in 1983-1984 but he was not ready to leave the Presidency of Yale.
Two years later, he was ready to move. He replaced Chub Feeney as National League president. He had several battles with Pete Rose while in office. In 1988, Giamatti suspended Rose 30 days for having contact with umpire Dave Pallone.
When Peter Ueberroth resigned in 1989, Giamatti was unanimously selected as the seventh commissioner. His five month term was eventful. He suspended Dave Pallone without a hearing when it was disclosed that Pallone was a homosexual. Giamatti also was commissioner during the Pete Rose Scandal. Many believe Giamatti died as a result of the stress of the Rose scandal as he died one week after the decision to suspend Rose for life was announced.
Giamatti's son, Paul, is a well known actor.
After his death, the new research center at the Hall of Fame was named the Giamatti Research Center. The Little League complex in Bristol, CT is also named in his honor.
