Warren Crandall Giles was a
National LeagueThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
executive in
Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
.
Baseball
Giles was elected president of the
Moline, IllinoisMoline is a city located in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States, with a population of 45,792 in 2010. Moline is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring East Moline and Rock Island in Illinois and the cities of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa. The Quad Cities has a population of...
baseball club in the Three-I League in 1919 and began a 50-year career in baseball that saw him rise all the way to the presidency of the
National LeagueThe National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
. Giles rose to prominence as the president and business manager of the
Rochester Red WingsThe Rochester Red Wings are a minor league baseball team based in Rochester, New York. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins major-league club. The Red Wings play in Frontier Field, located in downtown Rochester.The Red Wings were an...
of the
International LeagueThe International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
, one of the top farm teams in the
St. Louis CardinalsThe St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
organization, from 1928 through 1936. He then served as
general managerIn Major League Baseball, the general manager of a team typically controls player transactions and bears the primary responsibility on behalf of the ballclub during contract discussions with players....
and team president of the
Cincinnati RedsThe Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
from 1937 to 1951, a tenure that included pennants in and , and a
World SeriesThe World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
championship in
1940The Cincinnati Reds season was a season in American baseball. The team finished first in the National League with a record of 100-53, winning the pennant by 12 games over the Brooklyn Dodgers...
.
National League president
During his 18-year reign as chief of the National League (1951 to 1969), he presided over several historic events, including the birth of expansion baseball, several franchise moves — most notably, the opening of the
West CoastWest Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
territory by the
Los Angeles DodgersThe Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
and
San Francisco GiantsThe San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
in — and the construction of numerous new stadiums. ("Who needs New York?" was his notorious reply when asked if the NL would seek to replace the Dodgers and Giants on the East Coast.)
Giles' presidency also saw the NL widen its advantage over the
American LeagueThe American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
in the signing of African-American and Latin American players, resulting in a dominance of the
Major League Baseball All-Star GameThe Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
. In clubhouse meetings before the midsummer classic, Giles famously would exhort the NL players to uphold their league's honor, and after the advent of interleague trading without waivers in November 1959, he lobbied against the trade of National League superstars to the Junior Circuit to preserve the NL's hegemony. (He was successful until his former team, the Reds, traded
Frank RobinsonFrank Robinson , is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He played from 1956–1976, most notably for the Cincinnati Reds and the Baltimore Orioles. He is the only player to win league MVP honors in both the National and American Leagues...
to the
Baltimore OriolesThe Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
after the 1965 season.)
Hall of Fame
Giles was elected to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in , and the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in , shortly after his death in Cincinnati at age 82. Giles is interred in
Riverside CemeteryRiverside Cemetery is located in Moline, Illinois, United States. It can trace its beginnings to Moline Cemetery, which was established to 1851. The original of the cemetery was purchased from Samuel and Mary Bell on November 1 of that year. It is located between Fourth and Fifth Avenues at...
in Moline, Illinois.
Awards and honors
The National League Championship Series trophy is named in his honor. Also,
Minor League BaseballMinor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
gives out the Warren Giles Award to outstanding minor league presidents.
Son follows in his footsteps
Giles' son,
Bill GilesWilliam Yale Giles is the chairman and part owner of Major League Baseball's Philadelphia Phillies.-Personal:He is the son of former National League president Warren Giles...
, served as an executive with the Reds,
Houston Colt .45s/AstrosThe Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
and the
Philadelphia PhilliesThe Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
, and has been a part-owner and top executive with the Phillies since 1981. He is also Honorary President of the National League.
External links