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Lean Years: Howerton held the fort for local team
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Published: June 23, 2008
In another time at the same place as today, Winston-Salem's professional baseball team was operated by Cart Howerton.
His title of general manager only began to describe his duties.
"I had a part-time girl that worked for an accounting firm that came in about two days a week and did some book work," Howerton. "And do you know I handled every single thing else by myself?
"I handled all the advertising, the billboards. I ran everything from A to Z. And when I come over there now, and see how many employees they've got, it just blows my mind."
This season, in their final year at Ernie Shore Field, the Winston-Salem Warthogs have 13 full-time employees and seven interns. That's not counting the four full-timers working downtown to help build and promote the new ballpark under construction along Business 40.
Howerton ran the club from 1961 through 1970, not what would be deemed modern times. But the times were modern at the time.
"Baseball was really struggling," Howerton said. "I led the league in attendance every year, but I promoted like heck."
Well, not exactly. The team, then known as the Winston-Salem Red Sox, did lead the league in attendance in three of Howerton's 10 seasons as general manager, and was runner-up once and in the top half of the league three other times.
But just keeping a team in those days was an accomplishment. Durham lost professional baseball in 1968 and didn't get it back until 1980. Greensboro dropped out of the Carolina League in 1969 and, to get back into professional baseball, had to join the South Atlantic League, a half-step down on the climb to the major leagues.
Even Charlotte, the state's biggest city, provided no professional baseball for its citizens in 1973, 1974 and 1975, a particularly down period for the grand old game.
Winston-Salem's distinction as the only city in the state to keep professional baseball every season since World War II can be at least partly attributable to a decision by the board of directors of the Winston-Salem Twins Baseball Team, which owned and operated the team at the time that Ernie Shore Field opened in 1956.
The Redbirds, as the team was then called, were affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals from 1957 through 1960. Attendance was strong at the new ballpark (the Redbirds ranked second in the CL in 1958 and 1959 and second in 1960), but the club remained on the outside of the pennant race looking in.
Perhaps realizing that it didn't have the time or expertise to run a professional baseball team, the board of directors turned to Howerton. With help from Mace Brown, a former major-league pitcher from Greensboro with strong connections in the game, Howerton forged an affiliation between Winston-Salem and the Boston Red Sox that lasted for 23 years.
"We made arrangements that I could bring them in there, through our board," Howerton said. "And (members of the board) were excited that I was able to do that, and then I did."
From 1960 through 1970, the Boston Red Sox owned the Winston-Salem Red Sox outright, a bit of information that Howerton, as general manager, didn't go out of his way to share. He thought that the public would better support a team that was at least thought to be locally owned.
"I was smart enough to do this," Howerton said. "When Boston owned it outright, I didn't publicize that whatsoever. A lot of people didn't even know it because I thought that would be stupid.
"What I did, I converted the board of directors -- which was a lot of important people in Winston-Salem -- into an advisory board. I still had them listed on the side of my stationary, just like the board of directors would be.
"We went right on like we were locally owned and operated."
Howerton left the club in 1971 to take a position with Bocock-Stroud. Boston promptly sold the team to Joe Buzas for the grand sum of one dollar.
"Here's the thing about it," Howerton explained. "Back in those days they would give you a ballclub. It was practically impossible to make a profit out of it. For somebody like Boston it was a necessary evil because they had to have a place to develop ballplayers.
"This is why I say we really saved baseball as far as Winston-Salem is concerned."
Trivia: Who said it?
Single -- "He should be glad he'll be able to tell his grandchildren he once pitched to Reggie Jackson."
Double -- "The only difference between me and those other great Yankees is my skin color."
Triple -- "The only reason I don't like playing in the World Series is I can't watch myself play."
Homer -- "After Jackie Robinson, the most important black man in baseball history is Reggie Jackson. I really believe that."
Grand Slam -- "There isn't enough mustard in the world to cover that hot dog (Reggie Jackson)."
Around and about
Tyson Lusk was a pretty good second baseman in Little League. I should know. I coached him. That said, he probably couldn't hit well enough to ever make it to the College World Series as a player. But Lusk, a 2005 graduate of North Forsyth High School, has managed to make it to Omaha for each of the past three World Series as manager of the North Carolina baseball team. If you looked closely enough, you saw him in a photograph we ran Saturday morning as one of many celebrants swarming Tim Federowicz at home plate after Federowicz's decisive grand slam Friday against LSU. Lusk, who was named head manager this season, has become so indispensable that Coach Mike Fox is pushing for him to attend graduate school at North Carolina to remain a part of the program.
Trivia answers
Single -- Reggie Jackson.
Double -- Reggie Jackson.
Triple -- Reggie Jackson.
Homer -- Reggie Jackson.
Grand Slam -- Darold Knowles.
■ Dan Collins can be reached at 727-7323 or at dcollins@wsjournal.com.
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