imported>Lost in Quebec: removed Category:Sportspeople from Newton, Massachusetts; added Category:Businesspeople from Newton, Massachusetts using HotCat

2025-01-25T11:11:30Z

removed Category:Sportspeople from Newton, Massachusetts; added Category:Businesspeople from Newton, Massachusetts using HotCat

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{{Short description|American professional baseball executive}}
{{Other people||Bob Quinn (disambiguation){{!}}Bob Quinn}}
{{Infobox person
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1936}}
| occupation = Baseball executive
| known_for = [[General manager (baseball)|GM]] for {{blist|New York Yankees (1988–1989)|Cincinnati Reds (1989–1992)|San Francisco Giants (1992–1996)}}
| father = [[John Quinn (baseball executive)|John J. Quinn]]
}}
'''Robert E. Quinn''' (born 1936)<ref name="beth">[http://www.baseballamerica.com/execdb/?show=exec&eid=quinnbo01 Baseball America Executive Database]</ref> is an American former [[professional baseball]] executive. Quinn spent almost 30 years in senior front office positions in [[Major League Baseball]] and worked as the [[general manager (baseball)|general manager]] of three clubs: the [[New York Yankees]] (June 8, 1988<ref name="marsh">{{cite web|title=Quinn to Get Yankee Job|date=June 8, 1988|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/08/sports/quinn-to-get-yankee-job.html|access-date=2015-06-12}}</ref> – October 12, 1989), [[Cincinnati Reds]]<ref name=gm>{{cite web|url=http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/cin/history/general_managers.jsp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070822164859/http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/cin/history/general_managers.jsp|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 22, 2007|title=Red's General Managers|work=MLB.com|access-date=2008-12-31}}</ref> (October 13, 1989 – end of the {{baseball year|1992}} season) and [[San Francisco Giants]]<ref name=gm2>{{cite web|url=http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/sf/history/general_managers.jsp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070810021531/http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/sf/history/general_managers.jsp|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 10, 2007|title=Giants' General Managers|work=MLB.com|access-date=2008-12-31}}</ref> (December 1, 1992 – September 30, 1996). He was the general manager of the {{baseball year|1990}} [[1990 World Series|World Series champion]] Cincinnati Reds.

==Family==
Quinn is a third-generation member of a family involved in baseball management since the turn of the 20th century. His grandfather [[J.A. Robert Quinn]] at one time was an owner of the [[Boston Red Sox]] and [[Boston Braves (baseball)|Boston Braves]] and general manager of the [[St. Louis Browns]] and [[Brooklyn Dodgers]]. His father, [[John Quinn (baseball executive)|John J. Quinn]], was GM of the Braves in Boston and [[Milwaukee Braves|Milwaukee]] and the [[Philadelphia Phillies]] between 1945 and 1972. A brother-in-law, [[Roland Hemond]], was also a longtime baseball executive and general manager of the [[Chicago White Sox]] and [[Baltimore Orioles]]. And Quinn's son, also named Bob, served from 2003 until early 2018 as the [[Milwaukee Brewers]]' executive vice president, finance and administration,<ref>[http://mlb.mlb.com/team/front_office.jsp?c_id=mil Milwaukee Brewers official web site]</ref> the fourth generation of the Quinn family to work in senior management positions in professional baseball.

Robert E. Quinn grew up in [[Newton, Massachusetts]], and was 17 when he moved with his family to [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin|Milwaukee]] with the Braves in 1953.<ref name="bags">{{cite web|first=Joe|last=Sexton|title=Yanks' GM Fulfills Dream|date=June 10, 1988|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/10/sports/yanks-general-manager-fulfills-dream.html|access-date=2015-06-12}}</ref> He graduated from [[Marquette University]] in 1958<ref name="mona">[http://www.marquette.edu/alumni/awards-2014/recipient_quinn.php Marquette University]</ref> and began his baseball career in the Braves' and Phillies' [[minor league baseball|minor league]] organizations. In 1967, he helped establish the [[Reading Phillies]] as Philadelphia's [[Eastern League (1938–2020)|Eastern League]] farm team, winning [[The Sporting News]]' Minor League Executive of the Year Award as a first-year general manager there. Reading celebrated its 50th straight year as the Phillies' [[Double-A (baseball)|Double-A]] affiliate in 2016. Quinn then helped to re-establish a minor league franchise in [[Omaha, Nebraska|Omaha]] in 1969–70 as the first front-office boss of the [[Omaha Royals]] of the [[Triple-A (baseball)|Triple-A]] [[American Association (20th century)|American Association]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1989/10/13/Cincinnati-Reds-name-Bob-Quinn-general-manager/9216624254400/|title=Cincinnati Reds Name Bob Quinn General Manager|date=13 October 1989|publisher=[[United Press International]] (archives)|access-date=9 August 2018}}</ref> That franchise celebrated its 50th consecutive season as the [[Kansas City Royals]]' top affiliate in 2018.

Quinn joined Milwaukee's current Major League team, the [[Milwaukee Brewers|Brewers]], as their [[farm system]] director in 1971.<ref name="beth"/> In 1973, he accepted a similar post with the [[Cleveland Indians]], and spent over a dozen years working as the Indians' [[scout (sports)|scouting]] and player development boss. He was promoted to vice president in 1981.<ref name="beth"/>

==Career as general manager==

===New York Yankees===
In 1987, Quinn joined the Yankees as vice president, baseball administration. In May 1988, the Bombers' incumbent GM, [[Lou Piniella]], turned in his resignation; on June 8, Quinn was named his successor. Not even two weeks into his tenure, Quinn faced a mutiny from the [[manager (baseball)|manager]] he inherited, [[Billy Martin]].<ref name="rock">{{cite web|title=Martin Upset Over Status|date=June 22, 1988|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/22/sports/martin-upset-over-status.html|access-date=2015-06-12}}</ref> Quinn had activated a [[catcher]], [[Don Slaught]], from the [[disabled list]] based on input from the Yankees' medical staff. Martin disagreed vehemently with the Slaught decision and announced he would boycott the team's management meetings.<ref name="rock"/> Owner [[George Steinbrenner]] did not intercede on Martin's behalf, and Martin was replaced by Piniella as manager on June 23 with the Yankees 40–28 and 2½ games behind the [[Detroit Tigers]] in the [[American League East Division]]. They went only 45–48 under Piniella to finish fifth in {{baseball year|1988}}, then posted a 74–87 mark in {{baseball year|1989}}, their first losing season since {{baseball year|1982}}, and Quinn resigned October 12.

===Cincinnati Reds===
Quinn immediately succeeded [[Murray Cook (baseball)|Murray Cook]] as general manager of the Cincinnati Reds, and he proceeded to hire Piniella as his field manager. The [[1989 Cincinnati Reds|1989 season]] had been a disaster on and off the field: the Reds finished 75–87 and in fifth place in a year marred by the gambling allegations against and the suspension and disbarment of manager [[Pete Rose]].<ref name="wov">{{cite web|first=Dave|last=Anderson|title=SPORTS OF THE TIMES: The Mighty Quinn|date=October 2, 1990|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/02/sports/sports-of-the-times-the-reds-mighty-quinn.html|access-date=2015-06-12}}</ref> During that offseason, Quinn acquired fireballing [[relief pitcher]] [[Randy Myers]] and [[rookie]] [[first baseman]] [[Hal Morris]]. In 1990, Morris posted a .340 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] and finished third in the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] [[Rookie of the Year (award)|Rookie of the Year]] balloting. Myers teamed with [[Rob Dibble]] and [[Norm Charlton]] to form [[Nasty Boys (Cincinnati Reds)|The Nasty Boys]], a formidable [[bullpen]] trio.

The [[1990 Cincinnati Reds|1990 Reds]] won 91 games and the [[National League West Division]] championship, defeated the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] in six games in the [[1990 National League Championship Series|NLCS]] (with Morris hitting .417), and then swept the favored [[Oakland Athletics]] in the World Series behind The Nasty Boys' dominant relief work. Quinn was named [[The Sporting News Executive of the Year Award|"Executive of the Year"]] by [[The Sporting News]] in recognition of Cincinnati's 1990 turnaround.

The Reds suffered a down season in {{baseball year|1991}}, falling to fifth place, but recovered to win 90 games in {{baseball year|1992}}, although they finished eight games behind the division champion [[Atlanta Braves]]. But there was turbulence in the Cincinnati front office. Owner [[Marge Schott]] cut Quinn's scouting and farm system budget, then fired him at the end of the [[1992 Cincinnati Reds season|1992 season]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Joe|last=Kay|title=Marge Schott obituary|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=March 2, 2004|agency=[[The Associated Press]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23457-2004Mar2.htmll|access-date=2015-06-12}}{{dead link|date=June 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

===San Francisco Giants===
Two months later, Quinn became general manager of the Giants at one of the turning points in their history in the [[San Francisco Bay Area]]. The [[1992 San Francisco Giants season|1992 Giants]] finished 72–90, 26 games behind the Braves (and 18 games in arrears of Quinn's Reds) and had drawn 1.56 million fans to [[Candlestick Park]]—next to last in the [[National League (baseball)|National League]]. For much of the season, it appeared that the Giants were about to move to [[Tampa Bay Area|Tampa–Saint Petersburg]] after owner [[Bob Lurie]] agreed to sell them to [[Florida]] businessman [[Vince Naimoli]]. But in November, the National League rejected the Tampa deal, and Lurie instead sold the Giants to a Bay Area investment group headed by [[Peter Magowan]]. The new owners announced the team was staying in [[San Francisco]], hired Quinn as general manager on December 1, 1992, signed [[free agent]] superstar [[left fielder]] [[Barry Bonds]] on December 9, and promoted [[Dusty Baker]] to manager on December 16. The [[1993 San Francisco Giants season|1993 Giants]] proceeded to improve by 31 games, going 103–59, Bonds won the NL [[Most Valuable Player Award]], and attendance jumped to 2.6 million. However, the Giants finished a game behind the Braves in the NL West and did not qualify for the postseason in the last pre-[[wild card (sports)|wild card]] full season in Major League Baseball.

Three sub-.500 seasons followed the Giants' 1993 breakout year, and at the close of {{baseball year|1996}}, Quinn stepped down as general manager. His successor was assistant general manager/director of player personnel [[Brian Sabean]], the former director of scouting of the Yankees who had followed Quinn to the Giants' organization in 1993. Under Sabean, GM from 1997 through 2014, the Giants would win three World Series championships and four National League [[pennant (sports)|pennants]]. Under Magowan they moved into [[AT&T Park]] in {{baseball year|2000}} and solidified their popularity in the Bay Area.

Quinn remained with the Giants as a vice president and senior adviser through 1997.<ref name="beth"/> He currently resides in [[Scottsdale, Arizona]].<ref name="mona"/> [[Tommy John]] described him as having a "soft-spoken manner."<ref>{{cite book|last1=John|first1=Tommy|last2=Valenti|first2=Dan|title=TJ: My Twenty-Six Years in Baseball|publisher=Bantam|location=New York|year=1991|isbn=0-553-07184-X|page=8}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{New York Yankees general managers}}
{{Cincinnati Reds general managers}}
{{San Francisco Giants general managers}}
{{SN Executive of the Year}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quinn, Bob}}
[[Category:1936 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Cincinnati Reds executives]]
[[Category:Cleveland Indians executives]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball farm directors]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball general managers]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball scouting directors]]
[[Category:Marquette University alumni]]
[[Category:New York Yankees executives]]
[[Category:San Francisco Giants executives]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Milwaukee]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Newton, Massachusetts]]

Bob Quinn (baseball, born 1936) - Revision history

imported>Lost in Quebec: removed Category:Sportspeople from Newton, Massachusetts; added Category:Businesspeople from Newton, Massachusetts using HotCat