#31 GARY GEIGER
Outfield
What came before: Geiger, a lefty hitter with a good glove, was already an eight-year vetreran when he joined the Braves in 1966. The rarity is how they acquired him – the Rule V draft. He had played in at least 120 games for Boston between 1958 and 1963, but he suffered from ulcers, and late in the '63 season he was placed on a diet of milk and poached eggs.
In February, shortly before the start of 1964 spring training, he was hospitalized for bleeding ulcers and a stomach obstruction. He tried a comeback in May, but his weight had dropped from 160 to 130 and doctors told him that if his ulcers began bleeding again, he would risk losing much of his stomach to surgery.
In addition, he had a prounced fear of flying (something teams were starting to do on a regular basis), so after only five games in May of 1964, he announced his retirement. But in 1965, he was feeling better and arrived in spring training determined to play and ride whatever flights he needed to fly. But after only 24 games, he suffered multiples fractures in his hand to end his season. The Red Sox moved his contract to their Triple-A team, never dreaming anyone would draft him.
That 1966 season: In 1966, he played in 78 games, primarily as a defensive replacement or a pinch-hitter, batting .262 with four home runs. The highlight of his season, and possibly his career, occurred on May 12, when his first-inning single was the first hit in St. Louis’s new Busch stadium; his fourth-inning double was the first double. Because Geiger had always lived near St. Louis, a lot of friends and family were there.
What happened next: The Braves like his fit with the roster and brought him back for 1967. He was far less effective, however, hitting .167 with only one homer. At year's end, he requested his release, but the Braves told him to expect a contract. The release came just before spring training, but the Cardinals signed him to be a player-coach in the minors. Instead, he played regularly, hitting .286 in 124 games. He was drafted again, this time by the Astros, for whom he played in 93 games in '69, but early on the following season, he was returned to the minors. He finished that season with the Astros, then one more minor league season as a player-manger with the Cardinals' Tulsa farm club.
He was through playing at 34, but not managing in the minors. He worked for the Cardinals for one more year, then went to Detroit as a roving instructor. The Braves hired him to skipper their Greenwood farm club in 1974, finishing third with a 70-63 season.
He retired to private life, but alcohol became a pervasive problem. He died of cirrhosis of the liver in 1996 at the age of 59. His window made public that Geiger's final 20 years were a nonstop battle with the bottle, stemming from his never-abated fear of flying.
Originally Posted by rico43
