OT: Marge Schott dead at 75.

[cincyreds]

Weird man.

I was just reading all the headlines where they said she was in the hospital. I then refreshed my page and WAM! She is dead!

Weird.

I hope she is resting in a better place now.

Schott (http://msn.espn.go.com/classic/obit/s/2004/0302/1749114.html)

[McSweeny]

was she shot?

[Sun Tzu]

Who is Marge? And why would anybody want to schoot her?

sorry that was in bad taste. I wish her family the best.

[cincyreds]

No man, she was the owner of my Cincinnati Reds when they won the 1990 World Series.

Wait a minute, that was 14 years ago??

All of a sudden I feel aged.

[cthomer5000]

Who is Marge? And why would anybody want to schoot her?

sorry that was in bad taste. I wish her family the best.
many people wanted to schoot her.

[pjstp20]

May God have mercy on her racist soul.

[DeToxRox]

i personally see no reason to show sympathy to her.

[stevew]

I wonder if she's having fun in hell?

[Ksyrup]

I was just wondering, with the outpouring of sympathy, whether I was so old that most people around here don't know who she was.

Mean, contemptible, racist bitch. And that was just her dog.

[TLK]

She's been on her best behavior for the past few years..... Never like to hear about anyone dying......

[miami_fan]

I was just wondering, with the outpouring of sympathy, whether I was so old that most people around here don't know who she was.

Mean, contemptible, racist bitch. And that was just her dog.

I can not speak for the mean, contemptible bitch part cause I do not know her and was not that in tune with the Reds during her majority ownership. Not saying she was not just that I did not follow her that closely outside of her racist remarks. As far as the racist that she was, I guess I chalked it up to ignorance and called it a day. Kinda like many folks have done with George Wallace

[Huckleberry]

Yes, we should react to old women who are too ignorant to realize the errors of their ways with hate and contempt. That will show that we are better people.

Marge Schott was socially uneducated and hateful. But she was a hell of an owner for the fans. Went with a family of 4 to a Reds/Astros game at Riverfront in 1994. 4 tickets, 2 cheeseburgers, 3 hot dogs, 4 fries, 4 sodas. $36.

[Hurst2112]

That poor St. Bernard

[SunDancer]

What's the history with Marge? I am little young to know the history with her.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Whatever Marge Schott was or wasn't, I believe she was one of the more interesting characters that the MLB owners have had among their membership in quite a while.

And other than George Steinbrenner & Ted Turner, she was also one of the highest profile I can think of.

[Ksyrup]

Yes, we should react to old women who are too ignorant to realize the errors of their ways with hate and contempt. That will show that we are better people.

Marge Schott was socially uneducated and hateful. But she was a hell of an owner for the fans. Went with a family of 4 to a Reds/Astros game at Riverfront in 1994. 4 tickets, 2 cheeseburgers, 3 hot dogs, 4 fries, 4 sodas. $36.
She was a despicable human who refused to learn anything from her mistakes. If that makes you feel sorry for her, that's your choice. I'm glad she was a great owner for the Reds fans, but I'm not sorry that she's gone.

[stevew]

I wonder what her "million-dollar [players]" think about this. Someone get a soundbite from Dave Parker.

[Ksyrup]

Marge Schott was socially uneducated and hateful. But she was a hell of an owner for the fans. Went with a family of 4 to a Reds/Astros game at Riverfront in 1994. 4 tickets, 2 cheeseburgers, 3 hot dogs, 4 fries, 4 sodas. $36.
:rolleyes:

» April 12, 1996 (http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/chronology/1996APRIL.stm#day12): Reds fans are again able to get out of town scores at Riverfront Stadium (http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/R/Riverfront_Stadium.stm). In a cost-cutting move, owner Marge Schott had canceled the score-reporting service to save the month fee of $350.


Wouldn't you have rather paid $36.01, so you could help Marge pay for the out-of-town scoreboard?

[AgPete]

Well, Pete Rose said she was a quality human being and who knows people of integrity better than Pete Rose. :D

[pjstp20]

Yes, we should react to old women who are too ignorant to realize the errors of their ways with hate and contempt. That will show that we are better people.

Marge Schott was socially uneducated and hateful. But she was a hell of an owner for the fans. Went with a family of 4 to a Reds/Astros game at Riverfront in 1994. 4 tickets, 2 cheeseburgers, 3 hot dogs, 4 fries, 4 sodas. $36.
Nevermind the fact that she refered to black employees as "n------", or that she owned a swastika arm band, or the fact that she actually complimented Hitler. You were able to go to a baseball game for a fair price. At the end of the day I guess thats all that matters.

[SunDancer]

And to add that she was not a honest businesswomen in her car dealerships, faking sales to met sale quotas.

[Butter]

Banned and beloved by Marge

by Hal McCoy
Dayton Daily News

The first few seasons she functioned as CEO of the Cincinnati Reds, Marge Schott wouldn't speak my name. To her, I was, "that guy from Dayton."

She didn't know the names of most of the players she employed, either. When she passed out World Series rings to the 1990 team, she paused before presenting relief pitcher Rob Dibble his ring and said, ". . . and here's a good player, uh, Dibble."

To her, most people were, "Honey," or "Babes."

She may not have known my name, other than, "that guy from Dayton," but she knew of me and how to handle me.

Schott, who died Tuesday, didn't much like some of the things I wrote about her.

A Dayton television crew once taped an interview in her office and reported to me that a copy of the Dayton Daily News sports section was on the floor, my column picture easily visible. It was there to be used by her beloved St. Bernard, Schottzie, as a toilet.

As punishment for what I wrote, I was banned from the media dining room four times, my dining privileges revoked. Eric Davissent pizza to the press box, and my peers, as a gag, brought me a box of canned goods.

I was banned after Opening Day the year umpire John McSherry suffered a heart attack on the field and died. I reported that the next day Schott sent flowers to the umpires room, a nice gesture except that the flowers were second-hand roses, flowers sent to Schott by somebody else to celebrate Opening Day.

I was even banned by Schott before the season began one year, during spring training. Schott asked me, "Why do the Cincinnati Bengals even need a new stadium? We're more important to Cincinnati than they are." I reported that remark, and the next day public relations director Jon Braude approached me with his right palm extended.

"You know what I want," he said.

"Yes," I said. "My media dining room pass."

When four of us at one time were banned from the dining room, we had white baseball caps made up on which was written, "Banned by Marge," with a red circle and a slash line through it. We wore them in the press box and Schott loved it, laughing when she saw them.

Things changed toward the end of her reign. Suddenly, I was her favorite writer, and it wasn't because of anything I wrote.

Schott discovered that my wife, Nadine, is a Catholic school teacher. Schott loved Catholic schools. Schott discovered that Nadine and I owned a blind cocker spaniel, and the world knows Schott loved dogs more than people. And she knew I loved cigars, something I had in common with her late husband, Charlie.

I would have an unlit cigar in my mouth in the press box, where it is illegal to smoke, and Schott always insisted, "Light it up, light it up." I never did.

Amazingly, that's the way Schott judged people — a very narrow view.

To most of her employees, she was the autocratic, wicked witch of the National League West (when the Reds were in the NL West).

There was the time she had an employee purchase donuts for a breakfast with season-ticket holders. The young man bought too many, and a couple of dozen remained. For the next week, Schott carried the box around the office, selling the donuts to employees.

All major-league teams put out media notes before each game, four or five pages of information on the team and its players. Schott forced her public relations staff to use only one page — and both sides of the paper were used.

And she checked the racks where the media notes were available. If any were left over — there always were — there were severe dressing-downs. The staff countered by putting out only four or five sheets at a time, constantly replenishing the supply.

Schott, of course, was banished from the game for several incidents of insensitive remarks and racial slurs. She was a product of her time, when it was not politically incorrect to use negative terms when referring to ethnic or racial minorities, be they black, Japanese, Chinese or Jewish.

She did it outwardly and unthinkingly in public all the time.

But she wanted to win, and she loved the fans.

While she scraped pennies off the stadium concourse, if the team had a chance to compete in midseason, she permitted former general managers Bob Quinn and Jim Bowden to make trades that would add payroll.

And while she treated her players and employees with disdain, she treated fans like royalty. She was proud of her $1 hot dog and fought every year to keep it the same price. She signed autographs and chatted with fans from her seats next to the Reds dugout.

She cared about winning, and she cared about the fans. She just didn't care about how she referred to minorities and employees.

I was shocked after I was voted the Spink Award and inducted into the Hall of Fame last July. I received a note at home from Marge Schott. She congratulated me and wrote, "I miss all the good times."

Marge, you made me miss a lot of meals, but I miss the good (and bad) times, too, and will miss you, if you can believe that, Babes.

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Larkin remembers Schott's positive side
'She was always respectful to me and my family'

By Hal McCoy
Dayton Daily News

SARASOTA, Fla. | The legacy of Marge Schott depends upon whom you are — somebody who will remember her for racial slurs, insensitive remarks and dubious practices in running the Cincinnati Reds, or for her passion for baseball, her love of fans and her devotion to animals and kids.

BARRY LARKIN had a first-hand look at the many sides of Marge Schott in his 20-plus seasons with the Reds organization.

Shortstop/captain Barry Larkin is black, and his race took heavy hits from Schott, but he remembers the good times and the good way Schott treated him and his family before she died Tuesday at age 75.

Larkin is the only player remaining from the 1990 World Series team, the last Reds' champion, and a team that had Schott as the chief operating officer.

Larkin remembers Schott for a publicity stunt probably never done before or since to resolve contract negotiations. It involved outfielder Kal Daniels, who wanted more money than Schott wanted to pay.

"It was during spring training, and neither side would budge," Larkin recalled. "They decided to flip a coin in the parking lot of Plant City Stadium to decide how much Kal would be paid. Kal Daniels won."

Larkin remembers Schott and her dogs, Schottzie and Schottzie 02, St. Bernards that were her constant companions. She took them on the field during pregame batting practice, and the dogs constantly used Cinergy Field/Riverfront Stadium as personal lavatories.

"Schottzie pooped behind shortstop one day before a game," Larkin said. "The grounds crew cleaned it up, but that involved just taking a shovel and scooping it up. Wouldn't you know that the first ball hit was at me at shortstop, and I had to dive for it.

"I saw where it was going and thought, 'Oh, no.' I had a big spot under my arm pit."

When the yearly team photo was taken, Schott made certain that Schottzie was in the pose.

"The first time it happened, Schottzie wasn't supposed to be in the picture, but when we got lined up, Schottzie ran into the middle of where we were and sat down," Larkin said. "The photographer hesitated, but Marge said, 'To hell with the team, take Schottzie's picture.' "

Larkin said he hopes Schott is remembered for the good things she did and not so much the politically incorrect things.

"Now that she's gone, I'll remember the charity parties she had at her house for kids and the Cincinnati Zoo," Larkin said. "She gave to minority programs, too, before her racist comments came out.

"And she always put out money for players in the stretch run, and we all appreciated that," Larkin said. "People ask me all the time about her racist comments. They ask me how I could talk to her. But I had a good relationship with her, and I go by personal experience. She was always respectful to me and my family."

Commissioner Bud Selig, who handed down Schott's banishment and ordered her to divest most of her holdings in the club for $67 million, said her death was a loss to Major League Baseball and the fans of the Reds.

"On behalf of Major League Baseball, I am saddened by the passing of Marge Schott. Marge had a true affection for the game, her ballclub and her city. Marge inherited the Cincinnati Reds from her husband [actually, her husband, Charlie, was dead when Mrs. Schott purchased the team in 1984] and turned it into a World Series winner in 1990.

"Though not without controversy, she should be applauded for her many humanitarian efforts on behalf of the people of Cincinnati. I send my heartfelt condolences to her family and friends."

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I'm a Reds fan, and I'm not sorry she's gone, but I found these articles interesting.

[tucker342]

No matter how hard I try, I just can't feel sorry for her...

Can't say I'll miss her too much...