St. Louis Cardinals
His success in Denver led to his hiring as Cardinals' manager for 1977. Rapp took over after the twelve-year reign of Red Schoendienst, a longtime favorite as a Redbird player and pilot. While the 1977 Cardinals improved by eleven games and placed third in the National League East, Rapp's disciplinarian, minor league style of managing made him very unpopular with his players, particularly Al Hrabosky. Hrabosky was ordered to shave his trademark "Fu Manchu" mustache, which was part of the carefully cultivated "Mad Hungarian" persona that he felt helped make him an effective closer. Hrabosky later said that being beardless made him feel "like a soldier going to war without his rifle," and demanded a trade following one season without facial hair courtesy of Rapp's rule against it.
When the Cards suffered through a seven game losing streak that saw their record fall to 5-11 early in the 1978 season, Rapp was fired April 25 following a win at Olympic Stadium against the Expos. Coach Jack Krol succeeded him for two games, but another former Cardinal star, Ken Boyer, was ticketed for the permanent job.
Read more about this topic: Vern Rapp
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