James Earl Ray Gets 99 Years for Killing King; Angels Want Ex-Dodger, March 11, 1969

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Photograph by Larry Sharkey / Los Angeles Times Frank Howard, Oct. 19. 1963

The Angels tried to pull off a blockbuster trade for a big hitter. A very big hitter. Former Dodger Frank Howard was holding out for a new deal after leading the American League in home runs. So new Angels general manager Dick Walsh, also a former Dodger, put together a package of players for the Washington Senators to consider. He even added $100,000 to his offer of catcher Tom Satriano, outfielder Vic Davalillo, pitcher Clyde Wright and a choice of Roger Repoz, Chuck Hinton or Chuck Cottier. Howard, who was listed at 6-7, obviously was a towering presence at the plate. He came up with the Dodgers at the start of their Los Angeles years and was the National League's rookie of the year in 1960, but was traded to Washington in 1964. Pitcher Claude Osteen was the key player sent to the Dodgers. What kind of deal was Howard looking for after hitting 44 home runs in 1968? According to The Times, Howard wanted a three-year contract for $100,000 a year but would settle for one year at $125,000. There was speculation that new Washington Manager Ted Williams would want Howard to change his batting stance despite leading the league in home runs. Asked what he would do with Howard on the Angels, Manager Bill Rigney told The Times' Ross Newhan, "If I were to say anything now it would be construed as tampering. No, indeed, there is no reason ever, anywhere, to tamper with Howard." The trade to the Angels never happened -- Howard hit 48 home runs for the Senators in 1969 and 44 in 1970. Walsh eventually acquired another former Dodger from the Senators, Ken McMullen, who had been one of the Dodgers traded with Howard to Washington in 1964. Howard might not have been a big difference -- pun intended -- for the Angels and he might not have hit as many home runs in Anaheim. But he certainly would have brought some excitement to Angels teams that were pretty miserable in the pre-Nolan Ryan years. Just ask the few of us who regularly attended Anaheim Stadium in the late 1960s. -- Keith Thursby

Comments

[Richard H]

Howard had a good year for the Dodgers in 1962.

The years 1963 to 1966 were lost years for Frank Howard. Worst thing that ever happened to him was playing in Dodger Stadium in the lineup of "banjo" hitters the Dodgers had in the 1960's.

The move to the Senators didn't improve things for him until 1967 when he finally found it at age 31.

With Frank Howard the two big what ifs are: what if he played those years somewhere other that Dodger Stadium ("a slugger's graveyard" according to Hondo himself) and in a line-up that would have forced pitchers to respect him.

The pre-Nolan Ryan Angels were miserable? How about the post-Sandy Koufax pre-Garvey, Russell, Cey, Lopes Dodgers? Not much better.