For a long time, the name Bavasi was as synonymous with Dodgers baseball as O'Malley or Robinson or Snider or Alston or Lasorda.

Buzzie Bavasi, who just died at age 93, was general manager of the Dodgers in both Brooklyn when the Boys of Summer won the pennant in 1955 and in L.A. when the Hollywood Dodgers of Drysdale and Koufax captured three more world championships.  In all, the Dodgers won eight pennants in his 18 years as GM.

As his obituary in the New York Times points out, Bavasi was involved in several ground-breaking baseball developments -- helping to integrate professional baseball with future Dodger greats Don Newcombe and Roy Campanella when all three were with the Dodgers farm team in New Hampshire in 1946; bringing major league baseball to the West Coast when the franchise moved in 1958, and helping to launch an expansion franchise in San Diego in the late 1960s.  Sons Bill and Peter also went on to become baseball executives.

Bavasi was a general manager before the era of free agency took hold and was a tough customer in contract negotiations.  Once Drysdale and Koufax tried a combined holdout to land a contract that would total in excess of $1 million.  When it was over, each settled for closer to $100,00 each.  Shortstop Maury Wills, who had stolen 104 bases, once went to Bavasi looking for a $5,000 raise.  When their chat ended, Wills said he was was happy to still just be on the team. 

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