(ADDING INFORMATION, KITTRELL QUOTES) 

*Former player and manager Eddie Stanky dead at 82*
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DAPHNE, Alabama (Ticker) -- Eddie Stanky, who played in World
Series for both New York National League teams and went on to
manage three other squads, died today of congenitive heart
failure in his home.  He was 82. 

A spokesman for the University of South Alabama, where Stanky
coached after leaving the major leagues, told SportsTicker that
Stanky suffered a heart attack in his home.  Dickie Stanky, who
was married to Eddie Stanky for 57 years, broke down when
reached via telephone. 

"I'm sorry, I'm just in a little shock right now," she said. "He
was right here with me, having coffee and reading the morning
paper." 

The wife said she had gone out on the porch of their home and
when she returned, her husband was complaining of chest pains.
She called for emergency technicians, who treated Stanky at the
house but were unable to revive him. 

Stanky had been out of the game since 1983, when he retired 
after 14 seasons as coach of South Alabama.  His last days in 
the major leagues came in 1977, when he managed the Texas 
Rangers for one game before declaring he was not up to the task. 
 
He returned to South Alabama and underwent open-heart surgery in 
1980 that forced him to miss that season.  As Jaguars coach, he 
transformed the program into a power and sent 40 players to the 
pro ranks, compiling a 488-193 mark without a losing season. 

"Our prayers are with the Stanky family," current South Alabama 
coach Steve Kittrell said.  "Coach Stanky was not only an 
outstanding coach, he was a great man.  He touched the lives of 
so many.  He taught me so much about so many things.  I was 
fortunate to play and coach under him.  Some coaches have 
knowledge and can't relate.  Coach Stanky was a great teacher of 
the game.  

"No one did it better than coach Stanky.  He brought the 
University of South Alabama from just about point zero to a 
national power three or four years.  He put South Alabama on the 
map athletically.  He is and always will be South Alabama 
baseball."  

Stanky was one of four managers the Rangers used during one week
of June 1977. He replaced the fired Frank Lucchesi and guided
the team to a win in his debut, which also turned out to be his
finale. 

"He was homesick and his father was not in good health," Dickie
Stanky said. 

Stanky was briefly replaced by Connie Ryan before Billy Hunter
took over the team for the rest of the season.  The win brought
Stanky's overall managerial record to 467-435 as he also piloted
the St. Louis Cardinals from 1952-55 and the Chicago White Sox
from 1966-68. 

Known as "The Brat," Stanky managed the White Sox at the same
time that Leo Durocher was managing the crosstown Cubs.  Stanky
played for "The Lip" with the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York
Giants and was one of Durocher's favorites. 

"I can't think of another person I had so much fun playing for,"
said Tommy John, who pitched for the Stanky and the White Sox in
the 1960s.  "He was a special person.  It's like losing a member
of my family. 

"He was tough but had a little impish humor.  He made you think
about what you had to do to win.  He taught me more about
baseball than anyone I knew." 

As a manager, Stanky would buy players suits or shoes if they
met certain criteria.  Pitchers would get a suit if they worked
nine innings and got 20 ground balls.  Batters would get a pair
of alligator shoes if they went from second to third on a
grounder to third or homered on the first pitch after a homer. 

"I got him for a couple of suits the years I was there," John
said. 

As a player, Stanky had a deep desire to win and would do
anything to help his ballclub, including allow himself to be hit
by a pitch. 

Primarily a second baseman but capable of playing shortstop and
third base, Stanky batted .268 with 29 homers and 365 RBI in 11
seasons with Chicago, Brooklyn, Boston, New York and St. Louis
-- all in the National League. 

Stanky played in the World Series with three teams -- Brooklyn
in 1947, Boston in 1948 and New York in 1951.  He batted .213
with seven runs and four RBI in 19 games but never claimed a
championship ring. 

A gritty player who led the NL with 144 walks in 1950, Stanky
developed an conventional double play to cover for his inability
to turn the pivot.  With runners on first and second, he often
would take the throw at second and throw to third, catching the
lead runner turning the bag. 

In 1951, Stanky was the starting second baseman for the Giants,
who erased a 13 1/2-game deficit in August and faced Brooklyn in
a three-game playoff following the season.  The Giants won the
third game on Bobby Thomson's ninth-inning homer known as "The
Shot Heard 'Round The World." 

While with the Dodgers, Stanky also led the NL with 128 runs and
148 walks in 1945 and with 137 walks in 1946.  His walks in 1945 
still stand as an NL record.  

The following year, he shared the right side of the infield with 
a frightened but determined first baseman named Jackie Robinson, 
the first black player in the major leagues. 

A four-time All-Star originally signed by legendary Connie Mack, 
Stanky batted .300 with eight homers and 50 RBI for the Giants 
and was third in NL Most Valuable Player voting.  

Born September 3, 1916 in Philadelphia, Stanky met his wife in
the minor leagues.  He played for a team in Macon, Georgia that
was owned by Dickie Stanky's father and the two hit it off. 

In addition to his wife, Stanky is survived by four children and
eight grandchildren, including Kyle, who plays baseball for 
South Alabama.  

Funeral arrangements are pending.