Longtime former big leaguer and executive Sal Bando passed away yesterday at age 78. Bando played with the Athletics franchise from 1966-76 and then with the Brewers from 1977-81 before becoming Milwaukee’s general manager for the 1992-99 seasons.
As per Bando’s family, “It is with a heavy heart, the Bando family is sad to announce the passing of its beloved husband and father, Sal, who last night lost his battle with cancer that began over five years ago. Sandy, Sal’s wife of 54 years, and sons Sal Jr., Sonny and Stef, send their love to family, friends and fans who mourn the loss of a humble and faithful man.”
Bando was a sixth-round pick for the then-Kansas City Athletics in the 1965 draft, and he broke into the majors the next season. By 1968, Bando had become the starting third baseman for the A’s in their inaugural season in Oakland, and he quickly became a key member of a budding dynasty. From 1969-74, Bando hit .265/.376/.445 with 141 homers, and his 34.7 fWAR was the fifth-highest of any player in the majors. That six-year period saw Bando make four All-Star teams, finish in the top four of AL MVP voting on three occasions (including a second-place finish to teammate Vida Blue in 1971), and win three World Series rings as the A’s three-peated from 1972-74.
There was no shortage of controversy on and off the field for those Athletics clubs, and yet Bando was a rock of stability as the team’s captain. However, Bando had his own share of issues with A’s owner Charlie Finley, stemming from contract disputes and Bando’s increasing leadership role with the MLB Players Association. After the 1976 season, Bando left the A’s as a free agent to sign a five-year deal with the Brewers, beginning the next chapter of his career.
While Bando’s didn’t match his production from his Oakland heyday, he was still a contributor to a Brewers team that had four straight winning seasons from 1978-81, which included a postseason appearance in 1981. Bando was only a part-time player in 1981, and decided to retire after 16 MLB seasons in order to transition into a new role in the Brewers’ front office. Bando worked as a special assistant to general manager Harry Dalton from 1982 until Bando himself was named to the top job himself following the 1991 season. Unfortunately, Bando’s tenure as GM included only one winning season, and he resigned the job partway through the 1999 campaign.
We at MLBTR send our condolences to Bando’s family, friends, and teammates.
RIP Sal
RIP. Lotta ex big leaguers dying recently.
Just age and stuff Y’know, they lived in the same generation.
@fre5hwind, randomness that several died recently clustered together. There’s several more right behind them who are next up, and several more behind them, etc.
Yes, I know.
I thought the same thing. Lee Tinsley, Nate Colbert, Bill Campbell and now Sal. Hits close to home when guys you watched when you were in your teens and twenties are dying off.
same can be said about the musicians of that same era.
Those of my youth are increasingly passing away
Hey man…I’m with you on all the athletes and musicians from our youth dying…sad…but we are getting older ourselves
It’s the whole “circle of life” thing. It does hit VERY close to home for me, as these were the guys I grew up with, and watched. Make every hour of every day count.
Jeff Beck, David Crosby
Lisa Marie.
The fact.that no one.put together a country band for her proves to me, something is very, very wrong with this nation, it’s culture and the music industry.
What did happen to her is sick.
She got spun.
There is something very seriously wrong going on. I am sure of it.
I remember an article from several years back with a headline that basically screamed every great rock star from your youth is about to die. It was sobering and it’s true.
True – but who amongst us, when we were at that Stones (or Springsteen or whomever) concert back in the day would have EVER guessed that they would be taking the stage today as well?
Very sad, all the players of my youth
@getrealgone2: Recency bias. Former big leaguers have died regularly for more than 125 years.
Seems like it…..Sad
Yes too many of them passing….rest in peace sal and condolences to the family
It’s the rapture
The rapture is living people ascending to heaven….not the dearly departed
A stabilizing force for those Swinging’ A’s championship teams. One of my first baseball cards (1976). I still have it.
With Bando, Reggie, Joe Rudi, Danny Cater, Campernaris, Hunter and Blue those A’s teams of the early 70’s were a blast to watch. Too bad Finley was so cheap and let those teams disband
I wasn’t crazy about Charlie O. but the A’s of the 70s, much like now, couldn’t attract flies to their games, usually last in attendance. Then Lord Bowie blocked him selling a few players, which he was forced to do thanks to Marvin Miller. The rest is history.
Or he could have tried actually PAYING THEM!
Back when owners were the likes of Charles O. Finley and Bill Veeck, television contracts weren’t what they are now. There weren’t ads on every surface of the stadium. Attendance was king! If you didn’t draw, you couldn’t pay. The changes with the union drove many owners out of baseball as they weren’t the ultra rich so many are today.
@miltpappas: What do you have against Miller? He was a driving force behind the players becoming more fairly compensated for their talents and the money they helped the owners make.
@Samuel: But it was hardly Marvin Miller’s fault.
What I have against Miller is his myopic view of drug testing. Miller went off on Fehr because Congress made baseball drug testing mandatory. It took an act of Congress!!!!
Players are dead because of Marvin Miller. That’s not a small deal. Other than that, Miller was great for baseball.
@Halo11Fan: Which players specifically?
He ruined the game. Reds, Pirates and Royals were great franchises till he came along.
He ruined the game. Reds, Pirates and Royals were great franchises till he came along. Free Agency ruined it, thanks Marvin.
He ruined the game. Reds, Pirates and Royals were great franchises till he came along. Free Agency ruined it, thanks Marvin
Who knows? Those drugs shorten life expectancy, there is zero doubt about that. There are a lot of young players who die unexpectedly. Maybe Caminetti. Maybe Pucket. Who knows?
But had he gotten on board with testing and been a positive force with Fehr regarding testing, we’d have a better game and the world would have tuned in when Judge broke the HR game.
It’s a big red mark, and my only complaint about him.
@Arnold Ziffel: OK. Since you posted it three times, please explain how he ruined the game. You mean by helping the players organize for better treatment by management? Better pensions and insurance and more equitable compensation? The right to become free agents and choose where they want to work? The right not to be treated like pieces of property by ownership? That’s pretty terrible, isn’t it?
@Halo11Fan: You mean Ken CAMINITI and Kirby PUCKETT? How can you know anything about them when you can’t even spell their names? And how well were they being treated before Miller came along? Exactly. That’s what led to his presence in and influence on MLB.
Miller and Fehr ruined baseball, by destroying the ability to keep a team together.
@Arnold Ziffel: Keeping teams together by underpaying players and using the old reserve system to illegally restrict their freedom to become free agents and sign elsewhere? That was ruled out by arbitration and the courts. All Miller’s fault for making ownership pay players fairly through a free market for their services. What a horrible thing.
No, Milt, Charlie O was genuinely cheap. He refused to hire a second batting practice pitcher so that hitters could get used to a lefty! He went through 18 managers in the 20 years he owned the A’s. He would demand they did everything for him and were available to him 24×7.
And he lost only one player to the Yankees, Catfish Hunter. Reggie Jackson was actually traded to the Orioles before the Yankees signed him. Cheap Charlie also lost free agents to the Angels, the Padres, the Brewers, and the Rangers.
Oh, yeah. Charley O was definitely cheap. He was a character though. A type of owner you’ll never see again. The champagne and baloney A’s battled with each other, they were a truly great team, but they were unified in their disgust with Finley.
Charlie O stopped the As from being used as the Yankees development team. He was not cheap but his negotiating tactics certainly angered his players. MLB didn’t treat him fairly either, imo.
Many of the baseball teams did not draw very well during the 70s. The Giants across the bay barely drew 500,000 a year that is why they almost moved. 1 million drew was a big accomplishment for most teams in the 70s. Charlie ) wanted to sell players so he could restock the team. He was 100% against arbitration.
miltpappas is correct.
Charlie Finley wasn’t “cheap”. Anyone that uses that just shows their ignorance about MLB.
The day the owners agreed to arbitration Charlie realized what would happen and traded his stars off for youngsters. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn voided the trades. Then Charlie lost all those players and more in free agency. At the time he said: – “I can’t pay my players what the Yankees can pay them”. No way in the world did he generate a small fraction of the revenue the large market teams did.
50 years later and the only thing that’s changed is that the smaller market teams can keep their players for 6 years….then if they have a lot of stars they might generate enough money to sign 2 or 3.
@JayHeck2158: Danny Cater? How do you mention him in the same sentence as those greats? He was only famous for being traded for Sparky Lyle.
If Danny Cater was famous for anything, it was for his role in Denny McLain 30th win in 1968 on national television. A’s had a 4-3 lead against McLain with Detroit batting in bottom of 9th. Cater’s error in the bottom of the 9th inning allowed the tying run to score and set up the game winning hit by the next batter. Cater’s error handed Denny McLain his 30th win.
Still remember watching Camperneris, who’s actually Campaneris, throwing the bat directly to a Tiger’s reliever, don’t remember who he was, but Campy was plunked then he stood up and flip the bat directly to the mound. It was during the 2nd or third game of the 1972 ALCS.
And Juan Marichal hit John Roseboro in the head with a bat in 1965. A lot worse.
Lerin Lagrow
His name was Lerrin Lagrow
youtu.be/SEBMZBEgxQI
Danny Cater played for the Yankees and BoSix in the early 79s but +100 for remembering his name. He was with the A’s before he was traded to NY.
The early to mid-70s A’s; Reds of the 70s; Yankees of the late ‘90s, early aughts. True baseball dynasties from my lifetime. They’re rare.
Those A’s were one of my favorite teams as a kid, and Bando a favorite player.
@LordD99: You forgot the 1976-77-78 Yankees.
Don’t forget Gene Tennis..
Or Gene TENACE. Seriously?
Click on his BR ref page and note games played per season.
Imagine being able to that nowadays. Way too much to ask.
RIP Sal.
Great point. He either never got injured, or very possibly, played through a lot of pain and injuries. Tough player, great team captain, and a class act.
Also, great 1965 draft by the A’s – Rick Monday in the 1st round and Sal Bando in the 6th.
Rick Monday was 1st ever player drafted.
@fivetwos: You sound like you think advances in knowledge of sports medicine and athletic training over the last 40+ years aren’t good things.
Condolences to his family…. RIP
RIP
All of the ’70’s A’s wore moustaches, but none with more respect. With all of the great players during Oakland’s World Series runs, Sal Bando batted fourth.
RIP Sal, you were a legend in baseball.
I have fond memories of the Bando family. When I was around 8 or 9 years old, my brother and I used to play nerf ball baseball with Sal Jr. and Sonny at a club in Mequon, WI. Very nice family. Sal was an extremely popular player in the community. RIP.
Sal was a good guy, and he did his best as a GM. RIP.
He was a great guy to get a beer with and talk ball. He will be missed.
Solid player back in the day. Rest in peace.
RIP Sal. Prayers for strength and eventual peace for you family and loved ones. Cancer sucks and would never wish any form on even my worst enemy.
He’s a little before my time, so I never really saw him play, but I remember as a child watching Yankees games (despite being a Mets fan) on WPIX and I distinctly recall Phil Rizzuto mistaking Gary Gaetti fot Sal abandon, repeatedly. Tom Seaver had to tell him, “Scooter, that’s Gary Gaetti.” And of course, Rizzuto would reply, “Holy Cow, Seaver. How did I do that?”
RIP.
Findley and the Oakland teams really put on a show those years. Reggie, Vida, Rollie, and the whole cast, put some records up, three in a row. Fun baseball an colorful uniforms. Orange baseballs, Findley was a P.T Barnum of baseball. R,I,P. ALL.
Don’t forget Joe Rudi and Rollie Fingers
They had so many, and Vida Blue was on fire.
MPrckl;
Those A’s teams were the best I ever saw play. Better than the Big Red Machine which they beat in the WS. Better than the Yankees teams of the 50’s. Had everything – LH pitching & hitting; RH pitching & hitting, starting pitching; relief pitching; great catching; defense; speed’ power. No team has come close to them. Beat opponents different ways each series.
And of course Sal was the captain that held the craziness from getting out of hand.
Color T.V was still fairly new for the masses, and Findley dazzled with those colorful uniforms. The Yankee’s an Tigers uniforms were made for radio, an B.W. T.V. Color TV an those HUGE 24/25 inch screens really changed watching the games. I think that’s why it was always a rush going to a game in person, because the green grass was green, versus what we seen in the old B.W. T.V.s.
Remember Sal Bando well. RIP.
Loved Sal. I hope he wasn’t in pain in his last days.
One of my All-time favorite and underrated players w/Grich and Whitaker. RIP “Captain Sal”
Sascoach-Hopefully Grich and Lou will get in the HOF in 2025.
They’ve deserved to be in the HOF for a long time IMHO. I agree with you.
In this day and age The Captain seems reserved for one player but growing up and forward it was Captain Sal.
RIP
Should be in HOF. RIP Captain Sal..
One of my favorite players growing up. Everyone of those A’s player that signed with another team after being granted free agency in 1977 made that team so much better. Bando, Campy,Joe Rudi,Reggie, Catfish, Rollie Fingers. Damn those were great A’s teams. They beat my Angels like a red headed step child back int he early to mid 70’s.RIP Mr. Bando.
Solid player and fine gentleman. RIP. Peace to his family.
Every time I see the actor Burt Young, It always made me think of Sal Bando.
Yo, Paulie!
Sal was great influence on young Milwaukee Brewers when he join them.
RIP
Love Sal Bando
He’s a boarder line hall of fame player and better than many that have been enshrined in the last twenty years. It’s so sad that so many players of my youth passing away.
You forget how old these players of the sixties are, and then we they pass, you realize you’re getting up there as well.
@Halo11Fan: A BOARDER rents a room. A player like Bando is a BORDERLINE hall of famer. You’re a real spelling whiz. A cheese whiz. You really should have stayed awake in English class.
Sad news
I remember seeing him at my first and only world series game I saw in person in 1974, I believe it was game one when Joe Ferguson threw out Sal at the plate, I can still hear the cheers after the play. It was epic. Rest well Sal.
RIP Sal…..
RIP Mr Bando. Those A’s proved you could have bad team chemistry and still win if you have enough talent.
Check out this guys numbers during the 3 World Series years, 72-74. MVP votes every year.
What a career. Sal will be missed.
Sal was Captain of a dynasty team. I can still remember the line up of that team all these years later. He was a true leader of a crazy era clubhouse with a lot of wild personalities. Rest easy Cap.
massively underrated player
RIP Sal Bando who I remember from the Oakland A’s dominant teams of the early 70’s along with the gang Reggie Jackson, Campy, Joe Rudi, Rick Monday, Rollie Fingers, Catfish Hunter, Blue Moon, and of course Gene Tenace. They beat my ’73 Mets team because Felix Millan blew Game 1 with a ball between his legs.
Rip
If there was an AL Central division in 1992 the Brewers would have won it by 2 games over the Twins instead of finishing 4 games behind the Blue Jays in the AL East which was sadly the only time the Brewers sniffed the postseason under Bando.
Too many former players dying recently. R.I.P. Sal
@Rsox: As I pointed out earlier, there are no more former players dying now than any other time in the last 125+ years.
Perhaps, but thanks to 24 hour news cycles available at our fingertips it seems much more prevalent than in years past
Thanks for the good memories Sal.
Sal came to my hometown (in the Sierra Foothills) to meet with little leaguers at our local fairgrounds. I don’t remember it being a very big turnout and I wasn’t a big MLB fan at that point, so I didn’t really grasp the concept of who he was. I got his autograph (which I still have) and only later did I begin to understand how much of a class act he was. He did this during the heyday of the A’s championships of the 70s and could have done anything but go to a small town to meet up with kids. I will always respect him for that and, on the day of his passing, it’s something that people should know of him. Rest In Peace, Sal.
The A’s were my favorite team as a kid. If Hunter hadn’t left they may have won another WS” in 1975. This brings the total of deceased players from the 1974 WS champions to 8- “Catfish Hunter”, Claudell Washington, Jim Holt, Angel Mangual, Deron Johnson, Ray Fosse, Paul Lindblad and now Bando
If there was such a thing as a stabilizing influence on the Charlie Finley A’s Sal Bando was it. Steady and straight even in a hurricane that was Sal. RIP My favorite position players from that team were Ray Fosse, Joe Rudi and Sal.
RIP Sal. I was looking forward to the 50th anniversary of the 1973 A’s championship team, with Sal present. Thoughts and prayers go out to his family at this time. Mahalo
Oh this is sad. Too young. Good player too. I remember watching him.. Condolences to his family, friends, former teammates and all who mourn.
Actually, 78 isn’t all that young. Many people don’t even make it to 75.
Blue Baron –
78 is too young in my view.. The killer is disease – not age. Bando’s cause of death is cancer.
But it’s in the range of natural life expectancy. People of 75 and up are not young, and many succumb to cancer, dementia, heart attacks, or strokes. Those are natural causes that are, unfortunately, part of aging.
It doesn’t make his death less tragic, but calling anyone of 78 young is simply incorrect.
Alas, the A’s were my favorite team of my youth, and he wore the C. Incredible talented team that wore the fabulous green and gold in splendor. Have not seen its like since.
Aside form baseball, Captain Sal did MUCH good work for the Milwaukee community. RIP.
Sal Bando, another player mentioned in Jim Bouton’s Ball Four
Cousin Sal… ( I am sure he will like this)
Anyway, on page 145 Sal stated he liked the action on Bouton’s knuckler, problem is or was back then Sal Bando knocked one of them over the fence for a homerun
So while he appreciated the action on the knuckler, he still got the best of Bouton!
A great ball player but an even greater man that I had the privilege of knowing since my childhood as one of his sons oldest and closest friend. Mr Bando was the epitome of the title captain and a true example that a sermon lived is ten times more powerful than one spoken. He will be dearly missed
Also an example of how the Hall of Fame should be about more than just mere numbers. Those championship A’s teams had multiple All Stars and multiple Hall of Famers, but only one Captain. You don’t earn that title on a team with that many outstanding ball players by accident and that influence on a legendary team alone as well as multiple seasons in the MVP conversation warrants Mr Bando’s induction into Cooperstown in my view, obviously I’m of course somewhat biased but I hope he someday achieves this honor posthumously but either way this is a man who lived a Hall of Fame life, as outstanding a ball player as the Captain was his true legacy is left behind in his family….he raised three boys who each define what it is to be a true friend and did so with an incredible loving wife who is simply love and class personified. Though Mr Bando was taken from us sooner than all who knew him would have liked, he lived a complete and outstanding life that any man would be proud of and left his footprint on not just the game of baseball but the entire world around him. When I think of Mr Bando, I don’t think of a great ball player though he certainly was one…I think of a great man who happened to play baseball a man who was a little less than a father but much more than an uncle to me growing up and SHOWED me what great father and a great husband looks like. I’m sad you’re gone so soon but happy you’re no longer in pain, and grateful your up with God now watching over all of us. God bless you Mr Bando.
Well said. Thanks for sharing.
A great ball player but an even greater man that I had the privilege of knowing since my childhood as one of his sons oldest and closest friend. Mr Bando was the epitome of the title captain and a true example that a sermon lived is ten times more powerful than one spoken. He will be dearly missed
Also an example of how the Hall of Fame should be about more than just mere numbers. Those championship A’s teams had multiple All Stars and multiple Hall of Famers, but only one Captain. You don’t earn that title on a team with that many outstanding ball players by accident and that influence on a legendary team alone as well as multiple seasons in the MVP conversation warrants Mr Bando’s induction into Cooperstown in my view, obviously I’m of course somewhat biased but I hope he someday achieves this honor posthumously but either way this is a man who lived a Hall of Fame life, as outstanding a ball player as the Captain was his true legacy is left behind in his family….he raised three boys who each define what it is to be a true friend and did so with an incredible loving wife who is simply love and class personified. Though Mr Bando was taken from us sooner than all who knew him would have liked, he lived a complete and outstanding life that any man would be proud of and left his footprint on not just the game of baseball but the entire world around him. When I think of Mr Bando, I don’t think of a great ball player though he certainly was one…I think of a great man who happened to play baseball a man who was a little less than a father but much more than an uncle to me growing up and SHOWED me what great father and a great husband looks like. I’m sad you’re gone so soon but happy you’re no longer in pain, and grateful your up with God now watching over all of u
s. God bless you Mr Bando.
Sal Bando isn’t the best 3B of his era but he is on a very short list.
What was unusual about those A’s IF was that Bando took the signs and aligned the IF defense, not the SS (Bert Campaneris) like every other team did. Even though they had their share of power hitters, the A’s played small ball all the way to 3 championships. They could lose Reggie or Campy or Vida or even their catchers but they absolutely would not have won without Sal Bando. He was irreplaceable.