The New York teams in the Glory Days were led by forceful managers—notably Casey Stengel (Yankees), Leo Durocher (Dodgers/Giants), and Walter Alston (Dodgers). But as Stengel once said of his own extraordinary success, “I couldna done it without my players.” And New York in this era boasted some of the most dazzling talent ever arrayed in a single city. Great players tended to spend long careers with a single team in those days before free agency, and fan favorites became like family to New Yorkers. This stability, however, came at considerable cost to the player, whose earning power was diminished by the reserve clause that bound him to his team for life (a club’s allegiance, was not reciprocal—it might trade, sell, or release him at any time).