and five (1949–53) straight World Series triumphs. The Weiss farm system produced three Hall of Famers—Yogi Berra, Joe Gordon and Phil Rizzuto (Joe DiMaggio was acquired directly from the independently owned San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League)—as well as longtime stalwarts such as Hank Bauer, Tiny Bonham, Hank Borowy, Bobby Brown, Spud Chandler, Jerry Coleman, Charlie Keller, Johnny Murphy, Joe Page, Vic Raschi and Red Rolfe. The 1937 Bears (third) and 1939 Blues (12th) have been ranked among the top dozen clubs in minor-league history. Weiss was retained and named a club vice president by the Yankees' new ownership triumvirate, Larry MacPhail, Dan Topping and Del Webb, when they purchased the team in early 1945. He then served under the new owners for three full seasons, as World War II ended and baseball entered a postwar boom. As both club president and general manager, MacPhail was the dominant figure in the Yankees' postwar hierarchy. On October 6, 1947, hours after the Yankees won the seventh and deciding game of the 1947 World Series, MacPhail—a notorious drinker with a combustible temper—unexpectedly announced his resignation from both front-office posts during the victory festivities. In a drunken state, he confronted several officials at the celebration, including both Weiss and Topping. Weiss was sitting at a banquet table with his wife when MacPhail loudly and abruptly fired him as the Yankees' farm system director. Topping, upon being berated by MacPhail, grabbed him, escorted him to a nearby room, and calmed him down, while Webb, who had witnessed MacPhail's tantrum, assured Weiss he would remain with the team. The outburst ended MacPhail's baseball career. The next day, October 7, Topping and Webb bought out his one-third share in the Yankees, and promoted Weiss to vice president and general manager. General manager Although Topping succeeded MacPhail as club president, for all intents and purposes, Weiss became the operating head of the franchise; Topping and Webb largely left day-to-day operations in Weiss's hands. In his first major trade as general manager, in February 1948, he acquired left-handed pitcher Eddie Lopat from the Chicago White Sox for three players, including former starting catcher Aaron Robinson; Lopat would win 113 games for the Yanks in his 7 years in the Bronx. After the Yankees finished third, Weiss fired manager Bucky Harris and replaced him with veteran former National League skipper Casey Stengel. The 58-year-old Stengel had never