April 15, 1960: Gene Mauch, perhaps the best manager never to win a World Series title, was ready to start his big league career running the Philadelphia Phillies.

"My ambition isn't just to be a big league manager but the best," he told The Times in a short story retracing his steps as a local boy who made good. "And I'm on my way because there's only 15 other guys with the same job."

Mauch was shown showed him saying goodbye to his Minneapolis players, dressed in a suit and looking like a returning war hero or political candidate.

The Times referred to him as a "handsome, volatile athlete." Mauch was a Fremont High graduate who was signed by the Dodgers and had several stops as a player in the majors and minors before turning to managing.

He's a big part of Angel history as manager of two talented teams—in 1982 and '86– that won division titles but didn't reach the World Series. He also managed the Twins and the Expos.

–Keith Thursby