Frank Lane Frank Lane ( February 1 , 1896 - March 19 , 1981 ) was an American executive in professional baseball , most notably serving as a general manager in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox , St . Louis Cardinals , Cleveland Indians , and Milwaukee Brewers . Biography . Born in Cincinnati , Ohio , Lane ' s first involvement with professional sports came in American football , where he played guard for a number of " Ohio League " teams prior to the creation of the National Football League . After his attempt at playing professional baseball fell short , Lane shifted to officiating , serving as a referee in both football and basketball . Baseball front offices . In 1933 , he was named as traveling secretary for the Cincinnati Reds , while continuing to spend his offseasons as an official . After later spending one season as general manager of the team ' s Durham , North Carolina minor league club , Lane was elevated to assistant general manager for the Reds under Warren Giles on November 17 , 1936 . After the U . S . entered World War II , Lane went into Navy and spent the next four years in the service before returning in 1946 as general manager of the Kansas City Blues , a farm club of the New York Yankees . One year in that position led to a two - year stretch as president of the American Association . Lane then resigned that post in 1948 to become general manager of the White Sox . Over the next seven years , he would shape the team into a contender after nearly two decades of mediocrity . In seven years with the White Sox , Frank Lane made 241 trades . After resigning in September 1955 , Lane quickly found work again in St . Louis , where he spent two seasons before moving to Cleveland in November 1957 . As General Manager of the St . Louis Cardinals , Frank Lane tried to trade Stan Musial to the Philadelphia Phillies for Robin Roberts . When news of the proposed transaction was leaked to the radio , Cardinals owner August Busch stopped the deal . While in Cleveland , Lane gained infamy by trading popular star Rocky Colavito to the Detroit Tigers for Harvey Kuenn resulting in the so called " Curse of Colavito . " Lane left Cleveland in January 1961 for an executive position with the Kansas City Athletics , but the combination of Lane and volatile owner Charlie Finley meant an end to his employment just eight months later . The lingering feud between the two over compensation would result in a lawsuit that took over three years to settle . Due to his uncertain contract status , Lane was forced out of baseball during this period , but found employment on May 7 , 1962 as general manager of the National Basketball Association ' s Chicago Packers . On January 8 , 1965 , Lane settled his lawsuit with Finley , accepting $ 113 , 000 , as well as the freedom to take another position in baseball . Early reports of his being part of an ownership group to buy the Boston Red Sox , as well as potentially serving as president of the Texas League , proved to be unfounded . Instead , Lane was hired by the Baltimore Orioles as a special assistant to general manager Lee MacPhail on March 7 , serving primarily as a team scout , a post he would hold for nearly six years . Shortly before his 75th birthday , he was hired as general manager for the Milwaukee Brewers . Following that stint , Lane concluded his career as a scout for both the California Angels and Texas Rangers . Death and reputation . Lane would gain fame ( and sometimes infamy ) for his many transactions , earning nicknames such as " Trader Frank , " " Frantic Frank , " " Trader Lane , " and " The Wheeler Dealer " for the more than 400 trades he made in his career , including 241 with the White Sox alone . In addition to dealing star players such as Norm Cash , Rocky Colavito , and Roger Maris , Lane also dispatched future Hall of Famers Enos Slaughter , Red Schoendienst , and Early Wynn . When he also tried to trade the legendary Stan Musial , Cardinals owner Gussie Busch blocked the transaction . Yet players were not the only people involved in Lane ' s transactions - in 1960 , during his tenure with the Indians , he dealt manager Joe Gordon in exchange for Detroit Tigers skipper Jimmy Dykes . He died in a Dallas , Texas nursing home at 84 years of age . In Bobby Bragan ' s book " You Can ' t Hit the Ball With the Bat On Your Shoulder " , Bragan wrote that he was asked by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn ' s office to represent them at the funeral . Bragan would be the lone baseball official to attend Lane ' s rites .