John Alevizos

{{short description|American businessman}} {{Infobox person | name = John Alevizos | image = John Alevizos.jpeg | alt = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date|1919|12|11}} | birth_place = Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|2005|8|1|1919|12|11}} | death_place = Weston, Massachusetts, U.S. | occupation = Baseball executive | years_active = 1969–1976 }}'''John Peter Alevizos''' (December 11, 1919<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.baseballamerica.com/execdb/?show=exec&eid=alevijo01|title = MLB Teams, Prospects, Video, News}}</ref> – August 1, 2005<ref name="legacy">[http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/bostonglobe/obituary.aspx?page=Lifestory&pid=14731477 Boston Globe obituary]</ref>) was an American businessman and a front-office executive in professional baseball. A native of Boston, Massachusetts, he was a real-estate developer for over forty years and a former member of the faculty of the Boston University School of Management.<ref name="legacy"/>

Alevizos was an alumnus of Boston University, where he earned both bachelor's and master's degrees, and held a certificate in city planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also attended Harvard Business School. He was a United States Army veteran of World War II, where he served in the Pacific Theater of Operations and was awarded the Bronze Star.

A lifelong fan and former youth baseball coach, Alevizos became involved in professional baseball in 1969, when he purchased the Binghamton Triplets, Double-A Eastern League affiliate of the New York Yankees, and moved them to Manchester, New Hampshire. He operated the Manchester Yankees for two seasons, then joined the Boston Red Sox as vice president, administration, from 1971 to 1974. Functioning as the team's business manager, he helped expand the Red Sox' spring training facilities, then based in Winter Haven, Florida.

He resigned from the Red Sox on December 29, 1974, reportedly to pursue investing in the Cleveland Indians or an expansion team for Toronto.<ref>Gammons, Peter (29 December 1974), "Alevizos Leaving Sox for Indians?" ''The Boston Globe,'' page 74. Archives via Newspapers.com</ref> Although those efforts were unsuccessful, Alevizos returned to baseball in March 1976 when he was named general manager of the Atlanta Braves by the club's new owner, Ted Turner. Alevizos served six months in the post before his replacement by Bill Lucas in September. One month into Alevizos' tenure, the Braves signed free agent pitcher Andy Messersmith, whose grievance against the reserve clause led to the arbitrator's ruling permitting free agency in baseball.

In {{baseball year|2004}}, Alevizos, then 84, made headlines when he proposed to buy the MLB-owned Montreal Expos franchise with the intent to move them to Connecticut.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/04/04/itching_to_play_ball/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040612055040/http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/04/04/itching_to_play_ball/|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 12, 2004|title = Itching to play ball|newspaper = Boston.com|date = 4 April 2004|last1 = Shartin|first1 = Emily}}</ref> Instead, the Expos relocated to Washington, D.C., where they now play as the Washington Nationals.

John Alevizos died in Weston, Massachusetts, at age 85.

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{s-start}} {{succession box | title=Atlanta Braves General manager| before=Eddie Robinson| after=Bill Lucas | years=<small>March–September 1976</small>}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alevizos, John}} Category:1919 births Category:2005 deaths Category:Atlanta Braves executives Category:Boston Red Sox executives Category:Boston University alumni Category:Boston University faculty Category:Businesspeople from Boston Category:Harvard Business School alumni Category:Major League Baseball general managers Category:MIT School of Architecture and Planning alumni Category:20th-century American businesspeople Category:United States Army personnel of World War II