Nelson Doubleday Jr.’s death on Wednesday is a reminder of how a man born to privilege and extreme wealth can turn a desultory team around by hiring the right people.
As majority owner through his family’s publishing firm, Doubleday & Company, he could take credit for the revival of a team that had won no more than 66 games in the three years before the business bought near-total control of the Mets. He hired Frank Cashen as general manager and left him alone to do his work.
“The minute I start getting involved in Mr.