In 1962, Dick Rowe made arguably the biggest entertainment blunder of the 20th century. As the head of Decca Records, he passed on signing The Beatles, reportedly telling band manager Brian Epstein “guitar groups are on the way out”, adding the Fab Four had “no future in show business.”
Branch Rickey evidently owes Rowe a debt of gratitude for sparing him the top spot on that ignominious list. In July 1941, the architect of the Cardinals’ farm system—and one of the best talent evaluators in baseball—whiffed on a tryout assessment. He low-balled an offer to Lawrence “Lawdie” Berra, nearly breaking the 16-year-old’s spirit when projecting his future.