tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81090980293721960052024-03-19T01:48:26.032-07:00The Infinite Baseball Card Set
The Infinite Baseball Card Set has moved to a new and improved site. Come take a look at our stunning new graphics, brand-new stories and big and better illustrations! Our new home is at: StudioGaryC.comGary Joseph Cieradkowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04780041109109187257noreply@blogger.comBlogger243125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109098029372196005.post-29173181721427177182018-02-24T12:50:00.001-08:002018-02-24T13:22:26.555-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">I will be leaving the old stories and drawings up for the time being, and will be gradually moving them over to the new location. I am doing this in stages because instead of just pouring all the old stories into the new blog, I am not only editing, but in some cases re-drawing and re-writing the old ones to bring them up to the current standards expected of <a href="https://studiogaryc.com/baseball-blog/" target="_blank">The Infinite Baseball Card Set</a>. </span></div>
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Gary Joseph Cieradkowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04780041109109187257noreply@blogger.com133tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109098029372196005.post-76296014241991030622018-02-15T13:38:00.000-08:002018-02-15T14:00:04.653-08:00239. Big Boy Kraft: Fifty-Five and Out<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOiso3n55eMogNj37L5gVonF6ngUasSZMvABG7oYO_aGeGaNoCHpw9z42a9Q3i4FV8OG23WdMAJX21HWtnb9w5dFHDTYTibPQxJm8a0Uin2ib-XDcKEXa2-5g2Sfu80nV5_y0c_uz-EXVS/s1600/clarence_kraft.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="516" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOiso3n55eMogNj37L5gVonF6ngUasSZMvABG7oYO_aGeGaNoCHpw9z42a9Q3i4FV8OG23WdMAJX21HWtnb9w5dFHDTYTibPQxJm8a0Uin2ib-XDcKEXa2-5g2Sfu80nV5_y0c_uz-EXVS/s640/clarence_kraft.png" width="206" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #7f6000;">This
week we'll continue to go backwards through baseball history and
examine the <a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/search/label/Minor%20League%20Home%20Run%20Champs" target="_blank">single-season home</a></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #7f6000;"><a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/search/label/Minor%20League%20Home%20Run%20Champs" target="_blank"> run leaders of the pre-steroid era</a>. Prece<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">d</span>ing Tony Lazzeri as the <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Minor League S</span>ingle-<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">S</span>eason Home Run Leader was Clarence "Big Boy" Kraft. Big Boy was the power behind the 19<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">19-1924 <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Fort Worth Panthers<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, one of the finest minor league teams of the pre-war era. His 55 homers in 1924 was the highest recorded in the minors up to that time and only second to Babe Ruth's major league record of <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">59 he <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">se</span>t in 1921. As could be expected, after that 1924 season, everyone wanted a piece of Big Boy...</span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Clarence Kraft, </span></span></b><br />
<i><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Waco, Tex.</span></span></b></i><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Would you consider playing for the Reds for 1925 season? </span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Wire reply.</span></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jack Hendricks, </span></span></b><br />
<i><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Redland Field, Cincinnati, O.</span></span></b></i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Clarence Kraft folded the telegram and slid it back into its yellow envelope. After a moment he thought better of it, took it out, smoothed it flat with his big palm and left it on his kitchen table, face up. He already knew the answer to its question - he'd asked himself the same one many times over the years - but wanted to relish that moment of uncertainty a little longer before his answer was final.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It had taken Clarence Kraft over a decade to claw his way back to the big leagues. He began his career as a<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">hulking</span></span> Indiana farm boy with a blazing fastball back in 1910. Six-foot tall and close to 200 pounds, Kraft <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">looked every inch like his</span> nick<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">name "Big Boy." </span>His 13-2 ledger in the Kitty League set the scouts tongues a-waggin' and he signed with Cleveland. Spring camp with the Indians made it clear he wasn't yet ready for The Show, so he dutifully did his tour of the low minors: Flint Vehicles, Toledo Mud Hens, New Orleans Pelicans, Clarksville Swa<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">m</span>p Angels. He transitioned from the mound to everyday player where his potent bat could be more useful, a-la Babe Ruth. After he hit .362 to lead the Southern Association in 1913, Sporting Life magazine called him the circuit's "best natural slugger since the days of Joe Jackson."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Brooklyn Superbas drafted Kraft off the N<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ashville roster and then dealt him to the B<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">oston Braves. </span></span>Kraft singled in his very first at bat, then was used as a pinch hitter a few more times before he was sent back to Nashville. The thing was, <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Big Boy</span> refused to go.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Boston Braves were a pennant-bound team and Nashville was a Southern Association team - two or three rungs below the majors. Kraft felt that if he was going back to the bushes, it should be to a higher classification league. The rookie appealed to the Baseba<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ll Players<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">' Fraternity, a proto-union for<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">med in 1912</span></span></span>. By new rules agreed upon by by the </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Baseba<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ll Players<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">' Fraternity and </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the National Commission which governed organized baseball, a player released from a major league team must be offered to a <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">C<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">lass AA (today's AAA classification) club first. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">S</span>ending K<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">raft to Nashville was against the new rules but the Commission didn't care, disregarding the Class AA Newark Indians interest in K<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">raft and awarding him to Nashville instead</span>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In o<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">rdinary times, there wouldn't have been a damn thing Kraft could do about his predicament, b<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ut 1914 wasn't ordinary times.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span> Because of the threat posed by the upstart Federal League in 1914, the </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Baseba<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ll Players<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">' Fraternity enjoy<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ed</span> a good amount of pull over the National Commission. So, when the </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Baseba<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ll Players<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">' Fraternity <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">threatened to strike over Kraft, the Commission convinced Nashville to sell the rebel ballplayer's contract to Newark, which they did.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Kraft bounced around the Class A<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A leagues for a few years and <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">again <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">kicked up</span></span> controversy when he and two other players refused to report after being traded to Milwaukee in 1916. The players demanded a signing bonus <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">whi<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ch they were rel<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">u<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ctantly given. By 191<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">8</span> Kraft was thirty years old, had made himself a nuisance to baseball's ruling class and was slipping do<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">wn a minor league rung each season. Th<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">e</span>n Uncle Sam came calling.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/02/21-journal-mark-iii.html" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS93CH6UgpPBwf7ZEkc9bxii5W9V5j0zxIPKzA8nFsf3uaIU3gTw6prmmN3t_0Gf_PQwLawWvlb3IVmQuWtjhMpqhMSNWHYpqrJpSdDtvu4aOj1BGF0nA92rn-BJ-jHt4NtJte0y0RzMGZ/s640/21_slim_ad.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Kra<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ft had been a<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> gearhead since he was kid back on the farm in India<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">na, and <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the Army put him to good use</span> in the Motor T<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ransport Corps. After <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">six months in France he </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>returned home and married his girlfriend, Dorothy Goessling. With baseball booming again, Kraft signed with the Fort Worth Panthers of the Texas League. Now into his thirties, <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Big Boy</span> figured he'<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">d</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">wring a few more bucks out of the game before his legs went, earning enough cas<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">h to <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">buy into</span> a business when he retired. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It was a solid plan, but it didn't quite work out like he figured.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Fort Worth had a juggernaut of a ball club in 1919. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Th<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">e team was assembled by owners W.K. Stripling and Paul LaGrave who acted as president and general manager respectively. The two men carefully <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">built</span> a core team that meshed well <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">under the watchful eye of legendary Texas League manager Jake Atz. Fort Worth management made it a point to pa<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">y</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">their players higher wages than was the norm for a Class A club. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Not only did this led to players actually turning down promotions to a higher <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">le<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">vel league to stay in town, but </span>spending th<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ose</span> fat paychecks</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">with</span></span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Fort <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Worth</span></span></span> merchants endeared the<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> team</span> to <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">its</span> citizens, creating a rabid fan base. After the war, Stripling and LaGrave </span></span></span></span></span>signed an agreement with Detroit who funneled their <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">promising</span> players south for seasoning. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In 1919, e</span>leven of the<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> guys on the <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Panthers</span> either had time in the majors or <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">would so very soon. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Fresh <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">from</span> driving ammo trucks in France, Kra<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ft only hi<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">t .275, but his 11 home runs was the Texas League<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'s </span>second best.</span></span></span> Fort Worth won<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> one half of the split season schedule but lost to Shreveport in the playoffs. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Kraft figured he'<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">d</span> give it another season<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, but Kraft wasn't mu<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">c</span>h help in 1920, hitting a miserable .258 with 6 lousy home runs.</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now obviously at the end of his career, Kraft signed with Fort Worth for 1921<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, both parties not expecting much out of the old ballplayer. Both were wrong.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Somehow, someway, <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Big Boy</span> had <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">stumbled on</span> the secret to home run hitting. In one game early in the 1921 season<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, Kraft went 5 for 5 with three home runs,<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> and never <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">let up all s<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ummer</span>.</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">By the time 1921 ended, Kraft had <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">set Texas League records for most hits (212) and total bases (376) in a season. He <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">won the batting crown with a .3<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">52 aver<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">age and smashed 31 home runs, second in the league<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, as</span> Fort Worth cruised to another pennant. 1922 was almost a car<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">b</span>o<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">n</span> copy of 1921 except that Kraft led the league <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">with 32 home runs and 131 RBI. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Then he <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">and the Panthers came back and did th<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">e same thing in 1923</span></span></span> - Fort Worth sweeping the pennant and Kraft leading the league in homers with 32.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As the team's elder statesman, Kraft <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">helped the younger players navigate the ways and means of a <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">bush league<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">r, offering such sage advice as "you always want to get your name in the paper. If you<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'re walking down the street and you haven't been getting enough publicity, hit someone in the face."</span></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Thankfully for Fort Worth pedestrians, <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Big Boy Kraft's</span></span></span> 95 home <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">runs in three years<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">garnered him enough ink in the sports pages without having to slug anyone.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In 1924 it was the opposing Texas League pitchers that wanted to slug Kraft<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> and the other Panthers. The team won 109 games to finish 30 1/2 games in front<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, t</span>heir incredible record was fueled b<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">y Big Boy's bat. The 37 year-old vet not only set <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">new</span> Texas League records for RBI (196)<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> and</span> total bases (414)<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, but his 55 home runs was the best <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">in all of baseball since Babe Ruth<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'s</span> 59 in 1921. He <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">also hit a nice .349 for the pennant winners. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Since this was 1924, the <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">age of Babe Ruth</span></span>, </span>it was Kraft's 55 home<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> run</span>s that really got people interested<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, and that's what initiated the telegram that arrived from Cincinnati.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">At thirty<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">-seven, Kraft knew he'd never be more than a novelty in the majors. Sure, maybe he'<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">d</span> knoc<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">k a few out of the park, but he<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'d never approach what Babe Ruth was doing. There were other offers on the table, including a rare for the time <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">multi-year contract from Fort Worth at $5,000 a s<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">eason. That was a lot of mone<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">y, but like the question posed by the Reds, Big Boy Kraft already knew his answer.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Fifty-five and out.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With the forward thinking usually associated with t<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">oday<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">s'</span> players, Kraft <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">used his baseball savings</span> to capit<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">a</span>lize on his local popularity. Still every inch the <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">gearhead he was back in Indiana, Kraft bought a For<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">d dealership in downtown Fort Worth. At first, his <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">plan seemed to work - the showroom was flooded with people. Un<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">fortunately, they were all there to shake Big Boy's hand and talk baseball. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Kraft <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">finally had to post</span> a notice in the local paper<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">: you buy a car first, then we talk baseball. Kraft<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'s business sense was acknowledged when the Panthers hired him <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">as the team's president in 1932. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Great Depression had all but wiped out the club financially and Kraft was able to stabilize the ailing franchise in a few years. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Job finished, he returned to his</span></span></span></span></span> dealership which did well until World War II ended new car production. By this time Kraft had made the transition from former jock to <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">respected businessman. He was elected a county judge for three terms, specializing in <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">revamping the probation department and attempting to curtail juvenile delinquency. He retired in 194<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">8 and enjoyed a decade of tranquility with his wife Dorothy and their three <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">children before suffering a stroke in 1957. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Several months later it</span> took pneumonia and a heart attack to finally do to Big Boy what Texas League pitchers <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">failed</span> do back in 192<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">4</span>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Although <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">most of Kraft's <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">records were eventually broken, </span>t</span>he big fella<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'s <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">total of 196 RBIs</span> is still <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">tops</span> in the Texas League <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">record books for highest single season <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">totals.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #7f6000;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0cVBJSUhysgM0Kyo3TwV76CsopXSScRp_A6EI2WCV1HkW8dO2vO105V5JJ04lVpXzqA2gym1PSMxtX3rsdxDggH5PeD3uSaSvsUWf8Kw3aWs8wgRweOYiIJnzO8NpBatwRwdP0GhR3X_c/s1600/comment_banner_red_2.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0cVBJSUhysgM0Kyo3TwV76CsopXSScRp_A6EI2WCV1HkW8dO2vO105V5JJ04lVpXzqA2gym1PSMxtX3rsdxDggH5PeD3uSaSvsUWf8Kw3aWs8wgRweOYiIJnzO8NpBatwRwdP0GhR3X_c/s400/comment_banner_red_2.jpg" /></a></span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span>Gary Joseph Cieradkowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04780041109109187257noreply@blogger.com94tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109098029372196005.post-41950142512750793802018-02-07T11:42:00.002-08:002018-02-07T11:42:29.941-08:00238. Tony LaZerre: Joosta Like Babe-A-Da Ruth*<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia1vqQv7DY42RMDD9uQo8sgLHoL7jYztfUEHbePq97UENyHBI-Dr2ooFxlbnp_caQdkgvXMrd_t8oy-L6-bcrRZSO2SQltnjVoLIVESseCXI3SuoY21HGuTXcdRJFGIGCE42IYSTNLjjm8/s1600/tony_lazzeri_salt_lake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="518" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia1vqQv7DY42RMDD9uQo8sgLHoL7jYztfUEHbePq97UENyHBI-Dr2ooFxlbnp_caQdkgvXMrd_t8oy-L6-bcrRZSO2SQltnjVoLIVESseCXI3SuoY21HGuTXcdRJFGIGCE42IYSTNLjjm8/s640/tony_lazzeri_salt_lake.jpg" width="206" /></a></span></span></div>
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</i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #7f6000;"><i>This week we'll continue to go backwards through baseball history and examine the single-season home run leaders of the pre-steroid era. T</i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #7f6000;"><i>oday we have Tony LaZerre. Never heard of him? </i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #7f6000;"><i>How about Tony Lazzeri<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> - y</span>ou know him, right? Victim of <a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2015/12/208-pete-alexander-october-10-1926.html" target="_blank">Pete Alexander's big strikeout</a> in the '26 World Series, member of</i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #7f6000;"><i> the Yankees</i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #7f6000;"><i>' Murderer's Row and first superstar ballplayer of Italian heritage<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> - well back before he was with the Yanks he <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">made baseball history under</span> a diff<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">erent name...</span></span></i></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Saturday, May 23. Salt Lake City, Utah </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cesare Rinetti was in the stands enjoying the unofficial game of his adapted homeland: baseball. The afternoon was perfect, right around 65, sunny and mild. The hometown Salt Lake City Bees were hosting the Seattle Indians. In a true rarity at Bonneville Park, usually a hitter's paradise, the game began as a pitcher's duel. Seattle's John Miljus was holding the Bees to just a pair of singles while the home team's starter Elmer Ponder had scattered 5 harmless hits. Then, in the bottom of the fifth, the Bees began to sting. A single sandwiched between a pair of Seattle errors started a rally for Salt Lake. In the stands, Rinetti and the rest of the crowd began to stir. Just like that, three runs scored before Miljus managed to get two outs. That brought the home crowd roaring to their feet. Now, with runners at the corners, Salt Lake's rookie hitting sensation Tony LaZerre stepped to the plate. Seven weeks into the 1925 season, the shy shortstop from San Francisco was simply murdering the ball: a .358 average and 9 for 18 in his last at bats.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">C</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">aught up in the excitement of the moment</span>, Cesare Rinetti couldn't contain his enthusiasm. For Rinetti, this wasn't just his hometown team taking the lead, but the man who stood at the plate was his paisan - a fellow Italian-American - his "Tone." In the two months since Tony came to town, Rinetti had made it his mission to befriend and take care of his fellow Italian and his wife Maye. As the co-propriator of the Rotisserie Inn, Rinetti had been feeding the young slugger all the Italian fare he could eat. He couldn't swear by it, but inside Rinetti knew his friendship and good food played a part in the success Tony was experiencing so far in the season. So it wasn't just passion for his home team that got Rinetti all worked up, it was the pride in witnessing a fellow Italian-American making good playing America's game.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Eying the runners at the corners, Rinetti searched through his limited data bank of English phrases, searching for the right one to yell at that moment - something that would inspire "Tone," as he called him, to get a hit and advance those runners. When his mental search came up empty, Rinetti improvised. He cupped his hands to his mouth, and in his accented English he hollered out: "Push 'em up, Tone!" The fans nearby were puzzled by the expression, but as Rinetti yelled it a second, then third time, stressing the the first word, they picked up the curious chant. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Poosh 'em up, Tone!"</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Poosh 'em up, Tone!"</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Poosh 'em up, Tone!"</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Then, as if on cue, Tony sent a Miljus fastball over the left field wall. Three runs scored - Tone had indeed pushed 'em up. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Anthony Michael Lazzeri was the first born son of Augustine and Julia Lazzeri. His parents had immigrated from Italy and settled in the Cow Hollow section of San Francisco. Though its name evokes peaceful pastures, Cow Hollow was a rough part of Frisco, and the young Tony quickly knew how to used his fist to defend himself. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Baseball also piqued his interests, and he began playing sandlot
ball around the neighborhood. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Besides the disadvantages that went with being the son of immigrants, Tony was born with epilepsy. There isn't much written about how this affected his early life, but it must have been a hard thing to live with back in 1910's San Francisco. Virtually nothing was known about epilepsy back then, and people afflicted with it were often shunned and discriminated against socially, especially if a seizure was witnessed. The frequency with which he experienced his seizures is not recorded, but the fact that he was able to lead the life of a normal teenager says that perhaps the episodes were not very frequent.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Preferring boxing and baseball to books, Tony was expelled from school at the age of 15. He joined his pop as a boilermaker's assistant which paid dividends for him very quickly. Besides getting a steady union paycheck, the job also gave the teen an excuse to play baseball for the company team and a semi-pro team on Sundays. It also led to his being introduced to a teammate's sister, Maye Janes. The two began a relationship that would endure until the end of Tony's life.<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Word of Tony's prowess spread beyond the industrial leagues and on to Duffy Lewis. The </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">former Red Sox star was now </span>the manager of the Salt Lake City Bees of the Pacific Coast League, one step below the majors. Lewis invited the 18 year old to the Bees spring training camp in Modesto. Lewis liked what he saw and took the kid back to Salt Lake when the season opened. From the start it was obvious that the rookie was out of his league. He hit a paltry .92 in 45 games and committed 11 errors. Yet Duffy Lewis knew a diamond in the rough when he saw one. He arranged for the teenager to be sent to a lower minor league for seasoning.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Following spring training in 1923, the Bees sent Tony to the Peoria Tractors of the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League. The Three-I League was a few rungs below the PCL and a good place for him to play everyday and get used to professional ball. Despite being sent down, the Salt Lake Tribune remarked that he was a "young player with extraordinary talent. He is a first-class fielder and has the best arm seen in the Coast League since Salt Lake entered the circuit." Pretty high praise for an 19 year-old being demoted. Tony didn't show up in Peoria alone - he married his long time girlfriend Maye and the couple traveled east together.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">While his .248 average didn't exactly s<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">hatter</span> any Three-I League records at Peoria, he did bang out 14 home runs and his fielding improved dramatically. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When the season ended, Salt Lake called Tony back and he quickly showed the big club how much he'd matured in Peoria. On September 27 he went 4 for 5 with a double against San Francisco, then on October 5 he went a perfect 4 for 4 with a double against Los Angeles. At the end of the season he'd hit .354 in 39 games. Still, the Salt Lake management felt he needed some more experience and assigned him to the Lincoln Links for 1924.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Right from the start <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">it was appar<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">e</span>nt</span> he was far to talented for the Western League - in 84 games he <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">belted</span> 28 home runs and batted .328. Besides shortstop, he filled in at any spot in the infield. In August the Bees recalled him and he added 16 more round trippers to bring his season total to 44 home runs. Salt Lake's management finally felt the kid was ready, and sold their 1924 starting shortstop, Pinky Pittenger, to the Cubs.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">At the Bees</span> spring training<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> camp in Long Beach, C<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">alifornia, Tony dazzled both the sportswriters and the Bees new manager Oscar Vitt</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. While one could say he was a bit raw on the inside and rough
around the edges, it was obvious the kid had the makings of a big
leaguer, and it wasn't just his hitting. In the field the quiet newcomer dazzled the veterans with what
was labeled as "the best arm in baseball," but it was his bat that
really did the talking for him. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now let's take a time out to put what Tony Lazzeri did in 1925 into historical (and statistical) perspective.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Pacific Coast League in which the Bees played in was one of America's premier minor leagues. Rated a "Class AA" <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">circuit, this archaic designation <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">is the equivalent of today's AAA minor league. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In its heyday, the PCL played a long 200 game season, thereby provi<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ding the canvas in which some crazy-looking season totals were ac<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">complished. When looked at today<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> without the ben<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">efit of context, it's easy to think that the pitchers in the PCL were just overpowering (<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">multiple 25+ game winners were <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">common) and the hitters were automatic hit mac<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">hines. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Up until the 1940's, the PCL was<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> f<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ie</span></span>rcely independent<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, meaning they could sell (or not sell) their players to whatever team they chose. In Lazzeri's time, the Chicago Cubs had a "working agreement" with Salt Lake<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, but all that<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> meant was they had<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> first dibs on a Bees player<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">; t</span>hey still had to pay Salt Lake's price. S<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">o</span>, with stat totals artificially inflated due to 40 more games <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">in their schedule, it was inevitable that <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">expectations placed on PCL players to deliver in the majors were <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">unreasonably</span> high. </span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Another factor that must be considered when talking about Lazzeri's 1925 season is the ballpark he played h<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">is home games in.</span> </span></span></span></span></span>Since the Bees came to town in 1915, their home grounds was Bonneville Park. Salt Lake City is over 4,300 feet above sea level, and the rarefied air put an extra zing into every ball hit at Bonneville. Add to that the park's cozy dimensions of 308' to left, 408' to center and 320' to right and you had a hitter's paradise. In fact, in the 11 years the Bees called Salt Lake City home, the team led the PCL in home runs nine times and in batting eight. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With t</span>he PCL's long 200 game seasons and Salt Lake's long ball-<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">friendly</span> atmosphere, <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Bees batters</span> produced some eye-popping statistics. Case-in-point:<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span>Two years earlier, in 1923, Salt Lake's Paul Strand, a former pitcher with the Boston Braves turned outfielder, had one of the most impressive seasons in the history of the PCL. Strand won the Triple Crown with a .394 average, 43 home runs (a new PCL record) and 187 RBI. On top of that, he set the organized baseball record for most hits in a season with 325. Now keep <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Strand in mind because we'll come back to him a little l<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ater.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Tony</span> made the Bees lineup for good in 1925, <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">he</span> also acquired a new surname: "LaZerre" (or alternately "Lazerre"). <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is a little odd, because w</span>hen he was in town for
short stints in 1922, 1923 and 1924, the local papers spelled his name
correctly, but when he was back to stay 1925, the scribes modified it to the
less Italian, but no less exotic "LaZerre." </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Whatever the reason</span>
- whether he was too shy to correct it, or that he just didn't care<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> -</span>
for the remainder of his minor league career he would be "Tony LaZerre."</span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/02/21-journal-mark-iii.html" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS93CH6UgpPBwf7ZEkc9bxii5W9V5j0zxIPKzA8nFsf3uaIU3gTw6prmmN3t_0Gf_PQwLawWvlb3IVmQuWtjhMpqhMSNWHYpqrJpSdDtvu4aOj1BGF0nA92rn-BJ-jHt4NtJte0y0RzMGZ/s640/21_slim_ad.jpg" /></a></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Tony started the season slow, but soon went <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">full throttle</span>. Vitt positioned the kid in the number 5 spot. Batting behind the big bats of Johnny Frederick, O<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">scar </span>Vitt, John Kerr and Lefty O'Doul<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> gave <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Tony</span> space to relax<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> - w</span>ith at least one of those guys usually on base when he came to bat, pitchers <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">didn't have to option to pitch around him.</span> </span>He hit his first home run on April 16 against Portland, and added a second one before the game ended in a 18-9 win. He victimized Portland for another one the next afternoon as well. By late <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">May he was batting in the .370's. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It was <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">at this point</span> that he received his peculiar nickname "Poosh 'em Up Tony." A sportswriter for the Salt Lake City Tribune named John C. Derks happened to take notice of the crowd's chant and crafted it into <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">a memorable</span> headline for the next morning's paper. Playing on the stereotypical broken English and speech cadence of Italian immigrants, Derk's headline read:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Poosh Um Up, Tone,' Yella Da Fan, an' Tone She Push"</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You couldn't get away with mocking an immigrant's speech today, but back in 1925 people had thicker skin and were amused by that sort of stuff. Plus, it was down right catchy. Derks' nickname stuck and for the rest of his career he was "Poosh 'em Up Tony" Lazzeri. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Starting on June 10, Tony began hitting home runs at a pace that <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">seemed down-right Ruthian</span>. In the June 28 game against San Francisco, Tony hit three home runs, one to each field to make his point. By July he was past the 20 mark<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, but inevitably there <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">had to be</span> a slump. For the better part of July, Tony lagged at the plate. One explanation might be <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">stage fri<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ght. The slugging of <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Tony, Lefty O<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'Doul and Johnny Frederick brought forth a swarm of scouts that attended every Bees game,<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> studying the<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ir</span> every move and <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">dispatch</span>ing their reports back to the big club. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Fortunately, Tony <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">broke out of his slump <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">in style<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">during the July 29<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> game against Sacramento.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">He not only hit</span> for the cycle (a <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">single, double, triple and home run)<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, but twice cleared the bases during the game, once with a double and the <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">second time</span> with a grand slam. He was credited with <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">driving in nine runs in the Bees 23-11 win.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Chicago Cubs had <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">that</span> working agreement with Salt Lake, and their scouts had been keeping tabs on the rookie's progress all season. But while the <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">reports <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">were o<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">verwhelmingly</span></span></span> favorabl<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">e regarding</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">his</span> play on the field, his history of "fits" made them <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">pass</span>. The Cincinnati Reds and Washington Senators both showed interest but ultimately shied away for the same reason as the Cubs. Looking back, it's hard to understand why big league teams weren't lining up to take a chance on the PCL home run leader. That the Senators passed could be excused - they were on the verge of winning their second consecutive pennant and had no reason to take an expensive risk. Cincinnati and Chicago, however, are a different story. Cincinnati was stuck in second place and needed that extra something that would send them over the top. The Cubbies on the other hand were mired in the cellar and should have grasped at anything that could have meant a better showing in the standings. But back in '25, epilepsy was a frightening and mysterious affliction. A bum ankle or broken arm could be easily treated and monitored, but a malady that came on without warning was too much for the folks in 1925 to understand. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There was also <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">one other factor that made teams le<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">e</span>ry of spending big bucks on <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the Salt Lake sensation: Paul Strand. Remember him? He was the Bees<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">' 1923 Triple Crown winner and baseball's all-time single season hit leader. After his record setting year, Connie Mack opened up his miserly change purse and shelled out $35,000 and five good players (including Pinky Pittenger who Tony replaces at shortstop) for Strand. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The PCL ph<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">enom</span></span> started the '24 season with the A's, but was <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">unceremoniously <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">dumped</span> off <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">on</span> Toledo</span> after 47 games, zero home run<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">s</span> and a .2<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">28 average. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Strand's crash and burn and Mack's </span>financial bath was still fresh in the minds of the other big league execs as Tony LaZerre was burning up the PCL a year later.</span></span></span></span></span> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In early August, only one team was willing to take a chance on Tony, and it was the one thought least likely to need another home run hitter: the New York Yankees. The Yanks had sent several scouts west to take a look at the kid, and while they dutifully reported back about his "fits", the stories of his hitting power and strong throwing arm excited general manager Ed Barrow. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Beginning in early</span> July, the New Yorkers had been trying to buy <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">him, but were continuously rebuffed by </span>Bees owner Frank Lane. Scout Ed Holly put an o<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ffer of fifty grand on the table but Lane refused. It wasn't that he didn't <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">need the cash - i<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">n fact Lane's Salt Lake franchise was in deep financial trouble <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">in the summer of 1925. E<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ven with <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">his <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">exciting</span> line<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">up of powerhouse sluggers, the Bees were only pulling in an average of 900 fans <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">per game. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The other PCL <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">teams, who were all located along the west coast, disliked traveling so far inland to Salt Lake, especially when their part of the gate <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">following</span> a series with the Bees didn't cover their travel costs. The only thing that kept less fans going to B<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">onneville Stadium was a<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> marquee</span> attraction like their slugging shortstop. If he was<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> to leave, <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">how many fans would <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">leave</span>, too? </span></span></span>Lane's refusal to se<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ll Tony to the Yankees in July was him trying to stave off the inevitable. The Bees owner was now riding the fine line between keeping his franchise above water and open for business and <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">cashing in</span> his most valuable asset and risk closing shop. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lane <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">delayed parting with Tony <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">throughout July, trying to <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">wring any financial</span> advantage <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the publicity of his sparkling season was reaping at the gates. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But he couldn't hold out forever - </span></span></span></span></span></span> in the beginning of August Lane was ready to sell. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>After <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">extensive</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">consultation with multi<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">p</span>le </span>medical <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">experts</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">eased</span> Barrow's apprehensiveness over <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the ballplayer's "fits<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">,"</span></span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the Yankees handed over a</span> reported $50,000 cash and five players <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">for</span> Tony LaZerre.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In the meantime, since <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">he</span> wasn't due to report to New York <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">until <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">following</span> spring, </span>there was still the remainder of the 1925 PCL season to play. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">At the time of his purchase on August 2, Tony had past the 3<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">5</span> home run mark. This was just eight sh<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">y of the <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">PCL record </span>Paul Strand had set in 1923<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, and there was still more than 50 games to go. It <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">began to look like Tony <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">c</span>ould not only beat Strand but that he had a good shot at the all-time minor league record of 55 set by Clarence "Big Bo<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">y" </span>Kraft set just a year before. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Tony not only beat St<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">rand's record on September 13, but he annihilated<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> it<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, bashing three home runs in a double<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">header against the Angels<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. A week later Tony <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">had 50<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, but there</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">he stalled. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Unlike his July-long stage fri<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ght, a</span></span>ccording the ne<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">wspapers PCL pitchers weren't giving the Salt Lake slugger anything to work with. It took him until October 2 to break <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Kraft's record, and then he stalled again when pitchers refused to challenge him. Tony's frustration came to the surface when the <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">normally quiet shortstop disputed a call at second base and was ejected from the second game of a doubleheader. Finally, on October 11 came home runs 57 and 58, putting him one away from matching Babe Ruth's record of 59 set back in 1921. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Of course back in 1925 you had the haters who tried to pooh<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">-pooh what was going on in Salt Lake. One of the first things mentioned</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>was the PCL's extended season, more than forty more games than the major leagues and most m<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">inor leagues.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span>Noted too, </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">was that </span>Tony was what the papers called a "Salt Lake Hitter<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">," <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">attributing his home run production with that rarefied air in Bonneville Park. It was a cold fact that 39 of his homers hit in 1925 w<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ere at home. Now <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">that</span> the PCL season coming to a close with Salt Lake's remaining games all on the road, Tony had to prove he wasn't just a "Salt Lake Hitter."</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Saturday O<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ctober 17 found the Bees in S<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">acramento for the final three games of the season. In the first game Tony tied Ruth with number 59. That left <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">only a</span> Sunday doubleheader in which to <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">make history. To give him more chances at the plate, <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">O</span>scar Vitt move<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">d Tony up from the 5th spot to lead off. Sacramento conceded an edge to Salt Lake by positioning their outfielders as far away from left field as possible. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Even with these favorable conditions</span> he <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">managed nothing more than a double in five <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">tries in the first game</span>. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Then in the nightcap he came up empty in his first two tries. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Finally in the seventh he got hold of <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">one and lined a ball to deep left field. As the outfielders c<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">hased the ball to the wall, <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Tony circled the bases for a<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">n in the park home run. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Though a bit tainted, he had set the new single season record for <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">home runs.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">That was all she wrote for Tony LaZerre. The following spring he had made the New York Yankees as Tony Laze<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">rri and helped spark the Yanks to <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the first of<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> six</span></span> pennants they'd win with him in their lineup. Not only did he go on to a Hall of Fame career, but Lazzeri also was the first <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">star ballplayer of Italian heritage<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">,</span> pav<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ing</span> the way for guys like DiMaggio, Crosetti<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, Rizzuto and Berra<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As far a<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">s those</span> dreaded "fits" went, it seems they had no bearing on his career. Ed Barrow later wrote that he was always concerned that something might occur<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, but they never d<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">id on the field. After he left the game, Tony returned to <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">San Francisco where he and Maye raised a family and the old ballplayer ran a bar. On August 6, 1946, Maye returned from a <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">trip o<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ut of<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> town to find her husband collapsed in<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">side their home, dead of a heart attack at age 42.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #7f6000;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As with the rest of my stories, I relied heavily on contemporary newspaper stories. I also have to acknowledge Hal Schindler's 1993 article a<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">bout Lazzeri's 1925 season. Unlike almost every other story about Lazzeri's nickname, Schindler actually dug deep and found the actual headline and story in the Salt Lake Tribune that <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">used "Poosh Um Up, Tone" for the first time. That was some good research. Also, Richard Ian Kimball's "Bringing Fame to Zion" article in <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Nine, volume 14.2 offered some good background on w<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">hat was going on in Salt Lake back in 192<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">5. </span></span></span></span></span>Since La<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">zzeri's big league career has been co<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">vered countless times, I concentrated solely on his Salt Lake City days. To find out the rest of Lazzeri's story I recommend Paul Voltano's </span></span></span></span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tony-Lazzeri-Biography-Paul-Votano/dp/0786420146" target="_blank">Tony Lazzeri: A Baseball Biography</a></span></span></span></span><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> and</span> <a href="http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/1b3c179c" target="_blank">Fred Glueckstein's biography</a> of <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">him</span> on the SABR website.</span></span></span></span></i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #7f6000;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">*The post's title, "Joosta Like Babe-A-Da Ruth," comes from a 1928 tin pan alley tune written by James Kendis. The title plays on the same Italian immigrant accent stereotype that Lazzeri's nickname derived from. I have no idea what "Joosta Like Babe-A-Da Ruth" sounded like, but I'm sure it was a helluva foot tapper.</span></span></span></span></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #7f6000;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0cVBJSUhysgM0Kyo3TwV76CsopXSScRp_A6EI2WCV1HkW8dO2vO105V5JJ04lVpXzqA2gym1PSMxtX3rsdxDggH5PeD3uSaSvsUWf8Kw3aWs8wgRweOYiIJnzO8NpBatwRwdP0GhR3X_c/s1600/comment_banner_red_2.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0cVBJSUhysgM0Kyo3TwV76CsopXSScRp_A6EI2WCV1HkW8dO2vO105V5JJ04lVpXzqA2gym1PSMxtX3rsdxDggH5PeD3uSaSvsUWf8Kw3aWs8wgRweOYiIJnzO8NpBatwRwdP0GhR3X_c/s400/comment_banner_red_2.jpg" /></a></span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span>Gary Joseph Cieradkowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04780041109109187257noreply@blogger.com145tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109098029372196005.post-54831233516579784772018-01-31T09:29:00.002-08:002018-02-07T11:42:49.893-08:00237. Moose Clabaugh: A Home Run Every Other Game<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIQy841j4ix_cB8cuZdAxQcwqnHN53Du6A4XIT1sZUwAZcWAcUFSoaXGT_Gnpb4ZQ9ZyyK6zEEkZ2crnASF-Ce8ZAAtA2UVT6uPfHefoimxmdSSptIG-HENvZMgtvmwNoK44lSG0jkCKPy/s1600/moose_clabaugh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="518" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIQy841j4ix_cB8cuZdAxQcwqnHN53Du6A4XIT1sZUwAZcWAcUFSoaXGT_Gnpb4ZQ9ZyyK6zEEkZ2crnASF-Ce8ZAAtA2UVT6uPfHefoimxmdSSptIG-HENvZMgtvmwNoK44lSG0jkCKPy/s640/moose_clabaugh.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #7f6000;"><i>So, after writing the stories of the three modern single-season home run leaders, I decided there were too many great tales surrounding the guys who held the record prior to <a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/11/234-joe-hauser-leave-him-alone-hes-our.html" target="_blank">Hauser</a>, <a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/11/235-bob-crues-chamberlined.html" target="_blank">Crues</a> and <a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2018/01/236-joe-bauman-putting-tiger-in-record.html" target="_blank">Bauman</a>. In the coming weeks I'll bring to life Bunny Brief, Big Boy Kraft, Tony LaZerre and today's featured slugger: Moose Clabaugh...</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It was two hours until game time, and the sportswriters in shirt sleeves migrated down to the empty seats behind home plate to watch the newest Brooklyn recruit take his cuts in batting practice. Besides the scribes, a few dozen early birds<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> -</span></span> salesmen, office workers playing hooky and the neighborhood urchins who snuck in without a ticket - dotted the Ebbets Field bleachers. Unlike the usual nameless, unheralded rookies <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">who</span> always appeared on big league clubs at the end of each season, this one came with credentials that <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">piqued the interests of</span> even the most cynical Brooklyn fan.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The newcomer was a rangy six-footer who had just stepped off the train from Texas where his 62 home runs made headlines coast to coast. After a brief, but savage, legal battle between four ball clubs, Brooklyn had wound up with the western phenom's contract.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Down on the field, the new guy</span> unlimbered his broad shoulders and adjusted his new wool uniform to his liking. Fixing his cap over his eyes to block out the midday sun, he stepped into the box. After lining a few long shots that sent the outfielders scurrying, the rookie began hitting ball after ball over the right field wall and into Bedford Avenue. Then, as if to prove correct the rumors of his reported power, he hit a tremendous drive that rose high on an arc out towards the right field wall where a large clock was mounted above the bullpen. The ball crashed into the face dead center, freezing time, at least on that clock, for all eternity.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This was Moose Clabaugh, new owner of the single season record for home runs.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Moose was born John William Clabaugh in Albany, Missouri in 1901. His father William Clabaugh was a farmer, and John, commonly called "Johnnie," was the youngest child born to he and his wife Katie. William died when Johnnie was 13, and as soon as he turned 18 he left Albany to join the Navy. Johnnie honed his skills playing baseball in a service league and he <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">matured</span> into a lean, 6-foot tall <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">man</span>. Upon his discharge in 1921, Johnnie returned to Albany and enrolled in Palmer College, playing both basketball and football. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In 1923 Clabaugh was signed by the Topeka Kaws of the Class C Southwestern League. (For those of you who <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">are asking yourselves "what the heck is a "Kaw", the Kaw<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> people</span> are a Native American tribe originally from Oklahoma and Kansas.) </span>With an average hovering around .250, Clabaugh was dealt to the Hutchinson Wheat Shockers of the same league midway through the summer. The change of scenery didn't help, and he finished his first season of organized baseball with a .254 average. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">(For those of you who <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">are asking yourselves "what the heck is a "Wheat Shocker", that's the name of a person who carries the harvested stalks of wheat.)</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When the books opened on the 1924 season, Clabaugh was a new man. Playing in the Class C Western League, he first took the field for the Bartlesville Bearcats who relocated over to Ardmore halfway through the season. The sophomore posted a .354 average with 11 home runs in 70 games. The next year he had a dispute with the Bearcats manager who punished Clabaugh by demoting him to the Paris Bearcats of the lower-level East Texas League. In July he was hitting .385 when the Cleveland Indians bought his contract from Paris and shipped him to the Decatur Commodores. In the higher Class B Three I League Clabaugh hit .264. It was in Decatur that his sub-par fielding became evident. When his outfield work proved to be a down right liability, the Commodores moved him over to first base where his horror-story of a record there led the Indians to give up on him by season's end. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The one positive thing <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Clabaugh took away from his 1924 season was <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">a nickname<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span>worthy of a future home run champ: "Moose<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">." One might <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">think that he was given this moniker due to his large size <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">or</span> tremendous power with a bat, but according to a <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">1931</span> article in the Albany <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Capital</span>, <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">origin stems to a day on the links. When one of Clabaugh<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'s</span> drives traveled for what seemed like a mile down the fairwa<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">y, his partner exclai<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">m</span>ed "<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">S</span>ay you big moose, you really hit that one!<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">." And that's how Johnnie became Moose.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Each winter Clabaugh returned to his studies at Palmer College. He also kept in shap<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">e by playing basketball, first <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">in</span> a local </span>recreational league, and in later years with semi-pro b<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">arnsto<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">rming and industrial league teams. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I</span></span></span>n February, 1926, he married Juanita Clayton, daughter of a Palmer College professor.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">During the winter the Tyler Trojans of the East Texas League purchased his contract. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">(For those of you who <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">are asking yourselves "what the heck is a "Trojan" - just kidding...) </span></span>By the time he and Juanita arrived in Tyler, <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the local <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">sports pages</span> w<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ere </span></span>brimmed with expectations for "Moose" Clabaugh. He didn't let the locals down.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In a pre-season exhibition game against the Corsicana Oilers, Moose performed one of baseball's most elusive feats: the unassisted triple play. With runners on second and third and no outs, Moose fielded a hot grounder and stepped on first base for the first out. Them, he ran towards the plate to tag the runner trying to score from third - two outs. Turning, Moose then reversed course and tagged the last runner who was trying to get to third base. Three outs. Not bad for a guy who was dumped by Cleveland for sub-par fielding.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Once the season opened, it was Clabaugh's bat, not his fielding that made headlines. The newcomer began hitting home runs at a pace never seen before. by midsummer he was averaging a four-bagger every other game. The previous year Tony Lazzeri had set the professional baseball single season home run record with a Ruthian 60 blasts. Lazzeri played for the Salt Lake City Bees of the Pacific Coast League, a higher level of play than the East Texas League, just a rung below the majors. However, Lazzeri had the much longer 200 game PCL schedule to hit his 60 home runs, while Clabaugh had only a 120 game season to work with. Also, Salt Lake City's Bonneville Park was located 4,226 feet above sea level, so balls simply flew out of the park due to the elevation. Moose was also aided by a friendly home field. Though Tyler's elevation was just 544 feet above sea level, Trojan Park had a cozy 250 foot right field wall over which the left handed Clabaugh sent most of his home runs. Indeed, of the 62 home runs Clabaugh slugged in 1926, on 23 were hit on the road. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On August 20, Moose hit his 60th home run to tie Lazzeri's record. With two home games left, Clabaugh hit a homer in each to set the new single-season record at 62. The closest anyone in the league came to Clabaugh's home run total was Longview's Randy Moore who hit 30 home runs. Besides running away with the home run title, Clabaugh's .376 average and 164 RBI also topped the league, earning him the East Texas Triple Crown, and his .851 slugging percentage beat Ruth's best by 4 points. Clabaugh's home run race took the sting out of the Trojans miserable season, finishing in fourth place, 25 1/2 games out of first.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now came the expected bidding war for the Moose. On the day Clabaugh hit number 62, the Brooklyn Robins announced they had purchased the slugger from Tyler, delivery due ASAP. As soon as that news hit the wires, no less than three other teams claimed they had rights over Moose. Commissioner Landis studied the claims made by Brooklyn, the Mission Bells of the PCL, the Denver Bears of the Western League and the Waco Cubs of the Texas League and ruled no one owned the rights to Clabaugh - effectively making him a free agent. Brooklyn offered $15,000 - part up front and the remainder due if he stuck with the big league team after April 8, 1927. Clabaugh was on the next train east - destination Ebbets Field.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/02/21-journal-mark-iii.html" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS93CH6UgpPBwf7ZEkc9bxii5W9V5j0zxIPKzA8nFsf3uaIU3gTw6prmmN3t_0Gf_PQwLawWvlb3IVmQuWtjhMpqhMSNWHYpqrJpSdDtvu4aOj1BGF0nA92rn-BJ-jHt4NtJte0y0RzMGZ/s640/21_slim_ad.jpg" /></a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Clabaugh's arrival in Brooklyn was met with a mixture of expectation and trepidation. Ever since Babe Ruth had made home runs exciting in 1920, it seemed like each season featured a late season debut of "the next Babe Ruth" discovered in some far off bush league. In 1923 it was Mose Solomon who hit 4<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">9</span> home runs for the Hutchinson Wheat Shockers, only to be a bust with the New York Giants. Even former record holder Tony Lazzeri proved to be a disappointment when he debuted with the Yankees in 1926, hitting "just" 18 home runs and leading the American League in strike outs. So, while Moose's arrival in Brooklyn was met with some glowing praise, other articles made sure to mention that "many of the 62 drives were hit in small parks."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On August 30, 1926, Moose Clabaugh made his big league debut. Facing the New York Giants at Ebbets Field, Brooklyn manager Wilbert Robinson sent Clabaugh in to pinch hit in the eighth inning. With a runner on first, Moose promptly hit a scorching liner off Hugh McQuillan which was caught by Bill Terry who stepped on first for the double play. The inning ending bang-bang play caught Moose by surprise. He stood motionless at the plate, his bat shattered by the blast.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Four days later Robinson sent Clabaugh in to pinch hit against Philadelphia. A sacrifice earned him an RBI but he was still hitless. The next afternoon, Clabaugh was again tabbed to pinch hit, and he connected for a double, sparking Brooklyn's dramatic 9-run 9th inning comeback to beat the Phils, 12-6. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Up to this point, Wilbert Robinson kept Clabaugh out of the field. Brooklyn already had two quality first basemen, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jack Fornier and Babe Herman, </span>and the Robins manager had been spooked by the ineptitude Clabaugh showed when he tried to shag balls in the outfield during batting practice. Still, on September 15, Moose was sent out to play left field as a late inning replacement. When a ball was sent out to him, Moose amazed the spectators by zig-zagging all over the field in pursuit, only to have the ball pop out of his glove, turning a sure out into a triple. Robinson gave him one last chance in left field, but he again committed a horrific error. In his five chances in two games, Clabaugh had committed errors on two of the plays. In the two games he appeared at first base, Moose performed flawlessly, but as already stated, Brooklyn already had Fornier and Herman.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Despite his ugly performance in the field, Clabaugh's hitting in batting practice continued to impress. On September 22 the Cardinals were in Ebbets Field, and manager Branch Rickey <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">told reporters that Clabaugh had the best follow-through in his swing that he had ever seen. </span>However, when the season ended, Brooklyn returned the paperwork on Clabaugh and shipped the home run champ back to the Tyler. Some sportswriters thought despite Clabaugh's poor showing, he deserved a chance to make the team in spring training the next season, but Brooklyn stood fast, saving themselves from having to pay the balance of his $15,000 price tag to the Trojans.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Moose's Tyler homecoming was short lived. Clabaugh felt he deserved a paycheck worthy of his status as the reigning home run champ. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Declaring his salary demands as "fabulous," </span>Tyler's president D.M. Maynor put Clabough on the trading block.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now Moose embarked on a decade-long tour of the minor leagues, each season signing with a different club in the hope that another year like 1926 would get him another shot at the majors. He hit 21 home runs for the High Point Pointers before he was dealt to the Jacksonville Tars at the season's end. With the Tars again in 1928 he hit 15 homers, then was sold to Mobile at the end of the summer, hitting a pair of homers for the Bears. H<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">is mediocre play with Mobile may have been caused by several distractions off the fi<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">eld. The first was the birth of h<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">e and Juanita<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'s first child, a son named John, Jr. in August. The other was </span></span>the early symptoms of appendicitis<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, as he had to have the troublesome organ removed on earl<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">y October.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">He started 1929 with Mobile but was again traded, this time to Birmingham of the same league. Clabaugh hit ten home runs and helped the Barons win the Southern Association pennant. In the Dixie Series against the Dallas Steers, Clabaugh's steal of home won the first game, and another steal of home in the 6th game proved to be the winning run in Birmingham's 4 games to 2 triumph over Dallas. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">1930 found Clabaugh with the Quincy Indians in the Three-I League where he returned to his old form, hitting .354 and leading the loop with 30 homers and 154 RBI. Meanwhile on the east coast, <a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/11/234-joe-hauser-leave-him-alone-hes-our.html" target="_blank">Joe Hauser</a> of the Baltimore Orioles was making headlines as he matched and then one-upped Clabaugh's home run record with 63 clouts. Hauser would eventually break his own record by hitting 69 home runs in 1933, setting the single-season record until <a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2018/01/236-joe-bauman-putting-tiger-in-record.html" target="_blank">Joe Bauman</a> hit 72 in 1954. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In 1931 Moose was back in the Southern Association with the Nashville where he <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">became the first player in league history to win</span> back-to-back batting crowns. His .378 and .382 failed to elicit any interest from the majors, who were undoubtedly still spooked by his fielding reputation. He was unceremoniously put on the trading block by Nashville after the '32 season due to his ongoing difficulties with Vols manager Charlie Dressen. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">At this time</span> Moose and family <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">winter</span>ed in Jacksonville, Florida where he worked for Ford Motor Company and played basketball for the company team. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This off-season activity kept Moose in top condition and undoubtedly proved to be a big factor behind his long baseball career. </span>Moose's mother Katie often joined the family<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> in Jacksonville, providing a nice extended family environment for the brood which now consisted of two boys, John, Jr and David.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In 1933 Moose was purchased by Baltimore in a straight cash deal with Nashville. The once proud Orioles franchise that prided itself o<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">n</span> discovering new talent which was then sold to the majors at great cost (Babe Ruth, Lefty Grove, Jack Bentley, Tommy Thomas, Joe Boley<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">...) <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">now relied on aging minor league journeymen to fill their line up. Besides Clabaugh, the <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">O</span>rioles of the 1930's featured bush league home run champs <a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/11/234-joe-hauser-leave-him-alone-hes-our.html" target="_blank">Joe Hauser</a>, Buzz Arlett and George Puccinelli who all took advantage of Oriole Park's comfy dimensions. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Although Moose hit International League pitching for a .336 average, he hit just 16 home runs and the following spring was dealt to the Galvaston Buccaneers of the Texas League. When Moose held out for a bigger contract, Galveston passed him to the Atlanta Crackers who in turn sent him to the Portland Beavers in the Pacific Coast League.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Still dogged by his poor fielding, Clabaugh took a brave step for 1934 by wearing glasses on the field. Although he was the only player in the PCL to wear spectacles, Clabaugh felt that they helped him judge fly balls, and in fact 1934 and 1935 saw him record two of his best fielding percentages. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">After four good seasons in Portland in which he averaged .323 and led the league with 56 doubles in 1935, Moose abruptly quit<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> when Beavers president E.J. Schefter failed to meet his salary demands. If the Beavers thought that by playing hardball they could force Moose to return, they were wrong. The ballplayer<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> joined the Oregon St<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ate Police, telling reporters "I know I can't play forever and this job is just what I've always wanted." Moose also played semi-pro ball in Portland and then joined an independent league in Canada in 1939. For appearing in this </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"outlaw" league, Clabaugh was black listed by organized baseball. His banishment didn't last long as he was welcomed back to the Beavers for 1940. Unfortunately the magic just wasn't there, and Portland released the 38 year-old slugger after just 14 games. He caught on with the Salem Senators of the Class B Western International League but he requested his own release mid season. Clabaugh finished out the season as one of the league's umpires and then returned home to plan his post-baseball life.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Clabaugh's brief law enforcement career got him a job as a guard at the Bonneville Dam. He steadily rose through the ranks before finally being </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">named chief of <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">guards for Dalles Dam in 1956<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, responsible for the overall security of the $260,000,000 Corps of Engineers project. By this time Moose and Juanita had two sons, John, Jr. and David, and the old ballplayer spent his leisure time fishing and laying golf, the sport that earned him his nickname back in the 1920's. He retired to Arizona where he passed away on July 11, 1984 at the age of 82.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #7f6000;"><i>As with <a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2018/01/236-joe-bauman-putting-tiger-in-record.html" target="_blank">Bauman</a> and <a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/11/235-bob-crues-chamberlined.html" target="_blank">Crues</a>, good photos of Moose Clabaugh are hard to come by. Luckily, after futile searching, I found a good head shot from his Birmingham playing days and was able to do my illustration. But that was only the start. I then had to find the uniforms worn by the Tyler Trojans in 1926. I consulted some Spalding Guides from the period and was able to glean enough from the grainy team photos to figure out what they looked like. Don't ask me to explain the heart on the sleeve motif - I have no idea what the significance is besides being a cool looking element I was able to use in my illustration some 92 years later. While his photos were a challenge, Moose's story was pretty easy to research. He and his wife kept in touch with friends and relatives in Albany, Missouri and over the course of his life the local paper printed many articles on their favorite son.</i></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #7f6000;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0cVBJSUhysgM0Kyo3TwV76CsopXSScRp_A6EI2WCV1HkW8dO2vO105V5JJ04lVpXzqA2gym1PSMxtX3rsdxDggH5PeD3uSaSvsUWf8Kw3aWs8wgRweOYiIJnzO8NpBatwRwdP0GhR3X_c/s1600/comment_banner_red_2.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0cVBJSUhysgM0Kyo3TwV76CsopXSScRp_A6EI2WCV1HkW8dO2vO105V5JJ04lVpXzqA2gym1PSMxtX3rsdxDggH5PeD3uSaSvsUWf8Kw3aWs8wgRweOYiIJnzO8NpBatwRwdP0GhR3X_c/s400/comment_banner_red_2.jpg" /></a></span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>Gary Joseph Cieradkowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04780041109109187257noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109098029372196005.post-59338656607848049672018-01-21T14:16:00.002-08:002018-02-07T11:43:12.835-08:00236. Joe Bauman: Seventy-Two Steroid-Free Big Ones<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBEpVu0_UfJCie-usJO84QPrSFCZ6dgRD7MSzY00DrSSj8admB9ux23TjVh0tCaLXfRy7jltbKG5U2ZCf5RLM1mI1lDfCTY3_vQwn2pWLFWP7coHS_6tT91F69xRfQLOnBsrXawSQXzsrp/s1600/joe_bauman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="518" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBEpVu0_UfJCie-usJO84QPrSFCZ6dgRD7MSzY00DrSSj8admB9ux23TjVh0tCaLXfRy7jltbKG5U2ZCf5RLM1mI1lDfCTY3_vQwn2pWLFWP7coHS_6tT91F69xRfQLOnBsrXawSQXzsrp/s640/joe_bauman.jpg" width="206" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></i></span>
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is the long-delayed final installment of my Home Run Champion Triptych. I had wanted to do the Bauman/<a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/11/235-bob-crues-chamberlined.html" target="_blank">Crues</a>/<a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/11/234-joe-hauser-leave-him-alone-hes-our.html" target="_blank">Hauser</a> stories in quick succession, but as it sometimes does, life got in the way. October, November and December are my busy months, filled with long, lonely business travel and rush jobs that need to be completed by Christmas. This year I added on a trip to MLB's Winter Meetings in Orlando where I set up a booth for the first time. The weeks running up to that event was a blur of non-stop work as I not only designed and oversaw production of the graphics for my booth, but also completely re-vamped my website in anticipation of the trade show. For years I had CieradkowskiDesign.com as my company website. Besides being a mouthful in Manhattan, the site was clunky and impossible to update. I decided I needed a completely new site and domain. I settled on the much easier <a href="http://studiogaryc.com/">StudioGaryC.com</a>. Since many can not pronounce "Cieradkowski," I have always been known as "Gary C," so it was only natural that I'd use that as my new domain. Besides completely re-designing my site, I also linked up my blog directly to my website. It will take a few more weeks until I get all the bugs worked out, but soon you can access The Infinite Baseball Card Set right from <a href="http://studiogaryc.com/">StudioGaryC.com</a>. I will also have a store where along with my art posters you may also easily purchase copied of '21' and other baseball goodies. I'm quite sure all of you who have complained (rightfully) about the difficulties in ordering anything from my old site will be pleasantly pleased by the ease in which future purchases can be made. Also, the new blog will have an easier interface as well, along with a nice up to date design.</span></span></span></i></span><br />
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></i></span>
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So, I just wanted to say that I am back in the writing and illustration game, and have a growing stack of stories on deck for 2018!</span></span></span></i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i>Joe put the gas cap back on the '52 Mercury Monterrey, and wiped his calloused hands on a rag he pulled from his back pocket. Two wide-eyed young boys, their opened mouth, freckled faces smashed against the back window, followed his every move from the back seat. A light, warm late-afternoon breeze made the enamel Texaco signs mounted above the gas pumps squeak rhythmically.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The driver stuck a pair of dollar bills through the open window and craned his head to look up at the tall gas jockey. "You gonna hit one out tonight, Joe?" Adding the two singles to the thick folded wad of greenbacks he pulled from his pocket, Joe replied </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"You know I'll do my best, Frank</span>." </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As he watched the Merc pull back onto Second Street, the bell above the office door jingled behind him. "Joe, it's 5" his wife called from the open door, "you better head to the ballpark."</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">That's how it went in Roswell, New Mexico, in the summer of 1954. The Roswell Rockets star first baseman would put in a full day's work pumping gas at one of the Texaco service stations he and his wife Dorothy owned, knock off at 5 and spend the evening chasing baseball's most elusive offensive record. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Joe Bauman was a product of the Oklahoma City sandlots. Like most kids in those pre-television, pre-Play Station days, Joe grew up playing the game every chance he had. Just under six and a half feet tall and athletic, he played basketball and football at Capitol Hill High, but it was baseball that he truly loved. His pursuit of the game was encouraged by his pop, Joe Senior, who turned his naturally right handed boy into a left hander. His father also taught Joe how to wrap the palm of his right hand around the knob of the bat instead of around the handle. This helped Joe get under a ball and muscle it skyward. After he helped lead his Legion team to the state championship in 1941, Joe began getting interest from organized baseball. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It so happened that former big leaguer turned minor league skipper Bert Niehoff made his home in OKC during the winter. Although there were other offers floating out there for the big first baseman, it was that hometown connection that convinced Joe he should sign with Niehoff's team, the Little Rock Travelers. As soon as he finished his senior year, Joe got on a train to join Niehoff.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Little Rock was in the Southern Association, then classified as a Class A1 league, what today would be Double A. The Travelers were an independent club, meaning they were not affiliated with any major league team, and thus had to develop their own talent which they then sold to bigger clubs after the season ended. It was Niehoff's plan to have the 19 year-old Joe work out with his club for a few days, then farm him out to a lower level minor league for more experience. The Travelers shipped him to the Newport Dodgers in the Northeast Arkansas League. After a few weeks, Joe learned his mother died and he went home to Oklahoma for the funeral. When he returned to Newport he found that he couldn't get his head back in the game and finished 1941 with a terrible .205 average. Joe went home for the winter with the intention of getting back into the swing of things, but the Japanese had other plans which they made known on December 7, 1941.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With the United States at war in 1942, Joe put his baseball dreams on the shelf and landed a job at the Beechcraft aircraft factory in Kansas. Like every other large defense plant during the war, Beechcraft had a competitive baseball league for their workers, and Joe spent the summer of '42 playing industrial league ball. He also married his high school sweetheart, Dorothy Ramsey. As soon as he turned draft age, Joe joined the Navy, preferring to be on a ship than in a muddy trench. For the duration of the war, Joe was fortunate enough to be kept stateside, on dry land, right on the campus of the University of Oklahoma in Norman. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Besides the fact that he wasn't immediately shipped out to the South Pacific to face the Japanese, Joe was lucky because his posting gave him priceless baseball experience. Turned out that the base commander was a baseball nut and he made it a point to have a top notch baseball team. Ex-Cardinals star Charlie Gelbert was put in charge of the team which, thanks to nefarious transfers and semi-legit counter orders, was being stocked with sailors who had previous experience in the majors and minors. Soon Johnny Rizzo of the Cardinals, Al Benton of the Tigers and Bennie Warren of the Phillies were suiting up for Gelbert's team. Though he only had a lone mediocre season in the low minors, Joe got up his nerve to try out for Gelbert's team, which he made, much to his surprise. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For the next three and a half years, Joe put aviation trainees through their calisthenics in the mornings and played first base in the afternoons for the base ball club, soaking up all the tips offered to him by his veteran teammates.</span> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When he was discharged in 1946, Joe found he was still under contract to Little Rock. Now 24 years old with two years of experience playing alongside major leaguers, Joe went to spring training raring to get his baseball career back on track. Once there, he found that there were 125 former GI's vying for only a handful of spots on the Little Rock roster. Joe was sent to Amarillo in the West Texas League where he hit .301, but it was his 48 home runs that raised eyebrows. The next spring when Little Rock wanted to send him to another low-level league, Joe balked. He told the Travelers' owner point blank that for three years in the Navy he had held his own against former big leaguers - better players than were currently on the Little Rock team. He told the owner that he deserved to move up to a higher level team - or just send him back to Amarillo. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The owner of the Travelers sent him back to Amarillo.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In 1947 Joe played along side <a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/11/235-bob-crues-chamberlined.html" target="_blank">Bob Crues</a> whose 52 homers eclipsed his own record from the previous season. With Crues stealing all the thunder with his home run onslaught, Joe concentrated on putting the ball in play more consistently. While only hitting 38 homers, the hard work improved his average to a nice .348, leading to his contract being purchased by the Boston Braves. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For 1948, the Braves placed Joe with their highest farm team, the Milwaukee Brewers of the American Association. Unfortunately, Milwaukee had a guy named Heinz Becker ensconced at first base. Besides being a former big leaguer, Becker had won the American Association batting crown in 1947 and had led the Brewers to the pennant. With this seasoned vet in place, Joe got into only a single game with Milwaukee before being shipped to Hartford.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Though Hartford was a level lower than Milwaukee, Joe got to play everyday - that is until Ray Sanders showed up. Sanders was an ex-Cardinals first baseman who was acquired by the Brewers and then shipped to Hartford because they had Becker. As good as Joe was hitting with Hartford, he was forced to play second chair to the former big leaguer Sanders. Used mostly as a pinch hitter, Joe hit .275 with 10 homers, pretty credible in that unfamiliar and difficult clutch role.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">That winter Joe was back in OKC when he received his new contract from Hartford. Instead of getting a raise for 1949, the contract called for a pay cut - $400 and month instead of the $600 he made in '48. Joe returned the contract unsigned, writing "I could make more money selling twenty-seven inch shoelaces on a street corner in Oklahoma City than I can playing for you." After fruitless negotiations with Hartford's GM which ended in "take it or leave it," Joe left it and stayed home in Oklahoma. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Today it's hard to understand a guy who seemingly throws away a shot at making the majors. But when you put yourself in the cleats of a guy whose baseball clock is ticking fast and suddenly he's not only being sent back to the same level he was at last year, but at a lower salary, things get a little easier to comprehend. Add in the fact that $400 a month for just the baseball months really didn't add up to all that much. Not that Joe was a special case - minor league ball players just didn't earn all that much until unions got involved decades later. In fact, unless you were a Joe DiMaggio or Stan Musial, even the majority of big leaguers had to hold down an off-season job to make ends meet.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So, with his 27th birthday coming up, Joe said goodbye to organized baseball.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">That spring Joe was contacted by the manager of a semi-pro team in Elk City, Oklahoma. Elk City was going through an oil boom and a highly competitive league of semi-pro teams had sprung up to entertain the lonely oil workers. In the time-honored tradition of the semi-pro team, Elk City was assembling a team made up of former minor leaguers and younger college players. When Elk City offered Joe the $600 Hartford wouldn't, he agreed to play. Then, just as luck would have it, the Braves organization called, offering Joe the first baseman's spot in Atlanta. He told 'em that they should have spoke up earlier and that he had given his word that he'd play the season with Elk City.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Joe played three years in the Oklahoma semi-pro oil league. Against the semi pro pitching Joe murdered the ball, earning him not just the fans roar of approval but also plenty of "screen money." A tradition of Southeast bush league baseball, "screen money" was a spontaneous monetary tribute pushed through the chicken wire screen that separated the fans from the playing field. After a particularly fine catch or hit, fans would line the fence pushing their dollar bills through the screen while the game was halted so players and umpires could collect the cash. On a good day a guy could collect a couple hundred dollars - in a boom town flush with oil cash, there was no telling how much a home run hitter like Joe could rake in. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/02/21-journal-mark-iii.html" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS93CH6UgpPBwf7ZEkc9bxii5W9V5j0zxIPKzA8nFsf3uaIU3gTw6prmmN3t_0Gf_PQwLawWvlb3IVmQuWtjhMpqhMSNWHYpqrJpSdDtvu4aOj1BGF0nA92rn-BJ-jHt4NtJte0y0RzMGZ/s640/21_slim_ad.jpg" /></a> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Besides playing ball, he and a teammate bought a Texaco gas station. Joe and his teammate worked the pumps and Dorothy held down the cash register. This experience running his own business would be more beneficial to him, and shape the rest of his baseball career than anything else he learned in a ball park. By 1951, Elk City's oil boom went bust and the baseball money dried up. Over the winter a man named Earl Perry stopped by Joe's Texaco station for something more than a tank of gas. Turned out this fella was buying into a minor league team in Artesia, Texas, and wanted to know if Joe would play first base for him.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Technically, Joe was still under contract with the Boston Braves, and he told Perry that. All the fledgling team owner wanted to know was if he bought Joe's contract from the Braves, could he count on him showing up in Artesia in 1952? The answer was "yes." Several weeks later, Joe was property of the Artesia Drillers club of the Longhorn League and making more than he was in Elk City - $1000 a month and another $1000 just for signing. On top of that, the owner gave Joe the option of getting his outright release from the team after he completed his first season. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So, now after three years, Joe was back in organized baseball. But don't think he had any delusions of making it all the way to The Show - Joe was getting close to thirty and he had a wife to support. He knew he only had a handful of seasons left in him and then he was out of the game. He wisely took his experience of owning a Texaco station in Elk City and replicated it in his new home base. The knowledge that he'd have a steady income regardless of his baseball career gave him a sense of security and a maturity level most bush league ball players did not have.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Joe hit .375 with 50 homers for '52 and followed that up with .371 and 53 homers in '53. Now, in any other league, marks of 50 and 53 home runs would have been huge deal, however the Longhorn league was the backwater of organized baseball, far removed from any big cities. Plus, Longhorn league stadiums were pretty much glorified high school fields, many with odd dimensions and short fences that favored pull hitters like Joe. Hitters were also aided by the light air and hot temperatures, which added an extra pop to any ball put into the air. Still, home runs are home runs and eventually word spreads. <a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/11/235-bob-crues-chamberlined.html" target="_blank">Bob Crues</a> made headlines coast to coast when he tied <a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/11/234-joe-hauser-leave-him-alone-hes-our.html" target="_blank">Joe Hauser's</a> record of 69 home runs in 1948 playing in the same kind of bandbox ball parks as the Longhorn League. In '52 Bauman's 50 home runs led the league by a wide margin, the next guy hitting 27, and in '53 he hit 15 more than his closest rival. So, even with short fences and light air, Joe's home run output was far above the league average.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As popular he was with the Drillers fans, his services were no longer needed for the 1954 season. Artesia had signed a working agreement with the Dallas Steers who were sending a whole team of their own young talent to replace the Drillers current roster. Now a free agent, the slugger was quickly signed by the Roswell Rockets of the same league, where Earl Perry had turned up as the teams GM. Joe took his signing bonus and bought a brand new Texaco service station right on Roswell's Second Street, where he settled into the familiar routine of pumping gas in the day, playing ball at night. Roswell turned out to be just the place he and Dorothy were looking for to put down roots. The New Mexico town had sprung up around the Army Air Force base built during the war and which was now home to the nation's elite nuclear bomber squadrons. Besides its air force connection, Roswell had briefly made headlines in 1947 when it was reported that the army had recovered a crashed space craft. Despite its interstellar connection, the remote town had a safe, family-oriented atmosphere, and the Rockets were the go-to summer diversion for its population.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Right from the start of the 1954 season, Joe emerged as the fan's favorite Rocket. It wasn't just his home runs that made him a local hero, but also it was his modest demeanor and that his service station right in town made him something more than the usual transient ball player. The people of Roswell felt that Joe was one of them. It was true that he led a humble life, different than the typical young jocks that were spending their first year without parental superstition. Teammates later said that Joe's big night out would be a plate of chiles rellenos washed down with a Miller High Life. Although he was the Rockets veteran star, he turned down the single room option offered to him on road trips and bunked with a teammate. Likewise at home in Roswell - the Bauman's were more comfortable at a teammate's back yard barbecue than at one of Roswell's nightclubs or upscale restaurants. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Rockets played their home games in Fair Park Field which, like most of the other ball parks in the league, had outfield dimensions that favored hitters. In 2013 baseball historian Scott Simkus wrote about Bauman and Fair Park Field in the very much missed <i>Outsider Baseball Bulletin</i>. Up until that time, the only reference to the park's dimensions was 329 down the right field line. No one bothered to record the other measurements until Simkus, using Google Earth, was able to calculate the dimensions of the old ball park, which still stands today, renamed Joe Bauman Field. The park's left field line was 340, center field 380 and the right field power alley was an inviting 329 feet with a 10' high fence, perfect for a left handed slugger like Joe. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Glover's Packing House offered a hog for every home run hit at Fair Park Field, and by mid-season Joe was single-handedly destroying New Mexico's pork population. He received so many courtesy hogs that he began giving them away to grateful teammates. As the home run totals grew, so did the screen money. At first he was make $40 a shot, towards the end of the season it was reported that totals of $800 had become the average compensation for a Joe Bauman blast.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Years later, Joe was asked what made him hit so many home runs in 1954. Joe
attributed his success to the fact that he was healthy all season, no
colds or injuries, and more importantly, the ball looked like the size
of a cantaloupe all year long. Late in the season, Joe started to wear down. The summer heat and age was catching up with him so he went to a doctor in Roswell. The solution was a lighter bat - </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Joe switched to a 36 inch/34 ounce Vern Stephens S2 model Louisville Slugger - and a B-12 vitamin shot. Joe's home run assault continued. On August 22 he launched three home runs in a double header against San Angelo, giving him 60 for the season. The middle one gave him the organized baseball record for most home runs in a three year period, 163. The record was previously held by Babe Ruth for his 1926, 27 and 28 seasons in which he hit total of 161. Joe then hit three more in the next three games to bring him to number 63.</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> With
only seven games left to play, Joe was still six home runs away from
<a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/11/234-joe-hauser-leave-him-alone-hes-our.html" target="_blank">Hauser</a> and <a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/11/235-bob-crues-chamberlined.html" target="_blank">Crues</a> record. Then on August 31 he unleashed a hail of hurt
against the Sweetwater Spudders pitching staff, slamming four home runs
and driving in 10 runs in the 15-9 victory.</span></span></span> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The last home run he hit in front of the Roswell fans was number 69, a 375-foot shot that tied <a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/11/234-joe-hauser-leave-him-alone-hes-our.html" target="_blank">Joe Hauser</a> and <a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/11/235-bob-crues-chamberlined.html" target="_blank">Bob Crues</a>' record. The local paper reported that the roar let lose by the overflowing crowd as the ball cleared the right field wall could be heard two miles away. The Rockets finished their season on the road with two games each against Big Springs and Artesia. Now the pressure was really on. Life, Sports Illustrated and countless news outlets sent photographers and writers to cover Bauman's every swing. In the first two games, the Big Springs pitchers pitched around him and incessant flashes from photographers distracted the humble slugger as he went homerless. The last day of the season was a double header against the Artesia NuMexers (the Drillers had re-branded themselves after Joe left). Rockets manager Pat Stasey penciled Joe into the lead off spot so he would have more chances to bat. Twenty-six thousand fans jammed into Artesia's ball park to watch history being made. Among the crowd was Joe's mother and father who secretly slipped into town so as not to disturb their boy's concentration. The crowd didn't have long to wait for the record breaking homer. In his first at bat, Artesia's Cuban ace Jose Gallardo rang up a 2-2 count before Joe blasted a fastball 349 feet to set the new record for single season home runs. After rounding the bases Joe joined the other ballplayers in collecting the money pushed through the chicken wire fence by grateful fans. Joe pocketed a reported $800 for number 70. Since the season was effectively over and both Artesia and Roswell had made the playoffs, both teams used position players as pitchers in the second game of the double header. Against these ersatz hurlers, Joe hit homers 71 and 72, thus setting the final number that would stand until a steroid-addled Barry Bonds would hit 73 in 2001.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Joe ended 1954 with those 72 home runs, an even .400 average and 224 RBI, good enough for the Longhorn League Triple Crown. He averaged a home run every 6.9 at bats and his slugging percentage of .916 was 69 points better than Ruth's best (or 53 better than Bonds, if you count his bloated steroid stats). In the Longhorn League playoffs, Roswell lost the in the first round to Carlsbad, 4 games to two. As for Joe, at age 32, there were no big league offers on the table, though the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League did give him a call. But Joe was realistic. He could uproot he and Dorothy and go to Frisco, but what would he gain from that? One last big baseball paycheck? He knew he'd never get further than the Pacific Coast League, and after that, what, maybe two or three more seasons as he pinballed his way back down to the Longhorn League level? Nah, he and Dorothy had found a home in Roswell, so he signed on the dotted line for the same salary he got in '54 and stayed with the Rockets.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Joe again led the league in homers, 48, though his average slipped to a more human .336. Over the winter, the ball player slipped in the snow and injured his ankle. Doctors told him that he'd need surgery to play ball so he voluntarily retired. But the Roswell fans wouldn't have it. Reluctantly, he signed for 1956. By early June he had hit 17 homers in 52 games, but the pain in his ankle hurt incessantly. He told a teammate he was having trouble seeing the ball, which in a league filled with young and wild pitchers meant big trouble for a target as big as Joe. So, on June 12, 1956, baseball's leader in single season home runs retired from the game.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Joe slipped right into the role of full-time gas station owner, eventually adding a second Texaco station to his service station empire. He briefly managed the Roswell Pirates minor league team in 1959, but he begged out halfway through the season. Joe later joined his father in law in a liquor store venture and then managing a beer distributor. Through it all, he and Dorothy lived in Roswell, the New Mexico town where he made history back in the summer of 1954. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">These days you hear so many stories about those old ball players who look back at the life they devoted to baseball and feel short-changed by the game they loved, but that's not what became of Joe Bauman. Ever since he broke the record in 1954 he's been the subject of countless articles trying to belittle in varying degrees his accomplishment, attributing it to bad pitching, light air, short fences, heck, even aliens. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Heck, during the Barry Bonds/Sammy Sosa/Mark McGwire era some writers tried to equate Joe's B-12 vitamin boost to the steroids those juicers had pumping through their veins. Every
so often a baseball writer would get a hold of the old champ in person to get his
opinion on some young ball player who was challenging his record, or to
be a part of one of those "where are they now" pieces papers like to
run when news is slow. To the day he passed away in 2005, Joe remained modestly proud of his record, his memory untainted by any false illusions of his ability to get to the majors. Joe was a proud bush leaguer through and through, nothing more, but certainly nothing less.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #7f6000;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This
story was partially built from a very good interview Joe Bauman
gave Tony Salin for his terrific book </span></span></i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Baseballs-Forgotten-Heroes-Tony-Salin/dp/0809226030" target="_blank">Baseball’s Forgotten Heroes: One Fan’s Search for the Game’s Most Interesting Overlooked Players</a></span></span><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For both the Bauman story and the previous one on <a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/11/235-bob-crues-chamberlined.html" target="_blank">Bob Crues</a>, Toby Smith's </span></span></i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bush-League-Boys-Baseball-Southwest/dp/0826355218" target="_blank">Bush League Boys: The Postwar Legends of Baseball in the American Southwest</a></span></span><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> was instrumental for its small details such as the kind of beer Bauman drank (Miller High Life) as well as giving an invaluable look at life the Southwest bush leagues. It's a really well researched book and should be part of yor baseball library. Of course, the life’s blood of any great baseball
history story are the original newspaper articles written during the
time the events took place. Since Bauman's record was reported by all the major news outlets, there were plenty of newspaper stories from which I could build this story.</span></span></i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0cVBJSUhysgM0Kyo3TwV76CsopXSScRp_A6EI2WCV1HkW8dO2vO105V5JJ04lVpXzqA2gym1PSMxtX3rsdxDggH5PeD3uSaSvsUWf8Kw3aWs8wgRweOYiIJnzO8NpBatwRwdP0GhR3X_c/s1600/comment_banner_red_2.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0cVBJSUhysgM0Kyo3TwV76CsopXSScRp_A6EI2WCV1HkW8dO2vO105V5JJ04lVpXzqA2gym1PSMxtX3rsdxDggH5PeD3uSaSvsUWf8Kw3aWs8wgRweOYiIJnzO8NpBatwRwdP0GhR3X_c/s400/comment_banner_red_2.jpg" /></a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>Gary Joseph Cieradkowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04780041109109187257noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109098029372196005.post-64662543386074562762017-11-11T11:47:00.001-08:002018-02-07T11:43:32.716-08:00235. Bob Crues: Chamberlined<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>No matter how you look at it, being second to achieve something just doesn’t hold the same weight as being the very first. After all, who remembers Clarence Chamberlin, right? Ol’ Clancy had the misfortune of being just a bit late on the draw when it came time to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean – Charles Lindbergh had done it two weeks earlier. Chamberlin’s flight was no less outstanding than Lucky Lindy’s; it’s just that it was done before. Lost in the record of Chamberlin’s not-so-epic flight is the fact that he had a passenger aboard, thus making him the first pilot to carry a passenger across the Atlantic. Sure, that was something, but when compared to being the first to ever fly solo across the pond, it just doesn’t hold the same weight.<br /><br />If there were a Hall of Seconds, Clarence Chamberlin would surely have a plaque hanging in its gallery of heroes. Somewhere nearby would be another plaque, with the name “Robert Fulton Crues” engraved on it, along with the text explaining his home run record.</i><br /><br />For Bob Crues, his shot at having his own place in history came down to one night in Amarillo back in 1948. For 138 games, “Home Run Bob” had ripped apart West Texas-New Mexico League pitching. He was batting just north of the magic .400 mark and he had broken professional baseball’s single-season RBI record months before. With one last game to play, Crues’ home run tally stood at 69. One more and he would break the record set by <a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/11/234-joe-hauser-leave-him-alone-hes-our.html">Joe Hauser</a> in 1933. <br /><br />Almost 5,000 fans packed Gold Sox Park to see what they hoped would be a new record being made. All the major news outlets had correspondents in the press box and photographers ringed the field. Look magazine was present, their team ready to pull the trigger on the first feature photo article on baseball’s new home run king. A rep from Wheaties stood in the wings, a fresh breakfast cereal endorsement contract with Bob Crues’ name on it waiting to be signed as soon as number 70 left the ballpark. That night, Bob Crues was just one swing away from fame.<br /><br />Just two years earlier, the married father with one infant son returned home from the army hoping to reclaim some semblance of the baseball career he had before the war. The former Red Sox farmhand was now 27 years old and competing against not only all the returning GI’s, but also the new crop of hungry teenagers. For Crues, this would be the third time he would have to re-start his baseball life. <br /><br /> Life was never easy for Robert Fulton Crues. He was born in Frisco, Texas, just north of Dallas, but grew up in the state’s panhandle region. According to Toby Smith in <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bush-League-Boys-Baseball-Southwest/dp/0826355218">Bush League Boys: </a><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bush-League-Boys-Baseball-Southwest/dp/0826355218">The Postwar Legendsof Baseball in the American Southwest</a></i>, Crues was an orphan. Most likely due to the negative light to which orphans were held back during the Depression, Crues kept this a secret throughout most of his life. Before he entered grade school, young Bob lost the tip of the index finger on his right hand when his curiosity got the best of him while exploring the water pumping mechanism of a windmill. Just like almost every young boy at the time, Bob learned to play baseball. Instead of his finger being a hindrance to his playing the game, the missing digit actually gave any ball he threw an unnatural break to it. To capitalize on this, Crues taught himself to throw a devastating knuckleball and curveball. The finger also made Crues adapt a unique batting style, holding the bat loosely in his grip. He later said that growing up, Babe Ruth was his idol. It was the perfect choice for like his hero, Crues would also go from a promising pitcher to a home run champion.<br /><br /> By the time he was in his late teens, Crues looked every inch like a man of the Panhandle: 6 foot tall and dark complexioned, strong and lean just like a cowboy from central casting. At the tail end of the 1939 season, the Lamesa Lobos of the West Texas-New Mexico League signed the 20 year-old. The loop was then a Class D league, meaning it was the very bottom of professional baseball. He got into just two games, going hitless in both. The next year Crues was signed by the league’s Borger Gassers. One of the Gassers’ pitchers was old-timer Wilcy Moore, 19 game winner on the 1927 Yankees. Moore took Crues under his wing and taught him how to pitch instead of just throwing the ball. That summer his knuckle and curve had the West Texas-New Mexico League’s hitters dumbfounded and he went 20 and 5 for the year. The Boston Red Sox snapped up the young ace and assigned him to their Scranton farm team for 1941. The Red Sox scouts must have thought very highly of Crues’ arm, because Scranton was in the Class A Eastern League, quite a large jump from Class D. It was while playing in an exhibition game in Greenville, South Carolina, that the first part of Bob Crues’ baseball career came to an abrupt end. <br /><br /> Sitting in the dugout, a wild pitch smashed into the shoulder of his pitching arm. The impact left him in extreme pain whenever he tried to throw his famed knuckle and curve. As proof of how much the team thought of their young prospect, the Red Sox sent Crues to different specialists around the country, yet no matter what doctors did to treat him, every pitch he threw was met with excrutating pain. Throughout 1941 and 1942, Crues took a tour of Boston's farm clubs, from the top down, trying in vain to pitch his arm back to health. Late 1942 found him back in the Class D West Texas-New Mexico league where he started.<br /><br /> The thing that saved Crues from being just another washed up sore-armed pitcher was the war. With the majority of able-bodied men channeled into the service, minor leagues throughout the country folded, including the West Texas-New Mexico League. Crues, now 24, found work at the Pantex Ordinance Works where he met and fell in love with his assembly line co-worker Billie Lane. The two married and began raising a family. Then, Bob’s draft notice came.<br /><br /> That Crues was drafted doesn’t come as a shock, it was 1943 and the Allies were gearing up for the invasion of Europe and every warm body counted. The odd thing is that the army still took him with the top of his trigger finger missing! As it worked out, Crues never got close to a battlefield. Before he finished training he was stricken with severe pneumonia and spent several months in the hospital. When he recovered, the Army shipped him to a base back in Texas. It was there that Bob Crues re-started his baseball career for the second time.<br /><br /> With no chance to serve overseas and nothing much to do, Crues found himself playing for the base’s baseball team. While his injured arm kept him from pitching, Crues discovered that batting cause no pain in his shoulder. The pitcher taught himself how to play the outfield and worked on his hitting skills. By the time the war ended, Crues had perfected his swing and was ready to give pro ball a second try. Problem was, so were thousands of other men recently cut loose from the service.<br /><br /> Now 27 years old with a well-documented injured arm and no experience beyond the low minors, Bob Crues was the last guy a big league team would think of signing. Fortunately for Crues, the old West Texas-New Mexico League opened up shop again. He signed with the Lamesa Lobos and played second base and outfield as well as a few painful tries on the mound. A contract dispute earned him an unconditional release, but fortunately there was another team in the league who wanted to give him a shot. <br /><br />The Amarillo Gold Sox were owned by former major leaguer “Suitcase Bob” Seeds. As you can gather from his moniker, Seeds had a rambling career, playing for four teams during his nine-year career in the bigs. By 1946 Seeds had returned to Amarillo where his career began, and owned a sporting goods store as well as the town’s franchise in the West Texas-New Mexico League. When Seeds found out Bob Crues had been cut loose by the Lobos, the old ballplayer put him in a Gold Sox uniform. Thus saved from baseball oblivion, Bob Crues restarted his career for the third and final time.<br /><br /> The post-war West Texas-New Mexico League has become known for being a hitter’s paradise. The ballparks were small compared to the larger cities in the north, and most were configured to take advantage of the region’s southerly winds. Because pitchers are always in high demand, a league as low as West Texas-New Mexico only received the most inexperienced or ineffective ones. That isn’t to say the league’s pitchers were tossing softballs in the years following World War II; inexperienced and ineffective also means that many hurlers lacked control over their pitches, making it hard for a batter to get ahold of a ball good enough to hit for distance. That’s one of the circumstances that played to Bob Crues’ advantage. Because he wasn’t formally coached as a hitter and he had played two years of service ball hitting against inexperienced pitchers, Crues had developed into a “bad ball hitter.” That meant that not only was Crues used to facing pitchers who threw the ball all over the place, but where other batters would lay off a bad pitch, Crues hunted them down and sent them flying. As Eddie Carnett, former major league pitcher and Borger's manager in 1948 exclaimed: "he hits everything from his shoe-tops to his cap-bill!"<br /><br /> That first summer in Amarillo Bob Crues hit .341 and sent 29 balls into the stands, including three in one brutal payback game against Lamesa. As stated earlier, the West Texas-New Mexico League was a hitter’s loop, so Crues’ 29 paled in comparison with Gold Sox teammate Joe Bauman’s 48 home runs. The next season Crues came into his own, slugging 52 home runs with a .380 average. In that hitter’s league, it still wasn’t tops – future Chicago Cub Bill Serena hit 57 – but it did earn Crues a promotion to the Little Rock Travelers of the Southern Association. After doing well in spring training, Crues abruptly left the Travelers before the 1948 season began.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/02/21-journal-mark-iii.html" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS93CH6UgpPBwf7ZEkc9bxii5W9V5j0zxIPKzA8nFsf3uaIU3gTw6prmmN3t_0Gf_PQwLawWvlb3IVmQuWtjhMpqhMSNWHYpqrJpSdDtvu4aOj1BGF0nA92rn-BJ-jHt4NtJte0y0RzMGZ/s640/21_slim_ad.jpg" /></a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When he reappeared in Amarillo, Crues told reporters that he was homesick for his Texas home. Truth be told, his wife Billie had convinced her husband that dragging young children around the lower rungs of organized baseball was no way to raise a family. That, and Crues’ “advanced” age of <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">30</span> made it more than a long shot that he’d ever rise above AA level ball. So, Bob Crues suited up again for the Amarillo Gold Sox.<br /><br /> Right from the start, Crues was on fire. He sent ball after ball over the outfield wall. As Crues averaged a homer every other game, the fans were whipped up in a home run frenzy. As was the custom in the low minors and semi-pro baseball, fans would poke money through the chicken wire fence to show their gratitude after a home run, and that summer Bob Crues made a nice bundle from happy customers. His bank balance got a boost in August when he given an extra $200 after being voted the team’s most popular player. <br /><br />On Friday, August 28, it was “Bob Crues Night” at Gold Sox Park. The slugger had just hit his 60th home run, tying the great Babe Ruth’s 1927 mark. Plus, the night before had seen the birth of the Crues’ second child, a son. Before the game, fans and local businesses showered the popular slugger with piles of gifts and cash. Even his Gold Sox teammates dipped into their own meager salaries and passed Crues a wad of cash. For his special night, the Amarillo News-Globe newspaper offered Crues a special bounty for hits during the game: $25 for a single, $50 for a double, $75 for a triple and $100 for a homer. <br /><br /> That evening Crues hit number 61, which along with a single earned him $125 from the Globe-News bounty. The slugger then rushed from the ballpark to the hospital where he spent time with Billie and his newborn son.<br /><br /> Lost in the long ball excitement was the tremendous number of RBIs Crues was wracking up during the 1948 season. The old pro-baseball record was 222 set by Tony Lazzeri in 1925. Lazzeri’s home ballpark in Salt Lake City was a notorious hitter’s paradise and the Pacific Coast League’s 200 game season played a part in the bloated RBI tally. On the other hand, while playing in cozy-sized parks with inexperienced pitching, the West Texas-New Mexico League played a modest 140 game schedule, a full 60 games less than Lazzeri had. Of course, a home run record is more respected than an RBI record. However, it is those runs batted in that win ball games, and it speaks highly of Crues’ hitting when it counted that made his performance in 1948 even more impressive. By the time Crues suited up for the final day of the season, he had completely obliterated Lazzeri’s record by more than 30 runs.<br /><br /> On Thursday, September 5, Crues hit home runs 68 and 69 off George Payte of the Pampa Sockers to tie <a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/11/234-joe-hauser-leave-him-alone-hes-our.html">Joe Hauser</a>’s 1933 mark. That left only two games left to play, a Labor Day double header against the Lubbock Hubbers at home. Before the game, many thought that the record should already be recorded as being broken. Back in June, while on the road in Abilene, Crues smashed a ball that careened off the scoreboard mounted above the outfield wall and bounced back onto the field. Everyone, including the Abilene fans and players, saw that the ball had hit the scoreboard, which meant it was a home run. Everyone that is, except umpire Frank Secory who insisted it hit the wall below the scoreboard and ruled it a ground rule double. Since this was back in June when the home run record was still a distant dream, it is odd that the Abilene outfielders and the official scorer went out of their way after the game to convince Secory to change the ruling, which he did refused to do. Maybe it was just their sense of fair play that made the Abilene players try to give a home run to an opposing player, but in eerie hindsight, the ruling would have a huge effect on events that occurred more than two months later.<br /><br /> Atmospheric conditions in Amarillo were not ideal for Crues on the night of September 6. The local newspaper reported that a strong wind off the Texas prairie came from a northerly direction, blowing directly towards home plate. For his part, Bob Crues was confident in his chances that night. After an injury to his side slowed him down for three weeks after reaching number 61, he was on fire of late, especially after hammering two homers in the previous day’s game. So, with two games left in the season and fame just a swing away, Bob Crues was ready.<br /><br />In his first time at the plate, he almost did it, the ball carrying all the way to the far corner of left field, only to hit the top of the fence and fall back in for a single. He then walked and hit another single in the 3-2 Gold Sox win. Crues was still in good shape, he had the nightcap left to hit one out of the park. As was common back then, the second game of the double header would be only seven innings. Going into the bottom of the 6th, Crues had managed nothing more than a single and several long balls that landed foul. With Lubbock up 3-1, the Hubbers decided to give Crues a final chance at the plate. Pitcher Red Ramsey walked a pair of Gold Sox before retiring the side. This made sure Crues would get a chance to bat in the final frame. In the bottom of the 7th, Crues was due up second. Lubbock put Don Moore on the mound and he walked the first batter. Now with Crues in the box, Moore had trouble getting the ball anywhere near the strike zone, and his control issues were even too much for a bad ball hitter like Crues. When he was finally able to get a handle on one, all it produced was a single. None-the-less, the single sparked a Gold Sox rally and Amarillo plated three runs to win 4-3. <br /><br />By the time the game ended, Gold Sox Park had long emptied out. The Look Magazine crew packed up their equipment and the Wheaties man folded the unsigned contract and headed for the parking lot. Sure, 69 homers were something special, but Joe Hauser had already hit that number fifteen years earlier. Then there was the new RBI total, but RBIs are, well, RBIs, not home runs. <br /><br />Bob Crues was Clarence Chamberlined.<br /><br />There was, of course, the West Texas-New Mexico League Playoffs. Lost in the home run frenzy was the fact that the Gold Sox had finished first in the loop. In the ensuing four team “Shaughnessy” playoffs, Crues hit three more home runs, bringing his 1948 total to 73. But the playoffs were not regular season.<br /><br />The headlines generated by Crues’ chase of the home run record led to his being drafted by the Jackson Senators, a Boston Braves farm team in the Southeastern League. However, the $250 a month being offered was unacceptable as Crues had a family to take care of. When the Braves didn’t didn’t improve their offer, he accepted a contract to play semi-pro ball for the Armour Chicken Processing Plant in Elk City, Oklahoma. When Armour didn’t honor their promised terms, Crues accepted a $500 contract to be player-manager of the Roswell Rockets of the Longhorn League. In his last solid season, the 30 year-old hit for a .365 average with 28 home runs. Crues’ playing skills deteriorated rapidly and he spent the next four summers bouncing from San Angelo to Lubbock, back to Amarillo and finally Borger, where he had his first good season in 1940. <br /><br />By now the Crues family had grown to four boys. The old slugger did everything he could to bring home the best salary, jumping around from one promising job to another, mostly in the oil industry. For a time he and old Gold Sox teammate Joe Bauman owned competing gas stations in Roswell, and the friendly competitors sometimes played catch together on the street. Then, just as before, something better came along and the Crues family moved on. This nomadic life chasing the best opportunity lasted until 1965 when Bob Crues suffered a stroke. He was only 47. <br /> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The stroke left the old ballplayer needing to use a cane to get around. His son Ronnie told Toby Smith in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bush-League-Boys-Baseball-Southwest/dp/0826355218">Bush League Boys: </a><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bush-League-Boys-Baseball-Southwest/dp/0826355218">The Postwar Legendsof Baseball in the American Southwest</a> that his father fell apart after the stroke. He withdrew into his shell and considered himself a has-been. With his mobility cut down, Crues drank and smoked more heavily. The idle time on his hands pushed Crues into depression, troubled by his orphan heritage and convinced he hadn’t lived up to the potential he showed as a Red Sox prospect back before the war. In the years since 1948, the home run record he once shared with Joe Hauser had been not just equaled but eclipsed. No one remembered the RBI record. <br /><br />Crues was rescued from the clutches of melancholy in 1975 when he was elected to the Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame. The old slugger was touched by being honored by the region in which he spent almost his entire life, and brought some renewed interest in his 1948 season. <br /> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Bob Crues retired in 1977 and returned to Amarillo, living out his final years in the town where he almost made history. He and Billie were watching TV on the night of December 26, 1986 when the 67 year-old ballplayer silently slumped forward in his easy chair and passed away. <br /> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Go ahead, take a minute and look it up. When you page past all the home run records you come to the Runs Batted In section. There, at the top of the list you can still find “Bob Crues, 254, Amarillo, 1948.”</span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For the record, this was one heck of a tough illustration to do! Even though Bob Crues made the record books back in '48, being second sure didn't ensure there would be any photographs for posterity. I was able to locate only one decent and clear photo, a shot basically one step better than a mugshot. If you look up the name "Bob Crues" on the internet, it will pop up multiple times. Being one whom always tries to be a bit different, I didn't want to just use that same over used photo. Going through 1946-1950 Texas sports pages, I was able to find a pair of semi-useable action shots that not only helped me get an idea of what Crues' batting stance and follow through looked like, but also aid me with the uniform details. In the photos I found it became obvious that the common mugshot photo made Crues look like he had a long, flat face. In the shots I found he actually had a well-shaped jaw and chin which you can't see in the usual headshot. Anyway, </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">check back late next week and I'll bring out the final story of this Home Run Triptych. </span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span>Gary Joseph Cieradkowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04780041109109187257noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109098029372196005.post-6895077232455103592017-11-03T09:32:00.002-07:002018-02-07T11:43:58.973-08:00234. Joe Hauser: Leave him alone, he's Our Joe!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For my next <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">several posts, I thought I'd try something <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">different. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ever since I began this blog back in 2010, I consciously made<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> an effort to not have a<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ny <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">r<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">hyme or reason to the order in which I presented my stories. One week would <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">bring</span> the story of Negro League legend Leon Day and the next could be <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">turn of the century Federal League player Guy Zinn or a 1930's Japanese baseball player. I like the freedom to present whomever I am interested in at the time, and I think those of you who keep checking back here, or have purchased my books, do as well.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">However, while working on this most recent story, I thought it would be interesting to do a series of three (or, to draw on my fancy art school background: a "triptych")<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, focusing on the trio who held the professional baseball single-season record<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> for most home runs before it was broken by the steroid<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">-addled <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Barry Bonds in 2001. I wanted to go back to a time when home runs and their records actually meant something. When the numbers 60, 61, 714 and 755 evoked a sort of hushed reverence, a marker that was seemingly unattainable. In the years before the Major Leagues expanded exponentially, dozens of star-quality ballplayers were stranded in the high minors, trapped in second and third rate cities where they tallied seemingly impossible records for most wins, hits or home runs. Because they were achieved in the minor leagues, their names are mostly a footnote today, but if one looks under the blankets and in the deep recesses of baseball history, you'll find guys like Joe Hauser waiting to tell their story.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In the five and a half decades after he retired in 1942, Joe Hauser was the go-to man for "what if", "hard-luck" and "where is he now" baseball stories. Hauser's career stretched from the Deadball Era of Ty Cobb through the Roarin' Twenties of Babe Ruth and on into the hardscrabble Depression Era 1930's. That he lived to be 98 years old made him one of the most interviewed ballplayers and a direct and priceless link back to the game’s Golden Age.<br /><br />Joe Hauser was born on January 12, 1899 to blacksmith Andreas Hauser and his wife Mary, also called “Mamie.” The couple had emigrated from Austria to Milwaukee’s German-speaking 19th Ward in the 1880’s, and Joe was the fourth of an eventual six children that made up the Hauser family. With a large amount of mouths to feed, Joe quit school at the age of 14 and began working in a mill that built cement mixers. Hauling the heavy machine parts strengthened his wrists and forearms, inadvertently giving Hauser the attributes that would later make him a power hitter. Like all kids in his Milwaukee neighborhood, Hauser grew up playing baseball on any available vacant lot. He eventually graduated from the sandlots to a semi-pro team in one of the city’s saloon leagues where he became a pitcher with a blazing fastball. Known for high strikeout games, Hauser became known as “Zep” or “Zip” for the velocity of his fastball. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When he reached the age of 18, Hauser was recruited for a town team in Waupun, Wisconsin, where he played with and against men much older than him, many of which had previous minor league experience. When he began regularly striking out more than a dozen batters each game, he attracted the attention of Philadelphia Athletics owner and manager Connie Mack. Mack invited Hauser to the Athletics spring training in 1918, but the teenager proved to be too wild and raw to be any use for the Athletics. The kindly Mack paid for Hauser’s train ticket back to Milwaukee and $100 for his time, something that was rarely, if ever, done for failed prospects at the time.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />When Joe got back to Milwaukee, his hometown Brewers signed him up. The Brewers played in the American Association, rated by organized baseball as an AA league, one level below the majors. Hauser was still too inexperienced for the AA level and he was optioned to the Providence Grays of the Eastern League. When he was unimpressive in his only outing on the mound, the Grays switched him to the outfield where he began hitting. After spending 1918 and 1919 in Providence where he batted .271 and .273 respectively, Hauser was recalled back to Milwaukee by the Brewers. While his average stayed well over .300, his fielding left much to be desired. At this time, Hauser acquired the curious nickname he’d have for the rest of his long life: “Unser Choe.” When fans at Milwaukee’s Borchert Field heckled or ridiculed Hauser’s play, the local German-American’s in the grandstand would yell back “leave him alone, das ist unser Choe!” “Unser Choe” was German for “Our Joe,” pronounced in the dialect particular to Milwaukee. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>Though his batting average was going up each season, his lackluster fielding threatened to keep him a bush league ballplayer for all eternity. Fortunately, Brewer’s manager Jack Egan came up with the brilliant idea to move the budding slugger to first base, and just like that, everything came together for Joe Hauser. When the Athletics came to Chicago to play the White Sox, Connie Mack traveled to Milwaukee to see Hauser play. Tipped off that the great man was in the stands, Unser Choe banged out four hits including a home run. The notoriously budget-conscious Mack shelled out a reported $50,000 and four players to obtain Hauser’s services for 1922. When his contract came in the mail early in 1922, Hauser sent it back to Mack, telling the Athletics owner he would have to boost the pay. It seems that the Brewers had promised a bonus to any player who hit a home run in Milwaukee, and Hauser wanted his money. Mack tried playing hardball with the brash rookie, telling him that his beef was with the Brewers and not the Athletics, but Unser Choe wouldn’t budge. Finally, with the Athletics headed to Fort Myers for spring training, Mack appealed to Henry Killilea, Brewers owner, to convince Hauser to sign. After fruitlessly chasing Hauser’s shadow all over Milwaukee, Killilea finally got the kid’s signature on a Philadelphia contract when he told him to either sign or be out of organized baseball. It worked, and Killilea bundled Hauser onto that evening’s train south to Florida.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />Though he was untried at the big league level and lacked the polish of a veteran, Hauser had confidence in his talent. When he made mistakes, he listened intently to the advise of his teammates and Connie Mack, firm in his belief that he would never make the same mistake again. Won over by his positive attitude, the veterans on the Athletics took to the friendly Midwesterner, dubbing him “Dutch” for his German accented phrases. <br /><br />Unser Choe played 111 games for the 1922 Athletics and hit big league pitching at a .323 clip. He recorded only 15 extra base hits, but 9 of them were home runs. When the Athletics came to Milwaukee to play an exhibition game, it was “Joe Hauser Day” at the Borchert Field, and the hometown hero was showered with gifts including a bowling ball and shoes to go with it. The next season his average dipped a bit, but he almost doubled his home run production, thus solidifying his place as the Athletics starting first baseman for the foreseeable future. <br /><br />With baseball as his only profession, Hauser was careful to ensure that he was in top condition to practice his trade. He ate heartily - but in moderation, and kept himself to only a single beer when out with teammates - two when he really wanted to cut loose. He had also gotten married to Irene Kaye, lovingly called “Mama” by her husband. The couple set up house in Philadelphia where they lived in serene domesticity during the regular season. Mama would be by his side for the next 62 years as he traveled the country playing baseball. Back in Wisconsin during the off-season, Hauser played indoor baseball with Athletics teammate and fellow Milwaukeean Al Simmons to keep in shape. This strict regimen, plus his natural talent, combined to make 1924 Unser Choe’s breakout season.<br /><br />Today, when one looks at the list of home run totals for 1924, Babe Ruth’s name appears at the number one spot, and just below him at number two is Joe Hauser. His 27 home runs that year was something of a feat, especially since the next highest total was 19. In fact, Unser Choe hit more home runs by himself that year than the entire Boston Braves (25) and Washington Senators (22) did collectively as a team. All those teenage years spent working in the cement mixer factory had made Hauser’s wrists into home run hitting machines. At just 25, Unser Choe looked like he had a long, successful big league career ahead of him, following in the wake of <a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/search/label/Babe%20Ruth" target="_blank">Babe Ruth</a> as one of the game’s first power hitters.<br /><br />Just before the 1925 season, the Athletics played their traditional “City Series” against the Phillies for the championship of Philadelphia. With no one on the bases, a Phillies batter hit a ground ball to the shortstop. As the fielder retrieved the ball, Hauser ran towards first to receive the throw and touch the base for the out. A simple, textbook play, one Hauser had executed hundreds of times – only this time something unexpected happened. For no apparent reason, Hauser’s right kneecap snapped in two pieces. Surgeons operated and managed to secure the two broken pieces with gold wire, then covered the whole leg with a cast to begin the long recovery process. With a long recuperation on the horizon and no guarantee he’d ever play ball again, Hauser was voluntarily retired from professional baseball and he and Irene returned to Milwaukee. When the cast was removed, Hauser tried to stay active, even appearing in exhibition games with the Athletics when they played close to Milwaukee. Mack sent him to farm team in Federalsburg, Maryland for a short time to work with young players. Hauser would draw on this brief experience many years later when he would become a minor league manager.<br /> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">After sitting out the entire 1925 season, Hauser was pleased to report that by Christmas he was able to walk and move the knee with no perceivable side effects. That spring Hauser worked with Kid Gleason, former manager of the 1919 White Sox, now Connie Mack’s right hand man on the Athletics. Gleason had Hauser walk backwards, to strengthen the muscles. The walking evolved to running, and soon Gleason deemed Hauser ready for The Show again. <br /><br />Unfortunately, the year off had played havoc with his batting eye, and Hauser was mentally not ready to subject his broken knee to rigors required of a big league first baseman. With his knee still stiff and bothered by the discomfort caused by the wires holding it together, Hauser batted a disappointing .192 after 91 games. For 1927, Mack sent him to the Kansas City Blues in exchange for their first baseman, Dud Branom. While in K.C., Unser Choe regained his home run swing and cemented his reputation as a long-ball prodigy. Kansas City’s Muehlebach Field was a home run hitter’s worst nightmare, with a right field wall some 400 feet from home plate, surmounted with a 30-foot fence. No one hit home runs out there – until Unser Choe came to play. When his blast cleared the wall, fans collected over $250 dollars to give to Hauser in recognition of his achievement. The next afternoon, Hauser repeated the feat, again raking in a couple hundred dollars from grateful fans. <br /><br />That summer, Hauser really murdered the ball, bashing 49 doubles and 22 triples to go with his 20 home runs and gaudy .353 batting average. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/02/21-journal-mark-iii.html" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/02/21-journal-mark-iii.html" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="474" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS93CH6UgpPBwf7ZEkc9bxii5W9V5j0zxIPKzA8nFsf3uaIU3gTw6prmmN3t_0Gf_PQwLawWvlb3IVmQuWtjhMpqhMSNWHYpqrJpSdDtvu4aOj1BGF0nA92rn-BJ-jHt4NtJte0y0RzMGZ/s640/21_slim_ad.jpg" width="187" /></a></span>After Dud Branom proved worthy of his nickname, Mack brought Hauser back to Philly in 1928, but by this time the Athletics were a much different ball club. With Mickey Cochrane, Jimmie Foxx, <a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2013/11/163-joe-boley-cost-of-being-too-good.html" target="_blank">Joe Boley</a>, Al Simmons, <a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2010/03/20-lefty-grove.html" target="_blank">Lefty Grove</a> and George Earnshaw, Mack had assembled what may have been the greatest dynasty in baseball history, winning three pennants and two World Championships from 1929 to 1931. The 1928 team featured the great Ty Cobb, now wrapping up his Hall of Fame career with Mack’s club. Hauser started the first month of the season hitting .375 with 7 homers, then he began to slump. Hauser later blamed his plummeting average on none other than Ty Cobb, who he claimed sabotaged his batting style with bad advice because he was jealous of being out-hit by Unser Choe. Cobb reportedly advised Hauser to crowd the plate, which just resulted in him fighting off pitches and robbing him of his greatest asset, those strong wrists and forearms. Why did Hauser listen to Cobb? Maybe because he was the greatest hitter ever to play the game and even at the age of 41 he would hit .323 that season.<br /><br />With Hauser’s average sliding backwards and Jimmie Foxx moving from catcher to first baseman, Mack sold Unser Choe to the Cleveland Indians. Unfortunately, with future batting crown winner Lew Fonseca already ensconced at first base, Cleveland had no use for Hauser besides as an occasional pinch hitter. When all he could manage was .250 off the bench, Cleveland sold the now 30 year-old to the <a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/search/label/Baltimore%20Orioles" target="_blank">Baltimore Orioles</a>.<br /><br />Baltimore played in the International League, one of the three AA leagues that, like the American Association, were right below the majors. While many ballplayers would have been discouraged by the demotion, Unser Choe resigned himself to a minor league career. Part of his contentedness might have been that because of his major league contract, he was still drawing his big league paycheck. As the country slipped deeper into the Great Depression, the $6,500 salary took the sting out of being back in the minors. When he arrived in Charm City, Hauser took the advice of the team’s shortstop, Heine Sand, and switched to a slightly lighter bat. The lightened stick enabled Hauser to get around quicker on the ball, bringing to bear all the power of his wrists. That summer Unser Choe pounded home run after home run as he chased the professional baseball single-season home run record. While <a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/search/label/Babe%20Ruth" target="_blank">Babe Ruth</a> set the major league record with 60 in 1927, several minor leaguers surpassed that total, the most recent being 62, set in 1926 by Moose Clabaugh. Aided a little by some of the league’s short fences, Hauser closed in on the magic number and bested it by a single round tripper, setting the bar at 63. <br /><br />The next year when the Orioles were in New Orleans for a spring training exhibition game, a local radio station invited the new home run king to come into the studio and give a little talk over the airwaves. Since Joe was a school dropout at 14, he felt more comfortable having his wife Irene write a 16 sentence speech for him to read. More concerned with baseball than broadcasting, Unser Choe read the entire 16 sentences without pausing for any comma or period, finishing the speech in one mad dash. When asked about his breakneck reading after it aired, Unser Choe simply replied that it “wasn’t any use to stop and tag all the bases during the exhibition season.” It’s peculiar eccentricities like this that makes it a shame that Unser Choe wasn’t more of a success in the big leagues. With a vocabulary punctuated with phases like “gin!” and “yaaaaah!” when excited and “grab me?” to ask if one understood what he was trying to say, Hauser really was a sports writer’s dream come true.<br /><br />Hauser finished the 1931 season again at the top of the home run leader’s list, though this time with a more human 31 homers. Troubled by a nagging groin injury, his average also buckled to a low .259. With his age now at the elderly 32 mark, Baltimore figured Unser Choe was on the downside of his career and put him up for sale. The Minneapolis Millers of the American Association snapped him up, a move that quickly paid off when he hit 49 home runs and brought his average back up to .303. His bat helped win the Millers win the 1932 pennant, where they faced the Newark Bears in the Junior World Series. In the 6-game loss to Newark, Hauser managed only 5 hits, but three of those were home runs.<br /><br />1933 began with a crushing disappointment when Hauser received his new contract. Instead of the $6,500 salary his former big league contract ensured him, Unser Choe was now required to accept a standard minor league contract. The $2,400 number was quite a comedown, but with the country engulfed by unemployment, Hauser had no choice but to sign.<br /><br />Perhaps smarting from the pay cut, Hauser began 1933 in a tough slump. No home run came off his bat in the team’s first nine games, all played on the road. In the Millers’ home opener, Unser Choe finally connected for a long-awaited home run, a three-run shot over the left field wall. The next afternoon Hauser pounded out three homers, including a grand slam, and never looked back. In June he had more than 30 to his credit; in July he homered in seven straight games and in early August broke the old American Association home run record of 54 - and the home runs kept coming. On August 20 he hit number 60, becoming the only man in the history of the game to record two seasons of sixty or more home runs. He ended the season with 69, the new single-season record for home runs. He also set the league record for total bases with 439 and led the league with 182 RBIs.<br /><br />Now the Home Run King of the Minor Leagues, great things were expected from Joe Hauser in 1934, and from the start, he delivered. He hammered 17 home runs in the month of April, then injured his left knee - his good one, and sat out three weeks. Still, Hauser came roaring back and with 33 homers going into the last week of July, looked to be on a pace to eclipse his own record. Then, havoc struck. Rounding third and headed for home trying to score, Hauser collapsed in a heap, his left kneecap shattered into three pieces. <br /><br />Unser Choe’s baseball career was effectively over.<br /><br />When the knee healed enough to think about resuming some kind of baseball career, Unser Choe was in his late 30’s, ancient by baseball standards. His name and reputation was still potent enough that several low-level minor league teams offered him contracts, but the money was a far cry from his Minneapolis salary and not enough to support he and Irene. Then, the semi-pro Sheboygan Chairmakers offered Hauser a $300 a month contract to be their player/manager in 1938. The team soon joined the Wisconsin State League, and Hauser piloted the team to back-to-back pennants in 1940 and 1941. The war shut down the league and Hauser went to work outside baseball for the first time since he was a teen. After the war, Sheboygan became part of the Dodgers organization and Unser Choe managed his team to pennants in 1947, 48 and 51. By this time, another player had matched Unser Choe’s magic number of 69, and in 1954 his hallowed record would be broken. After a short stint with another Brooklyn farm club, Unser Choe and Irene returned to Sheboygan and opened up the Joe Hauser Sports Shop. <br /><br />The Home Run King retired in 1984, and his beloved Irene passed away in 1986. The couple had made the decision early on not to have children because they did not want to subject them to the transient life of a ballplayer, so Hauser spent his twilight years more or less alone, with baseball fans and historians as his only company. And that seemed to be alright with Unser Choe, spending the last decade of his long life as one of the most entertaining bards of the old game, never tiring of telling the story of his unique place in baseball history to anyone who sought him out. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Like most old time ballplayers, Unser Choe was both bemused and disgusted by the modern player. He never understood how players from opposing teams engaged in friendly interaction during games. In his time, when one had the other uniform on, you were the enemy. He found it silly when young fans asked him about <a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/search/label/Babe%20Ruth" target="_blank">Babe Ruth</a>, implying that he must have been on great terms with the Yankees slugger. Hauser always insisted that that wasn’t the case. Sure, he said hello to the Bambino when he ended up at first base, but that was the extent of it. The Babe played for the Yankees and Unser Choe was an Athletic. It was as simple as that. Watching the prolonged curtain calls, fist-pumps and backslapping that now went on after every single major league home run, Hauser reflected on how in his time, there was none of that. One just ran around the bases and returned to the dugout, waiting and hoping to do it again.<br /><br /><i>This story was partially built from several very good interviews Unser Choe gave during the last few decades of his life, in particular the one included in Tony Salin’s terrific book </i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Baseballs-Forgotten-Heroes-Tony-Salin/dp/0809226030" target="_blank">Baseball’s Forgotten Heroes: One Fan’s Search for the Game’s Most Interesting Overlooked Players</a><i>. Also, Norman Macht’s </i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Connie-Mack-Turbulent-Triumphant-1915-1931/dp/0803220391/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1509726369&sr=1-1&keywords=Connie+Mack%3A+The+Turbulent+and+Triumphant&dpID=51g7ymMHoAL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch" target="_blank">Connie Mack: The Turbulent and Triumphant Years, 1915-1931</a><i> contains some great material on Joe Hauser and how well respected he was by the Athletics’ manager. Both those books are must have’s for any baseball library. Of course, the life’s blood of any great baseball history story are the original newspaper articles written during the time the events took place. Since Joe Hauser and his minor league home runs were such great news back in the 1930’s there are many detail-packed feature stories on the ball player to be found in Milwaukee, Baltimore and Minneapolis papers.<br /><br />Stop back late next week when I bring you the second of this three part feature on the single-season home run kings of yesteryear…</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0cVBJSUhysgM0Kyo3TwV76CsopXSScRp_A6EI2WCV1HkW8dO2vO105V5JJ04lVpXzqA2gym1PSMxtX3rsdxDggH5PeD3uSaSvsUWf8Kw3aWs8wgRweOYiIJnzO8NpBatwRwdP0GhR3X_c/s1600/comment_banner_red_2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="284" data-original-width="1600" height="70" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0cVBJSUhysgM0Kyo3TwV76CsopXSScRp_A6EI2WCV1HkW8dO2vO105V5JJ04lVpXzqA2gym1PSMxtX3rsdxDggH5PeD3uSaSvsUWf8Kw3aWs8wgRweOYiIJnzO8NpBatwRwdP0GhR3X_c/s400/comment_banner_red_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></span>Gary Joseph Cieradkowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04780041109109187257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109098029372196005.post-36238288530104916862017-09-22T17:49:00.001-07:002017-09-22T17:49:30.249-07:00Jackie Robinson: A Baseball Career is Born in Kentucky<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I've been on a bit of a break lately - well, not really a break. You see, I kind of got bogged down with some research-heavy stories and I keep getting sucked further and further into them. I don't want to spoil anything, but one is a big Joe DiMaggio story about a period in his career that no one has really written about in any depth before. I want to do as thorough a job as I can, and that means exhausting all possible leads, and in this case it actually involves a cross-country to the west coast to explore an untapped archive. This story is so involved, with all kinds of sidebars, so I'll probably make it the cover story of the next issue of '</span></i><a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/02/21-journal-mark-iii.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>21</b></span></a><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">' (you should SEE the illustration I did for it - it's one of my best so far!). I'm also traveling for business, and although I brought two giant folders of other research with me, I haven't finished anything yet. </span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Usually the hard part is finding time to do the drawings, but in this case I have at least 10 new drawings ready to go, just waiting for a story to go with it. In the meantime, I thought I'd toss out an oldie but a goodie. I'm currently writing for a major auction house and I've had some pretty major Jackie Robinson memorabilia cross my desk this week. So, in honor of the man himself, I re-give you Jackie Robinson and the very beginning of his pro baseball career...</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
the summer of 1944 2nd Lieutenant Jack Robinson found himself at Camp
Breckinridge, an infantry replacement training depot in the hills of
western Kentucky. The war had been rough for Robinson - not on the
battlefields of France or a nameless island in the Pacific, but at home
in a racial war whose injuries were not physical but mental.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Before
the war Jackie Robinson was a well-known collegiate athlete. His
exploits as a track star at UCLA set numerous records and his skills on
the gridiron made the sports page from coast to coast. If he had been
white, Jackie Robinson would have had to fight off offers from National
Football League teams upon graduation. Instead Robinson took a position
with a government-run athletic program which quickly folded. Looking for
employment, Robinson took the most lucrative sports job he could find -
semi-pro football in Hawaii. After a successful 1941 season, Robinson
booked passage on a steamship back to Los Angeles. On Sunday, December
7th, 1941 he was contemplating his next move when the Japanese decided
it for him. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
23 year-old Robinson received his draft notice in early 1942. After
basic training with a cavalry regiment he and several other black
soldiers requested a transfer to officer's candidate school. Robinson's
natural leadership qualities and UCLA education made him ideal officer
material but his skin color worked against him. His transfer was put on
the back-burner until boxer Joe Lewis stepped in to help open the gate
allowing black soldiers to attend officer's school. By January 1943 the
former college star was 2nd Lieutenant Jack Robinson,U.S. Army.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Robinson
was assigned to the 761st Tank Battalion at Ft. Hood Texas. Known as
the "Black Panthers", the 761st would go on to earn a distinguished
combat record serving under General Patton in Europe. For two reasons
Lt. Robinson wasn't one of them.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Years
of strenuous athletic activity had left Robinson with an old ankle
injury that required testing to guarantee he was combat-ready. On
afternoon while awaiting the results of the test, Robinson boarded an
integrated Army bus and took a seat near the front. When the driver told
Robinson to sit in the back he flatly refused. The driver reported the
incident to the Military Police who took the insolent lieutenant in
custody. The commander of the 761st flatly refused to prosecute his
young officer but the matter was taken out of his hands when Robinson
was transferred to another battalion. His new commanding officer happily
signed off on court-martial proceedings before the ink was dry on his
transfer papers. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">After
a humiliating trial in which he was acquitted of all charges, Robinson
found himself a soldier without an army. His unit had deployed to Europe
during his court martial and medical tests found his ankle was tender
enough to keep him out of combat. The trial had made news and his
superiors at Ft. Hood didn't want him around so he was transferred to
another black unit, the 372nd Infantry Regiment.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
372nd had a brilliant battle record from the first world war. The units
shoulder patch was a red hand on a white disk trimmed in blue and red.
This striking insignia was bestowed on the regiment by the French Army
of Africa with which the unit had fought with in 1918. By the time Lt.
Robinson caught up with the regiment at Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky it
was being used as a feeder unit that trained replacement infantry
troops. As a distinguished college athlete, Robinson was named the
regiment's athletic director.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
was only a temporary assignment. Robinson's fight against the bogus
court marshal gained him a reputation as a hard case, and with a bum
ankle he wasn't any good for combat. The army decided to discharge him.
In the meantime, Robinson waited for the slow moving paperwork to wind
its way through Army bureaucracy by keeping the recruits occupied with
baseball.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">One
afternoon Robinson happened upon a soldier throwing big league curve
balls on the baseball field. The soldier was Ted Alexander, a former
pitcher with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League.
Robinson had had a brush with Negro League baseball back before the war
when a traveling blackball team had played a pickup team which Robinson
was a part of. When the game ended the team took off without giving
Robinson his agreed upon money for the exhibition. The whole experience
left Robinson with a bad taste in his mouth and a lingering distrust of
black baseball operations. When Robinson told </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Alexander</span>
of his concerns about post-army employment, the pitcher revealed the
the Monarchs were always hiring good talent. The war had hit black
baseball as hard as the white version with many of its good players in
the service. However with many blacks now employed in high paying war
industry jobs, blackball was the most popular diversion for their
new-found disposable income. The Negro Leagues were experiencing their
most profitable period in their history.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The former Monarchs pitcher surely related all this to Robinson and before the two men parted ways </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Alexander</span>
had given the Lieutenant Kansas City Monarchs' owner Tom Baird's
contact information. When he received his honorable discharge in
November of 1944, Robinson wrote to the Monarchs inquiring about a
position. In the meantime he took a job as athletic director at Sam
Huston College in Austin, Texas. When spring rolled around the Monarchs
sent Robinson a $400 a month contract and instructed him to report for
spring training. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Jackie Robinson's baseball career had begun.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>If you're anything like me, you probably think that cap Jackie is wearing is pretty darn cool, right? Will Arlt at the Ideal Cap Co. thought the same thing, too, and decided to reproduce these little babies. You can check them out</i> <a href="http://idealcapco.com/AFMBDIX44_ss846.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0cVBJSUhysgM0Kyo3TwV76CsopXSScRp_A6EI2WCV1HkW8dO2vO105V5JJ04lVpXzqA2gym1PSMxtX3rsdxDggH5PeD3uSaSvsUWf8Kw3aWs8wgRweOYiIJnzO8NpBatwRwdP0GhR3X_c/s1600/comment_banner_red_2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="284" data-original-width="1600" height="70" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0cVBJSUhysgM0Kyo3TwV76CsopXSScRp_A6EI2WCV1HkW8dO2vO105V5JJ04lVpXzqA2gym1PSMxtX3rsdxDggH5PeD3uSaSvsUWf8Kw3aWs8wgRweOYiIJnzO8NpBatwRwdP0GhR3X_c/s400/comment_banner_red_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="irc_su" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></span>Gary Joseph Cieradkowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04780041109109187257noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109098029372196005.post-38983847977219224182017-08-24T06:05:00.002-07:002017-08-24T06:05:54.953-07:00233. Jerry Lewis: Hey, who's the clown on first base?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Whether you think his movies are hysterical (like I do) or dopey (then I pity you), one thing's for sure: you know who Jerry Lewis was. I saw "was", because the comedian passed away this week at the age of 91. Very few performers could boast a career arc as broad as Lewis' seven decades of work. From nightclubs to radio to movies, as part of a comedy team and as a solo act, the name Jerry Lewis is synonymous with American comedy. For over 40 years his Labor Day fundraisers for the Muscular Dystrophy Association helped raise millions of dollars for a disease that was unknown and unpronounceable before he brought attention to it. Millions, maybe billions, of people found comfort in the laughter he created over the years. Even actors and comedians who take cheap shots at his being perceived by the French as a "genius" all owe at least a small amount of credit for their careers to this comedic trailblazer. One can go on for eternity cataloging Jerry Lewis' life in show business, but that's not what this story is going to be about. This post will reveal a little-known side of this giant of American comedy, for beyond the movies and fame, Jerry Lewis was a baseball fan.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jerome (some say it was Joseph) Levitch was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1926. At a young age Lewis was exposed to the entertainment business - his father was a vaudevillian and his mother was a professional piano player. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">M<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">uch of Jerry's early life was spent being passed off to relatives and family friends<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> while his parents traveled the vaudeville circuit. This transient lifestyle <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">made the<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> only child feel rootless and vulnerable much of the time<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. It's not recorded where Jerry Lewis first got his appreciation for baseball, but it is not out of line to opine that <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the lonely boy found <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">solace in being able to follow one team <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">through newspaper</span> box scores and radio, no matter where he was temporarily living. </span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">they were able to, <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the</span> Lewis' <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">took their son with them <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">when they had a lengthy engagement</span></span></span></span> at a club in the Catskills or Jersey shore. As early as age 5, Lewis <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">began</span> appearing on stage with his parents. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">One of his earliest</span> original comedy bit was to exaggerating lip-sync to a phonograph record - a routine Andy Kaufman appropriated and make his own some forty years later. Lewis knew he was destined for a life in showbiz, and dropped out of high school when he was 15 to pursue his dream. During World War II Lewis was rejected for military service due to a heart murmur, and he spent the war years honing his comedy chops working Manhattan's nightclub circuit. At the Glass Hat Club in 1945, Lewis shared the bill with a slick looking Bing Crosby sound-alike named Dean Martin. The two hit it off and quickly formed a comedy team, Martin and Lewis. With Dean as the suave straight man and Lewis as the zany sidekick, the unscripted act was unlike any other that came before. By 1947 they had reached the pinnacle of New York nightclub acts when they headlined the Copacabana. The following year the duo appeared on Ed Sullivan's "Toast of the Town" TV show. The Sullivan appearance combined with their own NBC radio show quickly made Martin and Lewis the country's most popular comedy act. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Because of their celebrity, the two comedians were soon making the acquaintance of all categories of celebrity. While Dean gravitated towards the Sinatra crowd, Jerry palled around with ballplayers. One of the first big names Lewis formed friendships with was New York Giants manager Leo Durocher. Leo was a fixture of Manhattan's swankier nightclubs and its only natural that he would have caught Martin and Lewis' act on numerous occasions. Durocher piloted the Giants to the pennant in 1951 and after the World Series returned to his home in Los Angeles. In late October the Giants manager and his opponent in the World Series, Casey Stengel, were asked to manage teams in a charity ballgame. It was only natural that Leo reached out to his pal Jerry Lewis who was in Hollywood with Dean at the time. The comedy duo appeared in the late innings of the game, sharing the field with All-Stars such Warren Spahn, Mike Garcia, Bob Lemon and Hank Sauer. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">By this time, Martin and Lewis had transitioned their nightclub and radio
act into a full-blown comedy movie franchise. In the years since their
first movie in 1949, Martin and Lewis had made over 12 films before
1954. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lewis' baseball connection to Durocher and his Giants continued through the years. Both Martin and Lewis appeared at the Giants spring training camp in Phoenix in 1954 where the two each managed their own team in an inter squad game. Martin, wearing uniform number "00" played third base while his partner donned a jersey with "?" on the back and played first base for his team. Martin managed a triple when the Lewis' outfielders unwisely played him too shallow. Lewis had a single to his credit and his Giants beat his partner 5-3 before 5,000 fans at Phoenix' Municipal Stadium.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Just after their Giants game, both men's love of the game led to the team optioning an original screenplay for a musical called "Safe at Home". The story revolved around two New York Giants players who desert the team to play ball in Mexico. The two get mixed up with a crooked bullfighter and, you guessed it, hilarity ensues. There was even talk of who would play Durocher in the picture (considering Leo's later penchant of TV and movie cameos, it's only natural go imagine the Giants manager playing himself). Unfortunately for both cinephiles and baseball fans, "Safe at Home" was never produced.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lewis and his wife Patti lived in <span class="st">Pacific Palisades, a neighborhood on LA's westside. The Lewis family consisted of two boys, Gary and Ronnie, and father passed his love of baseball down to his sons. To encourage the boys, Lewis purchased the vacant lot next to the family's home and constructed their own private ball field. Lewis also added his star power and sponsorship to a local kids ball club named the "Jerry Lewis Stars".</span></span> <br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In the spring of 1956, Martin and Lewis again combined their love of baseball with their comedy when the two appeared in a charity game at LA's Wrigley Field. The game pitted a team of major leaguers against a squad of PCL League stars. This time Lewis and Martin appeared on the same team, Lewis at first and Martin at third. The duo acquitted themselves well, with newspaper accounts complimenting their teamwork in the infield and Lewis' errorless play at first. Lewis went 0 for 4, but Martin got himself a single in four at bats. </span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/02/21-journal-mark-iii.html" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/02/21-journal-mark-iii.html" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="474" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS93CH6UgpPBwf7ZEkc9bxii5W9V5j0zxIPKzA8nFsf3uaIU3gTw6prmmN3t_0Gf_PQwLawWvlb3IVmQuWtjhMpqhMSNWHYpqrJpSdDtvu4aOj1BGF0nA92rn-BJ-jHt4NtJte0y0RzMGZ/s640/21_slim_ad.jpg" width="187" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Exactly ten years to the day of their debut performance in 1946, Martin and Lewis split up. Dean went on to be a leading man in more serious movies like "Rio Bravo" and "Some Came Running", and teaming up with Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr. as the core of the uber-cool "Rat Pack". Jerry forged ahead as a solo act, establishing himself as more than just a sidekick to Dean Martin. Besides his Vegas act, Lewis branched out and recorded a successful album of standards for Capitol Records that shot to number 3 on the charts. A succession of hit movies followed, making Jerry Lewis one of the most bankable performers in the country. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When the Brooklyn Dodgers relocated to Los Angeles in 1958, Jerry Lewis was reported to be one of the first season ticket holders. With a real big league team in the city, Lewis quickly befriended many of the Dodgers players, Gil Hodges in particular. Hodges was one of the teams most popular players and a perennial All-Star. Hodges was also, like Lewis, a first baseman. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In 1959 Lewis was back again at LA's Wrigley Field for a charity game. This time Lewis was playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers as they faced a Major League All-Star team piloted by Gene Mauch. Wearing number "55", Lewis took the field alongside Dodgers stars Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Johnny Roseboro and Charley Neal. Roseboro's two home runs powered the Dodgers over Mauch's All-Stars, 9-7. Lewis went 0 for 4 against the big league pitching and was credited with three errors of a comedic nature. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ever since the movie industry moved from New York and New Jersey to Southern California in the 1920's, both studios and prominent actors formed baseball teams. Fatty Arbuckle, one of Hollywood's earliest and popular comedic actors, even owned the Vernon Tigers of the Pacific Coast League. Tom Mix had a team and Paramount hired Black Sox outcast Fred McMullin as a ringer for their team. Later in the 1940's, Frank Sinatra formed his own team called the Swooners who's rotating roster boasted everyone from Nat King Cole to Robert Wagner and Anthony Quinn. With Jerry Lewis' baseball interest it was only natural that he would do the same, and the "Jerry Lewis Clowns" were formed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">By the early 1960's these celebrity pickup teams had evolved into the Hollywood Entertainment League. Besides the Clowns there was "Garner Gems" led by James Garner, singer Bobby Darin's "Darin's Demons", and Pat Boone's "Boones". Even Lewis' old partner had his own team, "Dean Martin's Dino's". Lewis outfitted his Clowns with home white flannels supplied by Rawlings with "Clowns" in red script across the front. The left sleeve sported a large caricature portrait of Lewis which would become his trademark. Red stirrups with white stripes and a red cap with a white "JL" monogram topped off the uniform. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Besides owning his own team and appearing as a ringer at first base for the Dodgers, Lewis' baseball interest was acknowledged by the game's writers when he was tapped to be the master of ceremonies for the Baseball Writers Awards in January, 1966. The gig was especially personal to Lewis as the event would also honor his beloved Dodgers, that years' World Series champions. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With the advent of television and the popularity of football and basketball, baseball's popularity began a steady decline throughout the 1960's. The Hollywood Entertainers League folded by the end of the decade, yet the game still held some popularity among the stars. The Dodgers and Angels hosted "Hollywood Stars" benefit games fairly regularly, and Lewis would suit up with fellow baseball fans like James Garner, Mickey Rooney, Ricky Nelson and <span class="irc_su" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">Walter Matthau.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="irc_su" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">Perhaps the pinnacle of Jerry Lewis' baseball career came on July 19, 1973. The Houston Astros were hosting a rare in-season exhibition game against the Detroit Tigers. Lewis' old pal, Leo Durocher, was now skipper of the Astros, and he had a great time writing "Jerry Lewis" batting lead off and playing first base in his line up card. Lewis wore number "9" and hit a single off Detroit's Mike Strahler. Later the Tigers sent their pitching coach, Art Fowler, to the mound, off whom Lewis drew a walk. Tigers first baseman Norm Cash acknowledged that the comedian looked pretty good in his 4 innings of work, noting that he played errorless ball and didn't drop a single throw. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="irc_su" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">Jerry Lewis' last big brush with baseball came at the tail end of his long career. Having conquered nightclubs, radio, TV, and film, only Broadway remained unchecked on his list of successes. That changed when he took over the roll of the Devil in the revival of "Damn Yankees". For those of you who don't know the play, the story is about a long-suffering Washington Senators fan who sells his soul to the Devil to become a star baseball player and finally defeat the Yankees. Lewis drew great reviews, then began a semi-retirement with select guest spots in movies and TV shows. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="irc_su" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></span>
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="irc_su" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">Jerry Lewis passed away on August 20, 2017 after a long illness. I had wanted to do a card and story on him ever since I found a photo of his Clowns baseball team several years ago. When I was writing my book, </span></span></i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/The-League-Outsider-Baseball-Illustrated/dp/1476775230" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="irc_su" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">The League of Outsider Baseball</span></span></a><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="irc_su" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">, I had Jerry penciled in for the "People's Game" chapter which had stories and illustrations of people who you wouldn't think were baseball fans or players. But, unfortunately, Jerry got cut during the outline phase. His baseball interest was a little more dynamic than most, and I wanted more than a page or two in order to give his story a proper telling. Unfortunately, it wasn't until he passed away last week that I revived my story and pulled together all the newspaper clippings I had accumulated and sat down to write. For all the joy his movies gave me ever since I was a kid, and all the good he did with his </span><span class="irc_su" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">Muscular Dystrophy telethons, I hope he'd get a kick out of his very own baseball card.</span></span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0cVBJSUhysgM0Kyo3TwV76CsopXSScRp_A6EI2WCV1HkW8dO2vO105V5JJ04lVpXzqA2gym1PSMxtX3rsdxDggH5PeD3uSaSvsUWf8Kw3aWs8wgRweOYiIJnzO8NpBatwRwdP0GhR3X_c/s1600/comment_banner_red_2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="284" data-original-width="1600" height="70" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0cVBJSUhysgM0Kyo3TwV76CsopXSScRp_A6EI2WCV1HkW8dO2vO105V5JJ04lVpXzqA2gym1PSMxtX3rsdxDggH5PeD3uSaSvsUWf8Kw3aWs8wgRweOYiIJnzO8NpBatwRwdP0GhR3X_c/s400/comment_banner_red_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="irc_su" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="irc_su" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></span>Gary Joseph Cieradkowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04780041109109187257noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109098029372196005.post-54361081160497062002017-08-06T14:09:00.002-07:002017-08-06T19:06:20.439-07:00232. Cy Malis: The best friend we dope fiends have<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlM-sL_3FWSntENSWCxdIEVVUF8mlxBEyOX1b3nItHoNrhsaQPrHJtAlowo2oC-_qMm4gdrKfHFeJmdtKPXb24N_SICgyxwVGo_HH9IUA_iH9QV1C32Cp081SfLUa1Sfc6xAibqBh62TWW/s1600/Cy_Malis_SPHAS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="516" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlM-sL_3FWSntENSWCxdIEVVUF8mlxBEyOX1b3nItHoNrhsaQPrHJtAlowo2oC-_qMm4gdrKfHFeJmdtKPXb24N_SICgyxwVGo_HH9IUA_iH9QV1C32Cp081SfLUa1Sfc6xAibqBh62TWW/s640/Cy_Malis_SPHAS.jpg" width="204" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-style: italic;">When
I first started this blog back in 2010, I started
receiving many requests for players to be profiled and given The
Infinite Baseball Card Set "treatment." Out of all the emails, I began
to notice that it was not one particular player that was asked for the
most, but rather an ethnic group: Jewish ballplayers. Early on I had illustrated cards
and written stories on the site of <a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2010/10/52-sandy-koufax-and-coney-island.html">Sandy Koufax</a> and <a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2010/07/38-moe-berg.html">Moe Berg</a>, but I began slowly researching different players <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">who shared</span> the <a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/search/label/Jewish%20Players">Jewish faith</a>,
trying to find characters who would fit in with the kind of stories I
like to write - players with interesting stories who may not be known to
the casual fan of baseball history. The modest research I did culminated in the <a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/p/how-to-buy-21-illustrated-journal-of.html">Test Issue of "21: The Illustrated Journal of Outsider Baseball"</a> </span></span><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">which featured 12 profiles of Jewish ballplayers. This prototype became the model in which I based the current incarnation of <a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/02/21-journal-mark-iii.html" target="_blank">"21"</a>.</span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I was never happy with th<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">at</span> original product, and eventually I <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">plan to</span> do a more elaborate <a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/02/21-journal-mark-iii.html" target="_blank">"21"</a> dedicated to Jewish ballplayers. In the years since the original, I have been steadily adding to my Jewish ballplayers file, <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">one the characters in there being</span> Cy Malis. </span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cy's single game for the 1934 Phillies earned him place in all the books on Jewish ballplayers, but it is the rest of his story that makes him so much more interesting. Plus, digging into Cy's career was for me a researchers delight, as I found that the extent of his pro career that can be found in record books and online is quite incomplete. Old box scores and creative searching enabled me to fill out Cy's minor league career quite a bit more than any other source that I've been able to find. And then, from an artistic point of view, the uniforms worn by one of Cy's semi-pro teams were so visually stunning that I couldn't wait to depict Cy in full color. </span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So, with that teaser, I'll get right into Cy's story... </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cy Malis <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">was born in</span> Philadelphia, the second son of Frank and Anna (called "Ray") Malis. Both Frank's parents were from Russia while Ray's father immigrated from </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jerusalem and her mother from Russia. Frank worked an an inspector for the </span>Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company and Ray kept house in the family's apartment on 10th Street.<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Ray and Frank were married around 1905 and their son Charles was born shortly afterw<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ard</span>. The Malis' second son, Cyrus came along on </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="st">February 26, 1907. Both boys played baseball, working their way up the sandlot ranks. Charles was an infielder while Cyrus - who was now going by "Cy" - was, appropriately enough, a pitcher. While Charles played for Central High, Cy starred for Brown Prep School, lettering in basketball and football as well as baseball. </span>In his sophomore season with Brown, Cy posted a 15-4 record and struck out 22 in a game against Villanova Prep. It appears that Cy left school after his second year, joining the vibrant semi-pro baseball circuit around Philadelphia. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Like other large eastern cities, Philly boasted many top-rank semi-pro clubs. Youngsters began playing for their local neighborhood athletic clubs, then, if they were good enough, were either hired by a large company who sponsored a team or was invited to join one of the semi-pro traveling clubs who were just a step below the minor leagues. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cy Malis' first stop was with the </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Waco Athletic Club. His brother Charles may have preceded him on the team, for both their names frequently appear in box scores at this time. Waco played other medium-level teams in Philadelphia and South Jersey. Then, i</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">n mid-August, Cy began pitching for the formidable Hebrews club. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Hebrews, also known as the Sphas (South Philadelphia Hebrew Association), were one of the better semi-pro clubs in the Philly-Trenton area. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The South Philadelphia Hebrew Association began sponsoring athletic teams around World War I, and by the early 1920's had become known not only for baseball, but for their basketball team as well. In fact, the basketball team actually turned pro, first joining the Eastern League in 1929, then the American Basketball League in 1933. When the NBA was formed after World War II, the Sphas best players splintered off to form the nucleus of the Philadelphia Warriors.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With the baseball Sphas, Cy not only had a first rate ball club backing him up, but he also had good press coverage with would help further his career. His competition was also of a higher class, playing against the various traveling teams that criss-crossed the country before World War II, such as Jim Thorpe's Indians and various Negro League clubs. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cy's half season with the Sphas earned him an invitation to spring training with the minor league Wilkes-Barre Barons in 1925. The April 24 edition of the Scranton Republican said the Malis "has shown plenty of form in the preliminary workouts", but just two days later he was back in Philly pitching for the Waco A..A. and later the Sphas again. Still only a teenager, Cy had plenty of time to develop into professional material. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Malis' second chance at organized ball came along the following spring when he was signed by Petersburg Broncos of the Virginia League. In his professional debut on April 14, 1927, Malis was sent in to relieve Petersburg starter Lefty Fowlkes, pitching an inning and third, allowing a hit and two walks plus a balk. Richmond scored a run, but it was charged as an error since the outfielder dropped the ball. Soon both Cy and Lefty Fowlkes were shipped to the Northampton Red Sox of the Eastern Shore League. Malis started off the season well, winning five consecutive games, but overuse took a toll on his arm. When Cy asked management for some time off to rest his tired flinger, the Red Sox handed their ace pitcher his release. 1920's baseball was a cruel and impersonal sport, and back then a pitcher, especially a young one, was expected to pitch a complete game every time he took the mound. With minor league rosters consisting of only 15-18 players, clubs couldn't afford to carry too many pitchers, so the ones they had were used as often as possible. When Cy raised an issue about over use, it was only natural that the club would choose to jettison their ace instead of working with him, the reason probably being that if his arm is feeling fatigue now at this low level, how could he make it all the way to the majors? Minor league teams back then made their payroll by selling off their good players to higher level clubs - thus, a sore arm pitcher was of no monetary value to them. Sound front office reasoning in 1927. Fortunately for Cy, one other team in the league, the Cambridge Canners, were willing to take a chance with him. Working out of the bullpen, he finished out 1927 with a 5-6 record. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Despite a mediocre record, a team quite a bit higher up the food chain than the Cambridge Canners became interested in Cy - his hometown Philadelphia Phillies. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Like
most big league teams, the Phillies were always on the look out for
home grown talent, a native son that could blossom into a star that
would in turn put more fans in the stands. As the Phils were perennially mired in last place, it would take something or someone interesting to get fans to shell out the money to watch a lousy team. With his well publicized
mound exploits with Brown Prep and the Sphas, Cy Malis was a perfect candidate to be that someone interesting. The
Phils signed him for 1928 and shipped him off to their Lynn Papooses farm team in the New England League. From the skeleton of statistics it looks like control was Cy's biggest obstacle - for instance in the June 1, 1928 game against Salem, Cy pitched the first 3 2/3 innings, giving up 4 bases on balls and a hit batter, taking the loss. On June 12 Cy lasted 5 1/3 inning against Brockton, issuing five free passes and 12 hits for another loss. By mid-June his record was no wins and four losses in 12 innings pitched. The Papooses released him, and Cy went back to the Philly semi-pro circuit.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Every source I found on Cy Malis has no professional record for him in 1929, but I dug up some newspaper articles that say otherwise. A small article written about Cy a year after his death in 1971 states that he had played in the Philadelphia A's farm system. I thought that perhaps this was a misprint, mistaking the Philadelphia Phillies for the Philadelphia A's. Or, I thought it might have been Cy or a relative of his doing a little creative remembering, switching out the last place Phillies for the 1929 World Champion A's. Much to my relief (I don't relish debunking little white myths held dearly by old ball players and their descendents), the article actually held up to my research. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Seems that Cy had attracted the eye of his hometown's other big league team, Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics. The A's were right at the beginning of what would be an incredible three pennants and two World Championships, a team thought to be the greatest ever assembled in Major League history. The A's signed Cy to a minor league contract, sending him to their Martinsville White Elephants team in the Blue Ridge League. I found several box scores that record his record with Martinsville. On April 25, 1929, Cy pitched 4 innings, giving up 6 hits, 2 walks and striking out 2 against Hagerstown. On May 11 he gave up 5 hits in 5 1/3 innings of relief, walking no one and picking up the win over Chambersburg. Cy pitched one more game before he was released, his final 1929 record set at 13 hits, 6 runs, 13 walks, 3 strike outs and a wild pitch in 16 innings. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Once again Cy returned to the Philadelphia scene where he was now a much sought after arm for hire. Besides his regular gig with the mighty Sphas, box scores show Cy appearing for several other teams in the area. The Jersey Shore was a particularly lucrative spot for semi-pro ball, as all the beach communities competed against one another to field the best ball team. Not content to hire just a few ringers to supplement their team, some town hired complete semi-pro outfits to represent them. Cy was with the Trenton Club when they were rented out to represent the town of Bradley Beach.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">1933 Cy was hired by the Berlin, Maryland team to help them beat rival Dagsboro in the five-game Eastern Shore Championship Series. Malis pitched Game 2, shutting out Dagsboro on six hits. The "Quaker City speedball artist" was tabbed to pitch the deciding Game 5, but served up three home runs early on which gave Dagsboro the game and championship.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In 1934 he was back with the Sphas. On July 29, Malis pitched and won a 14 inning marathon at Paterson, N.J., then came back to Philly where the next night he pitched a one-hitter for the Bartram club. Cy's continued good press inevitably was noticed by the moribund Phillies. For the second time, Philadelphia signed Cy Malis to a contract, but where as back in 1927 he was farmed out to the sticks, this time he was issued a uniform with number 49 on the back and sent to join the big club.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On Friday, August 17, 1934 Cy Malis made his major league debut against the Cardinals at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. The Gas House Gang Cardinals were on their way to a World Championship with a line up that featured future Hall of Famers Joe Medwick, Frankie Frisch, Pepper Martin and sluggers Ernie Orsatti and Ripper Collins. Their mound corps was led by the Dean Brothers, Dizzy and Paul, who would collectively win 49 games that summer. In the bottom of the 5th, the Cards were up 7-2 with Phillies reliever Reggie Grabowski on the mound. Burgess Whitehead led off with a single and with one out, advanced to second when Frankie Frisch got a base on balls. Joe Medwick smashed a long single to center, scoring Whitehead and moving Frisch to third. Medwick then stole second, sending Grabowski to the showers. </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/02/21-journal-mark-iii.html" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/02/21-journal-mark-iii.html" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="474" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS93CH6UgpPBwf7ZEkc9bxii5W9V5j0zxIPKzA8nFsf3uaIU3gTw6prmmN3t_0Gf_PQwLawWvlb3IVmQuWtjhMpqhMSNWHYpqrJpSdDtvu4aOj1BGF0nA92rn-BJ-jHt4NtJte0y0RzMGZ/s640/21_slim_ad.jpg" width="187" /></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Phillies manager Jimmy Wilson waved Cy Malis in from the bullpen. With men on second and third, Malis faced Ripper Collins who quickly hit a double to riht field, scoring Frisch and Medwick. Cy got Bill Delancey to fly out to center field but then lost Chick Fullis to a base on balls. Now with two on and two away, Leo Durocher stepped in and hit a flyball to right which was caught to end the inning. Wilson left Malis in to pitch the 6th, during which he gave up a single to lead off hitter Paul Dean, then got two quick pop outs. Frankie Frisch reached base on an error but Malis got Medwick to fly out to left, ending the 6th. Cy Malis' spot was first up in the top of the 7th and he reached base when he was drilled by a Paul Dean pitch. Malis watched Dean expertly dispose of the next three Phillie batters and was left standing on second base when the inning ended. In the bottom of the 7th Malis gave a lead off walk to Ripper Collins who was then caught stealing second. A fly ball out and a strike out ended the seventh. The Phils failed to score in the top of the 8th and the score remained 10-2. In the Cards half, Mailis gave up a single to Durocher, followed by a Paul Dean fly out. Burgess Whitehead ripped a triple to left-center, scoring Durocher. Whitehead scored on a long fly out to right field but an infield pop fly by Pat Crawford ended the inning. All the Phillies could manage in their last frame was a harmless single as St. Louis clobbered Philadelphia 12-2. Paul Dean picked up his 13th win of the year and Phillies starter Cy Moore took the loss. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">All told, Cy's big league debut wasn't a disaster, but it wasn't lights out either: 3 2/3 innings, 4 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks and a strikeout. Remember, he was facing the eventual World Champions with a lineup overflowing with powerful bats. Still, that single game was to be the extent of Cy Malis' major league career. The Phillies released him shortly afterward.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now a free agent, Malis was invited to spring training with the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League. Despite reporting to camp overweight, Malis worked hard and lost twenty pounds in three weeks. Sportswriters were impressed with the hard work he put in, as were the Angels, especially after he held the team's veterans to a measly three hits in an intramural game. At this time the Angels were the top farm club of the Chicago Cubs and usually finished at, or near the top of the PCL each season. The Angels pitching staff boasted future Brooklyn Dodgers ace Hugh Casey, 28 game winner Fay Thomas, 20 game winner Mike Meola and future journeyman major leaguer Newt Kimball, but Cy's hard work gained him a spot as a reliever when the 1935 season started. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On March 28, Malis relieved Hugh Casey in the sixth inning when the Padres jumped on him for 6 runs. and pitched three innings, giving up three runs on three hits. In the April 3 game against Oakland, Malis was thrown in to stop an Oaks rally, but quickly got knocked off the mound himself as Oakland bulldozed two other Angels pitchers on the way to a 12-3 win. Malis then came down with the flu, which sidelined him for a few games. He pitched 1 1/3 inning of relief on April 12, giving up a hit and two walks. Two days later threw three innings against Portland, relinquishing 5 hits and 2 runs in the 10-4 loss. On April 16, the Angels handed Malis his walking papers. As he had back in Philly, Malis fell back on the semi-pro scene to make a living. In Los Angeles, Cy was eagerly picked up by Twentieth Century-Fox, which played in a league made up of all the major Hollywood movie studios.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Being recruited by a film studio not only let Cy keep a foot in baseball, but also opened up the door to his second career - acting. Malis made his celluloid debut in the MGM boxing picture "The Crowd Roars", as an uncredited extra. At this time dozens of studios were filming in the Los Angeles area and Cy found plenty of work. By 1940, he was married to an Alabama native named Jane, and the couple were living in a residential enclave of movie people on North Argyle Street in LA. Cy listed his occupation as "actor" and was recorded in the 1940 census and pulling in the nice yearly salary of $1500, a nice bump above the average worker at that time. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In 1942, a 35 year-old Cy enlisted in the Navy. It was during his short stint in the service that his life took an unexpected, and what could have been a tragic, turn. While undergoing gunnery training, one of the massive gun turrets swung around and slammed into Cy, breaking his neck and back. The accident landed him in the hospital for what would be a long, painful recovery period. From the start, the pain was so intense that Cy was unable to help loudly thrashing around in his bed and gnashing his teeth. To save both Cy's teeth and let the other patients get an undisturbed night's sleep, doctors prescribed morphine, the highly addictive opiate commonly used at the time for pain management. In small doses, under strict observance and over a short period of time, morphine was perfect for the job. However, in a crowded Naval hospital in wartime, Cy's use of morphine went unchecked. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Months later, when he finally was able to get his broken body out of bed, Cy came to the realization he could not function without morphine. He was hooked. Like shell shock (now called PTSD), morphine addiction was one of those little-talked about side effects of war. Thousands of wounded soldiers were treated and released back to their civilian lives with a dependence on the morphine that was supposed to heal them. Addiction to drugs and alcohol was something not fully understood during this time, yet Cy somehow recognized that his dependence was something he needed to get control of. With no program or treatment readily available to him, Cy began the difficult process of weening himself off the drug. However, behind Cy's morphine dependence was the still crushing pain of his injured neck and back. To make this constant pain manageable, the old ballplayer turned to alcohol. Looking back from the 21st century, we know that this was just substituting one evil for another, but in 1943 being alcohol dependent was much more acceptable than being a junkie. In the spring of 1943 the Navy gave Cy his discharge and he returned to civilian life. While his back and neck gradually healed, Cy went to work ratcheting down his intake of alcohol as a pain killer. It must have been unbelievably hard work, taking almost superhuman inner strength, but somehow he managed to do it. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With his part in the war through and his addiction under control, Cy threw himself back into Hollywood. He quickly became an often used extra, working with famed directors John Ford, William Wellman and Robert Wise. The list of actors he shared the screen with reads like a who's who of Hollywood's Golden Age: Gregory Peck and Lauren Bacall (Designing Woman), Lucille Ball (The Fuller Brush Girl), Cary Grant and John Garfield (Destination Tokyo), John Wayne and Richard Widmark (The Alamo), even Shirley Temple (The Story of Seabiscuit). Malis is even credited with being a stand in in for two different Stooges, Larry and Shemp. Besides his work in front of the camera, Cy was able to leverage his pro baseball experience into a couple technical advisor rolls on the baseball pictures "It Happened in Flatbush" and "Flashing Spikes".</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Through all this Hollywood work, Cy still had to deal with his morphine and alcohol withdrawal. In 1953, a forward thinking LA Sheriff's narcotics detective approached an Alcoholic Anonymous member with the idea that a similar organization focusing on drugs might help the growing number of heroin and speed addicts in his city. In mid-July, the very first meeting of what would become Narcotics Anonymous was held in a church in the Moore Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. Among the handful of people present was Cy Malis and Jimmy Kinnon. The small group hashed out the pillars of the budding organization and in a few weeks Kinnon would be elected Narcotics Annonymous' first leader and accepted "founder".</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Despite being present at the very beginning and taking part in its initial program, Cy charted his own course separate from NA. In his spare time he appeared before groups telling the story of his own addiction and the long, painful route he traveled in order to kick it. In the 1950's this was a very brave thing to do as drug addicts were considered the lowest of the low, and to admit to being one took an awful lot of guts. By the late 1950's Cy realized that while groups such as Narcotics Anonymous helped people out on the streets, nothing was being done for addicts behind bars. It was in the prison system that Cy Malis found his calling.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cy Malis now became the main driving force behind helping convicts overcome their addiction and subsequent withdrawal. So successful was Cy that when the assistant warden of San Quentin was being interviewed about drug addiction problems in his prison, the jailer responded "they have improved vastly since Mr. Malis started his program. But perhaps the greatest compliment came from a former inmate and admitted addict who, when introduced to Cy called him "the best friend we dope fiends have". This wasn't a hollow compliment - back in the 1960's when this took place, dope addicts were an ignored and disparaged part of society, one for which good people did not consort with, let alone try to help. In this hostile atmosphere, Cy Malis bravely stepped forward to offer a hand to those who needed it, and he in turn was revered for it.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In between acting and technical advising in Hollywood and offering a lifeline to thousands of addicts behind bars, Cy also found time to coach Little League. The old ballplayer even managed his club to the league championship in his first summer as skipper. A kick by a horse on the set of a movie injured Cy to the point that it effectively ended his movie career and his health deteriorated. Cy's brother told a sports writer that shortly before Cy's death in 1971, the two brothers were visiting New York when a friend showed Cy a copy of the 1970 Philadelphia Phillies yearbook. Inside was a list of all the players who appeared in a Phillies uniform over the course of the team's history. There, under M's was Cy Malis. Charles told the sports writer that his brother was quite pleased at the remembrance of his one day as big leaguer.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cy passed away on January 12, 1971, just 63 years old. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cy Malis' big league career might have lasted but a single afternoon and takes up no more than a single line of statistics, yet his life can not be measured in stats or amount of space in a record book.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Cy's personal experience of taking a tragic turn of events and making it mean something helped thousands of people. With them, Cy Malis' winning percentage was 1.000, no matter what the record book shows.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0cVBJSUhysgM0Kyo3TwV76CsopXSScRp_A6EI2WCV1HkW8dO2vO105V5JJ04lVpXzqA2gym1PSMxtX3rsdxDggH5PeD3uSaSvsUWf8Kw3aWs8wgRweOYiIJnzO8NpBatwRwdP0GhR3X_c/s1600/comment_banner_red_2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="284" data-original-width="1600" height="70" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0cVBJSUhysgM0Kyo3TwV76CsopXSScRp_A6EI2WCV1HkW8dO2vO105V5JJ04lVpXzqA2gym1PSMxtX3rsdxDggH5PeD3uSaSvsUWf8Kw3aWs8wgRweOYiIJnzO8NpBatwRwdP0GhR3X_c/s400/comment_banner_red_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></span>Gary Joseph Cieradkowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04780041109109187257noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109098029372196005.post-79190470277730638492017-07-09T10:55:00.002-07:002017-07-09T11:48:57.159-07:00PLEASE STAND BY...<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The photo-hosting site I used for my website has decided to charge an insane amount of money to continue using. Without warning, all my pictures (and everyone else who uses this site) were taken down and replaced with a (poorly designed, I might add) icon. I will be slowly replacing all the illustrations, so please be patient and all the art will return...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>UPDATE:</b> So far I've replaced the illustrations for all the sto<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ries going back to number 199.</span> </span>Gary Joseph Cieradkowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04780041109109187257noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109098029372196005.post-53416277356411826882017-07-02T13:30:00.001-07:002017-07-09T10:59:41.236-07:00231. Piper Davis: Happy 100th Birthday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This week we have a special guest author, John Klima. John wrote the very well reviewed <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Willies-Boys-Birmingham-Barons-Baseball/dp/0470400137/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1499012128&sr=8-2&keywords=willie+boys" target="_blank"><i>Willie's Boys:<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></i></a></span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle">The 1948 Birmingham Black Barons, The Last Negro League World Series, and the Making of a Baseball Legend. </span></span></span></i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle">If you haven't read it already, I highly recommend it. As the title suggests, <i>Willie's Boys</i> is the story of the 1948 Black Barons. Today, the Black Barons are overshadowed by the more well-known teams like the Monarchs and Grays, yet Birmingham can boast some really great alumni, such as Satchel Paige, Mule Suttles, <a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2012/10/132-artie-wilson-last-of-400-hitters.html" target="_blank">Artie Wilson</a>, Sam Bankhead, Charley Pride, Sam Streeter, Lyman Bostock, and of course, Willie Mays. Throughout the 1940's Birmingham was the strongest club in the Negro American League, winning pennants in 1943, 1944 and 1948. The '48 squad was piloted by by their 4-time All-Star second baseman, Lorenzo "Piper" Davis, and it is Piper who John Klima has so graciously written about, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of his birth. So, without further ado, here's author John Klima...</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Happy 100th, Piper Davis</b><br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Piper Davis was born to play in the big leagues. Time and circumstances got in the way of his destiny but never changed the way he viewed his life. He played until his bones ached and his body became bridle, swinging the bat long enough to afford to put his children into college, and with enough years behind him to influence decades of baseball players who gravitated to his knowing pull. They followed the scent of his swirling pipe smoke and listened to him speak. His voice was booming and robust, soulful and soothing. He saw things in the game others could not readily see and he freely shared his knowledge.<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There was not a touch of greed within him, and when he died there was no regret or lament. Time had taken a toll on his memories but not his spirit, and from the time he was born on July 3, 1917 to the time he died on May 21, 1997, Birmingham's favorite son was sure of one thing -- though he had never appeared in a major league game, Piper Davis knew he was a big leaguer. Never had a doubt about it. He didn't need you to tell him that. He knew it all along.<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I got to know Piper, posthumously, when I wrote my book</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Willies-Boys-Birmingham-Barons-Baseball/dp/0470400137/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1499012128&sr=8-2&keywords=willie+boys" target="_blank"><i>Willie's Boys</i></a></span></span>, which was published in 2009. The book was about how Willie Mays, Piper's young charge on the 1948 Birmingham Black Barons, navigated the world of segregated baseball and was eventually signed by the New York Giants in 1950. I still maintain that this is the greatest single story in the history of free agent scouting, for all the moving parts and behind-the-scenes connections and contacts that made the career of Mays possible. Piper's part in all this was unreported and enormous, and the fingerprints of his character were all over Mays's career. Simply put, Piper put the youngster first. <br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When a talented young amateur player comes around, you will find if you stay in baseball long enough, that greedy adults will do everything in their power to manipulate the player to their advantage. They will do so for personal benefit and at the expense of the young player's development. This dynamic exists today, and it always gets dicey in June and July. <br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Piper was a rarity -- a man of immense character, a man of God and a man of Family, who refused to deviate from the time he knew Mays needed to become a pro. He taught him and pushed him. He preached and he punished. He left in the bus without him. He also hit him cleanup and played him in center field when he decided Mays was ready. When white scouts came to ask about Mays, it was Piper they sought. Though Piper himself wanted out of the Negro Leagues before it was too late, never once did he tie his future to Mays. He refused to compromise Mays for his own personal gain. <br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Willies-Boys-Birmingham-Barons-Baseball/dp/0470400137/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1499012128&sr=8-2&keywords=willie+boys" target="_blank"><i>Willie's Boys</i></a></span></span> was about Mays but the story belonged to Piper, because the reason baseball had Willie Mays is Piper Davis. When I called Willie, he very genially reflected and said, "You know this stuff better than I do." And when I asked about his fondness for Piper, he simply reflected and said, "He was a very special person to me." <br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Piper had that affect on players he met and people who never met him. So on the occasion of what would have been his 95th birthday, July 3, 2012, I decided to do something that hadn't been done before. I decided to try to get Piper Davis into a major league game. <br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Luck was on my side. The Cincinnati Reds were in Los Angeles, at Dodger Stadium. The manager of the Reds at the time, Dusty Baker, has an affinity for history and a deep awareness of those who came before him. These characteristics were handed down to him as a young man when he was placed under the wing of Henry Aaron and when Satchel Paige made the young Johnnie B. Baker tote his fishing poles. As a Dodger, Dusty admired the heritage of Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella. Though the decades, Dusty has shown he has a lot of Piper Davis in him, too -- a guy whose instincts and feel for the game, for talking to young ballplayers and older players alike is unique. In the modern era where baseball is a game of massive information drops on a daily basis, there still comes a need for a communicator with the feel of a baseball man. And so Dusty was just the right man for this job. <br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I went to the visiting manager's office at Dodger Stadium and sat down inside one of the old locker stalls and asked Dusty to get Piper into a big league game. My idea was to have him write Piper's initials on his wristbands. Dusty had a better idea. <br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> "What position would he play?" Dusty asked. <br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> "Second base," I said. "Right-handed hitter."<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So Dusty took his black pen (black for right-handers, red for left-handers) and where his second baseman for the day, Brandon Phillips was written, Dusty instead wrote in PIPER DAVIS, batting fourth, playing second base. <br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cleanup hitter on a first place club. That would be just fine. <br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Dusty handed the new card to his bench coach, Chris Speier and asked him to print it off. A few minutes later, here comes Chris with the lineup. He hands it to Dusty, who signs it, making it (unofficially) official. Dusty handed me the lineup card. I told him it was going to Birmingham. <br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Reds lost that game, 3-1, but the only run the Reds scored was an RBI double to center field in the fourth inning off the bat of the cleanup hitter, second baseman Brandon Phillips. Fitting -- it was a short, compact powerful swing from a second baseman, to straightaway center. It was as if Piper was swinging the bat himself. You can dream on that if you like. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I did. <br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">After the game, I made a color copy to keep for myself. I sent the original to Faye Davis, Piper's daughter, who over the years has done an admirable job keeping her father's memory alive. I told her, on Piper's birthday, he finally "appeared" in a major league game. Even got himself a double, so to speak. <br /> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDG_4JG5Ch0tVsDG8bzGa6pdoWSLhIcKs-fabO4IUQF-qdAgtMWaHkvtM89mfvMYaDdfP3trzWhmpdZa9HxnW-9z5RQFlMQ3TbCNC6Zynsd6GBxckLsag5kldmcvaNKDkkL15SmfBYgtEg/s1600/piper_scorecard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1435" data-original-width="1001" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDG_4JG5Ch0tVsDG8bzGa6pdoWSLhIcKs-fabO4IUQF-qdAgtMWaHkvtM89mfvMYaDdfP3trzWhmpdZa9HxnW-9z5RQFlMQ3TbCNC6Zynsd6GBxckLsag5kldmcvaNKDkkL15SmfBYgtEg/s400/piper_scorecard.jpg" width="277" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">She was moved by the gesture. She also showed the lineup card to her mother, Piper's widow Laura, who after all those years waiting, finally saw her husband's name in a big league game. A few years later, she passed away, but not before Dusty Baker signed Piper Davis into the big leagues. As Piper always said, without reservation, he knew he was a big leaguer all along.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The
path Piper Davis took to professional baseball was as long as winding
as the dirt roads leading to the coal mines in his hometown of Piper,
Alabama. From the coal mining company teams of his boyhood, Piper
realized that baseball was his path to prosperity. He joined the
Birmingham Black Barons in 1942 and spent the next two seasons playing
baseball in the summer and basketball in the winter for the Harlem
Globetrotters. He was an All-Star in the Negro Leagues and was
frequently mentioned as an integration candidate for "White Folks Ball,"
as the black players referred to organized baseball. The St. Louis
Browns took an option on him in 1947, which proved to be a fruitless
endeavor, and in 1948 he became player-manager of his hometown Black
Barons. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/02/21-journal-mark-iii.html" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/02/21-journal-mark-iii.html" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="474" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS93CH6UgpPBwf7ZEkc9bxii5W9V5j0zxIPKzA8nFsf3uaIU3gTw6prmmN3t_0Gf_PQwLawWvlb3IVmQuWtjhMpqhMSNWHYpqrJpSdDtvu4aOj1BGF0nA92rn-BJ-jHt4NtJte0y0RzMGZ/s640/21_slim_ad.jpg" width="187" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">From
the moment he perched his front foot onto the top step of the dugout at
Rickwood Field, Piper's personality had a pull on his players. He
understood how to be their teammate and their manager. He drew lines. He
was a married man and so he did not partake in the nightlife. He did
not drink or use profanity. The years after 1947 were a trying time for
Negro League players, who could see their once proud league dying a slow
death, and who recognized that the white majors were not in a hurry to
sign them all despite the successful arrival of Jackie Robinson. <br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Piper's
1948 Black Barons were special for the arrival of the young Willie
Mays, then a high school sophomore. Mays played with the Black Barons
until the time of his high school graduation in 1950. In 1948, the Black
Barons beat their rival, the Kansas City Monarchs, to win the Negro
American League. They played in the last Negro League World Series,
losing to the Homestead Grays. <br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When
the Boston Red Sox purchased Piper and made him the first black player
the organization purchased, he was released shortly before Mays
graduated when it became clear the Red Sox were not going to acquire
Mays. Shortly thereafter, Mays was signed by the Giants. The great
ballplayers of the '48 Black Barons scattered, including Piper. <br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">He
settled into the Pacific Coast League in the 1950s, playing his best
years for the Oakland Oaks and winding down with the Los Angeles Angels.
While with the Angels, he often schooled a young infielder named Gene
Mauch, who loved Piper for his personality and his wisdom. Piper
finished his career with Fort Worth in the Texas League, playing until
1950. <br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You
can find his career path online but to feel his contributions, you had
to talk to the people who knew him. When I wrote <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Willies-Boys-Birmingham-Barons-Baseball/dp/0470400137/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1499012128&sr=8-2&keywords=willie+boys" target="_blank"><i>Willie's Boys</i></a>, Piper
was a constant. I would listen to those who knew him and read what he
had to say. When you write books, sometimes you feel as though you "get
to know" people who have died long ago. Piper's lessons, as it pertains
to developing ballplayers, guide me to this day. Piper once said, in all
humility, that "if he had played today, he'd have been a million dollar
ballplayer," but never once complained. So here on his 100th birthday,
we think it is fitting that <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">we <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">share Piper Davis' story, and how he <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">posthumously</span> made it to the big leagues</span></span> -- <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">a</span> centennial for a man born to be a big leaguer. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0cVBJSUhysgM0Kyo3TwV76CsopXSScRp_A6EI2WCV1HkW8dO2vO105V5JJ04lVpXzqA2gym1PSMxtX3rsdxDggH5PeD3uSaSvsUWf8Kw3aWs8wgRweOYiIJnzO8NpBatwRwdP0GhR3X_c/s1600/comment_banner_red_2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="284" data-original-width="1600" height="70" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0cVBJSUhysgM0Kyo3TwV76CsopXSScRp_A6EI2WCV1HkW8dO2vO105V5JJ04lVpXzqA2gym1PSMxtX3rsdxDggH5PeD3uSaSvsUWf8Kw3aWs8wgRweOYiIJnzO8NpBatwRwdP0GhR3X_c/s400/comment_banner_red_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></span>Gary Joseph Cieradkowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04780041109109187257noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109098029372196005.post-85731837756280457932017-05-24T14:36:00.000-07:002017-07-09T11:05:53.030-07:00230. Chucho Ramos: An historic número dos<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaaaAPEZWrzQQJkRDBOStIa4SWfny1lkuifa4NhlQE_mfkndEB40kvykwbY_k31J3a8W9DremhdxqY1u6WivqfFpBrNKgga_LS0gaI1OYYXxHllQ3iaQfHQ7fXoKwUfreTSm5_BJWWbdM2/s1600/chucho_ramos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="516" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaaaAPEZWrzQQJkRDBOStIa4SWfny1lkuifa4NhlQE_mfkndEB40kvykwbY_k31J3a8W9DremhdxqY1u6WivqfFpBrNKgga_LS0gaI1OYYXxHllQ3iaQfHQ7fXoKwUfreTSm5_BJWWbdM2/s640/chucho_ramos.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's the moment every ballplayer dreams of
- when the rep from Hillerich & Bradsby sits down and guides you through
the process of ordering your very own custom signature-model Louisville Slugger
bats. This rite-of-passage dated back to the early 1900's when Honus Wagner
became the first pro ballplayer to have his own Louisville Slugger with his
signature stamped into the barrel. Since then, the Kentucky bat maker had given
everyone from Hank Aaron to Frankie Zak his own custom model. It's as momentous
a moment as when a rookie gets his own big league uniform, visual and physical
proof that he had really "made it" as a ball player.<br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">That spring day in 1944 must have been
especially sweet for Jesus "Chucho" Ramos. His Louisville Slugger
order not only marked his personal advancement to the major leagues, but also a
historic moment for his native country: Ramos would be joining the Cincinnati
Reds as the very first position player from Venezuela.<br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Students who studied abroad in America
imported baseball to Venezuela in the 1890’s. The Amenodoro brothers formed the
Caracas Baseball Club in 1895, and the game slowly spread from there. American
engineering and oil companies also formed their own company teams, and in 1917
the Navegantes del Magallanes were formed. This club still exists today and is
kind of the New York Yankees of Venezuela. When the country formed its first professional
league, the Federación Venezolana de Béisbol in 1927, the Navegantes were among
the first ball clubs to join. Because Venezuela was a considerable distance
from the other Caribbean baseball hot spots like Cuba, Puerto Rico and the
Dominican Republic, Venezuelans had to play on those islands in order to
advance their careers. </span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
If a Venezuelan ball player like Jesus Ramos had dreams of playing the United
States, he had a long road ahead of him that would require not only talent, but
also other provisions before he reached his ultimate goal. First among them was
the language barrier. Common baseball terminology was universal, but simple
interaction with teammates or during travel from town to town could be daunting
and frustrating if one did not grasp basic English. Unlike today, no team would
consider hiring a translator to help out a Spanish-speaking recruit. Why would
they when there were thousands of eager English speakers to take their place?
And if a player was able to master the language barrier, there was the
ever-present issue of race. Though several Latinos had played in the majors
before World War II, they were usually singled out for heckling and derision.
Just like every other ethnicity, Latino's were known for certain crude stereotypes
that were accepted as common knowledge. A Latino had an even harder time if his
skin tone was a shade or two darker than an Italian, Native American or other
"accepted" ethnicities with a swarthy complexion. </span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
So, these were the obstacles Jesus Ramos had to navigate before that day in
1944 when he sat down and ordered his first batch of signature model Louisville
Sluggers.</span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jesús Manuel Ramos García was born on April 12, 1918 in the city of Maturín.
Capitol of the state of Monagas, Maturín was one of the hubs of Venezuela's
petroleum industry. He was an outstanding all-around athlete in high school where
he was a track star as well as ball player. Ramos picked up the nickname
"Chucho" as a boy. "Chucho" translates to "Babe"
and is a term of endearment in his native Venezuela. Though being called Babe would
later lead to his being confused with being a home run slugger, Ramos would
freely point out the more innocent origins of the name he would be known by his
entire life. </span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">After high school, Ramos entered the prestigious Venezuelan Military Academy
where he continued to enjoy success in numerous sports. At the age of 19, Ramos
was selected to represent Venezuela at the 1937 South American Olympic Games,
where he won the gold in the 100 and 220-meter races. That same year he began
playing in the Federación Venezolana de Béisbol, initially for Nacional in
1937, then switching to Vargas for the next three seasons. At this point in his
career, Chucho was a left-handed pitcher and played the outfield. In the
meantime, Ramos graduated from the military academy as an artillery specialist.
He joined the Caracas police department, working in the headquarters of the San
Agustín district where he picked up the additional nickname "El
Comisario", or "The Captain".<br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">During this period, Venezuelans had made a
small, but distinct, impression on the international stage. Several had played
in the Cuban and Puerto Rican winter leagues, and pitcher Alejandro Eloy
Carrasquel Aparicio (better known as Alex Carrasquel) became the first
Venezuelan to reach the major leagues when he suited up for the Senators in
1939.</span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
In 1941, Ramos was selected to represent his country in the Amateur World
Series. The tournament had been played annually since 1938, but this was only
the second year Venezuela fielded a team. Playing against teams from Cuba,
Mexico, Panama, Dominican Republic, United States, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and
El Salvador, Venezuela's 7-1 record tied them with Cuba, setting the stage for
a climactic playoff game. Venezuela's ace, Daniel Canónico, out-dueled future
big leaguer Connie Marrero for the gold medal. Ramos played outfield during the
series and hit a nice .389 for the team that would become known in Venezuelan
baseball history as "Un héroe del 41" (The Heroes of '41).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
1941 was also the year Ramos reached the big time when he joined Navegantes del
Magallanes. The Magallanes were and still are the class of the Venezuelan
League. Ramos acquitted himself well, hitting over .400 in 1942-43 and then
.365 in 1943-44. At the plate, Ramos batted right handed, a natural line drive
hitter. The speed he exhibited as a track star translated well into base
running. His former pitching arm plus his speed made him a skilled outfielder,
and he also played first base when needed. In an odd twist, while a right-handed
batter, Ramos threw left-handed. This baseball anomaly added to his
versatility, giving him the option of playing first base when needed. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Eventually word spread of Chucho Ramos.
The Brooklyn Dodgers were reportedly interested in signing Ramos in 1942, but
he ultimately chose to stay home in Venezuela. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">After a couple years of war, America's
baseball's talent pool was completely decimated. Anyone able to hold a rifle
was lost to the service, and anyone left over was siphoned off to work in the
war industry or face being drafted. To fill this void, many major league teams
looked to Latin America. The Washington Senators, Brooklyn Dodgers and
Cincinnati Reds were three teams who made extensive sweeps through the Cuban
and Puerto Rican leagues looking for players. In the spring of 1944, Hector
Gouvernier, an English teacher and State Department official in Caracas,
contacted Reds General Manager Warren C. Giles to suggest a prospective player.
The two men had previously met in New York, and Giles invited Gouvernier's
prospect to spring training on his word alone. Within days Chucho Ramos was on
his way to America. As he was in transit to America, an offer from the
Washington Senators arrived on the recommendation of Ramos' fellow countryman
Alex Carrasquel.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">International and domestic travel in 1944
was extremely difficult due to the war. Civilians were regularly bumped from
planes, trains and buses to make room for servicemen, and Ramos was even more
handicapped by his lack of English. Somehow he made it from Caracas to Miami
via Pan American Clipper, then by train to Cincinnati, successfully navigating
all the connections and delays. He arrived in Cincinnati on April Fools Day and
reported to the Reds offices, all in one piece, but shivering in the late
winter freezing weather. A front office employee took pity on Ramos and helped
him purchase his very first overcoat. This protected, Chucho was sent on to the
Reds spring training camp in Bloomington, Indiana. Due to wartime travel
restrictions, all major and minor league spring training was to take place
within a close proximity to the cities they represented. Because Cincinnati
trained in Indiana, Ramos was able to experience snow for the first time. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Reds team Ramos was joining in 1944
was a shell of its former self. Cincinnati had won back-to-back pennants in
1939-1940 and won the World Championship in 1940. However, the leaders of those
teams were either on the downside of their career or serving in the military.
Manager Bill McKechnie did his best to cobble together a competitor, but
players slipped away to the war like sand through fingers. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">While on many of the other big league
clubs Ramos would have immediately ran into the language barrier, the 1944 Reds
had Cuban pitcher Tommy de la Cruz and linguist-relief pitcher Joe Beggs to
translate for him. The other Reds players found Ramos a very likeable fellow
and instead of the usual mean-spirited ethnic ribbing, seemed to enjoy having the Venezuelan
in the clubhouse. His limited English gave birth to the teams' spring training
rally cry of "Ho Kay!", one of the only phrases Ramos knew when he
arrived and with which he answered almost all questions posed to him. With
Cruz' and Beggs' help, Ramos quickly added to his vocabulary, and soon he was
able to speak enough English to talk to reporters and coaches. As was common in
those days, his English skills were a point of humor in the newspapers, though
in Chucho's case it appears more good-natured than malicious. For instance,
scribes particularly enjoyed the formality by which Ramos addressed people:
Reds coach Hans Lobert was "my dear coach", Traveling Road Secretary
Bill McCorry was "my dear secretary," and newspaper writers were
addressed as "my dear newspaper." A big gold tooth that sparkled in the sunlight added to Chucho's colorful and exotic image.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">After his first day in the Reds camp,
Ramos was excited enough that he insisted on placing a person-to-person call to
his mother back in Venezuela. Tommy de la Cruz helped him navigate the
logistics of an international call and timed the conversation so it would not
run past the 3-minute limit. As it turned out, de la Cruz didn't need to keep
time as Ramos was so excited that he ended the conversation after a minute and
a half, even though he had paid the full $17 for three minutes. The beat
writers ate this stuff up.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">His second day in camp was when Chucho
Ramos was asked to join the likes of Ruth, Cobb and DiMaggio by signing a
contract for his own personalized bat. Tommy de la Cruz and Joe Beggs helped
Louisville Slugger rep Junie Hillerich smooth out the details with Ramos. The
Venezuelan looked over his teammates bats and selected a Bucky Walters model
that suited his specifications. As the ever-present beat writers looked on,
Ramos signed his name with a flourish, ordering his first batch of bats that
would bear his name. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Although Ramos had been primarily and
outfielder in Venezuela, McKechnie had the rookie work out at first base where
his snappy play made a good impression on the coaches. His nickname of Chucho
(Babe) had led to Ramos being perceived as a home run hitter, but he quickly
let the writers know that Chucho was not in reference to the great Babe Ruth,
but a term of endearment given to children back home. Home run hitting aside,
Ramos made an impression with his line drive hitting ability, though one of
them he hit in batting practice severely injured Estell Crabtree when it hit
him above his eye.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ramos' hustle and good nature made him a
pleasant addition to what would have otherwise been a very mediocre Reds spring
training. The Reds had a surplus of outfielders, but Ramos' speed and first
base option made him worth keeping. McKechnie told reporters that Ramos looked
"very promising," and it was thought that bringing him along slowly
over the course of the upcoming season would gain him the experience needed to
make good. When the team broke camp and traveled to Cincinnati for Opening Day,
Chucho Ramos was with them.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Wearing number 24, Chucho Ramos made his
major league debut on May 7, 1944 in the second game of a Sunday double header
in St. Louis. On the mound that day was Max Lanier, one of the Cardinals' best
pitchers. Batting seventh in the lineup and playing right field, Ramos had his
first at bat in the top of the 2nd. With a runner on first, he lined a single
to right, advancing the runner to third. Trying to take advantage of his speed,
McKechnie signaled Ramos to steal second, but Lanier cut him down at the base.
In his next at bat, again with a runner on first, Ramos hit a double off the
Cardinals ace, moving the runner to third, who scored on the next play. In the
6th Ramos hit an infield single to extend his perfect record. It wasn't until the
top of the 9th that Lanier was able to retire Ramos, getting him to hit into a
forced out. 3 for 4 against one of the National League's best pitchers was a
heck of a way to make a debut. When word reached Venezuela the following day,
the nation's baseball fans rejoiced at Chucho's success. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Besides being only the second Venezuelan
to make the majors, Ramos' debut marked just the third time in the history of
the game that a player made it to the majors without appearing in a minor
league game. The first was White Sox legend Ted Lyons, and the second,
coincidentally, was Ramos' fellow countryman, Alex Carrasquel. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On May 12, Ramos was sent in to pinch run
for catcher Ray Mueller, but was stranded when the inning ended with a fly out.
On May 21 against the Dodgers, McKechnie sent Ramos in to hit for Max Marshall
in the 6th inning. Chucho hit a single off Fritz Ostermueller and stayed in for
the rest of the game, though he had no other at bats. After three big league
games, Chucho Ramos' batting average was a lofty .800.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Seven days later Ramos would play what
would be his last big league game. Facing the Philadelphia Blue Jays at Shibe
Park, Ramos went 1 for 5 and scored a run in the Reds 7-4 win. That night, a
check of newspaper box scores showed that Chucho Ramos of Cincinnati was
batting .500.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With this win, the Reds were now 2 games
out of first place, but disaster was close at hand. A series of injuries
suffered by most of the pitching staff sent manager Bill McKechnie into damage
control mode. Reaching down into his limited farm system, McKechnie started
bringing up young arms. In order to make room, the Reds no longer had the
luxury of breaking in Ramos over the course of the season. On June 2nd, the
Reds skipper asked Ramos to come to his office. Waiting for him was Tommy de la
Cruz who translated the bad news that he was to be sent down to the Syracuse
Chiefs. In what probably both shocked and perplexed the veteran McKechnie,
Ramos slumped into a chair and broke out in tears. Though what was said went
unrecorded, McKechnie most likely explained through de la Cruz that Ramos would
be better off playing every day in Syracuse where his added experience would
make him more valuable when he rejoined Cincinnati. When he regained his
composure, Chucho gathered his things and bid farewell to his teammates, adding,
"I'll be back." </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ramos finished out the 1944 season in
Syracuse where he hit a disappointing .259. The Reds had him return to spring
training the following year, but he was farmed out Syracuse again for the
entire 1945 season, finishing with a .255 average. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With the war over, 1946 saw a huge influx
of returning veterans. For a wartime foreign replacement such as Chucho Ramos,
this meant some stiff competition to compete against. Unfortunately for Ramos,
he was never given the opportunity to do just that. In late January the Reds
mailed him his unconditional release. Although the doors to the big leagues
were closed, there were still plenty of venues still open for a ball player
like Ramos. He was still a star in Venezuela and he quickly rejoined the
Magallanes. For the next 11 years, Chucho Ramos established himself as the
greatest first baseman in Venezuelan baseball history, helping the Magallanes
win pennants in 1950, 1951 and 1955. After the 1955 championship season, the 38
year-old Ramos retired, credited with a .271 lifetime batting average.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Chucho remained close to the game, though
as he aged he opined that the newer players and management lacked the love and
mysticism players of his generation held for the game. Jesús Manuel Ramos
García passed away on September 2, 1977 from respiratory failure in Caracas. He
was aged 59 and was survived by his beloved wife of 21 years, Rosa Elena. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Although Chucho Ramos' career in The Show
was brief, his .500 average and acknowledgement as a trailblazer inspired more
than 200 of his fellow countrymen to reach the major league level. To mark his
importance to Venezuelan baseball history, a league in that country was named
in his honor, and in 2009 Chucho Ramos was elected to the Venezuelan Baseball
Hall of Fame.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span>Gary Joseph Cieradkowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04780041109109187257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109098029372196005.post-21361488867246257862017-05-13T13:53:00.000-07:002017-07-09T11:06:35.825-07:00229. Luis Olmo: Minor league kidnapping, Harlem safehouses and other obstacles encountered on the way to the Big Leagues<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>A few weeks ago, a 97 year-old ball player passed away. This just wasn't any ball player, but a guy whose 1943 debut marked him as only the second Puerto Rican to play in the major leagues. While that's something, </i>Luis Olmo's<i> story encompasses so much more than race, or an ethnic first (or, in his case, a "second"). It's the age-old story of a kid, born in a far away place, who had a dream of making the major leagues. It's a story of big shot baseball executives pulling out all the stops in order to get their hands on the talented and unsuspecting young man. And it's a story of how a former big leaguer lived out the final chapters of his life graciously sharing the story of his modest part in the history of the game he loved so much. Because much has already been written about his major league career, I'll recount the early part of Luis Olmo's journey, which, if you ask me, is much more fascinating than coughing up a list of firsts, dates and hard statistics. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Luis Francisco Rodriguez Olmo was born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico in 1919, the third of four sons born to carpenter Jose Francisco and his wife Ana Olmo. Of the four boys, Luis was the only athlete, encouraged by his oldest brother, Jose. Luis would later relate that he had been playing baseball since he was born, but he also excelled in several other sports such as basketball, soccer and track. At first, Olmo aspired to become a major league pitcher, but an injury suffered throwing a javelin ended his mound hopes at age 15. Luis' older brother Jose was a subscriber to <i>The Sporting News</i>, and through its pages the younger Olmo idolized Cubs second baseman Billy Herman, so he made the switch to the keystone sack. Continuing his schooling, Olmo moved to the city of Caguas to attend high school. Because the school offered no other sport except baseball, Olmo perfected his game without distraction. Playing second base, outfield and occasionally catching, Olmo evolved into a promising ballplayer, but Caguas was a long way away from the big leagues.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With the Great Depression in full swing, the road to the minor leagues in America was choked with thousands of American-born hopefuls trying to gain a foothold in organized baseball. Besides being born far away from the nearest minor league team, Olmo's dream of becoming a big leaguer was further hindered by the language barrier. A Spanish-speaking prospect had to show promise above and beyond an ordinary English-speaking player in order for a team to take a chance on him. And before that, he had to first catch the eye of a scout. Fortunately, Luis Olmo came of age at the perfect time in Puerto Rican baseball history. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Though Puerto Rico had a rich amateur baseball circuit, the island did not have the professional league that neighboring Cuba did. That changed in 1938 when the Puerto Rican Winter League was formed. For the first time, Puerto Rican players could showcase their talent at home as a group instead of scattering to other countries around the Caribbean and North America. The undisputed attraction that initial season was Millito Navarro, the first Puerto Rican to play in the Negro Leagues and a bonafide star. But that inaugural year also introduced the baseball world to a few young up and comers, among them pitcher <a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2014/02/169-hi-bithorn-puerto-ricos-first-big.html">Hi Bithorn</a> of the San Juan Senators and Luis Olmo of the Caguas Creoles.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The teenage Olmo was recruited by his hometown team for the princely sum of $7 a week. Although he was young, the Creoles player-manager, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Pito Álvarez de la Vega, knew in Olmo he had something special. The older man carefully mentored Olmo throughout the season, correctly assessing that this kid had what it took to make the major leagues one day. Olmo responded by hitting .335 his rookie season, generating much praise as the guy to watch in the near future.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Among those impressed with Olmo that first season was Jose Seda, a Puerto Rican baseball lifer who also scouted on the side for the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Dodgers had just begun a resurgence under the leadership of new general manager <a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2013/09/159-larry-macphail-formation-of.html">Larry McPhail</a>. Flush with money and grandiose plans, McPhail hired Cardinals GM Branch Rickey's son, Branch Jr., to create and oversee a Dodgers farm system modeled on what his father had built for St. Louis. Seda had kept an eye on Olmo throughout the season, evaluating him as a prospective Dodger. However, Seda wasn't the only one with connections who was taking an interest in Olmo. A traveling salesman named Miguel Lloreda contacted Eddie Mooers, owner of the minor league Richmond Colts. The Colts were the only unaffiliated club in the Class B Piedmont League, and while the other teams relied on their parent club to provide players, independent owners relied on freelance tips such as </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lloreda's to score talent. Whatever Lloreda wrote, it was impressive enough that Mooers decided to take a chance on the 19 year-old. At the conclusion of the 1938-39 season, the Colts wired Olmo money to take the steamship Barranquilla to New York where a team representative would meet him and accompany him to Richmond where he would sign a contract.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now things began to get a little cloak and dagger. Just as Luis was getting on the ship to America, Jose Seda wired Branch Rickey, Jr.: </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Good ballplayer named Luis Olmo arriving on <i>Barranquilla</i>. Stop. Get him. Stop. -Jose." </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Branch Jr. rushed down to the docks and waded through the disembarking passengers until he identified a guy who looked like a ballplayer. Using high school Spanish, Branch, Jr. was able to convince Olmo to accompany him back to the Dodgers offices in Brooklyn. Unfortunately, Rickey's Spanish wasn't good enough to convince the young Puerto Rican to put his name on a Dodgers contract. Rickey then bundled Olmo into his car and drove over to the home of Alberto Flores, a Puerto Rican third baseman that Rickey was on the verge of signing to a Brooklyn contract. Olmo was familiar with Flores, but when he and Rickey arrived, the third baseman was gone - he'd just signed a contract with the Richmond Colts.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Temporarily foiled, Branch, Jr. stalled for time while he decided how to proceed, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">stashing</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Olmo at a Dodgers safe house up in Harlem with another Puerto Rican prospect.</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> In the meantime, the Richmond representative was desperately trying to track down the star import. With some pro sleuthing, Richmond's man was able to deduce that Olmo was Shanghaied by Branch, Jr., and then correctly figured he'd hide him with the Dodgers only remaining Spanish speaking prospect. Before morning, Olmo was located, his signature inked on a Richmond Colts contract, and on his way south to Virginia. Luis Olmo had slipped through the Dodgers fingers - for now...</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Richmond placed their young import with the Tarboro Goobers of the lower level Coastal Plain League. The Goobers had no place for him so he was released and then optioned to the Wilson Tobs of the same league. Olmo got into 56 games and batted a credible .329. He returned to Caguas after the season fully expecting a contract for the next year - only it never arrived.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The reason he did not hear from the Colts was that the contract was sent to the wrong name and address: <i>Roberto</i> Olmo of <i>Cuba</i>. How the Richmond front office made that mistake is unknown, but by the time the 1939-40 Puerto Rican Winter Season began, Luis Olmo figured he was now a free agent. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Olmo once again manned the outfield for the Creoles. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Word of the league's successful inaugural 1938-39 season had spread, and its sophomore year saw an influx of first-rate Negro League talent including Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Leon Day and Bill Byrd. Even when thrown into the mix with seasoned outsider baseball giants, Olmo continued to impress. Another Dodgers scout, Ted McGrew, approached the budding star about signing with Brooklyn, and, with no word from Richmond by March, Olmo signed a Dodgers minor league contract. Branch, Jr.'s reaction is unrecorded, but one can imagine the younger Rickey sinking into his leather chair behind his desk and lighting a celebratory cigar, just like his old man.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Olmo traveled to Macon, Georgia for spring training with the Elmira Pioneers. In one of his first exhibition games, Olmo's career almost ended when he tried breaking up a double play by coming into second base standing. He broke up the play, but at the expense of being beaned in the right ear by the throw. After being out for a half hour, Olmo recovered his senses, vowing to slide in the future. Meanwhile, Richmond noticed that their foreign import not only was absent from spring training, but his contract and all correspondence gone unanswered. Somehow word got back to Eddie Mooers in Richmond that Olmo was camped out in Macon with Elmira, the Dodgers newest acquisition. Now confronted with a second attempt by Brooklyn to poach his property, Mooers filed a protest with Minor League Baseball president William G. Bramham.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Colts owner was able to convince Bramham that he did tender a contract in good faith before the contract deadline, even though it was mis-addressed. Olmo was awarded to Richmond for the 1940 season and the Dodgers contract voided. The Puerto Rican outfielder has slipped through Brooklyn's fingers - for the second time.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The name and nationality confusion prompted Luis' older brother Jose to write to </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The Sporting News</i></span></span> correcting the misinformation printed about his kid brother. In a small piece printed in the April 18th edition, Jose penned: "</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">His correct name is Luis Rodríguez Olmo, but he is known as Luis Olmo,
and he is a Puerto Rican, a proud American citizen. No doubt the
contract was not received by my brother because it was incorrectly
addressed. So far his name has been given out correctly only once, when
you published the reserve lists. Later he was called Lewis Elmo and now
as Roberto Olmo. Some confusion with Spanish names.” </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Richmond sent Olmo back to the Wilson Tobs. At once it was clear he was well beyond the Class D level. By July he was batting just below the .350 mark with 18 homers. His superior play and potent bat had pushed the Tobs to a comfortable 18 game lead and locked in for the Coastal Plains pennant. He was called up to Richmond where he hit .271 to help the Colts take the Piedmont League pennant. Olmo returned to Caguas were he continued hitting, leading the Creoles to the Puerto Rican Winter League Championship. Olmo had turned a hat trick of pennant winners. 1940 was capped off with his marriage to Emma Paradis, a union that was still going strong when the old outfielder passed away seven decades later.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">By now, Olmo was exclusively playing the outfield where his speed helped him make tremendous running catches. One of his trademarks was the basket catch. This later became a Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente staple, but Olmo had adapted this a decade before. There was a difference in styles, however: Mays caught his at waist level while Olmo positioned his glove chest-high. Clemente later credited his fellow countryman with teaching him the basket catch when he was in the minor leagues. Olmo was also blessed with a strong, accurate arm that made many runners think twice about taking an extra base. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">1941 saw Olmo return to Richmond. Despite interest from major league organizations, Eddie Mooer held onto his prized foreigner, figuring another season or two of good stats would drive up his selling price. Olmo benefited from the extra seasons in Richmond, mostly due to his manager, Ben Chapman. Today, Chapman is known solely for his warped racism and the sick invectives hurled against Jackie Robinson when he was the Phillies manager in 1947. But before all that, Chapman was a truly outstanding ballplayer with several major league clubs. He was the Yankees lead off hitter in the early 1930's, and his bat and base running skills earned him a spot in the very first All-Star Game in 1933. He also had a fiery temper that got him into numerous on-field fights and led to his numerous uniform changes while in the majors. By the early 1940's, Chapman's career as a big leaguer was through, but he still had enough talent to become a respected player-manager in the minors. Whatever Chapman's feelings were towards Latinos, he became a huge influence on Luis Olmo, and the ball player later credited his Richmond skipper with teaching him more about the game than any other manager, coach or scout. The two men apparently were friendly away from the field as well. Olmo was a very talented pool player and he played his manager almost every day before lunch, loser buying the other man's meal.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I'll pause here to address the ever-present issue of race. Although Latinos had played in the majors since the early 1900's, they were still few and far between. Part of the reason was the language barrier, which could only be overcome by a player learning English. No team was going to spring for a translator when you could just reach into the minors and get a comparable English speaking replacement. Therefore, a Latino trying to make it to the majors had to be extraordinary. This was still a time of accepted ethnic stereotypes - heck, even Life Magazine ran a feature on <a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2010/08/42-joe-dimaggio-brother-number-two.html">Joe DiMaggio</a> in 1939 that read: "</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Although he learned Italian first, Joe, now 24, speaks English without an
accent and is otherwise well adapted to most U.S. mores. Instead of olive oil or smelly bear grease, he keeps his
hair slicked with water. He never reeks of garlic and prefers chicken
chow mein to spaghetti." </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Imagine what the perception of Puerto Ricans were to a public unfamiliar with the people or the culture of the island. Indeed, several of the profiles written about Olmo before or just after he made the majors made sure to remark how his mild manner was quite different from the stereotypical perception of the fiery Latin. This line from the April 8, 1943 edition of </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The Sporting News</i></span></span> serves as an example: "Although of Latin lineage, Olmo is not hot-tempered". </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Besides the perceived temper issues Latinos had to contend with, there was also the added problem of color. A whole rigid system of skin colors dictated what was and what was not acceptable in order to be labeled "white". Fortunately for Luis Olmo, his skin tone fell within the acceptable range. He was further fortunate in that his face was said to resemble Tony Lazzeri, the Yankees star second baseman of acceptable Italian heritage.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Despite a mug that resembled a Yankees All-Star, Olmo still had to deal with the occasional racial taunt and bean ball at the plate. These, he took in stride - he had to. The game was a whole lot rougher in the days before million dollar salaries and union reps. Gaining an edge in a game often came down to getting into the opposing player's heads - name calling and bean balls were two ways to achieve that. In order to make the majors, Olmo knew he had to accept and deal with these obstacles, and this he did, telling </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The Sporting News</i></span></span> "But that is baseball. So I get up and hit again." </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Olmo finished the 1941 season first in home runs and triples, second in hits and slugging percentage and fifth in batting average. In September he was given additional reason to celebrate when he and Emma welcomed their first child, a daughter they named Ana Lucy. In the winter he returned to the Winter League where he augmented Chapman's teachings by playing with and against Negro League superstars such as Josh Gibson, Lenny Pearson, Roy Campanella and Bill Byrd, the later pair his teammates on the Caguas Creoles.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Olmo had developed a batting stance that he later said was based on <a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2010/08/42-joe-dimaggio-brother-number-two.html">Joe DiMaggio's</a>. He stood back in the box, feet spread and firmly planted, the bat gripped at the end and cocked way back. Olmo favored a Louisville Slugger of the Joe Medwick or Babe Ruth model, 35 inches in length and weighting 32 ounces. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The next year, Olmo again dominated the Piedmont League, this time leading in home runs, hits, triples and slugging, coming in second in batting average and doubles. He voted the most popular player in the league, but was edged out of the MVP Award by his manager Ben Chapman. Olmo's stock could get no higher in Richmond and Eddie Mooers knew this. The Luis Olmo bidding began, and in the thick of it was Branch Rickey, Jr.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Rickey had never forgotten the Puerto Rican outfielder that twice slipped from his grasp. Now that he was available, Branch Jr. made sure the Dodgers were in there with an offer. There was one big problem - his father, Branch Rickey, Sr. The elder Rickey had by now heard of Luis Olmo. The elder recognized the hustle and spark shown by Olmo, just the kind of player he favored for his Cardinals. Branch, Jr. knew this, and began maneuvering to keep his father out of the negotiations with Mooer. This covert operation was hampered by the fact that both men were staying under the same roof at the Rickey estate outside St. Louis. Branch, Sr. had an idea of what was transpiring, but his son successfully kept the old man out of the estate's telephone room while he hammered out a deal with Richmond. Branch, Jr's. evasive action worked, and Luis Olmo finally became property of the Brooklyn Dodgers.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">While the phone lies were burning up between Richmond and St. Louis, Luis Olmo was traveling the long route back home for the winter. The war had made long distance travel a nightmare, and it took more than a week of waiting in Mami for Olmo to get a seat on a flight to Puerto Rico.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Waiting for him when he landed was his older brother Jose, bursting with news that he would be joining his childhood idol Billy Herman as teammates on the Brooklyn Dodgers.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>This is story is just the very beginning of Luis Olmo's baseball odyssey. When he took the field as a Dodger rookie on July 18, 1943*, he was only the second Puerto Rican-born player in the majors (<a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2014/02/169-hi-bithorn-puerto-ricos-first-big.html">Hi Bithorn</a> was the first, debuting with the Cubs in 1942). Olmo would later join the outlaw Mexican League in 1946, and then return to the Dodgers in 1949 where he became the first Puerto Rican to play and homer in a World Series. Before he ended his career in the mid-1950's, Olmo had playedball in not only the United States and his native Puerto Rico, but also Canada, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Venezuela, earning the nickname "America’s Baseball Player." </i></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>In retirement he became the elder statesman of Puerto Rican baseball, active in his local SABR chapter and a living link to the island's first season of professional winter baseball that endures to this very day. Luis Olmo passed away on April 28, 2017. </i></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>*Olmo's debut game on July 18, 1943 was the second game of a doubleheader against Boston. The game was halted in the 6th inning locked a 4-4. The game was continued </i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>September 13, 1943, resulting in a 7-6 Boston victory. Purists may therefore say that Olmo's true debut was on July 23 against the Reds...</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Special thanks <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">to my friend Angel </span>Colon, Puerto Rican Win<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ter League historian who introduced me to Luis Olmo's story.</span></i> </span></span>Gary Joseph Cieradkowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04780041109109187257noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109098029372196005.post-6657446830947155642017-05-02T17:40:00.000-07:002017-07-09T11:07:10.551-07:00228. Jack Kloza: Home Runs, Mosquitos, Hats and the Rockford Peaches<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Like so many of the players I write about, I found Jack Kloza while searching for something else. And, like so many of the outsiders I write about, what at first just seemed like a marginal career highlighted by a brief cup of coffee in the majors, turned out to be a very interesting tale on so many levels. I was drawn to this fella because the grainy 1936 newspaper article I found showed a guy who looked remarkably like a young Charles Bronson. A glance at the name "Kloza" and I could tell it was some kind of "Americanized" Polish name. A little more digging and I found out that Jack Kloza was indeed not only of Polish ethnicity, but was one of only four major leaguers to have been <i>born in</i> Poland. That alone was enough to add his name and clipping to my "to do" files. And then, as the years passed by, the "Kloza File" grew and grew, each new piece of his career making an already interesting character more appealing. Finally, with the Kloza File just under an inch thick, I spread it all out in my studio and began typing...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Note:</b> <i>Although every record book and internet database has him listed by a nickname of "Nap Kloza", every single piece of research I have accumulated refers to him as "Jack Kloza" - the name "Nap" never appears in any contemporary newspaper story in my file. Because of this, I refer to him by the name of "Jack".</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jack Kloza was born Jan Klojzy on September 7, 1903 in Siedliska, Poland. Siedliska is located in the south-eastern part of modern day Poland. This region was called Galicia, and had changed hands several times since Poland was divided between Russia, Germany and Austro-Hungary at the end of the 18th century. When Jan Klojzy was born in 1903, it was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. Jan was the second child of <span class="st">Wawrzyniec and Franciszka, his sister Marta being born two years earlier.</span> Shortly after his son's birth, <span class="st">Wawrzyniec emigrated to the United States. </span><span class="st">After landing at Ellis Island, he</span> proceeded west to Milwaukee where there was a large community of Galician Poles. He took odd jobs as a general laborer, and after five years had saved enough to secure passage to America for his wife and two children. Franciszka, Marta, and Jan sailed to America in the spring of 1908 and joined <span class="st">Wawrzyniec in Milwaukee. </span>The family first lived on Dousman Street and then Bolton Street, both in the city's predominantly Polish 13th Ward.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The 13th Ward had a particularly vibrant baseball scene dating back to the turn of the century when the first wave of Polish immigrants arrived. Like immigrants before and after them, Milwaukee's Poles embraced the game of baseball as a way of blending into the fabric that is America. The "Patron Saint" of Polish baseball in Milwaukee was Louis Fons. Born in Milwaukee in 1878, Fons was the son of Polish immigrants and had been a pretty good semi-pro ballplayer before becoming a real estate investor. A pillar of the Polish-American community, in 1909 Fons assumed the reigns of the Kosciuszko Monument Cigars team that played in the City League. Besides being the team's financial backer, Fons played second base and captained the club. After finishing in second place that first year, Fons hung up his spikes and concentrated on making his team a powerhouse. He outfitted the team in uniforms of bright red - Poland's national color - and dubbed the club the Kosciusko Reds. Note the dropping of the "z" from Kosciuszko to "Americanize" the moniker and allowing it to fit better on the new uniforms. Dubbed the "Koskys" in the newspapers, the Kosciusko Reds ruled Milwaukee's semi-pro scene for the next decade. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In this vibrant baseball culture, young Jan Klojzy learned to play ball. Sometime during his teen years, Jan Klojzy became Jack Kloza, and he began making a name for himself on the Milwaukee sandlots as a hard-hitting catcher. Kloza caught for a succession of amateur clubs, first the Gordon's, then moving over to the Straub's, followed by the Jay-Kays and finally St. Casimir's. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">By 1924, Kloza's bat was powerful enough that he was invited to join the semi-pro Bonita Kandy Kids. Like many large companies in the decades before World War II, the Bonita Candy Company of Fond du La, Wisconsin fielded a highly competitive baseball team. Besides guaranteeing their ballplayers an easy day job in exchange for playing ball on the weekends, companies like Bonita Candy paid their players an extra salary on a per-game basis. As the Kandy Kids backstop, Jack Kloza earned the princely sum of $5 a game, about what the average factory worker made in an 8 hour day. The following year Kloza was dropped from the Kandy Kids when the league instituted a no-ringers clause. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Fortunately, Kloza's renown in the Wisconsin sandlot scene attracted the interest of George "Stormy" Kromer. "Stormy Kromer" may sound familiar to natives of the upper Midwest as it is the name of a style of hat popular in that region. Although you might not know it by that name, a Stormy Kromer cap looks like a thick wool ball cap with ear flaps. Holden Caulfield wore one throughout the book "A Catcher in the Rye" and bomber crewman wore a leather and fur version during World War II. Available at any outdoor and camping outfitters, you still see hunters and fishermen donning these caps today. In fact, the Stormy Kromer hat was invented by George "Stormy" Kromer. Kromer was a Milwaukee semi-pro baseball player around the turn of the century who became a railroad engineer after his playing days ended. When he lost one too many hats at work to the wind, Kromer had his wife modify one of his old baseball caps with ear flaps, and the "Stormy Kromer" was born. The hat proved so popular that Kromer's wife was swamped with orders, and in 1903 the Kromer Cap Company was founded. Now a wealthy haberdasher, Stormy Kromer returned to his first love, baseball.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In 1925 Kromer bought the Blytheville, Arkansas Tigers of the Class D Tri-State League. Already known for creating a new headgear in his image, Kromer installed himself as the Tigers' general manager and skipper, and set about modifying bush league baseball. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Up until this point, the minor leagues were used as a stepping stone to the major leagues. Even
the most low level minor league team was expected to field a
competitive team, and as such, their rosters were a mixture of veterans sprinkled with a few youngsters trying to make good. If a young player was lucky - and talented enough - he gained experience by watching the older players on his team. Dedicated coaching staffs were still decades in the future and a young player was basically left to sink or swim as he made his way up the ladder of organized ball. Stormy Kromer looked to change that. Once assuming the helm, Kromer invited over 211 aspiring ballplayers to try out for the Tigers. Many of these kids were from Kromer's native Wisconsin, including a sizable contingent from Milwaukee. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Stormy piloted the Tigers to a 31-77 record, and a dismal 35 game losing streak set a new organized baseball record. Stormy maintained all along that he was concentrating more on developing young players than winning a pennant, but that didn't soothe the embarrassed Blytheville rooters. Although today's low-level minor leagues are used entirely to develop young players, back in 1925 this was a new idea. Kromer's revolutionary concept was lost on the Blytheville fans who expected their local nine to at least field a competitive lineup, and the community sued the forward-thinking owner/manager for $2,500 for breach of contract. Needless to say, Kromer was the most unpopular man in the state of Arkansas, but 11 of his kids were indeed sold to higher level minor league teams, including a 21 year-old catcher named Jack Kloza.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Kloza's gaudy .373 average had shone like a diamond amidst the muck of Blytheville's season, and was tops in the Tri-State League. Birmingham of the Southern Association purchased his contract and Kloza was sent to their farm team in Alexandria for 1926. The manager took Kloza out from behind the plate and stationed him at third base. He adjusted well to his new surroundings, and after less than a dozen games was promoted to the Montgomery Lions. Kloza's .379 was second-highest in the Southeastern League (the league leader hit .392 in just 73 at bats as opposed to Kloza's 114). The third baseman did, however, lead the loop with 19 triples and came in second with 29 doubles. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For 1927, Kloza's contract was shifted to the Albany Nuts of the same league. Right from the start Kloza tore apart the league's out-classed pitchers. He hit well over .400 throughout the summer as local sportswriters called him the "Babe Ruth of the Southeast" and scouts frothed at the mouth trying to obtain his services. On July 24th it was reported that the Brooklyn Dodgers had shelled out $65,000 for his contract ($20,000 now, $45,000 later in trade and incentives), a record amount for a Class B player. It was also stated that Connie Mack, in the midst of assembling what will be called the greatest dynasty in Major League history, had bid $25,000 for Kloza, but came up short. Somewhere along the way the Dodgers deal fell through and Kloza remained under contract with Birmingham. In 122 games he was hitting .404 with 28 home runs when the parent club called him up in September. The Barons were locked in a tight pennant race with New Orleans, and it was hoped that the addition of the Southeastern League's "Babe Ruth" would be enough to put them over the top. Kloza got into 19 games and hit a modest .255 with a pair of homers before the Barons finished in second place. All told, Kloza was the Southeastern League's batting champ and runner up in home runs. Though the Brooklyn deal collapsed, the Washington Senators stepped in and purchased the slugging third baseman for spring, 1928 delivery. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In March 1928, Jack Kloza prepared travel to Tampa, Florida for his first big league spring training camp. Then, his mother Franciszka took sick and postponed his departure. Although I haven't found any hard evidence, Franciszka Kloza doesn't show up in any public record after 1927, so it is probable she passed away at this time. Meanwhile, Kloza's impending arrival was much anticipated in the Tampa camp. When he did make his appearance, Jack Kloza did not disappoint. Scribes described him as "a powerfully built chap" with "hands of really enormous proportions". His first at bat produced a drive which one writer delusionally touted as "250 yards". Kloza continued to knock the ball all over the training field, leading the Senators veteran manager Bucky Harris to exclaim to owner Clark Griffith "If you think we have some sluggers on this ball club wait until you have looked at this fellow Kloza".</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">By the second week of camp the beat writers were reporting that Kloza was a lock to make the club. Management moved the big slugger to the outfield where his sped and cannon arm could do the most damage to opposing teams. On March 23 Harris put Kloza in to replace Sam Rice in the outfield in a game against the Reading of the International League. In his pair of at bats he hit a triple and a home run. A week later, after ten spring training games, Kloza was leading all Washington batters with a .750 average. Granted, this is spring training, but you have to think that at the time the Senators lineup featured Hall of Famers Goose Goslin, Sam Rice, Joe Cronin and George Sisler.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The week of March 28, 1928 would be the high point of Jack Kloza's career.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In the first week of April it began to be reported that Kloza's prodigious strength at the plate began to slip. On the surface it would be easy to speculate that the rookie just cooled off after a fast start, however, the truth was quite different. Kloza had contracted the disease that haunted all ballplayers in the pre-World War II south - malaria. This mosquito-born disease which we now only associate with tropical third-world countries was once common in the southern United States. Not only did malaria hit you when first infected, but the disease could reappear at random points throughout a person's life. The fear of contracting malaria was once so prevalent that many northern-born baseball players refused to be assigned to southern ball clubs, even if it meant giving up a promotion. Although by the late 1920's the chances of contracting the disease was less than it was at the turn of the century, Jack Kloza was one of the unlucky ones who did. His once strong body wracked with fever and vomiting, Kloza lost 40 pounds before he was able to leave the hospital. With his strength sapped, Kloza could not hit nor field like he did in March. The Senators broke camp and headed north to start the 1928 season, leaving Jack Kloza behind. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Senators optioned Kloza to the Louisville Colonels, but still ravaged by malaria, he couldn't produce. After an 0 for 22 slump and batting just .100, Kloza was released to Chattanooga of the Southern Association where he floundered. Most ball players would have given up at this point, but not Jack Kloza. The Montgomery Lions took a chance and signed their old batting champ for 1929. Kloza managed to assemble a decent season trying to play himself back to health. On September 7 he married his hometown sweetheart,</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Rose Ronowski, in a ceremony held in Montgomery. Kloza finished off the season by hitting .299 with scouting reports good enough to earn a promotion to the Texas League for 1930.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Playing for the Witchita Falls Spudders, Kloza murdered the ball at a .347 clip. He also finished in the top five in hits, total bases, and home runs. On August 7, the Kloza's welcomed their first child, a daughter they named Rosann. The only downside to his fine season was that his work in the outfield was sub-par, leading the Texas League in errors with 24 misplays. It was a miraculous come-back and one which earned him trip back home - not in defeat, but as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers. </span>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Brewers were members of the American Association, which back then was one of three minor leagues that were ranked just one level below the Major Leagues. A good season in the American Association could earn Kloza a second chance at the big leagues. Going into August, Kloza was batting .308. On August 14th, the Brewers and Toledo Mud Hens were locked in a 0-0 pitcher's duel when Kloza hits a 7th inning home run to put the Brewers on top. Three days later Jack Kloza was playing right field for the St. Louis Browns in the American League.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Browns obtained Kloza in exchange for outfielder Tom Jenkins. He made his big league debut in the August 16th double header against Washington. In the first game Kloza went hitless in two at bats with a strike out. In the night cap he went 1 for 3 with a walk and strike out. Four days later Kloza struck out in his only two at bats against the Yankees. Then, before he could get into another game, baseball commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis voided the Kloza-Jenkins trade and returned both players to their original teams. Newspaper reports were kind of vague in regards to Landis' ruling, but it had something to do with Jenkins being out of minor league options which made him ineligiable for a trade with Milwaukee. Whatever the reason, Kloza was back with the Brewers. A few weeks later the Browns tried to do the same maneuver, but again, Landis blocked the trade. The Browns were obviously very keen to get Kloza back in St. Louis because the notoriously cash-poor franchise eventually coughed up cash to buy the outfielder out-right. The deal stipulated that Kloza was to report to the Browns for spring training the following year. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">At spring training, Kloza was one of the more highly touted prospects. The Browns were in the midst of a couple decades of baseball ineptitude, and a promising slugger like Jack Kloza stood out. With the dearth of talent available, plus regular right fielder Red Kress holding out for more money, Kloza had a great shot at making the club as a starter. Then, just as it did in 1928, tragedy grabbed hold of Jack Kloza. On March 16, Kloza was batting against Browns ace George Blaeholder in an inter-squad game. Blaeholder was the first major leaguer to throw the slider on a regular basis, and it might have been one of those unfamiliar pitches that slammed into Kloza's wrist that afternoon. The injury was serious enough that he was removed from the game and sent to the hospital. X-rays showed no broken bones, but Kloza remained sidelined for the next few weeks. Even with his mangled hand, the Browns had Kloza penciled in alongside Goose Goslin and Fred Schulte as one of the three starting outfielders for when the season began. Then, just before opening day, Red Kress ended his hold out and signed his contract. Though now relegated to reserve outfielder, Kloza still made the Browns opening day roster.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Right from the start, Jack Kloza failed to meet the expectations placed on him. It's unknown whether his hand was still damaged from the drilling it took in spring training or his inability to hit big league pitching. Whatever the reason, his batting average hovered below .200. With veterans Kress, Goslin and Schulte, Kloza's playing time was reduced to mostly pinch hitting, a specialized skill that even the best players seldom master. Still, every once in a while, Kloza showed a bit of what the Browns expected from him: on May 24 he came off the bench to hit an RBI triple that sparked a 7-run rally to beat Detroit. Kloza got into ten more games, again, mostly as a pinch hitter, before sending him back to the minors in exchange for Art Scharein. Now with the Longview Cannibals, Kloza tried his best to slug his way back to the Browns. On August 13th, Kloza batted in 8 runs with two doubles and a home run against the Tyler Sports. The Browns recalled him in mid-September, but he never made it into a game.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Kloza was back with Milwaukee for 1933, and over the next couple of seasons he became one of the best sluggers in the American Association. Kloza hit a healthy .326 with 26 homers in 1934, sparking rumors of another trip to The Show. But, just as it always seemed to do, bad luck stepped in. A collision with a telephone pole that made up part of the outfield wall in Milwaukee's </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Borchert Field damaged Kloza's right elbow. The injury robbed Kloza of both his strong throwing arm and the power needed to drive the ball out of the park. He limped through the summer of 1935 with a .305 average paired with a lousy 8 homers before the Brewers shut him down in mid-August. In
a gutsy move for the time period, the team sent their prized player to a
surgeon who removed a growth in hopes it would restore the elbow back to full strength. In spring training the following year, Kloza gamely tried to work his elbow back into shape, but after a few days admitted he couldn't do anything with it. He returned to Milwaukee where doctors were unable to help him. Kloza appeared in 19 games as a pinch hitter and managed just two hits, one of them a homer, before he quit the team. The Brewers kept him on as a scout and he underwent a second surgery in anticipation of another comeback. His signing with Milwaukee for 1937 made headlines in the Midwest, but the old power just wasn't there and Kloza was released just before the season began.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jack Kloza was 33 years old with a career as a baseball player now behind him. He and Rose now had two more children in addition to Rosann: Jacqueline born in 1931 and Jack Jr. born in 1935. Jack needed to look for a new career. Since he'd had his last gasp of glory playing for Milwaukee, he was still extremely popular in his hometown. Kloza leveraged his celebrity into a succession of jobs teaching baseball to the city's kids. The newly-retired ballplayer teamed up with fellow Milwaukee big leaguer Anthony "Bunny" Brief to create two baseball leagues. Brief, whose given name was the tongue-twisting Anthony Grzeszkowski, had played with the Browns, White Sox and Pirates from 1912 to 1917. He took the league representing the neighborhoods from Milwaukee's Southside and Kloza took the Northsiders. By 1944 the "Stars of Yesteryear" league had 85 teams with 6,500 kids. Many local kids learned the fundamentals of the game from these two former big leaguers, and the city of Milwaukee was able to boast that it had one of the most talented sandlot baseball scenes in the nation. This level of talent was represented in the city being represented by winning teams in most of the national tournaments held throughout the 1940's and 50's.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Besides coaching Milwaukee's kids, in 1944 another opportunity opened up for Jack Kloza. Two full years of war had fully depleted the major and minor leagues. With no end in sight, and an increasingly poor product passed off as big league baseball, the All-American Professional Girls Baseball League was formed in 1943. When the league was expanded from four to six teams the following year, Jack Kloza joined former major leaguers Max Carey, Marty McManus, Bubber Jonnard and Bert Niehoff plus Chicago Blackhawks hockey star Johnny Gottselig as managers. Kloza was assigned to the Rockford Peaches, the team made famous in the movie "A League of Our Own". Despite having </span>the best player the AAGPBL produced, Dottie Kamenshek, at first base, the Peaches found themselves in last place in the mid-July. With his record standing at 24-32, Rockford gave Kloza the boot. Then again, contradictory newspaper articles contend that Rockford's skipper resigned over some kind of disagreement with the league office in Chicago. For his part, Jack Kloza refused to say why he left.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Kloza went back to Milwaukee and poured his energy back into the <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Stars of Yesteryear League. Through he and Bunny Brief's tireless efforts, the league expanded to include over 10,000 boys. While he must have been proud whenever one of his boy's made good, 1952 must have been extra special. That year, his son, Jack, Jr., was selected as the catcher for the team representing Milwaukee in the annual Hearst Sandlot Classic tournament in New York. Jack Jr. later went on to study at </span>St. Mary’s University and became a high school coach.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The big slugger passed away on June 11, 1962, aged 58. Besides leaving behind his wife Rose and four children, Jack Kloza left a legion of thankful Milwaukee kids who learned to play baseball from the friendly former major leaguer. Although he played just 22 games in the majors, Jack Kloza batted .329 with 129 home runs over 12 minor league seasons. And while he might not have a plaque in the Baseball Hall of Fame, he did make it to Cooperstown, as part of the exhibit on the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>Gary Joseph Cieradkowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04780041109109187257noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109098029372196005.post-71796443078050238992017-04-28T12:10:00.001-07:002017-07-09T12:03:45.632-07:00Upcoming Stories and Drawings<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I know, it's been a long time since I have posted a new story and illustration. Sometimes life just gets in the way of things that are fun, and this blog is one of those fun things that gets elbow.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I came back from my Christmas break to find my studio completely wiped out due to a busted pipe. The reconstruction took over a month, and then several more weeks passed before I was settled back in to work. Then I had to leave town for two weeks to write for a sports memorabilia auction house in New Jersey. Tack on top of all that the daily running of my regular design business, and my time was pretty booked up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Then there was the finishing and publication of <a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/02/21-journal-mark-iii.html">21</a>. This journal has been a project I've been working on for more than 6 years, and after a few starts and stops, I finally got it to where I was happy with the cost, quality and length. With this publication, I have an outlet for my work that is easier and more spontaneous than a full-blown hard cover book, but also has the quality and content of my <a href="https://www.amazon.com/League-Outsider-Baseball-Illustrated-Baseballs/dp/1476775230">The League of Outsider Baseball</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Even though I have not posted anything lately, I really have been working on new stories and drawings. Really. Some of the pieces I am saving for the next issue of <a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/02/21-journal-mark-iii.html">21</a>, and others I just haven't gotten around to finishing up to my satisfaction. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">That's the problem when you're doing something that has no clear direction, like "The Infinite Baseball Card Set". As you all know, I rarely have any consistent "theme" or "story line", rather, I like to just write and draw whatever and whomever I feel like at the time. Usually this works out best, I like the spontaneity of it, and it keeps me from feeling like it is becoming a job. But, on the other hand, sometimes the shotgun way of researching leads me in so many different directions I fail to wrap up any of them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">That's pretty much what's happened in the last 6 months or so. This bottleneck has been compounded by the heavy amount of work I put into the last issue of <a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/02/21-journal-mark-iii.html">21</a>, plus the self-promotion that goes along with a self-published work. So, not only have I been side tracked by <a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/02/21-journal-mark-iii.html">21</a>, but I am also continuously torn between publishing a story/illustration on the blog or saving it for a future <a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/02/21-journal-mark-iii.html">21</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I guess that's a better place to be than to have severe "writer's/artist's block", because I am producing an awful lot of quality work - it just hasn't seen the light of day yet. I'm going to be publishing a new story within a few days. What it will be, I have no idea yet! Like I said, I have many to choose from, it's just a matter of selecting one and tidying it up for publication. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Just to spread a little expectation around, here's a few of the close-to-completion pieces I have in the arsenal:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• <b>Joe DiMaggio</b> - <i>His Lost 1943 Season with the Santa Ana Army Flyers</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• <b>Jack Kloza</b> - <i>The Forgotten Home Run Champion</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• <b>Sam Bankhead</b> - <i>The Real Player Behind "Fences" Troy Maxson</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• <b>George Selkirk</b> - <i>A Scapegoat for Doing Nothin<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'</span> Except Playing Ball</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• <b>Morris Buttermaker</b> - <i>A Special "Where Is He Now?" Interview</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• <b>Happy Ev<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">a</span>ns</b> - <i>Utility Man for the Greatest Negro League Team of All-Time</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And there's much more in the pipeline, but I'll leave the list at that for now. So please keep checking in with me here at The Infinite Baseball Card Set. It's a bit sporadic at the moment, but when I get the bottleneck plunged out, we should have some quality baseball obscurities flowing from the tap!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And if you haven't already ordered a copy of the Spring 2017 edition of <b><a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2017/02/21-journal-mark-iii.html">21: The Illustrated Journal of Outsider Baseball</a></b>, do so now - I just received the second shipment of copies in this week and they're going fast...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>Gary Joseph Cieradkowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04780041109109187257noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109098029372196005.post-23800253730022701262017-02-28T07:54:00.000-08:002017-02-28T07:54:58.619-08:0021 Journal - Mark III <br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Today I'm sending the files for the newest incarnation of <b><i>21: The Illustrated Journal of Outsider Baseball</i></b> to the printer. The idea for this journal began with a blog I started in February of 2010 with this very blog, “The Infinite Baseball Card Set”. While the website was and still is fun, I longed to create something that I could hold in my hands; so, in 2011, I put out a 20 page test edition of </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>21</i></span>, which featured Jewish ballplayers. While a good first step, I wasn’t quite happy with the result and followed it up in 2012 with a 40-page hardcover volume 2 of </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>21</i></span>. I was much happier with this, but it proved too costly to self-publish, and the run was limited to 100 copies. What this second volume <i>did do</i> was convince Simon and Schuster to publish <i>The League of Outsider Baseball: An Illustrated History of Baseball’s Forgotten Heroes</i>, my 240 page hardcover book that was very well reviewed when released in 2015.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />Moving forward, I decided that I wanted to try another edition of </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>21</i></span>. At 72 pages, this shorter journal format allows me to (hopefully) publish a few issues a year and gives me the flexibility to do some additional features, such as a demonstration of an illustration in process, historical uniform research, and book reviews. I spent more than two years experimenting with different layouts, finally settling on this final one.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />Although this volume was written and illustrated solely by myself, in the future I would like to collaborate with other baseball historians, fans, and writers. I think </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>21</i></span> can bring something new to the table that fans of baseball history have been waiting for. I’m not aiming to start an academic journal; there are plenty of those already. Instead, I would like </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>21</i></span> to be a colorful trip through baseball’s past, the stories told just like the ones passed down to me by my father and grandfather.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Some of the characters you’ll meet in </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>21</i></span> are well known, but I try to focus on their little-known aspects, such as Lou Gehrig’s college career. Other players will be more obscure: I’m pretty sure that no baseball historian has ever written about Al Gizelbach or Karl Scheel. Some, like Johnny Wright, have been mentioned in books or articles, but their whole story never told in full - until now. This is what <i>21</i> is for. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did putting it together.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>The Spring, 2017 edition of <i>21</i> is available for pre-order now. Please expect your copy to arrive before the end of March...</b></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span><br />
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<br /></span>Gary Joseph Cieradkowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04780041109109187257noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109098029372196005.post-15713961608792246012017-01-28T10:41:00.000-08:002017-07-09T11:08:13.351-07:00227. Dick Sipek: The Deafening Roar of the Crowd<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When I was a kid back in the late 1970's, my dream was to be a relief pitcher for the New York Mets. Many a summer afternoon I would daydream about hearing the roar of the Shea Stadium crowd as the helmet car took me out of the bullpen and onto the field. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I'd imagine PA announcer Jack Franchetti's voice bellowing "Now pitching for New York... number 21... Gary Cieradkowski..." echoing around the ballpark </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">as I fired in my warm up throws to Ron Hodges</span> behind the plate. With the exception of the helmet car and some slight details, my daydream was no probably no different than any other boy's since the turn of the century. </span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Growing up on Chicago South Side in the 1930's, Dick Sipek's daydreams were no different - with one major exception that is - his was completely devoid of sound. No PA announcer to herald his big moment, no roar of the crowd, not even any ribbing from the opposing bench. See, Dick Sipek was deaf.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Dick was the second of John and Emily Sipek's four kids. The family shared an apartment on Chicago's Komensky Avenue with Emily's widowed father who had immigrated from Bohemia at the turn of the century. Around the age of five, the boy lost his hearing. Even Dick himself had no idea how or why it happened - some said it was due to a fall down the stairs and others put the blame on some kind of illness. Regardless of the cause, back in 1930's Chicago, there wasn't too many career avenues for a person afflicted with hearing loss. Schools didn't offer any kind of special needs programs like today, and soon Dick fell far behind the progress made by his other classmates. Fortunately, John and Emily Sipek enrolled their boy in the Illinois School for the Deaf, located in Jacksonville. In an environment geared towards his unique disability, Dick flourished academically and became an honor student. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The school gave its students vocational training in jobs that people with hearing loss could competently hold when they graduated. Sipek trained as a baker, but what he really wanted was to play in the major leagues. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Dick possessed all the basic elements of a professional athlete - he was strong, fast, and co-ordinated. He played basketball and was an all-state back in football, but baseball was his true love. </span>While most people with a handicap such as Sipek's would have thought a career in pro ball was beyond his grasp, the Illinois School for the Deaf had a person on staff who proved just such a thing was possible. The school's baseball coach was </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">none other than former New York Giants ace Luther Taylor. Besides winning 116 big league games from 1900 to 1908, Taylor,
like Dick Sipek, was deaf. Taylor was the second deaf player in the
majors after William Hoy, who began his big league career in 1888 and
was still in the league when Taylor made his debut. In accordance with the parlance of the time, both deaf players were saddled with the nickname "Dummy", which didn't have as
nasty a meaning back then as it does today. In fact, William Hoy
referred to himself by his nickname until he passed away in the 1960's.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">At first Taylor tried to make Sipek into a pitcher like himself, but the kid wanted to play everyday and insisted on the outfield. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Taylor's coaching helped Sipek develop into a first-class ballplayer, and the old pitcher's example allowed him to believe that making the major leagues was indeed possible. World events would also inadvertently contribute to making Sipek's dream come true.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">America's entry in World War II drained the ranks of professional baseball of most of the game's stars. By 1943 many players who normally would have never been able to crack a major league roster were now playing in the big leagues. The Washington Senators had a <a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2012/02/105-eddie-boland-major-league-recycling.html" target="_blank">New York City garbageman</a> on vacation playing in the outfield and one-armed <a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/search/label/Pete%20Gray" target="_blank">Pete Gray</a> was burning up the minor leagues on his way to the major leagues. It was in this environment that Dick Sipek got his big chance.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In 1943 Coach Taylor contacted his old friends at the New York Giants and Cincinnati Reds and told of his star pupil. The Giants brushed him off, but Warren Giles, GM of the Reds, took Taylor's word for it and signed the kid, sight unseen, to a professional contract. </span></span></span></span></span>The Reds assigned the 20 year-old </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">to the Birmingham Barons, who in turn farmed the kid out to the Erwin Aces in the Appalachian League. After three dozen games Sipek was hitting well over .400 and the Barons recalled him to see what he could do in Birmingham. Right from the start he made a good impression with his hustle and drive. If at first people were skeptical of Dick's ability to play without hearing, he quickly put them to rest. His teammates warmed up to the rookie whose jovial personality put them at ease. Most of the team willingly learned some American Sign Language and his roommate, Kermit Wahl, went so far as to familiarize himself with the whole alphabet and key words. What couldn't be said with sign language was taken care of with a handy pad and pencil and over the years he'd become quite proficient in lip reading. Everyone's biggest fear was, of course, communication in the outfield. Though he was often referred to as a "deaf-mute", Sipek had lost his hearing after learning how to talk, so he could sound out words when needed. While saying "I got it" helped him out half-way, Barons' manager, Johnny Riddle, came up with a simple, but effective plan to deal with his deaf outfielder. He put Sipek in right field and instructed the center fielder and second and first basemen to let Sipek take any ball he called for. If he didn't call for it, the ball was theirs. It worked: Sipek made just 5 errors all season. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">By the end of 1943 Sipek has batted .336 with a pair of homers. As a side bonus, the Rickwood Field fans voted him their favorite Baron of 1943. The Black fans who sat in the segregated right field bleachers took a particular liking to Sipek, and passed the hat amongst themselves, collecting $7.50 in nickles and dimes as a token of their admiration. He came back the next season and hit .319, again earning the fan's vote as the most popular player on the team. As a side-note, one of Sipek's teammates that summer was a fifteen year-old lefty named <a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2011/08/87-joe-nuxhall-portrait-of-old-left.html" target="_blank">Joe Nuxhall</a>. Sipek's stats in Birmingham earned him a late-season call-up to the Reds, who like every other Major League team, was hurting the loss of quality players to the war effort. Though he didn't get into any games that year, newspapers opined that he'd be a Reds outfielder in 1945. They were right.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The 22 year-old joined the other young hopefuls at the Reds spring training camp in Bloomington, Indiana. Because of the war, big league teams were required to hold spring training close to their home parks instead of the warmer climates of Florida and California. From the start, Sipek emerged as a good prospect for the big club, and he cemented this evaluation when his 9th inning home run beat the Cubs in an April 7th exhibition game before 7,000 soldiers at Fort Knox. When the team broke camp and headed to Cincinnati to begin the 1945 season, Dick Sipek was with them.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Wearing number 21 on his back, Dick Sipek made his major league debut as a pinch hitter on April 28 at Crosley Field. Batting for catcher Joe Just, Sipek drew a walk from Blix Donnelly of the Cardinals. He was sent up to pinch hit again the next day but was struck out by Ken Burkhart. Sipek would have to wait almost a month before he had his first major league hit, a pinch hit single that scored a run against the Phillies on May 16. In the meantime, his teammates learned to adjust to having a hearing impaired player in their midst. Just like in Birmingham, Sipek's good nature made him fit right in, and soon he was "one of the boys". Due to his hearing loss, Sipek was, of course, exempt from military service. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Although the loss of his hearing was almost complete, he could hear extremely loud noises. When his teammates found out about that, they exploited it for all it was worth, dropping large objects behind his back and accusing him of faking his disability by chanting "</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Go to the army! </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Go to the army!</span></span></span></span>" </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Though most of his 82 appearances with the Reds in 1945 were as a pinch hitter, Sipek did play 31 games in the outfield, split between left and right field. Over the course of the season he was charged with two errors for a .972 fielding average, ranking him number 40 of 66 National League outfielders. This was just below the league average of .977. Sipek made his last appearance in the majors on September 29 against the Cardinals. Pinch hitting for pitcher Howie Fox. Sipek popped out to shortstop, freezing his major league batting average at .244 with 6 doubles, a pair of triples and 13 RBI.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The next spring saw the return of all the former ballplayers from the service. Players like Dick Sipek were relegated to the minors. The Reds sent him to their top farm team in Syracuse but after only hitting .245 he was sent to a series of lower minor leagues. As his baseball career was winding down, his personal life picked up. While at the Illinois School for the Deaf, Dick had met fellow student Betty Ann Schmidt. The couple married in 1947 began planning a family. In 1948 Sipek was sent to the Reidsville Luckies of the Carolina League where he hit .318 with 13 homers. He stayed with the Luckies for four summers where he became a favorite of the Reidsville fans. A broken collarbone ended his career in 1951 and he returned to Illinois.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">By now the Sipek's had a son, Ron, and the family would eventually grow to include two daughters, Janice and Nancy. They made their home in Quincy, Illinois, where Betty Ann grew up and Dick put his high school training to use working for the Bueters Bakery. Both Ron and Janice lost their hearing and went on to attend the Illinois School for the Deaf. Ron followed in his father's athletic footsteps and and was the quarterback for the schools undefeated 1969 squad. Nancy did not develop hearing loss but her son eventually did.</span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">After working in the bakery for many years, Dick</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> took a job as custodian at St. Mary's Catholic School in Quincy. The old ballplayer spent the rest of his life sharing his memories with countless young kids with hearing disabilities. One of the stories Sipek liked to tell was of meeting another ballplayer who also triumphed over what seemed like insurmountable odds. One afternoon in 1946, Sipek, then playing for the Syracuse Chiefs, headed onto the field for batting practice and passed a Montreal Royals player who was headed to the locker room. That player was <a href="https://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/search/label/Jackie%20Robinson" target="_blank">Jackie Robinson</a>, then in his first season of professional baseball. Sipek asked Robinson "how you feeling?" and Jackie replied "I'm good, good", then, acknowledging that he knew of his handicap, added "keep it up". Dick then said "You're black and I'm deaf - the two of us are the same". The two ballplayers then shook hands and parted ways, one on his way back from becoming the third deaf player in the majors, the other on his way to breaking baseball's color barrier.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Although
he wasn't a star, Dick Sipek's 82
games in the majors proved that deaf players could make it
in the big league, inspiring several generations of children to look past their handicaps. Sipek lived to see another deaf player in the major leagues when Curtis Pride took the field for the Montreal Expos in 1993.</span> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Dick Sipek passed away in 2005 at the age of 82. Although he never heard the roar of the crowd, he sure knew what it was like to be a major league ballplayer.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>Gary Joseph Cieradkowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04780041109109187257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109098029372196005.post-14143443779738070202017-01-28T10:14:00.001-08:002017-07-09T11:09:05.720-07:0081. Pete Gray: Single-Handedly Destroyed The Browns?<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Back in 1989, my very first client as a graphic designer was Will Arlt, owner of the late Cooperstown Ball Cap Company. They made the greatest reproductions of old-style ballcaps ever. The company is no longer around, but don't worry, it is re-emerging in a slightly larger form as the Ideal Cap Company. Anyway, I traded my services for caps, I thought (and still do) they were the greatest thing ever made out of wool, and every delivery bearing the Cooperstown label made me rip the box open like a kid at Christmas! Ever once in a while Will would slip in an unsolicited cap. One of those was a 1944 St. Louis Browns cap. It had a brown bill, white crown with orange and brown stripes - the friggin' ugliest cap before the Astros and Padres dirtied up the 1970's. For some reason I really came to like this bastard cap, wearing it often and getting comments from more fashion-minded folks and every so often a wink from an oldster who'd mumble "hey, the Brownies!"</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Browns are the goats of baseball history. Even their greatest moment, winning the 1944 American League pennant, is dismissed as an anomaly brought on by wartime deprivations. At a glance, that's pretty much correct - after '44 they just sank lower and lower, settling into position as the league's whipping boy and occasional headline grabber when owner Bill Veeck would stage one of his wacky stunts. The Browns were also known for their hiring of one-armed Pete Gray, who perhaps more than anything else underlined the desperate straits major league baseball found itself in during World War II. But just like everything else, peel back the skin and there is much more under the surface: One can make the point that by hiring Pete Gray, The St. Louis Browns destroyed any chance their franchise had in turning around their fortunes. Yeah, I said it: Pete Gray destroyed the Browns.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Browns team that won the pennant in 1944 did so by expert management by skipper Luke Sewell. He cleverly platooned his players and was able to secure the services of a few guys who, because of their defense plant jobs, could play only on weekends. Often disparaged as a bunch of cast-offs and boozers, that perception is only partly correct. Sure they had some first-class tipplers like Sig Jakucki and Mike Kreevich, but on a whole the quality of players the Browns fielded wasn't any worse than what the Yankees were putting in pinstripes at the time. After the excitement of the 1944 season, The Browns had formed a tight-knit team that carried themselves with pride. Despite losing the World Series the team had confidence going into spring training that they had essentially the same group of guys and the rest of the American League was, if anything, weaker due to the draft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The only thing the Browns lacked in 1944 was popularity in their own home town. St. Louis was a Cardinals town and had been since the 1920's. Even though while traveling on the road fans flocked to see the upstart Browns, attendance at their home games, even when in first place, was much less than the Cardinals. Management knew they needed a little something more than just fielding a good team. Enter Pete Gray.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Like many American boys he grew up with a passion and talent for baseball. Unfortunately a fall from a delivery truck crushed his arm and it had to be amputated just above the elbow. Unlike many boys who would have given up his dream of playing professionally, his disability only made Pete bear down harder. Through countless hours of practice he developed his own way to adapt his body to play the game he loved.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For fielding, Pete stripped out all the padding on his glove to make it light and easy to manage. After catching a ball he would raise the glove to his right stump letting the ball roll backwards out of the pocket, down his wrist and against his chest. He then pulled his fingers out of he glove, now clamped securely under his stump, and let the ball roll into his hand. Performed in one well-practiced motion it seemed to defy gravity and sportswriters all around the country made Pete demonstrate it in every town he passed through.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">At the plate Pete utilized a 38-ounce bat, heavier than the norm. Holding the bat aloft with his one hand he left a space at the bottom of the bat where his missing right hand would normally have been. He get the bat in motion earlier than a two-handed player and later on in the big leagues this would lead to his downfall. But at a lower level of ball Pete could compensate successfully. He even worked out a way to control his bat in order to bunt - Pete was a very fast runner and he used this that speed to his advantage.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's hard to say whether or not Pete would have been picked up by a minor league team had it not been for the war. So many players were in the service that the low minors were signing anything they could get their hands on, only to see them slip away as the majors siphoned off the best and then just as fast would in turn lose them to the draft. With only one arm, Pete wasn't going overseas and he first broke into organized ball with the Three Rivers Renards of the Canadian-American League in 1942. Batting a staggering .381 he was bought by the AAA Toronto Maple Leafs but was sold because of an incident that occurred during spring training: Hiding behind a potted plant in the lobby of the Leaf's hotel, skipper Burleigh Grimes eavesdropped on Gray criticizing his management abilities.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now property of the Memphis Chickasaws, Pete hit .289 and had only 8 errors for 1943. Not too bad but the next year he positively dominated the Southern Association by hitting .333, 21 doubles, 9 triples and even slugged 5 one-handed homers. He stole 68 bases and in the outfield his fielding percentage was a perfect 1.000. On top of that Pete won the league's MVP Award. A side-show? Yeah, but he also proved he could play ball professionally. An MVP Award is an MVP Award and they don't hand those things out for charity cases.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now I can go one and easily turn this into a feel-good piece on Pete Gray's determination and how how he inspired countless disabled American servicemen returning from the war but that's not what I want to do. Baseball history is littered with testiments to Pete Gray's courage and determination. Hell, there was even a television movie about it. By the same token I can slip into socially-conscious spiel about how sick and twisted the racial sensitivities were at the time that when the lack of talent was so bad, Major League Baseball in all it's Jim Crow glory couldn't see to sign some of the hundreds of qualified blacks in the Negro Leagues. Instead they chose to utilize a 15 year-old kid (Cincinnati's Joe Nuxhall), a 36 year-old garbage man (Ed Boland of Washington), a one-legged war veteran (Bert Shepperd, again of Washington) and of course, a one-armed guy named Pete Gray.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Where I aim to take the rest of this story is to make the argument that The Brown's signing of Pete Gray in essence became the torpedo which sank the franchise.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Browns that turned up for spring training was essentially the same team that won the league pennant the previous year. The common perception of the team was of one that was in perpetual shock of how far above their station they had come and that no one had even a slight glimpse of hope that the team would repeat in 1945. None of that is true. Through the long hard summer of '44 the Browns had been forged into a cohesive team. Because Luke Sewell had cleaned house when he took over as skipper, none of his players had gotten used to long futile careers with a bad team. The Browns of 1945 were eager youngsters and seasoned vets. They were winners and knew they were just as good or better than the rest of the American League. There was no reason they couldn't expect to repeat.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Enter Pete Gray. Maybe if he was a whole, healthy young ballplayer it would have gone easier. It's one thing to have a new young buck brought up to the big club fresh off of an MVP season in the minors. But this guy had one arm and along with that came the press freak show eager to cover the whole thing. For a bunch of guys serious about defending their pennant in a tough war year, a side-show was the last thing they needed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If he sat on the bench or maybe just gave catching and throwing exhibitions during batting practice, maybe everything would have gone well. But Pete Gray was a St. Louis Brown for one reason only: to attract fans to the ballpark. And that wasn't going to happen with him riding the pines in the dugout. The Browns needed to play the guy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Inserting a novelty into the lineup of the defending American League champions spelled trouble from the outset. The other guys knew Pete was there as a freak attraction. As major leaguers, they all knew that this wasn't no Southern Association and real pitching with real curveballs was going eat this guy alive. And the flawless motion that he used to field his position? To his teammates that added up to one thing: extra base hits for opposing batters. On top of all this, who was going to have to take a seat while the one-armed guy made history? Mike Kreevich, that's who.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Kreevich was a former White Sox prodigy who nearly drank himself out of the game only to find redemption on The Browns. He hit just over .300 in 1944 to lead the team and although he was up there in age, was still a valuable cog in The Browns machine. Still a heavy drinker, losing playing time to a one-armed guy just sent Kreevich spinning out of control. By being an everyday player helped keep Kreevich sober and responsible. Being platooned with Gray not only threw off his timing at the plate but took away the lifeline to sobriety he precariously clung to. The other players looked on in shock as management appeared to want to sacrifice their success on the field for some modest bump in attendance. The team's cohesiveness broke down.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As infielder Ellis Clary eloquently put it: "He screwed up the whole team. If he's playing, one of them two-armed guys is sitting in the dugout pissed off."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The press, used to poking fun at the Browns lowly status now turned the novelty of Pete Gray against them as well. How lousy are The Browns players that management has to dig down and come up with a cripple to play on the team? The rest of the team seethed with resentment as they tried to hold it together and win the pennant.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The race was pretty tight. Detroit won it all and while the Browns finished in 3rd place, they were only 6 game behind the Tigers. Pete Gray played in 77 games that season and batted .218. How much better could Mike Kreevich have done had he been the team's constant outfielder? We'll never know, but it's not that far of a jump to assume Kreevich's bat could have been the deciding factor in winning, say, 6 or 7 games that season. The same could be said for team spirit. How much of a difference did it make with the press side-show that surrounded Pete Gray. How much did it get in the heads of the players, knowing that management seemed to be sabotaging a pennant for box office success?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What the hell do I know? I'm just a simple artist born more than 25 years after the Browns won their only pennant. But I can say that things such as this really makes the game of baseball so fascinating to me, even after 40-something years on the planet. Just think about it - if the Browns had repeated in 1945, that could have signaled the resurgence of their team. Maybe they wouldn't surpass the Cards as St. Louis' favorite boys, but what if they stayed contenders? St. Louis had supported 2 teams for decades and with a decent record, who's to say support wouldn't dwindle away like it did when the team sank to the bottom of the standings and stayed there for the next 7 years. Look at Chicago. The Cubs and the White Sox exchanged seasons futility for decades and still attracted enough fans to continue sharing the same city. Philadelphia is another example. Both the A's and Phils stunk up their respective leagues for years, yet remained side-by-side residents of the same burg. Maybe it would have been another 2-team city that would have lost a team to Baltimore in 1954.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And just think about it: What would the San Diego Padres colors have been had the Browns stayed put? Things like that are likely to keep an avid baseball fan up at night with the night terrors...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Just to wrap this whole thing up, I don't want to overlook what an accomplishment it was for Pete Gray to make it to the big leagues. Sure, he was a gimmick used to attract fans, but he wasn't an <a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/search/label/Eddie%20Gaedel">Eddie Gaedel</a> or a <a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/search/label/Jackie%20Mitchell">Jackie Mitchell</a>. Pete really did hit .333 at Memphis and was MVP of the Southern Association. The man could play ball - just not at a major league level. As an inspiration to people all over the world, his story is a life lesson in perseverance and for that I tip my well-worn Cooperstown Ball Cap 1944 St. Louis Browns cap to him!<br /><br />If you'd like to read the best book on the 1944 Browns and their pennant winning season get yourself a copy of David Alan Heller's book "<span style="font-weight: bold;">As Good As It Got</span>." Heller does a hell of a job profiling all the players on this fascinating team, puts wartime baseball in perspective and takes you through the entire '44 season, demonstrating how this remarkable team captured their one and only pennant.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/p/victor-starffin-card.html"><br /></a><a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/p/victor-starffin-card.html"> </a></span>Gary Joseph Cieradkowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04780041109109187257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109098029372196005.post-75985691240975297422017-01-07T15:38:00.000-08:002017-07-09T11:09:51.149-07:00226. Ralph Branca: Because he was strong enough.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Except for scattered clumps of disheveled, half crocked men back-slapping one another and chirping kids darting back and forth from the light of one street light to another, the parking lot was mostly deserted. Ralph could see his fiancee's Chrysler parked at the far end of the fenced-in player's lot, but he didn't move until she gently took his elbow and guided him through the doorway and into the October night. The security guard at the door nodded and Ralph could detect what he perceived to be a wry smile turn up the edges of his mouth. As his fiancee Ann took one side, family friend, Father Pat Rowley, sidled up on the other, and the threesome crossed the long emptiness of the Polo Grounds parking lot. </span></i><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ralph's ears could still hear the echoing of the cheers reverberating in the air, or was it a deafening silence? He couldn't tell. </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As the little group paused while Ann fished around in her clutch for the keys to the Chrysler, Ralph looked at Father Rowley and asked "Why me?"</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Without hesitation the Jesuit priest replied "Ralph, God chose you because he knew you’d be strong enough to bear this cross.”</span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And so he did.</span></i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Growing up in Northern New Jersey, I knew the name "Ralph Branca" ever since I could remember. I was born twenty years after he threw that single pitch that Bobby Thomson hit out of the Polo Grounds to win the 1951 National League pennant, and both the teams in the game no longer existed anymore, yet that game and the players who took part were as a part of my childhood. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Everyone I grew up with had an endless supply of family stories about where so-and-so was when Branca gave up that home run: My grandma was working in a cookie factory and the game was so important that it was broadcast to the workers over loudspeakers. An uncle of mine was 7,800 miles away in war-torn Korea and listened via Armed Forces radio as the pennant was snatched away from his beloved Brooklyn Dodgers. I had a friend who could send his grandfather into a snarling, swear conjuring rage just by imitating Russ Hodges' dreaded call of <i>"the Giants win the pennant! </i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>the Giants win the pennant!"</i> And thirty years after that home run it was humiliating to me when the shortstop on my team yelled "nice one, Branca" after I gave up a cheap home run that lost us a ballgame. It wasn't a playoff game, or even the 9th inning, but man, it was an insult that cut worse than any swear word we had in our already salty vocabularies. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">No other moment in sports history comes close to that single game in October, 1951. Countless non-fiction books have been written about the '51 pennant race, the game, what happened to the home run ball, and the players after the cheering died down. Thomson's home run has been employed as a plot device for shelves of fiction novels and TV shows, and hardly an autobiography of a person alive in 1951 could escape mentioning where they were on that day. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ralph Branca grew up a New York Giants fan, an irony not lost on bitter Brooklyn fans many years later. After a high school tryout with the Giants ended with their scouts telling the tall string bean to get lost, Branca enrolled in NYU and soon his physique developed into an imposing 6'-3", 205lb. After his freshman year at NYU, the 18 year-old found himself on the mound in Ebbets Field as a Brooklyn Dodger. This was 1944, and unlike most of the wartime replacement players rushed into the majors just to keep the game going, Branca and his 95 mph fastball had what it took to stick. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">He bounced from the high minors and Brooklyn in 1945 and when the veterans came back from the war in '46, Branca was good enough to make the club full time. Manager Leo Durocher used the big righty as a spot starter and reliever, all the while letting the kid soak up the knowledge passed down to him by the Dodgers' two grizzled veterans, Kirby Higbe and Hugh Casey. In one of the most exciting pennant races up to that time, the Dodgers fought the Cardinals tooth and nail into September. Durocher turned Branca loose down the stretch and his pitching helped land the Dodgers in a best-of-three playoff with St. Louis for the National League pennant. Branca was tapped for Game 1, but the Cardinals scored three runs and knocked him out of the box in the third inning. The Dodger bats couldn't rally, and Brooklyn lost the game 4-2. They were then crushed 8-4 in Game 2 and the Cardinals went to the World Series.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ralph Branca blossomed into the Dodgers' ace the next year. At the age of 21, Branca had now matured into a confident, although sometimes cocky, starter. He tempted fate by wearing number "13" - something superstitious ballplayers avoided lest they anger the baseball Gods. Not Branca. For him 13 was a lucky number. He led he league in starts and came in second with 21 wins that got the Dodgers into the World Series. But, as great as he was on the mound in '47, Branca was always prouder of what he did off the field that summer. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Nineteen forty-seven was the year Jackie Robinson integrated the game, and Ralph Branca was right there for the whole spectacle. While several Dodgers were openly hostile to Robinson, most of the other players simply ignored the newcomer. Not Ralph Branca. The ace of the staff went out of his way to befriend Robinson, and the two men laid the foundation of a friendship that would last until Jackie's death in 1972. It was Branca who unhesitatingly stood next to Robinson on Opening Day, and told skeptical teammates that unless they were blind, it was easy to see that they could win the pennant with Robinson as their teammate. It was Jackie's powerful drive to win that eventually won over his teammates, but a small part of his acceptance has to be credited to Ralph Branca. On trains in between games the pitcher ate his meals with Robinson and then encouraged him to join his teammates in the shower after a game instead of waiting until everyone had finished. To have the Dodgers' number one pitcher in his corner went a long way to making Jackie feel a bit more accepted.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Branca won one game and lost one as the Dodgers fell to the Yankees in the '47 Series. The next summer he had 10 wins under his belt at the all-star break when he was pegged in the shin by an errant throw during batting practice. The injury developed into an infected bone lining, and he spent three long weeks in the hospital. In the meantime, the Dodgers blew the pennant to Boston. The next season Branca's arm just wasn't the same. His 13-5 record looked good when printed in the sports section, but the velocity was no longer there and he was pitching on smarts most of the time. By 1950 he was relegated to the bullpen, number 13 called in only to mop up after a game was already blown or just to soak up some innings. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Then, the following spring, the heater came back. All the throwing he did in the bullpen the last two years contributed to reviving his ailing arm. Ralph became a spot starter and the Dodgers seemed to have the 1951 pennant wrapped up going into September. For his part Branca had a great 13-5 record, but then the wheels came off the Brooklyn pennant train. After being a dozen games in front, the team played .500 ball for the rest of the year. Branca dropped seven games and couldn't nudge his win number past that number 13. The Giants went on a 37-7 tear and remarkably caught the Dodgers on the last day of the season. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The best-of-three series for the pennant began with Ralph Branca on the mound in Ebbets Field for Brooklyn. Branca gave up just six hits, but two of them were home runs by Monte Irvin and a game winner by Bobby Thomson, and the Dodgers lost 3 to 1. The next game was played in the Polo Grounds and the Dodgers crushed the Giants 10-nothing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now the pennant came down to a winner-take-all Game 3. Big Don Newcombe held the Giants back and took a 4-1 lead into the ninth. Now Newk tired, giving up a run on a pair of singles and a double. Bobby Thomson, hero of Game 1, came to the plate and rookie Willie Mays knelt menacingly on deck. With runners on second and third with one out, Dodgers manager Chuck Dressen looked to his bullpen. Two righties were up and throwing, Carl Erskine and Ralph Branca. Dodgers coach Clyde Sukeforth told Dressen that Erskine had just bounced a curve in the dirt, and just like that it, number 13 jogged out of the bullpen and into infamy. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It was in the dark hours after Bobby Thomson hit the "Shot Heard Round the World" that Branca asked Father Rowley "why me?" and received the important answer of </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Ralph, God chose you because he knew you’d be strong enough to bear this cross.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Branca was now the most reviled man in Brooklyn. His name was cursed from Flatbush to Green Point. While many a man would have wilted or cracked under the stress of it all, Branca took Father Rowley's advice to heart. He posed for goofy and humiliating publicity shots with Thomson during the World Series and even sang a dopey novelty re-working of </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Because of You” with his foe. Some might have looked upon all this as a guy making the best of a bad situation, but for Brooklyn fans, seeing Branca make nice with the man who snatched the pennant from them made Number 13 a hated man. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In the aftermath of the playoff loss, coach Clyde Sukeforth lost his job and many thought the same should have happened to Branca. Whispers opined that the only reason the pitcher wasn't traded to the Browns or some other backwater team was because in the off-season he had married his fiancee, Ann, whose family <i>owned</i> the Brooklyn Dodgers. So, if Branca was now untouchable, that didn't mean his uniform wasn't - come spring </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the front office forced Branca to turn in his number 13 and replace it with what was hoped to be a luckier number 12 instead. Despite all the publicity surrounding the pitcher ditching his unlucky digits - there were photos Branca dumping the old jersey in a garbage can - he</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> never got a chance to redeem himself in the eyes of Dodger fans after that fateful pitch to Thomson. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In the spring of '52 Branca was playing cards in the clubhouse when his chair tipped backwards and he landed on a coke bottle. The heavy glass container knock his spine out of line and Branca was never an effective pitcher again. He was out of baseball by 1956, a once promising career now reduced to a single bad pitch.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Instead of shrinking into the shadows and avoiding any reminder of that terrible day, Branca leveraged his part in social history into a new line of work. For better or for worse, everyone in the Metropolitan area knew the name "Ralph Branca", and he turned this into a lucrative career in insurance. As an executive in Manhattan throughout the 1960's, Branca frequently ran into his old teammate Jackie Robinson who was an executive himself with Chock Full of Nuts Coffee. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">While lesser men would have spent their remaining years bitter about the bad shake baseball had given them, Branca spent the rest of his life giving back. He</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> became a leading figure in the Baseball Assistance Team (B.A.T.), which lent a
helping hand to old ballplayers who needed financial help. The old pitcher also appeared frequently with Bobby Thomson at autograph signings and TV shows that marked the October 3 anniversary of the "Shot Heard Round the World". Branca was a graceful figure in defeat, yet as inspiring as he was, he had a deep secret he kept to himself. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As early as 1953, Branca knew that the Giants had installed an elaborate sign-stealing system in the Polo Grounds. A spotter with a telescope hidden high up in the Giants office windows in the scoreboard relayed the opposing catcher's signs via a buzzer system. The pitch was signaled to the batter who could choose to use this insider knowledge or not. As Giants players were traded off the '51 club, word eventually made its way back to Branca and by the 1960's the Giants sign stealing plot was an open secret. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What kind of inner strength did it take for him <i>not</i> to scream out to the world <i>"Thomson knew what was coming!"</i> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The whole affair was given the big league treatment in Joshua Prager's indispensable book "<span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Echoing-Green-Untold-Thomson-Branca/dp/0375713077" target="_blank">The Echoing Green: The Untold Story of Bobby Thomson, Ralph Branca and the Shot Heard Round the World</a>". The pitcher later told interviewers that his friendship with Thomson was never the same after Prager's 2008 book because Thomson refused to even acknowledge the sign steeling scheme to Branca. Standing next to Thomson at all those card shows co-signing thousands of baseballs suddenly lost its appeal, and the two drifted apart. Still, Branca was gracious enough not to speak his mind as long as Thomson was alive. Those words spoken to him back in the parking lot of the Polo Grounds made all the difference in how he led his life since 1951 and he stuck to it.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle">So, Ralph Branca passed away this past month. Of course, all the headlines went something like "</span><b>Ralph Branca, who gave up 'Shot Heard 'Round the World,' dies</b>" or "<b>Ralph Branca, beloved Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher who gave up ‘Shot Heard ‘Round the World’ home run, dead at 90</b>". It was inevitable, and something Branca himself probably would have smiled at. After all, he proved he was strong enough to bear that cross.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Notes on the Illustration:</b> I was originally hesitant to do a Ralph Branca story and illustration. Whenever a ballplayer dies there's always a glut of hastily written tributes, especially on the internet, and I didn't feel like I could add anything worthwhile. However, a fella named Shaun that I met at a presentation I gave last summer sent me a very well thought out and inspirational email about Branca's passing, particularly stressing the pitcher's strength of character in the aftermath of the home run. Because of Shaun's eloquent and personal take on Branca's passing, I was persuaded to do a piece on him.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When it came time to starting the drawing, I knew I wanted to depict that dreaded number "13" on his back. It was simply too ironic and iconic not to. That done, I then ran into the problem of what background to choose. I did a few different ones showing the Polo Grounds box seats, and then one of him in front of the section of wall where Thomson's homer sailed over, but it just didn't seem right. Then I thought up the background you see now. Since the Giants had the hidden telescope in the office windows in the center field scoreboard, I knew that was the only background for this card. The Chesterfield sign, the green scoreboard and those dark, mysterious windows... it just made sense.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/sports/mlb/article116826993.html#storylink=cpy</span></div>
Gary Joseph Cieradkowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04780041109109187257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109098029372196005.post-77313990747092129592016-11-15T12:58:00.000-08:002017-07-09T11:11:07.680-07:00225. Honus Wagner: The Flying Dutchman Lands in Louisville<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>I just got back from two long business trips. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Looking out the window as the place <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">followed the Ohio River toward the airport, I got that "it's good to be <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">back</span>" feeling<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, and w</span></span></span></span>hen my plane touched down in Kentucky, I can't tell you how glad I <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">felt that this was my home. So, in honor of my ad<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">o</span>pted state, <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I thought I'd share a larger illustration I did of one of baseball's greatest players<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, and tell you a<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> bit how he got his start in ol' Kentucky...</span></span></span></span></i> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Future New York Yankees president Ed Barrow was managing the Paterson Silk Weavers in New Jersey when he discovered Honus Wagner. The big, bow-legged kid from Pennsylvania turned out to be a tremendous hitter - but a liability in the field. None the less Barrow could see Wagner’s potential and convinced Barney Dreyfuss, owner of the Louisville Colonels to sign him in 1897.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />Louisville was a National League team at the time and Wagner hit big league pitching at a .330 clip. He also turned himself into a superior third baseman and by 1899 was one of the best players in the National League. Despite his ungainly physique, Wagner was one of the era’s most daring and successful base runners and in 1898 he was the first player to steal second, third and home in succession.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />Wagner was a big hit with the Louisville fans. He won a throwing contest by hurling a ball 403 feet. To make the most of his popularity his likeness was used to sell locally made cigars - a practise he famously discontinued a decade later when he forced the removal of his baseball card from cigarette packs. The few copies that survive are the most sought after and valuable piece of sports memorabilia in existence. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />The National League contracted from twelve to eight teams after the 1899 season and the Louisville franchise was eliminated. Barney Dreyfuss bought into the Pittsburgh club and took Wagner with him. In his first season in Pittsburgh Wagner won the first of eight batting crowns he would win during his Hall of Fame career. And even though Honus Wagner left Kentucky after 1899, he returned in 1905 to sign a contract with Hillerich & Bradsby becoming the first ball player to have his own signature model Louisville Slugger bat.</span>Gary Joseph Cieradkowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04780041109109187257noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109098029372196005.post-18938772573307257252016-11-07T20:30:00.003-08:002017-07-09T12:23:08.750-07:00Wild Bill Wright Makes the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame!<br />
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Outwardly, I'm pretty much a pessimist. It's just one of those base survival skills one picks up as a kid, in my case it is probably because if I expected a lousy outcome, it was a sweeter suprise when something did actually work out. And I got that same sweet feeling last week when I heard from Bryan Steverson that Wild Bill Wright finally got voted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame! Here's the press release Bryan sent along to me:</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">NASHVILLE, TN., Nov. 01, 2016 — The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame
announced today the names of eleven inductees to be enshrined at its
51st Annual Induction Banquet on Saturday, June 3, 2017, at the
Omni-Nashville Hotel.<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Announced inductees include Ashley McElhiney Ayers, Vanderbilt
University Women’s Basketball player and the 1st female coach of a male
professional basketball team, Nashville Rhythm; Will Perdue, Vanderbilt
University Basketball star and former 1st round NBA selection; Chantelle
Anderson, Vanderbilt University Women’s Basketball star and former 2nd
overall pick of the 2003 WNBA Draft; Julius Chuck Meriwether, former
Major League Baseball Umpire; Chad Clifton, University of Tennessee and
Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame Offensive Lineman; Al Wilson, University
of Tennessee All-American Linebacker and 1st Round selection of the 1999
NFL Draft. Additional inductees include Haskel Stanback, University of
Tennessee and Atlanta Falcons Running Back; Candy Reynolds,
Knoxville-born Professional Tennis player; Willie Gault, University of
Tennessee All-American Wide Receiver and 1st Round selection of the 1983
NFL Draft. Rounding out the class are posthumous inductions for Graham
Vowell, University of Tennessee’s 1st All-American, and Burnis “Wild
Bill” Wright, a Negro League All-Star and Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame
member. <br />
<br />
Tickets for the Induction Banquet can be purchased by calling Lynn Powell Toy at 615.202.3996 or <a href="https://roland.lunarservers.com:2096/cpsess9415770048/horde/imp/dynamic.php?page=mailbox#">lynnpowelltoy@gmail.com</a><br />
<br />
Congratulations to Wild Bill and a great job to Bryan Steverson and his group who have tried for years to get Bill Wright the recognition he so rightly deserved! For those who missed my story and illustration of Wild Bill I'm running it again below...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ever
since I was a kid researching the Negro Leagues on microfilm and
ancient bound newspaper volumes, I always wondered how certain players
would have done had there not been a color barrier. I'm not talking
about guys like Josh Gibson, <a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2011/02/69-satchel-paige-hitting-rock-bottom.html" target="_blank">Satchel Paige</a>, <a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/search/label/Leon%20Day" target="_blank">Leon Day</a>
or Martin Dihigo - those guys were sure-fire big league stars. I'm
talking about those second-tier stars, you know, the Dale Murphy's to
the Wade Boggs'.<br /><br />One of those players I often wondered about was a
fella named Wild Bill Wright. I had first discovered Wright through old
box scores, but it wasn't until I met a few oldsters in Baltimore who
saw him play firsthand that I really came to appreciate him. For a time
Wright was one of the premier stars of the Negro National League, and
looking at his numbers and testimony from his peers, the name "Wild Bill
Wright" should be well-known today. Yet for a few reasons it isn't.<br /><br />Burnis
Wright was born in Milan, Tennessee in 1914. By the time he reached his
teens he grew to the then enormous height of 6'-4". Because of his
imposing stature, Wright was put to work as a pitcher where he earned
the moniker "Wild Bill" from his inability to find the strike zone. In
spite of being built like a football player he possessed lightening
speed and graceful agility, making him perfect for covering outfield
pastures.<br /><br />Somewhere along the way he taught himself to hit from
both sides of the plate, and word got around that Wright was something
special. Being from Tennessee, it was only natural that the big kid
signed with Tom Wilson's Nashville Elite Giants in 1932. Wilson was a
typical 1930's Negro League owner - he made his money through a
combination of legit businesses and illegal enterprises like the illegal
lottery, called "the numbers" back then. Although Wilson kept his base
of operations firmly rooted in Nashville, he was forced to move his
Elite Giants through a succession of different cities in search of the
most lucrative market. The teenager they called "Wild Bill" began
working out with the Elite Giants, then eased into exhibition games, all
the while learning about professional Negro League ball by watching the
veterans. Finally, in 1933, he began playing against other top-shelf
Blackball clubs. The 19 year-old hit .328 - today a respectable average -
but in 1933 Negro League offensive numbers were sky-high, so Wright was
considered still a novice. This changed when he went West during the
winter and played in the California Winter League. This loose semi-pro
circuit was made up of a few all-white teams that featured major and
minor league stars who lived on the coast and one all-black club filled
with the best talent Blackball had to offer. This time Wright held his
own not just against the white professionals but also the Negro League
stars - his .351 average was bested only by Cool Papa Bell and Willie
Wells, two future Hall of Famers. <br /><br />In 1935 Tom Wilson moved his
Elites to Columbus, Ohio trying to find a larger black audience for his
team. Wright was batting close to .300 when he was voted to his first
East-West Game, the Negro League's All-Star classic held in Chicago's
Comiskey Park. Representing the East, Wright struck out as a pinch
hitter. 1936 saw the Elites relocate again, this time to Washington,
D.C. and again Wright was voted to the East-West Game. As a nod to his
burgeoning talent, the 22 year-old was asked to join a Blackball
all-star team that competed at the 1936 Denver Post Tournament, the
World Series of semi-pro baseball. Five of the players on the champion
Negro League team - Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, Cool Papa Bell, Ray
Brown and Buck Leonard, are now enshrined in Cooperstown. 1937 was
probably Wright's best year, at least in the Negro Leagues. Besides
hitting .387 and being among the leaders in all offensive categories,
Wright had two singles and a double in the East-West Game and his
running catch of Newt Allan's line drive saved the game for his team. <br /><br />In
1938 the Elite Giants finally found a permanent home in Baltimore,
Maryland. Wright had an off year, hitting under .300 and going hitless
in four at bats in the East-West Game, but rebounded in 1939. Finishing
second in batting with a .398 average, Wright and the Elites won their
first and only Negro National League pennant. It was Wright's double in
the final game that sparked an Elite Giants' rally that won them the
Championship. Facing white big leaguers in a post-season exhibition
game, Wright went 3 for 8 including a double off Bob Feller of the
Cleveland Indians. At this point Bill Wright was just reaching his prime
as a ballplayer. Due to his gracefulness in the outfield, Sportswriters
referred to him as the "Black DiMaggio" and his speed on the base paths
saw him finish at or near the top in steals each season. While he
didn't possess the slugging power one might expect from a 6'-4" giant,
Wright was always among the leaders in extra base hits. He mastered the
art of the drag bunt, using his speed to beat out any throw to first.
Although it can't be definitively documented, legend has it Wright was
clocked circling the bases in 13.2 seconds - the world record is 13.3
set by minor leaguer Evar Swanson in 1932. With a combined average of
.371 against white big leaguers in post-season exhibition games, Wright
undeniably demonstrated that he could not only hold his own against the
best Blackball had to offer, but white professionals as well. Had he
played out his entire career in the Negro Leagues it would be much
easier for us to gauge the level of his talent and put it in easy to
understand and translate figures. However, beginning in 1940, Wright
left the Negro Leagues and went to Mexico to play ball.<br /><br />Playing
against the Negro League, Cuban and Puerto Rican stars who were lured
south by lucrative contracts, Wright hit .360 and led the league with 30
doubles, finished second to Cool Papa Bell in hits and second to Sam
Bankhead in steals. The following season his .390 average beat out Hall
of Famers Josh Gibson, Martin Dihigo, Cool Papa Bell, Willie Wells and
Ray Dandridge for the batting crown. That winter Wright played for San
Juan in the Puerto Rican Winter League. Again, playing against the best
players outside the major Leagues, Wright was a standout, being named to
the All-Star Team and hitting the home run that put his team ahead in
game one of the two-game series.<br /><br />Due to the war and draft
regulations, Wright returned to the United States for the 1942 season.
Having an off-year, he barely managed .300 as the Elites lost the
second-half pennant in the last weekend of the season. Wright was off to
Mexico again in 1943 where he won the Triple Crown and stayed the
following season as well. He was back in Baltimore for the 1945 season
where he finished second in the batting championship. This would be
Wright's last season in America.<br /><br />In interviews he gave after his
retirement, Wright stated that he preferred the absence of racial
animosity in Mexico. South of the border he was an acknowledged star,
while in his own country, no matter how good he was, he was only a
marginal figure, known only by those who followed segregated baseball.
Besides, life was easy for a ballplayer in Mexico. Unlike the Negro
Leagues where playing two games in different towns on the same day was
not unheard of, the Liga Mexicana played only on Friday, Saturday and
Sundays. The travel was by train or airplane, a world apart from the
bone-rattling bus rides that were the normal mode of transport in the
Negro Leagues. Age also has something to do with Wright's decision to
stay in Mexico. When Jackie Robinson integrated organized baseball in
1946, Wright was 32, too old to be seriously considered for a shot at
the majors. This, combined with the quick collapse of the Negro Leagues
after 1946, kept Wild Bill Wright in Mexico. The Mexican League had one
last great season, 1946, when not only Negro League players, but also
white big leaguers, ventured south. In what can be called his last
hurrah, Wild Bill outhit all the white major league imports. He played
through 1951, then opened a restaurant with his Hawaiian-born wife in
Aguascalientes. Called "Bill Wright's Dugout," the restaurant
capitalized on the familiarity of his name to Mexican sports fans.
Wright raised his family in Aguascalientes, venturing back to the States
only later in life to attend Negro League reunions. For his
contribution to Mexican baseball, Wright was elected to the Mexico's
Salon de la Fama in 1982.<br /><br />So that's the story of Wild Bill. It's
always bothered me that not only was this fine athlete denied the big
league career his skills surely merited, but he's not even widely known
today because the same mindless racism that kept him from the majors
also forced him to move to another country where he played out his
career in relative obscurity. While his contemporaries who played the
bulk of their career in the U.S. have belatedly received the recognition
they deserved, Wright, despite his statistics, remains a largely
forgotten figure. I think it's fair to say that it is his time spent
alternating between the Negro and Mexican Leagues that hindered any late
recognition of his career and rendered analysis of his talent
difficult. I'd always wanted to do a story and illustration of Bill
Wright, but it wasn't until I was at a book signing in Tennessee last
summer that I put Wild Bill on the front burner. Among the people who
turned out for the event was a nice group of Knoxville SABR members. One
of the fellas struck up a conversation about Wild Bill Wright which, of
course, peaked my interest. Turns out he was part of movement to get
Wright elected to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, as
of this writing, Bill Wright has not been elected to this organization.
No doubt his career spent in the shadows of baseball history has
everything to do with this oversight.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Those
who have met me in person know I'm not the kind of guy to toot my own
horn. In fact, much to my detriment, I'm lousy about promoting myself.
That's why it's hard for me to ask this, but this is something that
needs to be done: if you bought a copy of The League of Outsider
Baseball, can you please take the time to write a review of it on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-League-Outsider-Baseball-Illustrated/dp/1476775230" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-league-of-outsider-baseball-gary-cieradkowski/1119883960" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a> or <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22609604-the-league-of-outsider-baseball" target="_blank">Good Reads</a>?
It would mean a lot to me and most importantly give future publishers
an idea of what the book reading public thinks of my work. Almost all of
the existing reader's reviews have been flattering, but every once in a
while some crackpot writes a clunker<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> and it throws off the real ratings</span>. I for one often look at the reviews
on those sites before I spend my money on a book. Reviews aren't the
only thing I rely on in my purchasing process but it's certainly a
factor, and that's why I'm asking you to please take the time to write
your thoughts about my work.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
Gary Joseph Cieradkowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04780041109109187257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109098029372196005.post-60260278754850914192016-11-07T20:30:00.002-08:002016-11-07T20:31:45.766-08:00Wild Bill Wright Makes the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame!<br />
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Outwardly, I'm pretty much a pessimist. It's just one of those base survival skills one picks up as a kid, in my case it is probably because if I expected a lousy outcome, it was a sweeter suprise when something did actually work out. And I got that same sweet feeling last week when I heard from Bryan Steverson that Wild Bill Wright finally got voted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame! Here's the press release Bryan sent along to me:</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">NASHVILLE, TN., Nov. 01, 2016 — The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame
announced today the names of eleven inductees to be enshrined at its
51st Annual Induction Banquet on Saturday, June 3, 2017, at the
Omni-Nashville Hotel.<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Announced inductees include Ashley McElhiney Ayers, Vanderbilt
University Women’s Basketball player and the 1st female coach of a male
professional basketball team, Nashville Rhythm; Will Perdue, Vanderbilt
University Basketball star and former 1st round NBA selection; Chantelle
Anderson, Vanderbilt University Women’s Basketball star and former 2nd
overall pick of the 2003 WNBA Draft; Julius Chuck Meriwether, former
Major League Baseball Umpire; Chad Clifton, University of Tennessee and
Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame Offensive Lineman; Al Wilson, University
of Tennessee All-American Linebacker and 1st Round selection of the 1999
NFL Draft. Additional inductees include Haskel Stanback, University of
Tennessee and Atlanta Falcons Running Back; Candy Reynolds,
Knoxville-born Professional Tennis player; Willie Gault, University of
Tennessee All-American Wide Receiver and 1st Round selection of the 1983
NFL Draft. Rounding out the class are posthumous inductions for Graham
Vowell, University of Tennessee’s 1st All-American, and Burnis “Wild
Bill” Wright, a Negro League All-Star and Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame
member. <br />
<br />
Tickets for the Induction Banquet can be purchased by calling Lynn Powell Toy at 615.202.3996 or <a href="https://roland.lunarservers.com:2096/cpsess9415770048/horde/imp/dynamic.php?page=mailbox#">lynnpowelltoy@gmail.com</a><br />
<br />
Congratulations to Wild Bill and a great job to Bryan Steverson and his group who have tried for years to get Bill Wright the recognition he so rightly deserved! For those who missed my story and illustration of Wild Bill I'm running it again below...</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/jerseygary/Wright_white2_zpsyn1xn2yn.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/jerseygary/Wright_white2_zpsyn1xn2yn.jpg" /></a></div>
<i><br /></i>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ever
since I was a kid researching the Negro Leagues on microfilm and
ancient bound newspaper volumes, I always wondered how certain players
would have done had there not been a color barrier. I'm not talking
about guys like Josh Gibson, <a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2011/02/69-satchel-paige-hitting-rock-bottom.html" target="_blank">Satchel Paige</a>, <a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/search/label/Leon%20Day" target="_blank">Leon Day</a>
or Martin Dihigo - those guys were sure-fire big league stars. I'm
talking about those second-tier stars, you know, the Dale Murphy's to
the Wade Boggs'.<br /><br />One of those players I often wondered about was a
fella named Wild Bill Wright. I had first discovered Wright through old
box scores, but it wasn't until I met a few oldsters in Baltimore who
saw him play firsthand that I really came to appreciate him. For a time
Wright was one of the premier stars of the Negro National League, and
looking at his numbers and testimony from his peers, the name "Wild Bill
Wright" should be well-known today. Yet for a few reasons it isn't.<br /><br />Burnis
Wright was born in Milan, Tennessee in 1914. By the time he reached his
teens he grew to the then enormous height of 6'-4". Because of his
imposing stature, Wright was put to work as a pitcher where he earned
the moniker "Wild Bill" from his inability to find the strike zone. In
spite of being built like a football player he possessed lightening
speed and graceful agility, making him perfect for covering outfield
pastures.<br /><br />Somewhere along the way he taught himself to hit from
both sides of the plate, and word got around that Wright was something
special. Being from Tennessee, it was only natural that the big kid
signed with Tom Wilson's Nashville Elite Giants in 1932. Wilson was a
typical 1930's Negro League owner - he made his money through a
combination of legit businesses and illegal enterprises like the illegal
lottery, called "the numbers" back then. Although Wilson kept his base
of operations firmly rooted in Nashville, he was forced to move his
Elite Giants through a succession of different cities in search of the
most lucrative market. The teenager they called "Wild Bill" began
working out with the Elite Giants, then eased into exhibition games, all
the while learning about professional Negro League ball by watching the
veterans. Finally, in 1933, he began playing against other top-shelf
Blackball clubs. The 19 year-old hit .328 - today a respectable average -
but in 1933 Negro League offensive numbers were sky-high, so Wright was
considered still a novice. This changed when he went West during the
winter and played in the California Winter League. This loose semi-pro
circuit was made up of a few all-white teams that featured major and
minor league stars who lived on the coast and one all-black club filled
with the best talent Blackball had to offer. This time Wright held his
own not just against the white professionals but also the Negro League
stars - his .351 average was bested only by Cool Papa Bell and Willie
Wells, two future Hall of Famers. <br /><br />In 1935 Tom Wilson moved his
Elites to Columbus, Ohio trying to find a larger black audience for his
team. Wright was batting close to .300 when he was voted to his first
East-West Game, the Negro League's All-Star classic held in Chicago's
Comiskey Park. Representing the East, Wright struck out as a pinch
hitter. 1936 saw the Elites relocate again, this time to Washington,
D.C. and again Wright was voted to the East-West Game. As a nod to his
burgeoning talent, the 22 year-old was asked to join a Blackball
all-star team that competed at the 1936 Denver Post Tournament, the
World Series of semi-pro baseball. Five of the players on the champion
Negro League team - Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, Cool Papa Bell, Ray
Brown and Buck Leonard, are now enshrined in Cooperstown. 1937 was
probably Wright's best year, at least in the Negro Leagues. Besides
hitting .387 and being among the leaders in all offensive categories,
Wright had two singles and a double in the East-West Game and his
running catch of Newt Allan's line drive saved the game for his team. <br /><br />In
1938 the Elite Giants finally found a permanent home in Baltimore,
Maryland. Wright had an off year, hitting under .300 and going hitless
in four at bats in the East-West Game, but rebounded in 1939. Finishing
second in batting with a .398 average, Wright and the Elites won their
first and only Negro National League pennant. It was Wright's double in
the final game that sparked an Elite Giants' rally that won them the
Championship. Facing white big leaguers in a post-season exhibition
game, Wright went 3 for 8 including a double off Bob Feller of the
Cleveland Indians. At this point Bill Wright was just reaching his prime
as a ballplayer. Due to his gracefulness in the outfield, Sportswriters
referred to him as the "Black DiMaggio" and his speed on the base paths
saw him finish at or near the top in steals each season. While he
didn't possess the slugging power one might expect from a 6'-4" giant,
Wright was always among the leaders in extra base hits. He mastered the
art of the drag bunt, using his speed to beat out any throw to first.
Although it can't be definitively documented, legend has it Wright was
clocked circling the bases in 13.2 seconds - the world record is 13.3
set by minor leaguer Evar Swanson in 1932. With a combined average of
.371 against white big leaguers in post-season exhibition games, Wright
undeniably demonstrated that he could not only hold his own against the
best Blackball had to offer, but white professionals as well. Had he
played out his entire career in the Negro Leagues it would be much
easier for us to gauge the level of his talent and put it in easy to
understand and translate figures. However, beginning in 1940, Wright
left the Negro Leagues and went to Mexico to play ball.<br /><br />Playing
against the Negro League, Cuban and Puerto Rican stars who were lured
south by lucrative contracts, Wright hit .360 and led the league with 30
doubles, finished second to Cool Papa Bell in hits and second to Sam
Bankhead in steals. The following season his .390 average beat out Hall
of Famers Josh Gibson, Martin Dihigo, Cool Papa Bell, Willie Wells and
Ray Dandridge for the batting crown. That winter Wright played for San
Juan in the Puerto Rican Winter League. Again, playing against the best
players outside the major Leagues, Wright was a standout, being named to
the All-Star Team and hitting the home run that put his team ahead in
game one of the two-game series.<br /><br />Due to the war and draft
regulations, Wright returned to the United States for the 1942 season.
Having an off-year, he barely managed .300 as the Elites lost the
second-half pennant in the last weekend of the season. Wright was off to
Mexico again in 1943 where he won the Triple Crown and stayed the
following season as well. He was back in Baltimore for the 1945 season
where he finished second in the batting championship. This would be
Wright's last season in America.<br /><br />In interviews he gave after his
retirement, Wright stated that he preferred the absence of racial
animosity in Mexico. South of the border he was an acknowledged star,
while in his own country, no matter how good he was, he was only a
marginal figure, known only by those who followed segregated baseball.
Besides, life was easy for a ballplayer in Mexico. Unlike the Negro
Leagues where playing two games in different towns on the same day was
not unheard of, the Liga Mexicana played only on Friday, Saturday and
Sundays. The travel was by train or airplane, a world apart from the
bone-rattling bus rides that were the normal mode of transport in the
Negro Leagues. Age also has something to do with Wright's decision to
stay in Mexico. When Jackie Robinson integrated organized baseball in
1946, Wright was 32, too old to be seriously considered for a shot at
the majors. This, combined with the quick collapse of the Negro Leagues
after 1946, kept Wild Bill Wright in Mexico. The Mexican League had one
last great season, 1946, when not only Negro League players, but also
white big leaguers, ventured south. In what can be called his last
hurrah, Wild Bill outhit all the white major league imports. He played
through 1951, then opened a restaurant with his Hawaiian-born wife in
Aguascalientes. Called "Bill Wright's Dugout," the restaurant
capitalized on the familiarity of his name to Mexican sports fans.
Wright raised his family in Aguascalientes, venturing back to the States
only later in life to attend Negro League reunions. For his
contribution to Mexican baseball, Wright was elected to the Mexico's
Salon de la Fama in 1982.<br /><br />So that's the story of Wild Bill. It's
always bothered me that not only was this fine athlete denied the big
league career his skills surely merited, but he's not even widely known
today because the same mindless racism that kept him from the majors
also forced him to move to another country where he played out his
career in relative obscurity. While his contemporaries who played the
bulk of their career in the U.S. have belatedly received the recognition
they deserved, Wright, despite his statistics, remains a largely
forgotten figure. I think it's fair to say that it is his time spent
alternating between the Negro and Mexican Leagues that hindered any late
recognition of his career and rendered analysis of his talent
difficult. I'd always wanted to do a story and illustration of Bill
Wright, but it wasn't until I was at a book signing in Tennessee last
summer that I put Wild Bill on the front burner. Among the people who
turned out for the event was a nice group of Knoxville SABR members. One
of the fellas struck up a conversation about Wild Bill Wright which, of
course, peaked my interest. Turns out he was part of movement to get
Wright elected to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, as
of this writing, Bill Wright has not been elected to this organization.
No doubt his career spent in the shadows of baseball history has
everything to do with this oversight.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Those
who have met me in person know I'm not the kind of guy to toot my own
horn. In fact, much to my detriment, I'm lousy about promoting myself.
That's why it's hard for me to ask this, but this is something that
needs to be done: if you bought a copy of The League of Outsider
Baseball, can you please take the time to write a review of it on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-League-Outsider-Baseball-Illustrated/dp/1476775230" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-league-of-outsider-baseball-gary-cieradkowski/1119883960" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a> or <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22609604-the-league-of-outsider-baseball" target="_blank">Good Reads</a>?
It would mean a lot to me and most importantly give future publishers
an idea of what the book reading public thinks of my work. Almost all of
the existing reader's reviews have been flattering, but every once in a
while some crackpot writes a clunker<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> and it throws off the real ratings</span>. I for one often look at the reviews
on those sites before I spend my money on a book. Reviews aren't the
only thing I rely on in my purchasing process but it's certainly a
factor, and that's why I'm asking you to please take the time to write
your thoughts about my work.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
Gary Joseph Cieradkowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04780041109109187257noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109098029372196005.post-52897660995842103942016-10-19T06:45:00.001-07:002017-07-09T11:14:02.461-07:00224. Fred Clarke:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgppQwArHssk21VVd0ddNwQq9Cs3fO2UYvEYUrs-9qO7ptX75jqzC_ygKwH14Cha4XpTJynH8ejMhm3dYT5ONSHW0SSI01NZZdgMhIgir0dyR5nRop9MUIpjFxsrftCsDk6ca3-yAE1Vk-g/s1600/fred_clarke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="516" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgppQwArHssk21VVd0ddNwQq9Cs3fO2UYvEYUrs-9qO7ptX75jqzC_ygKwH14Cha4XpTJynH8ejMhm3dYT5ONSHW0SSI01NZZdgMhIgir0dyR5nRop9MUIpjFxsrftCsDk6ca3-yAE1Vk-g/s640/fred_clarke.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I've said it before many times, but I'll say it again: one of the best benefits about writing/illustrating <b>The Infinite Baseball Card Set</b> is all the baseball historians, writers and artists I've met. I've asked a few to be a "<a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/search/label/Guest%20Author">Guest Author</a>"
on here and this week I'm pleased to have Angelo Louisa. You may have heard of him, he<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'s been the autho<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">r, co-author <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">or</span> editor <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">of a bunch of solid baseball books, and there's a good chance one of them sits on your bookshelf right now<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I know</span></span> h<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">is book on the 1926 Pirates sits on m<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ine<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, and</span> Angelo<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> chose a character from that <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">very</span> book <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">a</span>s the subject of th<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">is week's story...</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">With virtually the same personnel that had won both
the National League pennant and the World Series the previous season, the 1926
Pittsburgh Pirates were favored by the majority of preseason prognosticators to
capture the pennant for the second year in a row. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But they ended up in third place, four and a
half games behind the St. Louis Cardinals. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">That failure has largely been attributed to the
alleged dissension caused by the presence of vice president and assistant to
the manager Fred Clarke on the Pirate bench and to the ramifications of an
attempt by several players to remove him, known as the "ABC Affair."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">For the casual fan of baseball history,
the name Fred Clarke may not mean anything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But for the knowledgeable fan or the baseball historian, it may conjure
up images of the fiery player-manager of the Louisville Colonels and Pittsburgh
Pirates, someone who was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a
left fielder but who could have been elected as either a player or a
manager.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a player, Clarke was an
excellent hitter, an aggressive base runner, a daring defender, and a fierce
competitor who, according to Baseball-Reference.com (as of September 18, 2016),
placed in the final seasonal top 10 in positive offensive and defensive statistical
categories 194 times (not including games played, defensive games played as an outfielder,
at bats, and plate appearances) throughout his 21-year career in the National
League.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a manager, he led his teams
to four pennants, one World Series championship out of two appearances, a
remarkable 14 straight first-division finishes, and a .576 regular-season winning
percentage (.595 with the Pirates). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
he accomplished these feats while managing against such notable skippers as Ned
Hanlon, Frank Selee, George Stallings, John McGraw, and Frank Chance. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">However, even the knowledgeable fan or
the baseball historian may not be aware that Clarke was much more than a
baseball personage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ninth of 12
children of a blacksmith-farmer and his homemaker wife, Clarke used his dual
passions of baseball and working the soil, his athletic and mechanical talents,
and his optimistic nature and belief in fate to become an outdoorsy Renaissance
man and a multimillionaire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During his
nearly 88 years in this world, Clarke was an innovative and highly successful
rancher whose income skyrocketed when oil was discovered on his land; a Kansas
state champion amateur trapshooter; an outstanding equestrian who did riding
tricks from the back of his horse; an avid hunter, fisherman, and golfer; and a
skillful inventor who created and held patents for, among other things,
flip-down sunglasses, sliding pads, and a mechanical apparatus for putting the
tarpaulin over the baseball field.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">In addition, Clarke was a community
leader in Winfield, Kansas, who co-founded the area’s country club, helped to
build the town’s current Holy Name Catholic Church, and stood up to the Ku Klux
Klan when it tried to harass him for being a Roman Catholic. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Nor would the knowledgeable fan or the
baseball historian necessarily be aware that, at the request of Pirate owner
Barney Dreyfuss, Clarke returned to the Pirates in 1925 as assistant to the
owner, assistant to the manager, and head of scouting and was one of the key
people responsible for the Bucs winning the National League pennant and the
World Series championship that year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Clarke remained with the Pirates in 1926, having become vice president
of the club during the offseason while retaining his positions as assistant to
the manager and head of scouting, and endeavored to aid them in seizing another
pennant. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But his efforts came to naught.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A talented Pirate team did not live up to
expectations and a scapegoat had to be found to explain the bronze medal finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For certain Pittsburgh sportswriters and fans,
that scapegoat was Clarke, a belief that some later writers have also held.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">However, in 2006, I began to research
the ’26 Pirates in general and the ABC Affair in particular, looking at all
five mainstream Pittsburgh newspapers—not just those that criticized Clarke or
those that have been digitized—as well as various player interviews and other
primary sources and discovered </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">that the blame assigned to Clarke
has been mostly misplaced and that the reasons for the Bucs' failure were far
more complex.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The result of my research
is a book titled <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Pirates-Unraveled-Pittsburghs-1926-Season/dp/0786470704/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476884629&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Pirates+Unraveled%3A+Pittsburgh%E2%80%99s+1926+Season" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Pirates Unraveled:Pittsburgh’s 1926 Season</i></a>, which was published last October by
McFarland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I’ll resist temptation to
say anything else about it because I want you to read the details for yourself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To order a copy of the book, go to
www.mcfarlandpub.com.</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Angelo J. Louisa</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> is a researcher, writer, and community educator who lives in Omaha,
Nebraska. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A member of the Society for
American Baseball Research, he has contributed articles to books, periodicals,
and websites, is co-editor of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Forbes-Field-Memories-Historic-1909-1971/dp/078642754X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476884656&sr=8-1&keywords=Forbes+Field%3A+Essays+and+Memories+of+the+Pirates" target="_blank">ForbesField: Essays and Memories of the Pirates’ Historic Ballpark, 1909-1971</a> </i>and
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mysteries-Baseballs-Past-Investigations-Unsettled/dp/0786445548/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476884686&sr=8-1&keywords=Mysteries+from+Baseball%E2%80%99s+Past%3A+Investigations+of+Nine+Unsettled+Questions" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mysteries from Baseball’s Past:Investigations of Nine Unsettled Questions</i></a>,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>and is series co-editor of McFarland Historic Ballparks.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span>Gary Joseph Cieradkowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04780041109109187257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109098029372196005.post-36641223723126713722016-10-12T07:56:00.000-07:002017-07-09T11:14:35.638-07:00223. Bill Crouch: One for the Record Books<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6vc-PgtzRSvrlcDgC6qkKqg1gD8VV5pGcJakjKVm9HIHiN3s0Zpg6f-uPN0qXBbfy5303rPlCSF4jp5l4jyQXnVvCLZquWtcfo323MnM-W2zLlTAA8rpST7v1REx5Uz9aucF8laFaTzQG/s1600/bill_crouch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="516" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6vc-PgtzRSvrlcDgC6qkKqg1gD8VV5pGcJakjKVm9HIHiN3s0Zpg6f-uPN0qXBbfy5303rPlCSF4jp5l4jyQXnVvCLZquWtcfo323MnM-W2zLlTAA8rpST7v1REx5Uz9aucF8laFaTzQG/s640/bill_crouch.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Baseball is completely governed by statistics and records. It's the one thing that makes the game unique <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">when compared to</span> other sports. While football, hockey and (especially) basketball have radically evolved over the years in both playing style and equipment, since the introduction of the juiced up ball in 1920 baseball is essentially the same. That means you can pretty much compare a guy like <a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/search/label/Dazzy%20Vance" target="_blank">Dazzy Vance</a>, Brooklyn pitching star of the 1920's with Sandy Koufax of the 1960s and then with Orel Hershiser of the 1990's. There's differences of course, like mound height, <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">watered<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">-</span>down talent pool, etc., </span>but much less so than any other big<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">-</span>money sport. That's why baseball's records are more <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">sacred</span> than other sports. Home run totals, hitting streaks, etc, are all measuring sticks we use to gauge how good a ballplayer is. Some records are ever changing, like career home run totals or stolen bases. Others, like single season wins by a pitcher will never be topped because we've learned (and been told by agents and the Player's Union) not to over-use a player. A 30 game season is simply unreachable these days, let alone Hoss Radburn's 59 set in 1884. <a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/search/label/Johnny%20Vander%20Meer" target="_blank">Johnny Vander Meer's</a> back-to-back no-hitters is one that theoretically could be matched, but the odds are <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">radically </span>against it. Heck, even complete games are rare. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Today i</span>t's newsworthy when a pitcher makes it past the 7th inning stretch, and that's why the record set in today's story - most strikeouts in one game - will never be broken. Most fans know that Roger Clemens, Kerry Wood and Max Scherzer hold the MLB record for most K's in 9 inning game: 20. When the game gets extended into extra innings, the totals go a bit higher: Tom Cheney struck out 21 in a 16 inning game back in 1962. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Trudge</span> into the wild and woolly recesses of the minor leagues and it gets even better: in 1952 Ron Necciai whiffed 27 batters in a 9 inning Appalachian League game and Hooks Iott struck out 30 batters in a 16 inning Class D game in 1941. But one semi-pro pitcher topped even that, in both innings pitched and K's recorded...</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It was about as good a debut a rookie could ask for. For five years Bill Crouch had been toiling in relative obscurity on the sandlots of his native Wilmington, Delaware when suddenly in July of 1910 he was signed by the St. Louis Browns. Crouch was twenty-three years old, a hefty lefthander with a good fastball and a serviceable curve who'd carved out an admirable record playing in Wilmington's semi-pro industrial leagues. The first professional baseball contract Bill Crouch signed his name to was the one he'd just signed with St. Louis. Now, the St. Louis Browns in 1910 were a pretty miserable lot. They'd finish the year 47-107, and when a ball club reaches that low a point they'll try just about anything to right the ship. Indeed, twenty different pitchers appeared for St. Louis that summer, and on July 12, 1910, it was Bill Crouch's turn. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Browns were in Washington to face the Senators at American League Park. It was a grey, rain-swept afternoon in the nation's capital as the 23 year-old southpaw prepared for his first professional baseball game. For a guy catapulted from the sandlots right into to the big leagues, it
must have been a nerve-racking prospect. Pitching on weekends for the DuPont Powder Company baseball team was one thing, suiting up for the St. Louis Browns was quite another. I'm sure it made him even more unnerved when he discovered his opponent that afternoon would be Walter
Johnson - on his way to becoming the greatest right handed pitcher in the history of the game.
Johnson was in his fourth big league season and would win 25 games for Washington that
year. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The game was scoreless through two frames before St. Louis scored two off Johnson in the third. Washington got to Crouch in the fourth inning, plating three runs. The rookie was a bit wild, walking seven, and he struggled when it came to fielding his position. Washington used this to their advantage and bunted often, resulting in two errors by the hefty lefty. The young Walter Johnson was firing on all cylinders, striking out 13 Brownies until the fifth when his throwing error let in two runs for a 4-3 St. Louis lead. After a pair of rain delays the evening gloom was setting in and just when it looked like Crouch would have his first big lead victory, a few walks capped off with an error by the shortstop let in the tying run. By this time the ballpark was wrapped in darkness and the game was called, forever locked in a 4-4 tie.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It wasn't a bad debut. Dueling Walter Johnson to a tie is never something to sneeze at, and the newspapers the next morning said as much. Considering the Browns' deplorable mound corps, it was expected that Crouch would get another start, but it wasn't to be. Citing his "inexperience", Browns manager Jack Reynolds released the southpaw to the Richmond Colts of the Virginia League. But life in the Bush Leagues wasn't what Bill Crouch had in mind. Telling St. Louis' manager "it's the major leagues or nothing", Crouch took the train back to Wilmington. He had a wife, Effie, and three year-old boy, Bill Jr., and besides, he made more making explosives and pitching on weekends for DuPont than an anonymous minor league pitcher ever could. His one-and-done big league career makes Bill Crouch one of the very few ballplayers to go from the semi-pros directly to the majors without spending any time in the minors. It's quite an accomplishment, and that's where history would have left Bill Crouch, had it not been for an even more extraordinary mound appearance six years after his one and only big league game.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Back in Wilmington Crouch resumed his position as the local sandlot hero. With a big league game under his belt, the southpaw was in high demand, but fate intervened. Arm trouble and an operation sidelined him for all of 1911 and when he came back in 1912 his left arm was useless. Still, his natural talent and name recognition kept him in the lineup as a first baseman on lower-tiered clubs through 1915. Then, the old wing started to come around and by 1916 Bill Crouch was back on the mound. Now thirty and a little bit on the portly side, Crouch took up mound duties for the Brandywine Athletic Association team in the All-Wilmington League. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The game that would set a world record for Bill Crouch wasn't supposed to even take place. The May 30, 1916 game was an unscheduled make-up tilt between Eastlake and Crouch's Brandywine club. Eastlake scored a run off the old lefthander in the second inning but Brandywine took the lead the next inning with two runs. Eastlake tied it up in the sixth. Crouch hummed along, striking out Eastlake player after Eastlake player. And as good as Crouch was, Ennis, Eastlake's pitcher, was keeping pace with the veteran. The zeros piled up as the afternoon wore on. Eight, nine, ten innings and still no score. Both pitchers has great control with only two walks apiece. While Ennis was retiring the Brandywine players on ground balls and fly outs, Crouch was blowing the ball past the Eastlake bats. Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen innings ticked by and no runs. The crowd stayed put in their seats, everyone knowing they were watching the greatest baseball game ever played in Wilmington. Three hours and forty-five minutes and nineteen innings after the game's start, Wilmington finally got a rally started. A single and some good base running got Brandywine three runs. Crouch came on in the bottom of the 19th and retired the side for the win. When the scorebook was tallied, Bill Crouch had faced 70 batters, given up only a pair of walks and scattered ten hits over 19 innings. But the most remarkable thing was that e has struck out 31 batters - a new world record and one that will most likely never be broken. Crouch's feat made newspapers coast-to-coast but failed to bring any offers to resume his short big league career. With just 16 major league teams in 1916, no club was willing to take a chance on a middle-aged pitcher with a history of arm trouble - world record or no world record. Besides, chances are Bill Crouch didn't want the hassle of starting a new career. He had carved out a nice niche for himself and like many <a href="http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/search/label/Brooklyn%20Bushwicks" target="_blank">semi-pro stars</a> of the pre-WWII period, made good money on his own terms. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">That was pretty much the extent of Bill Crouch's career in baseball. During the 1930's the Crouch's moved to Michigan where the old ballplayer worked for Cadillac. He passed away a few days before Christmas, 1945, at the age of 59.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you look up Bill Crouch in the Baseball Encyclopedia (sorry, that's a force of habit - of course today everyone use<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">s</span> Baseball-reference.com), you'll find his one-line career. But right below you'll see that in 1939, another pitcher named Bill Crouch, this one a righty, made his big league debut for Brooklyn. This was Bill Crouch Jr., son of the old lefthander. Junior had a three year career with the Dodgers, Phillies and Cardinals, posting a 5-3 career record.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I hope you enjoyed this little story. I really enjoy plucking these players from baseball's hidden corners, dusting off the obscurity and letting their stories come to life again. There's ten thousand books and articles on Ty Cobb, and you can find them in any bookstore. To find a Bill Crouch you have to stumble over his story in the dim light of baseball's past. That's what I like, and I hope you do, too.</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>Gary Joseph Cieradkowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04780041109109187257noreply@blogger.com0