Most of us have that one player we wished we could have seen for ourselves. A player that needs our self-validation. Or a player that capyured our heart reading about him and would like to see if the player was as good as the stories.
For me, I have a left handed and right handed hitter that tops my list.
The right handed hitter is Rogers Hornsby. He had the greatest five year stretch in baseball, where he averaged hitting around .400. Hornsby was simply the best hitter in the National League during his era. And arguably, of All-Time.He dominated pitchers like nobody does today.
He is the only player in history to have a 40-.400, which is 4o homers and bat .400
He is only one of four players to have a decade long Triple Crown in his league, joining Honus Wagner, Ted Williams, and Albert Pujols.
He was reportedly the fastest man in the National League during his early years. He did not 'like' stealing bases, but had over 30 inside the park homers and led the league in triples twice.
But to talk about Hornsby, it would only be a good exercise for what he did on the field. Like Ty Cobb, most competitors despised him and even teammates and the players that played for him while Managing, disliked him.
Hornsby was dedicated to baseball. Like Babe Ruth, he would not go to movies or read books, fearing that his eyes would be somehow damaged.
Hornsby could not understand why other players, especially his own teammates, could not excel, as he did. He pushed his own life style onto other players. Berating them for drinking, smoking, reading, or generally, anything that may deter a baseball player.
Hornsby's vice was gambling. And he wasn't very good at it. He lost constantly and it would lead to acrimony in both his personal and playing life. He played the horses. At the time, horse racing was the biggest sport in the U.S. Baseball was third, but with Hornsby and of course, Babe Ruth, baseball would overtake both horse racing and boxing.
Hornsby's abrasive personality would lead to fall outs in marriages and ball clubs in his later years. Hornsby reportedly settled a few lawsuits out of court for punching fellows and even hitting a pedestrian with a car when he decided he was not moving fast enough.
Hornsby was also a card carrying member of the Ku Klux Klan.
One of my favorite questions is 'If having a dinner with folks alive or dead for a night, who would you invite?
Hornsby is on my list.
I'd like to find out about his hitting style and what he thought about baseball during his time and through that conversation, find out if he was as big of a jerk as has been reported.
I'll write about Lou Gehrig tomorrow.
Best Players We Never Saw
Best Players We Never Saw
Last edited by DOUGHBOYS on Mon Jan 14, 2013 7:36 am, edited 1 time in total.
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
-
rockitsauce
- Posts: 1095
- Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2007 6:00 pm
Re: Best Players We Never Saw
Hornsby was also a card carrying member of the Ku Klux Klan. that's not enough evidence for you ???
Plus anyone who refuses to read
...it's unbelievable that he'd be a member of the KKK.
Plus anyone who refuses to read
...it's unbelievable that he'd be a member of the KKK.Always be closing.
Re: Best Players We Never Saw
This may have all the looks of a novel instead of just a post, you were forewarned. Lou Gehrig was the subject of the first book I ever checked out of my elementary school, 'The Lou Gehrig Story. I was already hooked on baseball before reading that book, but it propelled me to look at baseball's history as well. After reading this book, it was on to every other historical book I could find about baseball. My Mom and Dad were happy with my math (batting avg, ERA) and reading (baseball books), but noticed anything non-baseball was a drag on the report card. Anyway....
With World War I approaching, German immigrants seeked to distance themselves from their homeland. Heinrich Gehrig, Lou's Dad, decided to go by the name, Henry. Little 'Heiny' would be called by his middle name, Louis or Lou.
Lou Gehrig grew up a 'Mama's Boy'. He listened and adhered to any rule his Mom made. His public displays of hugging and kissing his Mother would be the source of ribbing through his younger, teen, and even his young adult life. Lou didn't care, he loved his Mother immensely and didn't care who knew it. His father, a drinker and seemingly always too ill to hold down a job, had little influence on Lou's life. Later, his coaches would be the father figures that Lou had missed in his younger years.
Nothing came easy for Lou Gehrig. He had to practice at every sport to be on par with the neighborhood kids. As a kid, his nicknames included 'Caboose', Fat Ass', or just plain 'Fat'. Gehrig was adorned with a larger than average butt as a kid and other kids loved reminding him of the fact.
The Gehrig's lived within walking distance to the Polo Grounds. The older Gehrig's scoffed at baseball and would never waste a quarter to get into the game. The games started in the late afternoon, so that folks could rush over to the ball park after work and school to watch the Giants play. Coogans Bluff looked over the Polo Grounds and was 'free admission' for those that didn't mind a far away view. Young Lou would sit and watch as often as possible. In 1910, the Giants and Highlanders, who would later be the Yankees, engaged in their own City World Series. The Giants beat the Highlanders four games to two and seven year old Lou and most of his friends were hooked on both baseball and the Giants. Baseball became the premier game in the neighborhood.
By the time Lou was in high school, he had grown into his body. Well mostly, he was still called 'Caboose' for his larger than normal posterior. It would follow him his life, Yankee teammates would give him the nickname, 'Biscuit', because it looked like he carried the baked item behind him. At the same time, he was the best athlete in his school.
As a senior in High School, he led Commerce High to Champions of the East. The reward was to play a high school in Chicago, Lane Technical, for the National Championship.
The newspapers played it up, one even calling young Gehrig, "The Babe Ruth of High Schools".
There was one snag. Gehrig's mother did not see the reason for the trip. She thought of baseball as trivial. His studies would suffer and perhaps worse, she had never been separated from her son. Lou explained to her that he would catch up on his studies and that this game was not merely just a game, but a Championship game.
Mrs. Gehrig was steadfast. Lou asked his coach to intervene. His Coach told her that he would keep a special eye on Lou and that the trip itself would be a learning process for young Lou. He reminded her that the Gehrig's didn't have the money for Lou to travel outside of New York and that this may be a once in a lifetime opportunity for the lad.
Mom acquiesced.
The game was to be played at Cubs Park, which would turn into being named, Wrigley Field.
8,000 people jammed Grand Central Station as a sendoff for the kids. Former President William Taft who also was on the train to Chicago stopped into their car to wish them luck.
When arriving in Chicago, 2,000 were awaiting to get a glimpse of them. Meanwhile, Taft slipped off the train, virtually unnoticed.
They were treated to a White Sox- Indians game at Comiskey Park. Most of the kids in awe of Joe Jackson and how easy he made the game of baseball look. Two years later, Jackson would be barred from the game of baseball.
The next day, the kids took batting practice in front of spectators and sports writers. The Chicago Tribune reported that 'Gherig' had hit balls deep enough to clear Wrigley Field's right field wall with ease. Though they didn't get the spelling right, the meat of the story was correct.
The game was played, and as typical of a high school game, it had plenty of walks and errors.
Commerce was leading 8-6 in the ninth inning when Gehrig came up with the bases loaded and two outs. He swung at the first pitch and connected. It soared high and deep, the New Yorker's started jumping and whaling, they'd seen this kind of hit from Gehrig before. Chicago players and fans had never seen a high schooler hit a ball like that one. Heck, they'd barely seen a pro do it! They gaped, mouths open.
The ball sailed over the wall, over the bleachers, landed on Sheffield Avenue and took one hop to a porch.
The next day, Chicago and New York papers were calling him "Babe Gehrig".
His Mom smiled as she put the cut out article in her bureau drawer.
Gehrig received scholarship offers from major universities. His ticket was already punched though. His Mom worked at Columbia as cleaning lady. She wanted Lou to get a College education and where better than the very University that employeed her?
Gehrig himself was still a mama's boy. Still very shy, he hardly said hi to girls, let alone, date them. Some estimates have Gehrig's fist kiss in his 20's. Gehrig filled his time when not studying or playing ball with any other competition. He would challenge friends to punting a football, playing work-ups, one on one basketball. Lou had his Mom and competition. It was all that he needed.
During Spring practice for Columbia, the New York Giants tried to talk Lou into signing. They even gave him a workout in front of who many thought to be the greatest Manager of all time, John McGraw.
Gehrig entered the Polo Grounds, remembering he couldn't buy a ticket and looked out to Coogans Bluff where he watched as a kid. He met McGraw and took a bat. He hit seven balls. All landing beyond the short right field fence.
McGraw yelled at him to go get his glove and take some grounders. The first ball skipped by his glove and rolled between his legs out to right field. McGraw let out an audible groan. He fielded a few more till McGraw said that was enough.
McGraw never talked about 'the one that got away'. He was 'old school' And old school back then meant 'slap and run' baseball.
Not home runs.
The Giants passed.
Gehrig decided to play on a semi-pro team. Although Gehrig was already getting a reputation for being a clean living soul, someone that lived by rules, this may have been the worst decision Gehrig made. Playing semi-pro ball had the possiblity of ruining his collegiate career. He stopped immediately when knowing of the repercussions, but Gehrig was penalized a full year of playing ball at Columbia.
His Mom thought this to be a good thing. That Lou could focus more on his studies than a silly game. She was wrong. While he was banned from playing, Gehrig still attended every practice. In his mindset, those were HIS games.
In the Fall of his sophomore year, he played football and became Columbia's star running back, defensive tackle and kicker.
For Gehrig, it was a time killer till baseball.
April 18, 1923 was a huge day in Yankee history. Yankee Stadium opened its doors to 74,000 people and turned away 25,000 more. It was the house that Ruth built. And Ruth would hit the first home run in leading the Yankees to victory.
Across town, Lou Gehrig was pitching for Columbia. Gehrig always had the strongest arm of any team he had played with, but his bat usually put him at first base. Gehrig set a school record by striking out 17. He would pitch 11 of Columbia's 19 games, but the hitting was what he'd be remembered for. Gehrig hit .444 and had homers that landed more than 450 feet from home plate.
Gehrig was approached near the end of the school year and offered a contract by the Yankees. Normally, the answer would have been a simple 'No'. But timing is everything. Both of Lou's parents were sick, he never thought of himself as college material, and felt the urge to help his family.
He signed for $400 a month with a $1500 bonus.
A few years later, the Yankees would offer Hank Greenberg, a New York City high school graduate, $10,000.
Greenberg turned it down when attending a Yankees game with the brass and watching Gehrig at first base. He signed with the Tigers a week later for $9,000.
Gehrig's first batting practice with Yankee teammates was comical. He watched the Yankees all crack the ball hard. Growing ever more nervous in what he could show them. Finally, Miller Huggins, the Yankees Manager told Lou to grab a bat and 'show us what you got'. Gehrig grabbed a bat and stepped into the batters box. He adjusted the bat with the label up and shuddered. He took the first four pitches. They were all right down the middle, He started getting chided by the veterans to swing the bat. He hit a couple of singles, then got more comfortable as he hit a few line drives near the fence.
Then abruptly quit. He went over to the grass and lay the bat down gently. Near the end of the bat were the words- GEORGE 'BABE RUTH. Gehrig was too shy to change bats and ever thankful that he didn't crack a legend's bat.
Sorry folks, I'll have to make this a Part One of this post with Part Two to come later.....Again sorry.
With World War I approaching, German immigrants seeked to distance themselves from their homeland. Heinrich Gehrig, Lou's Dad, decided to go by the name, Henry. Little 'Heiny' would be called by his middle name, Louis or Lou.
Lou Gehrig grew up a 'Mama's Boy'. He listened and adhered to any rule his Mom made. His public displays of hugging and kissing his Mother would be the source of ribbing through his younger, teen, and even his young adult life. Lou didn't care, he loved his Mother immensely and didn't care who knew it. His father, a drinker and seemingly always too ill to hold down a job, had little influence on Lou's life. Later, his coaches would be the father figures that Lou had missed in his younger years.
Nothing came easy for Lou Gehrig. He had to practice at every sport to be on par with the neighborhood kids. As a kid, his nicknames included 'Caboose', Fat Ass', or just plain 'Fat'. Gehrig was adorned with a larger than average butt as a kid and other kids loved reminding him of the fact.
The Gehrig's lived within walking distance to the Polo Grounds. The older Gehrig's scoffed at baseball and would never waste a quarter to get into the game. The games started in the late afternoon, so that folks could rush over to the ball park after work and school to watch the Giants play. Coogans Bluff looked over the Polo Grounds and was 'free admission' for those that didn't mind a far away view. Young Lou would sit and watch as often as possible. In 1910, the Giants and Highlanders, who would later be the Yankees, engaged in their own City World Series. The Giants beat the Highlanders four games to two and seven year old Lou and most of his friends were hooked on both baseball and the Giants. Baseball became the premier game in the neighborhood.
By the time Lou was in high school, he had grown into his body. Well mostly, he was still called 'Caboose' for his larger than normal posterior. It would follow him his life, Yankee teammates would give him the nickname, 'Biscuit', because it looked like he carried the baked item behind him. At the same time, he was the best athlete in his school.
As a senior in High School, he led Commerce High to Champions of the East. The reward was to play a high school in Chicago, Lane Technical, for the National Championship.
The newspapers played it up, one even calling young Gehrig, "The Babe Ruth of High Schools".
There was one snag. Gehrig's mother did not see the reason for the trip. She thought of baseball as trivial. His studies would suffer and perhaps worse, she had never been separated from her son. Lou explained to her that he would catch up on his studies and that this game was not merely just a game, but a Championship game.
Mrs. Gehrig was steadfast. Lou asked his coach to intervene. His Coach told her that he would keep a special eye on Lou and that the trip itself would be a learning process for young Lou. He reminded her that the Gehrig's didn't have the money for Lou to travel outside of New York and that this may be a once in a lifetime opportunity for the lad.
Mom acquiesced.
The game was to be played at Cubs Park, which would turn into being named, Wrigley Field.
8,000 people jammed Grand Central Station as a sendoff for the kids. Former President William Taft who also was on the train to Chicago stopped into their car to wish them luck.
When arriving in Chicago, 2,000 were awaiting to get a glimpse of them. Meanwhile, Taft slipped off the train, virtually unnoticed.
They were treated to a White Sox- Indians game at Comiskey Park. Most of the kids in awe of Joe Jackson and how easy he made the game of baseball look. Two years later, Jackson would be barred from the game of baseball.
The next day, the kids took batting practice in front of spectators and sports writers. The Chicago Tribune reported that 'Gherig' had hit balls deep enough to clear Wrigley Field's right field wall with ease. Though they didn't get the spelling right, the meat of the story was correct.
The game was played, and as typical of a high school game, it had plenty of walks and errors.
Commerce was leading 8-6 in the ninth inning when Gehrig came up with the bases loaded and two outs. He swung at the first pitch and connected. It soared high and deep, the New Yorker's started jumping and whaling, they'd seen this kind of hit from Gehrig before. Chicago players and fans had never seen a high schooler hit a ball like that one. Heck, they'd barely seen a pro do it! They gaped, mouths open.
The ball sailed over the wall, over the bleachers, landed on Sheffield Avenue and took one hop to a porch.
The next day, Chicago and New York papers were calling him "Babe Gehrig".
His Mom smiled as she put the cut out article in her bureau drawer.
Gehrig received scholarship offers from major universities. His ticket was already punched though. His Mom worked at Columbia as cleaning lady. She wanted Lou to get a College education and where better than the very University that employeed her?
Gehrig himself was still a mama's boy. Still very shy, he hardly said hi to girls, let alone, date them. Some estimates have Gehrig's fist kiss in his 20's. Gehrig filled his time when not studying or playing ball with any other competition. He would challenge friends to punting a football, playing work-ups, one on one basketball. Lou had his Mom and competition. It was all that he needed.
During Spring practice for Columbia, the New York Giants tried to talk Lou into signing. They even gave him a workout in front of who many thought to be the greatest Manager of all time, John McGraw.
Gehrig entered the Polo Grounds, remembering he couldn't buy a ticket and looked out to Coogans Bluff where he watched as a kid. He met McGraw and took a bat. He hit seven balls. All landing beyond the short right field fence.
McGraw yelled at him to go get his glove and take some grounders. The first ball skipped by his glove and rolled between his legs out to right field. McGraw let out an audible groan. He fielded a few more till McGraw said that was enough.
McGraw never talked about 'the one that got away'. He was 'old school' And old school back then meant 'slap and run' baseball.
Not home runs.
The Giants passed.
Gehrig decided to play on a semi-pro team. Although Gehrig was already getting a reputation for being a clean living soul, someone that lived by rules, this may have been the worst decision Gehrig made. Playing semi-pro ball had the possiblity of ruining his collegiate career. He stopped immediately when knowing of the repercussions, but Gehrig was penalized a full year of playing ball at Columbia.
His Mom thought this to be a good thing. That Lou could focus more on his studies than a silly game. She was wrong. While he was banned from playing, Gehrig still attended every practice. In his mindset, those were HIS games.
In the Fall of his sophomore year, he played football and became Columbia's star running back, defensive tackle and kicker.
For Gehrig, it was a time killer till baseball.
April 18, 1923 was a huge day in Yankee history. Yankee Stadium opened its doors to 74,000 people and turned away 25,000 more. It was the house that Ruth built. And Ruth would hit the first home run in leading the Yankees to victory.
Across town, Lou Gehrig was pitching for Columbia. Gehrig always had the strongest arm of any team he had played with, but his bat usually put him at first base. Gehrig set a school record by striking out 17. He would pitch 11 of Columbia's 19 games, but the hitting was what he'd be remembered for. Gehrig hit .444 and had homers that landed more than 450 feet from home plate.
Gehrig was approached near the end of the school year and offered a contract by the Yankees. Normally, the answer would have been a simple 'No'. But timing is everything. Both of Lou's parents were sick, he never thought of himself as college material, and felt the urge to help his family.
He signed for $400 a month with a $1500 bonus.
A few years later, the Yankees would offer Hank Greenberg, a New York City high school graduate, $10,000.
Greenberg turned it down when attending a Yankees game with the brass and watching Gehrig at first base. He signed with the Tigers a week later for $9,000.
Gehrig's first batting practice with Yankee teammates was comical. He watched the Yankees all crack the ball hard. Growing ever more nervous in what he could show them. Finally, Miller Huggins, the Yankees Manager told Lou to grab a bat and 'show us what you got'. Gehrig grabbed a bat and stepped into the batters box. He adjusted the bat with the label up and shuddered. He took the first four pitches. They were all right down the middle, He started getting chided by the veterans to swing the bat. He hit a couple of singles, then got more comfortable as he hit a few line drives near the fence.
Then abruptly quit. He went over to the grass and lay the bat down gently. Near the end of the bat were the words- GEORGE 'BABE RUTH. Gehrig was too shy to change bats and ever thankful that he didn't crack a legend's bat.
Sorry folks, I'll have to make this a Part One of this post with Part Two to come later.....Again sorry.
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Re: Best Players We Never Saw
Alright, let's finish this puppy up....
Gehrig's 2,130 game streak did not start the day that he replaced Wally Pipp. He had pinch hit the day before. The last time he would ever pinch hit.
Sportswriters of the 20' and 30's took facts and sensationalized them. Newspapers were at their height in sales. Besides those fortunate enough to have a radio, newspapers were the only way to find out what was happening in the world.
Wally Pipp did not choose to go out of the lineup with a headache. The headache was that he was hitting .244 with only three home runs from a power position.
The day Pipp was benched, Miller Huggins also benched the Yankees starting catcher and second baseman. The Yankees had lost five games in a row. Ruth was not carrying the team in his usual way and changes needed to be made.
It made for great copy later that Wally Pipp was replaced after asking out of the lineup with a headache. But most likely, it never happened.
Wally Pipp didn't get 'Pipped', he got 'Gehriged'
Gehrig became the Company Man of Yankees. His Managers, Huggins and McCarthy became the father figures for him. He was always in by curfew, even preferring it. He drank little and did not carouse at all, He had starting dating girls, but anytime they got to the 'Meet Mrs. Gehrig' stage, Mother Gehrig would disapprove of the girl and Gehrig would dismiss the lady.
When contracts were sent to players, the veterans knew to send it back unsigned, asking for a larger amount of money. Until later in his career, Gehrig would sign the contract and send it back. Even though his numbers were close to Ruth's in most categories, Ruth out earned Gehrig most years by three or fourfold.
Ruth had an agent. Gehrig, none. Ruth had a trainer. Gehrig, none. Ruth had charisma. Gehrig, none.
When Ruth would introduce Gehrig to folks, he'd say, 'This is Lou Gehrig, he don't say much'.
Gehrig was very comfortable with Ruth being the face of the Yankees.
Ruth was comfortable in the limelight.
Gehrig was comfortable at home with Mom.
The 1920's really were the 'roaring 20's.
Baseball went deep with home runs. Lindbergh made a transcontinental flight. Radio linked America together.
People were doing crazy things. Walking on tight ropes between buildings. Walking out on airplane wings.
And there were competitions that were made up too.
Ruth and Gehrig would go barnstorming through the west to show folks the wonder of the home run.
And once Gehrig was paid to be in a strange competition.
A champion fly fisherman, the best archer, Gehrig, and a professional golfer were to navigate nine holes of a golf course using their expertise to do so.
The fly fisherman would have a stroke for each cast. The archer for each arrow. Gehrig for each throw of a baseball, and the golfer for each swing.
The fly fisherman finished last with 45 strokes.
The archer and golfer, 33 strokes.
Gehrig, 32.
Gehrig was also approached to play professional basketball. He refused.
I'll cut this short (I know, too late for that!) Gehrig did meet the girl of his dreams. A girl that he felt strong enough about to go against his Mom's wishes. Or Gehrig concluded that no girl was going to be good enough for his Mom.
Throughout history, Gehrig has mistakenly been compared to Ruth. It's only because the two were linked together in the Yankee lineup for a long period and had annual home run and rbi races. Ruth won most of the home run races, Gehrig the rbi.
It is more fitting to compare Gehrig to another great hitter in baseball, Ted Williams.
Williams had years clipped from his career due to war duty. Gehrig, his disease.
If both had been able to have full careers, both would make everybody's 'top 5 players in history' list.
Sometimes, they still do.
Williams- 2292/7706/2654/521/1839/.344
Gehrig - 2164/8001/2771/493/1995/.340
The similarities are striking. Their styles differed in that Williams was not as strong as Gehrig. He was an almost all pull hitter. Gehrig was more of a slashing hitter who looked like Williams on inside pitches, but had the power to go opposite field, which set him apart from most hitters of his era.
In today's game, Williams would be disgusted with shifts put on left handed hitters. He was among the first of the hitter's that saw the shift when Lou Boudreaux decided to put three infielders on the right side of the infield. It was out of the realm of most thinkers then, now common.
The shift would bother Gehrig little. A pitcher would have to throw the ball inside or over the plate to take advantage of the defense. Odds are, that Gehrig would take advantage of the pitch more than the defense taking advantage of the pulled hit.
Gehrig still holds the American League record for rbi in a year.
Eight straight seasons of 120 rbi.
Seven seasons of over 150 rbi
His 52/18/47 2b/3b/hr line still stands as one of the best extra base hit seasons in baseball.
And still, the 2,130 straight games, not mentioned.
It doesn't have to be.
The streak didn't make the player. The player made the streak. Gehrig is not only defined by his streak or his stats. He is defined by his All American ways.
We all know how Gehrig died. If ever getting a chance, read the letters between Gehrig and his doctor and his wife's letters to the doctor.
Each trying to ease the blow on the others as much as possible.
His wife, imploring the Doctor to give Lou hope.
Lou asking the Doctor to ease the blow for his wife.
This is Gehrig's full speech on 'Lou Gehrig Day' at Yankee Stadium-
'Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans.
Look at these grand men. Which of you wouldn’t consider it the highlight of his career just to associate with them for even one day? Sure, I’m lucky. Who wouldn’t consider it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert? Also, the builder of baseball’s greatest empire, Ed Barrow? To have spent six years with that wonderful little fellow, Miller Huggins? Then to have spent the next nine years with that outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology, the best manager in baseball today, Joe McCarthy? Sure, I'm lucky.
When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift — that’s something. When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies — that’s something. When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter — that's something. When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so that you can have an education and build your body — it's a blessing. When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed — that's the finest I know.
So I close in saying that I might have been given a bad break, but I've got an awful lot to live for. Thank you.'
— Lou Gehrig at Yankee Stadium, July 4, 1939
He would die two years later. 16 years to the day of replacing Wally Pipp in the lineup.
Ruth and Gehrig's remains are in cemetary's next door to each other. That only seems right.
A month after Gehrig's passing, a monument was erected in Center Field to remember Lou.
It was the second such monument as Miller Huggins had his in 1932. The Babe would follow in 1949.
One footnote concerning Gehrig's consecutive game streak-
It is all the more amazing when considering that Yankee players seldom had 'true' off days.
Most off days were filled with exhibition games. A way for owners to make even more money.
The players didn't like them, but had no choice.
Of course, during the Yankees reign, Ruth and Gehrig were the Main draws for these exhibition games and both always played if able.
Gehrig's 2,130 game streak did not start the day that he replaced Wally Pipp. He had pinch hit the day before. The last time he would ever pinch hit.
Sportswriters of the 20' and 30's took facts and sensationalized them. Newspapers were at their height in sales. Besides those fortunate enough to have a radio, newspapers were the only way to find out what was happening in the world.
Wally Pipp did not choose to go out of the lineup with a headache. The headache was that he was hitting .244 with only three home runs from a power position.
The day Pipp was benched, Miller Huggins also benched the Yankees starting catcher and second baseman. The Yankees had lost five games in a row. Ruth was not carrying the team in his usual way and changes needed to be made.
It made for great copy later that Wally Pipp was replaced after asking out of the lineup with a headache. But most likely, it never happened.
Wally Pipp didn't get 'Pipped', he got 'Gehriged'
Gehrig became the Company Man of Yankees. His Managers, Huggins and McCarthy became the father figures for him. He was always in by curfew, even preferring it. He drank little and did not carouse at all, He had starting dating girls, but anytime they got to the 'Meet Mrs. Gehrig' stage, Mother Gehrig would disapprove of the girl and Gehrig would dismiss the lady.
When contracts were sent to players, the veterans knew to send it back unsigned, asking for a larger amount of money. Until later in his career, Gehrig would sign the contract and send it back. Even though his numbers were close to Ruth's in most categories, Ruth out earned Gehrig most years by three or fourfold.
Ruth had an agent. Gehrig, none. Ruth had a trainer. Gehrig, none. Ruth had charisma. Gehrig, none.
When Ruth would introduce Gehrig to folks, he'd say, 'This is Lou Gehrig, he don't say much'.
Gehrig was very comfortable with Ruth being the face of the Yankees.
Ruth was comfortable in the limelight.
Gehrig was comfortable at home with Mom.
The 1920's really were the 'roaring 20's.
Baseball went deep with home runs. Lindbergh made a transcontinental flight. Radio linked America together.
People were doing crazy things. Walking on tight ropes between buildings. Walking out on airplane wings.
And there were competitions that were made up too.
Ruth and Gehrig would go barnstorming through the west to show folks the wonder of the home run.
And once Gehrig was paid to be in a strange competition.
A champion fly fisherman, the best archer, Gehrig, and a professional golfer were to navigate nine holes of a golf course using their expertise to do so.
The fly fisherman would have a stroke for each cast. The archer for each arrow. Gehrig for each throw of a baseball, and the golfer for each swing.
The fly fisherman finished last with 45 strokes.
The archer and golfer, 33 strokes.
Gehrig, 32.
Gehrig was also approached to play professional basketball. He refused.
I'll cut this short (I know, too late for that!) Gehrig did meet the girl of his dreams. A girl that he felt strong enough about to go against his Mom's wishes. Or Gehrig concluded that no girl was going to be good enough for his Mom.
Throughout history, Gehrig has mistakenly been compared to Ruth. It's only because the two were linked together in the Yankee lineup for a long period and had annual home run and rbi races. Ruth won most of the home run races, Gehrig the rbi.
It is more fitting to compare Gehrig to another great hitter in baseball, Ted Williams.
Williams had years clipped from his career due to war duty. Gehrig, his disease.
If both had been able to have full careers, both would make everybody's 'top 5 players in history' list.
Sometimes, they still do.
Williams- 2292/7706/2654/521/1839/.344
Gehrig - 2164/8001/2771/493/1995/.340
The similarities are striking. Their styles differed in that Williams was not as strong as Gehrig. He was an almost all pull hitter. Gehrig was more of a slashing hitter who looked like Williams on inside pitches, but had the power to go opposite field, which set him apart from most hitters of his era.
In today's game, Williams would be disgusted with shifts put on left handed hitters. He was among the first of the hitter's that saw the shift when Lou Boudreaux decided to put three infielders on the right side of the infield. It was out of the realm of most thinkers then, now common.
The shift would bother Gehrig little. A pitcher would have to throw the ball inside or over the plate to take advantage of the defense. Odds are, that Gehrig would take advantage of the pitch more than the defense taking advantage of the pulled hit.
Gehrig still holds the American League record for rbi in a year.
Eight straight seasons of 120 rbi.
Seven seasons of over 150 rbi
His 52/18/47 2b/3b/hr line still stands as one of the best extra base hit seasons in baseball.
And still, the 2,130 straight games, not mentioned.
It doesn't have to be.
The streak didn't make the player. The player made the streak. Gehrig is not only defined by his streak or his stats. He is defined by his All American ways.
We all know how Gehrig died. If ever getting a chance, read the letters between Gehrig and his doctor and his wife's letters to the doctor.
Each trying to ease the blow on the others as much as possible.
His wife, imploring the Doctor to give Lou hope.
Lou asking the Doctor to ease the blow for his wife.
This is Gehrig's full speech on 'Lou Gehrig Day' at Yankee Stadium-
'Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans.
Look at these grand men. Which of you wouldn’t consider it the highlight of his career just to associate with them for even one day? Sure, I’m lucky. Who wouldn’t consider it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert? Also, the builder of baseball’s greatest empire, Ed Barrow? To have spent six years with that wonderful little fellow, Miller Huggins? Then to have spent the next nine years with that outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology, the best manager in baseball today, Joe McCarthy? Sure, I'm lucky.
When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift — that’s something. When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies — that’s something. When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter — that's something. When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so that you can have an education and build your body — it's a blessing. When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed — that's the finest I know.
So I close in saying that I might have been given a bad break, but I've got an awful lot to live for. Thank you.'
— Lou Gehrig at Yankee Stadium, July 4, 1939
He would die two years later. 16 years to the day of replacing Wally Pipp in the lineup.
Ruth and Gehrig's remains are in cemetary's next door to each other. That only seems right.
A month after Gehrig's passing, a monument was erected in Center Field to remember Lou.
It was the second such monument as Miller Huggins had his in 1932. The Babe would follow in 1949.
One footnote concerning Gehrig's consecutive game streak-
It is all the more amazing when considering that Yankee players seldom had 'true' off days.
Most off days were filled with exhibition games. A way for owners to make even more money.
The players didn't like them, but had no choice.
Of course, during the Yankees reign, Ruth and Gehrig were the Main draws for these exhibition games and both always played if able.
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Re: Best Players We Never Saw
Allow me talk about Gehrig just a bit more....
He liked statistics. Sometimes he would feign to reporters and fans that he had no idea about his stats.
The truth was that Gehrig loved stats. The first year playing 154 games, his Manager offered to sit him the last game of the year. He was cognizant that he had played every game that year.
Not only KNOWING he had played every game, but proud of the fact.
Playing on the same team as Ruth never garnered large headlines. When he hit four homers in a game, John McGraw retired on the same day. Even on sports pages, Gehrig's feat was reduced to a small column.
He hit for the cycle. A term that came after Gehrig had achieved it. It was a runaway game. Gehrig was batting in the ninth inning with the Yankees ahead by eight runs. He already had a single, double and home run in the game. He drove a ball far and deep down the right field line, Gehrig had already touched second base thinking he had a home run, when he heard the umpire yell, "Foul Ball!
Steamed, thinking the umpire had taken away a home run, Gehrig swung harder at the next pitch, the ball took off over the center fielders head. Gehrig was a lot of things, but never a smart base runner. From the moment he hit the ball, he was bound and determined to make this hit the replacement for the home run the umpire had taken away. He ran, head down around the bases. Only after arcing around third base halfway to home did he look up only to see the catcher holding the ball, bracing for Gehrig to wallop him. Gehrig took into account the inning, the score, and that ball waiting for him and went to home standing up so he could be easily tagged.
The next days newspapers mentioned the base running blunder as much as the single, double, triple, and home run.
I chuckled a little as writers debated this year over who would win MVP. Cabrera had won a triple crown. He was entitled to an MVP.
In 1934, Gehrig won the triple crown.
He batted .363 seven points ahead of the next leaguemate.
He hit 49 homers, five more than Jimmie Foxx
He drove in 165, more than 20 more than any player in baseball.
This was without Ruth's help. Ruth was on the downward slope of his career, managing only 22 homers.
Despite this, Gehrig finished FIFTH in MVP voting.
The winner that year was Mickey Cochrane, catcher/Manager for the Tigers.
Cochrane had only hit two homers, with 76 rbi. But voters admired how he had led the Tigers to the pennant.
Imagine how much controversy that would cause now.
Gehrig cared little. He liked his stats, but never cared to be rewarded for them.
At least outwardly.
Gehrig did care about his streak of games played. To him, it was more the measure of a player than batting statistics.
Gehrig had fractures, broken bones, concussions, and was beaned before helmets were in vogue.
It was a stat that was guaranteed to him. As long as he kept playing and doing what he loved to do, he knew that once he held the streak, nobody could pass him.
It was HIS statistic and his alone. He was proud.
A statistic that could never be taken.
And he almost the lost that streak. More than once.
But that's for another day....
He liked statistics. Sometimes he would feign to reporters and fans that he had no idea about his stats.
The truth was that Gehrig loved stats. The first year playing 154 games, his Manager offered to sit him the last game of the year. He was cognizant that he had played every game that year.
Not only KNOWING he had played every game, but proud of the fact.
Playing on the same team as Ruth never garnered large headlines. When he hit four homers in a game, John McGraw retired on the same day. Even on sports pages, Gehrig's feat was reduced to a small column.
He hit for the cycle. A term that came after Gehrig had achieved it. It was a runaway game. Gehrig was batting in the ninth inning with the Yankees ahead by eight runs. He already had a single, double and home run in the game. He drove a ball far and deep down the right field line, Gehrig had already touched second base thinking he had a home run, when he heard the umpire yell, "Foul Ball!
Steamed, thinking the umpire had taken away a home run, Gehrig swung harder at the next pitch, the ball took off over the center fielders head. Gehrig was a lot of things, but never a smart base runner. From the moment he hit the ball, he was bound and determined to make this hit the replacement for the home run the umpire had taken away. He ran, head down around the bases. Only after arcing around third base halfway to home did he look up only to see the catcher holding the ball, bracing for Gehrig to wallop him. Gehrig took into account the inning, the score, and that ball waiting for him and went to home standing up so he could be easily tagged.
The next days newspapers mentioned the base running blunder as much as the single, double, triple, and home run.
I chuckled a little as writers debated this year over who would win MVP. Cabrera had won a triple crown. He was entitled to an MVP.
In 1934, Gehrig won the triple crown.
He batted .363 seven points ahead of the next leaguemate.
He hit 49 homers, five more than Jimmie Foxx
He drove in 165, more than 20 more than any player in baseball.
This was without Ruth's help. Ruth was on the downward slope of his career, managing only 22 homers.
Despite this, Gehrig finished FIFTH in MVP voting.
The winner that year was Mickey Cochrane, catcher/Manager for the Tigers.
Cochrane had only hit two homers, with 76 rbi. But voters admired how he had led the Tigers to the pennant.
Imagine how much controversy that would cause now.
Gehrig cared little. He liked his stats, but never cared to be rewarded for them.
At least outwardly.
Gehrig did care about his streak of games played. To him, it was more the measure of a player than batting statistics.
Gehrig had fractures, broken bones, concussions, and was beaned before helmets were in vogue.
It was a stat that was guaranteed to him. As long as he kept playing and doing what he loved to do, he knew that once he held the streak, nobody could pass him.
It was HIS statistic and his alone. He was proud.
A statistic that could never be taken.
And he almost the lost that streak. More than once.
But that's for another day....
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Re: Best Players We Never Saw
you really have a gift for writing sir especially when it comes to baseball,its history,recollections and present day information.
Re: Best Players We Never Saw
Thank you very much. Very much appreciated.
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!