Yankee Doodle Dandies
Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2013 3:19 pm
I've made it a mission to find out everything I can about Lou Gehrig over the past year. I hold him in the highest regards in terms of attitude, morality, and the complete joy of being a baseball player. He was comfortable in the shadow of Babe Ruth, even happy to be in the background. Ruth was a lightning rod for publicity, Gehrig a wallflower.
But this post is not about Lou Gehrig, it's about the peripherals or other stuff gleaned from learning about the Yankees and Gehrig. In reading about Gehrig, I also wanted to go into Yankee history as well.
So the following are things about the New York Yankees before Ruth and Gehrig even wore their uniforms...
Originally the interlocking NY was designed for the New York Police Department.
The design came from Tiffanys.
The Yankees were originally called the Highlanders since their park was in the highlands of New York. Folks did not take a liking to the name. They began calling them 'the Americans' or Yankees. When writers wanted big headlines, 'Yanks' fit best. Soon, even as the Highlanders in the standings, writers and fans called them the Yanks.
The 'NY' on the chest made signs easy the first year. If wanting a batter to bunt, the coach would point at him and the 'Y' on his shirt meaning 'Yes'.
If wanting the baserunner to steal, he would point at the 'N' for don't go and the 'Y' to go.
Wee Willie Keeler was the Yankees first big star. He made $10,000
The Yankees first home was built in less than 2 months. All wood. It would be the last stadium built for less than $100,000
The stadium was built without a parking lot. Reliant on street cars, the subway, and horse drawn buggies for fan arrival.
The Yankees knew the power of the press. They not only invited reporters to cover their games, they paid for each reporters traveling, food, and hotel expenses clear into the 1950's
Before a shutout was called a shutout, it was called being ChicagO'd.
Babe Ruth never wore the NY on his chest. It was phased out during his time.
Sunday baseball was not allowed in most MLB parks during this time. It was thought that Sundays were a 'religious' day. The Yankees once got an injunction to play one Sunday, but only if there were no screams or cheers emanating from the Stadium. The game was played in silence.
During Walter Johnson's rookie season, he ChicagO'd the Yankees with complete games on a Friday, a Saturday, then Monday. A fan was heard to say leaving the game on Monday, "Thank God for no Sunday baseball !"
In 1906, the Yankees played an exhibition game for the San Francisco Earthquake Relief Fund
In 1912, an exhibition was played for the survivors of the Titanic
In 1905, pitcher 'Doc' Newton threw a game with 'Doc' Powers catching. Both were full fledged doctors.
The only time that has happened in baseball. And likely, ever will happen.
Yankee catcher Branch Rickey gave up 13 steals in a game. A record that still stands for catchers.
He would break his arm, ending his playing career abruptly.
Who has beaten the Yankees more than any other pitcher?
It's not close. Walter Johnson beat them 60 times.
Yes, there were a lot of ChicagO's
The Yankees have been in existence almost 110 years.
They've finished last in their league just three times.
The Yankees have only finished exactly .500, once.
The NY Giants and Yankees played a New York 'World Series', the same time the real World Series was being played. The Giants won most Series and the attendance would sometimes top the attendance in the real World Series.
Lou Gehrig was an attendee of these games.
In 1914, with their Manager fired, the Yankees turned to player Roger Peckinpaugh to be a player/Manager over the last 20 games.
Peckinpaugh at 23, was the youngest player on the Yanks and still the youngest Manager in baseball history.
On September 28, 1919, the Yankees beat the A's 6-1.
The game was played in 51 minutes.
When Colonel Ruppert bought the Yankees, he began the Yankees clean cut image. He was a well dressed and groomed man and expected his team to look the same way.
He ordered four sets of home jersies, four sets of away jersies and would have each game used jersey dry cleaned daily.
Charles Comiskey should have taken a page from Ruppert's book. The White Sox players were mandated by Comiskey to clean their own uniforms. Part of the cheapness by the owner that led to the Black Sox scandal of '19.
And my favorite...
Ray Caldwell pitched for the Yankees for years. If alcohol had not been consumed so much, many say he would be in the Hall of Fame. The Yankees ended up suspending him once, twice, then three times for drinking too much.
He was traded.
Later in his career, he was throwing for the Indians, with two outs in the ninth inning, Caldwell was struck by lightning.
Caldwell collapsed unconscious while teammates stood over him not knowing what to do.
After minutes he woke up. Here are his thoughts... 'I woke up all groggy like and saw the crowd and everybody was where they should be. I looked around thinking I was never so happy to be alive. Then, I remembered the situation. I begged Mr. (Manager) Speaker to let me finish the game. He did. And we won.'
17 days later, Caldwell pitched against his old Yankee teammates. He was a Yankee favorite and it was a doubleheader so the game was very well attended.
Caldwell threw a no hitter.
In the next days papers, writers said that Caldwell threw electricity and that his pitches were electric.
The writers were making light of what happened to Caldwell earlier in getting struck by lightning.
Since though, the term 'electric' has stood the span of time when talking of a pitchers stuff.
But this post is not about Lou Gehrig, it's about the peripherals or other stuff gleaned from learning about the Yankees and Gehrig. In reading about Gehrig, I also wanted to go into Yankee history as well.
So the following are things about the New York Yankees before Ruth and Gehrig even wore their uniforms...
Originally the interlocking NY was designed for the New York Police Department.
The design came from Tiffanys.
The Yankees were originally called the Highlanders since their park was in the highlands of New York. Folks did not take a liking to the name. They began calling them 'the Americans' or Yankees. When writers wanted big headlines, 'Yanks' fit best. Soon, even as the Highlanders in the standings, writers and fans called them the Yanks.
The 'NY' on the chest made signs easy the first year. If wanting a batter to bunt, the coach would point at him and the 'Y' on his shirt meaning 'Yes'.
If wanting the baserunner to steal, he would point at the 'N' for don't go and the 'Y' to go.
Wee Willie Keeler was the Yankees first big star. He made $10,000
The Yankees first home was built in less than 2 months. All wood. It would be the last stadium built for less than $100,000
The stadium was built without a parking lot. Reliant on street cars, the subway, and horse drawn buggies for fan arrival.
The Yankees knew the power of the press. They not only invited reporters to cover their games, they paid for each reporters traveling, food, and hotel expenses clear into the 1950's
Before a shutout was called a shutout, it was called being ChicagO'd.
Babe Ruth never wore the NY on his chest. It was phased out during his time.
Sunday baseball was not allowed in most MLB parks during this time. It was thought that Sundays were a 'religious' day. The Yankees once got an injunction to play one Sunday, but only if there were no screams or cheers emanating from the Stadium. The game was played in silence.
During Walter Johnson's rookie season, he ChicagO'd the Yankees with complete games on a Friday, a Saturday, then Monday. A fan was heard to say leaving the game on Monday, "Thank God for no Sunday baseball !"
In 1906, the Yankees played an exhibition game for the San Francisco Earthquake Relief Fund
In 1912, an exhibition was played for the survivors of the Titanic
In 1905, pitcher 'Doc' Newton threw a game with 'Doc' Powers catching. Both were full fledged doctors.
The only time that has happened in baseball. And likely, ever will happen.
Yankee catcher Branch Rickey gave up 13 steals in a game. A record that still stands for catchers.
He would break his arm, ending his playing career abruptly.
Who has beaten the Yankees more than any other pitcher?
It's not close. Walter Johnson beat them 60 times.
Yes, there were a lot of ChicagO's
The Yankees have been in existence almost 110 years.
They've finished last in their league just three times.
The Yankees have only finished exactly .500, once.
The NY Giants and Yankees played a New York 'World Series', the same time the real World Series was being played. The Giants won most Series and the attendance would sometimes top the attendance in the real World Series.
Lou Gehrig was an attendee of these games.
In 1914, with their Manager fired, the Yankees turned to player Roger Peckinpaugh to be a player/Manager over the last 20 games.
Peckinpaugh at 23, was the youngest player on the Yanks and still the youngest Manager in baseball history.
On September 28, 1919, the Yankees beat the A's 6-1.
The game was played in 51 minutes.
When Colonel Ruppert bought the Yankees, he began the Yankees clean cut image. He was a well dressed and groomed man and expected his team to look the same way.
He ordered four sets of home jersies, four sets of away jersies and would have each game used jersey dry cleaned daily.
Charles Comiskey should have taken a page from Ruppert's book. The White Sox players were mandated by Comiskey to clean their own uniforms. Part of the cheapness by the owner that led to the Black Sox scandal of '19.
And my favorite...
Ray Caldwell pitched for the Yankees for years. If alcohol had not been consumed so much, many say he would be in the Hall of Fame. The Yankees ended up suspending him once, twice, then three times for drinking too much.
He was traded.
Later in his career, he was throwing for the Indians, with two outs in the ninth inning, Caldwell was struck by lightning.
Caldwell collapsed unconscious while teammates stood over him not knowing what to do.
After minutes he woke up. Here are his thoughts... 'I woke up all groggy like and saw the crowd and everybody was where they should be. I looked around thinking I was never so happy to be alive. Then, I remembered the situation. I begged Mr. (Manager) Speaker to let me finish the game. He did. And we won.'
17 days later, Caldwell pitched against his old Yankee teammates. He was a Yankee favorite and it was a doubleheader so the game was very well attended.
Caldwell threw a no hitter.
In the next days papers, writers said that Caldwell threw electricity and that his pitches were electric.
The writers were making light of what happened to Caldwell earlier in getting struck by lightning.
Since though, the term 'electric' has stood the span of time when talking of a pitchers stuff.