St. Louis Cardinals Quiz (1892 to date): 1) Career homers by
righthander? 2) Most RBI season? 3) Most games won, career?
4) Most wins, season? Answers below.
Sea Stuff
–This week”s Time magazine has a big cover story on sharks.
Of course, nothing you haven”t already read in this space over
the years. Actually, the mass media is finally catching up to
what Bar Chat was focusing on all this time, that is the fact that
we are losing the battle to the animals.
What Time didn”t report on due to publishing constraints was
last Saturday”s great white attack near Chatham, Mass. Thanks
to Harry K. for passing along the tale which was almost the first
fatal shark incident in Massachusetts history since 1936.
Captain Fitzback, a veteran of 10 years on the waters off Cape
Cod (as well as extensive experience elsewhere), took 6 tourists
out on his 20-foot boat. The group was near the end of their 5-
hour excursion when two of the passengers reeling in their lines
saw this massive body. At first they thought it might be a pilot
whale, but they soon discovered otherwise. Captain Fitz-B said,
“It went over toward the striped bass (on the line), and half of it
came out of the water and landed on top of the bass. It shook its
body violently and all of a sudden we just had the head of the
(fish).”
The captain then knew what he was up against. But the shark
disappeared beneath the boat before reemerging, at which time it
rammed the vessel a few times, almost throwing some of the
passengers overboard. Fitzback had to hold them in order to
prevent what would have been instant death. This whole attack
lasted 10 minutes before the shark swam away.
Fitzback had seen great whites in Hawaii but never in these
waters before. But with the prevalence of seals in the area he
noted, “Eventually, we”re going to attract more sharks and
probably some killer whales.” [One can only hope this is the
case.] [Source: Boston Herald]
–Golf Digest has an interview with Jerry Pate (”76 U.S. Open
champion) in the current issue. What captured my attention was
his retelling of the time Jack Nicklaus (who had taken the young
Pate under his wing), took him to the Great Barrier Reef for
some marlin fishing. Pate was on board the day Jack reeled in a
1,459-pound fish (I”m assuming it was a black marlin.where
the record is about 100 pounds more…otherwise, the weight has
to be off).
Pate said he caught a 1,047-pounder the day before and the
competitive Nicklaus was miffed he hadn”t caught one himself.
Pate had been in a separate boat that day and told Jack he was
going to accompany him in order to give him some good luck.
Well, at 5 p.m. the second day Nicklaus hooked his marlin. As
Pate described it, “It came out of the water tail-walking, big as a
whale. It got dark about 6:30 and he just kept fishing and fishing
like in Hemingway”s ”The Old Man and the Sea.”” By 9:00,
Pate, who had done nothing but drink beer all day, decided to go
inside the cabin to lay down. Jack was still struggling. Pate
awoke at 10:30 and it was the same story. Finally at 11:20,
Nicklaus hauled it in.6 hours and 20 minutes later.
–Over the next few chats, I”m going to pick out a few tidbits
from Richard Ellis”s “Encyclopedia of the Sea” for your personal
edification. Wow your friends at the beach these last weeks of
summer. [Not that I”m trying to rush the season, mind you.]
-The amberjack, often mistaken for bluefish, can reach a length
of 6-feet and weight of 155 lbs.
-It was 45 years ago, on July 23, that Italy”s finest cruise ship,
the double-hulled Andrea Doria, was passing through Nantucket
Sound in a dense fog on her way to New York. Suddenly, the
ship was blindsided by the Swedish liner Stockholm, with the
Stockholm driving 35 feet into the Andrea Doria”s starboard
side, causing AD to take on an enormous amount of water.
Half the lifeboats were useless because they were smashed up
against the boat deck (plus the captain later admitted they were
short to begin with). A SOS went out and boats of all manner
responded, the chief being the French liner Ile de France. [I
can”t believe the French actually answered the call.] Thanks to
the quick action, even though the Andrea Doria went down just
11 hours after being hit, only 51 died (44 from AD).
-What”s the big difference between Pacific salmon and Atlantic
salmon? While Pacific salmon return from its long journey to
spawn and die, Atlantic salmon repeat this 3 or 4 times. Kind of
makes you want to treat the Atlantic coasters with more respect,
doesn”t it?
Johnny Mac”s Baseball…More great players you never heard of
Hal Trosky.now here was a victim of circumstance. Trosky
came up with Cleveland as a slugging 1st baseman in 1934,
turning in a rookie campaign of 35 homers, 142 ribbies, a .330
average, while slugging .598. He would put up tremendous
numbers the next five years, with 1936 being a real standout. He
hit 42 that year, driving in 162, with a .343 average, a .644
slugging pct. and 405 total bases. The 162 was a Cleveland
record that would stand until 1999 (when Manny Ramirez
knocked in 165). Driving in an average of 126 those six seasons,
with 30 homers, the Indians standout was rewarded with a grand
total of no All-Star selections and zero World Series
appearances. The Yankees and the Tigers dominated the
American League in those years, and Trosky had the ill fortune
of being a first baseman in a league that featured Lou Gehrig,
Jimmie Foxx, and Hank Greenberg. What an amazing glut of
talent at one position in one league. Veteran Earl Averill led the
Indians during those years, and Earl got all the All-Star nods and
eventually went into the Hall. To be honest, his numbers were
not demonstrably superior to Trosky during that time. Even in
his best season, 1936, Hal received no respect, no respect I tell
ya. He finished 10th in the MVP balloting, behind (among
others) the winner, Gehrig, and teammate Averill, who finished
3rd.
With Averill traded during the 1939 season, Trosky assumed
leadership of a squad looking like winners in 1940. Young
infielders Lou Boudreau and Ken Keltner joined Hal in the
lineup and the staff featured veterans Mel Harder and Johnny
Allen along with precocious fireballer Bob Feller. Ossie Vitt,
who was a so-so infielder for the Tigers in the teens, managed
them. Ossie apparently learned his people skills from teammate
Ty Cobb, and the players despised him. Led by the veteran
Trosky, the team actually petitioned ownership to can Vitt. This
earned them the unflattering nickname “Crybaby Indians.” This
behavior didn”t go over well in 1940 America, and Hal”s
reputation was severely tarnished. The team lost a tight race to
Detroit by one game, hired former skipper Roger Peckinpaugh to
manage in 1941, and then proceeded to finish in the middle of
the pack.
After the 1941 season, Trosky announced his retirement at age
28, due to severe migraine headaches. Declared 4-F by the
military, he returned from whence he came, a farm in rural Iowa.
Getting the itch in 1944, he attempted a comeback with the
White Sox for two forgettable campaigns. Hal then became a
scout for the Sox, eventually signing his son, Hal Jr. Junior
would have a cup of coffee with Chicago in 1958 as a pitcher.
One could assume the migraines were the result of competing
with Gehrig, Foxx, and Greenberg all those years. In another
time or another place, with a bit more health and a tighter lip, he
might have been a great one. Remember that Lou Boudreau took
over the reins of the Indians in 1942 as player / manager at the
ripe old age of 24. That job might have gone to Hal under
different circumstances. Lou went on to the Hall, and Hal went
off to oblivion. He was a similar offensive player to Orlando
Cepeda or Mo Vaughn, for a modern comparison.
Gavvy Cravath.try to say that name without lisping. Clifford
Carlton “Gavvy” Cravath, known as “Cactus” for his less than
refined personality, was the undisputed home run king of the
dead ball era. While Frank Baker was earning nicknames with
four home run titles in the junior circuit (with totals of 10, 12, 9
and 10), Gavvy was winning six crowns in the National League.
He slugged 19 in consecutive years (1913 and 1914) and then set
a standard of 24 in 1915. The prevailing sentiment of the
punditry thought this record unassailable, although some obscure
20-year-old pitcher with the Red Sox would have something to
say about it in a few years.
Gavvy was a victim of the system that existed in those years.
The minors operated independent of Major League affiliation
and players often spent many years starring for those teams,
either out of choice or because the owners refused to sell or trade
them up. Remember that St. Louis was the westernmost outpost
of the Bigs at the time (and would remain so until the late fifties),
and players from the west coast or Texas often stayed closer to
home and basked in local glory. Owners of those teams were
operating a business just like their Major League counterparts
and tried to win and keep good players with the same zeal.
Because there was no amateur draft, and players were not tied to
a franchise from an early age, those who failed in their initial
tryout were often not given a second chance, since the club had
nothing invested in them. They would return to their local club
and play out their careers. Cravath almost met that fate. A
California native, he starred in the Pacific Coast League and the
American Association for years before the majors beckoned.
Gavvy failed to stick in short stints with the Red Sox, Senators
and White Sox in 1908 and 1909.
Given another shot at age 31 by the floundering Phillies, Gavvy
hit his stride. Besides the home run crowns, he won multiple
titles for RBI”s, total bases, on base and slugging pct., and even
led the league in hits. His 128 ribbies in 1913 led the league by
an astounding 35 over Heinie Zimmerman. Teaming with the
great Grover Cleveland Alexander, he led Philadelphia to their
first ever pennant in 1915 (it would also be their last for 35
years). But they came up short against Boston in the Series, as
Gavvy never got untracked. After second place finishes the next
two seasons, the Phils fell on hard times. A poor start in 1919
saw them give the managers job in mid-season to Cravath, who
coincidentally replaced Jack Coombs. [Bar Chat, 7/23]
Belying his rep as a player, he proved to be an easy-going
manager. The 1920 season saw the Phils get out of the gate
early, but a losing streak in May dropped them from first to last
in a mere 17 days. Gavvy saw the season slipping away, but he
still had a life to lead, you know. He got in the habit of starting
Lee Meadows, a fast worker, in every Saturday home game so he
could get an early start to his weekend cottage. Needless to say,
he was replaced after a 62-91 campaign. Returning home to
Laguna, CA he became a justice of the peace, but his easy
manner cost him that job also.
His career total of 119 homers was a post-1900 record, and stood
until Babe Ruth passed him in the 1921 season. Playing for only
seven seasons, Cravath proved to be the premier slugger of his
generation, and might well have been a Hall of Famer had he
come up at a normal age.
Ken Williams.Ken was one of the players who benefited from
the “live ball” era circa 1920. A small town boy from Grant”s
Pass, Oregon, it took him a while to make his way to the show.
After a few seasons in the minors, he found himself with
Cincinnati in 1915 at age 25. Even though Cincy sucked, he was
returned to the minors following the 1916 season. Military
service ruined 1918, so he was already 29 when he signed with
the St. Louis Browns in 1919. He began to blossom as a hitter
and the Browns began to contend behind Williams, fellow
outfielders Jack Tobin and Baby Doll Jackson, and all-time great
George Sisler at first.
1922 saw this bunch have their finest season, losing a tight
pennant race to the Yankees by one game. Williams had his
career year. With the Babe missing some 40 games, Kenny
seized the opportunity, leading the league with his 39 homers,
155 RBI”s, and 367 total bases. He stole 37, hit .332 and whiffed
a mere 31 times. He also became the first player in history to hit
.300, steal 30 and hit 30 home runs in a single season. Of course,
in keeping with our theme, he lost out in the MVP to teammate
Sisler, who hit .420 and stole 50. Other good years followed, but
the Brownies dropped from the ranks of contenders due mainly
to the horrific beaning suffered by Sisler. [George missed the
1923 season entirely and although he still put together 7 more
productive seasons, he was never the same.]
Williams suffered a similar fate…in 1925 he was also skulled
and missed 50 games. But he did manage enough at bats to lead
the league in slugging that year and came back to the Browns for
the 1926 – 27 seasons, however he never approached those 1922
numbers again. Already 38 due to his late start, he was sold to
the Red Sox in 1928, where he finished up with two .300 seasons
in limited duty.
Kenny played a couple of years in the PCL, for Portland, before
heading back to the solitude of Grant”s Pass. To be honest, he
wasn”t a truly great player and he got tremendous benefit from
playing in Sportsman Park, much like Larry Walker or Todd
Helton at Coors Field these days. In fact, his numbers are
somewhat similar to Walker”s. But if he came up early and
didn”t get beaned, his career stats would be gaudy enough to at
least merit remembering him.
Potpourri
–So ”N Sync has evidently come out with a new CD (don”t
worry, folks, I don”t own any). But what got me was the fact that
they sold 1 million copies of their last album the first day! 2.5
million the first week. Geezuz.
–Monday I mentioned Chris Webber”s new contract and felt if
anyone deserved that kind of money (7-yrs. / $123 million), he
probably did. But then the New York Knicks finalized their deal
with guard Allan Houston.6 years, $100 million. You talk
about outrageous, this is the 11th leading shooting guard last year,
with a none too great 18.7 ppg average. And he”s a loser!!!!!!!!!!
–We are not big Allan Houston fans here at Bar Chat.
–The Tiger difference: Once again, if Tiger isn”t among the
final pairings, golf”s television numbers plummet. ABC”s
ratings for the British Open were 39% lower than last year”s
when Woods triumphed.
–And speaking of the Open, what else can you say about Ian
Woosnam but the fact that he is one great person. As a report
started out in the London Times the other day, “Ian Woosnam
demonstrated a humanity worthy of a winner of the Nobel Peace
Prize yesterday when he refused to dismiss Miles Byrne, his
caddie, after the Welshman had incurred a two-stroke penalty on
the 2nd hole of his last round for having 15 clubs in his bag.”
Woosnam said, “He”s a good caddie. He won”t do it again. He
will have a severe bollocking when I get in but I am not going to
sack him.”
This same article, written by John Hopkins and Mel Webb,
related a somewhat similar caddy – golfer exchange from the
1978 Quad Cities Open. Golfer Leonard Thompson”s caddie
was trying to “will” a ball into the hole with some twisted body
language when a tee stuck behind his ear fell on the ball,
deflecting it from the hole. So the ball not only didn”t go in, but
Thompson was penalized 2 strokes for striking his own
equipment.
–The Gold Club: Now I”m sure some of you have come across
the Patrick Ewing testimony in this ongoing trial down in Atlanta
involving a “high-class” strip joint and potential mob involvement.
Various sports stars have been called to testify (as I”ve noted
in this space before), but on Monday Ewing described in some
detail, ahh, services rendered. What I don”t get in this whole
matter is that the man on trial, owner Steve Kaplan, insisted on
watching everything. Now that”s sick. Oh well, enjoy prison,
Stevie.
Top 3 songs for the week of 7/24/61: #1 “Tossin” and Turnin””
(Bobby Lewis) #2 “The Boll Weevil Song” (Brook Benton)
#3 “Quarter To Three” (U.S. Bonds)
St. Louis Cardinals Quiz Answers: 1) Career homers,
righthander – Ken Boyer, 255. [McGwire is about 50 behind] 2)
RBI, season – Joe Medwick, 154, 1937. 3) Games won, career –
Bob Gibson, 251. 4) Wins, season – Dizzy Dean, 30, 1934.
Next Bar Chat, Friday. The “Box Jelly” and a little bit on
George Harrison…since I had committed to it.
