NFL Hall of Fame Quiz: 1) Who is the only Univ. of Miami
linebacker to find his way into the Hall of Fame? 2) Who is the
only Univ. of Texas “player” to get selected to the Hall? [There
are two alums who are in the Hall for their coaching or
administrative efforts] 3) Name the four members of the Hall
who hail from Grambling? Answers below.
Hank Greenberg
There is so much you can write about Hammerin” Hank
Greenberg, the great baseball player who spent all but one season
with the Detroit Tigers. There is a new film documentary of
Greenberg being shown in New York (I don”t know if it will find
its way to TV) which is generating renewed interest in this
American hero.
In a recent article written by baseball historian Darrell Berger,
Greenberg”s career is chronicled. Born on New Year”s 1911 in
New York, Greenberg had a cup of coffee with the Tigers at age
19 in 1930 before making it to the big time for good in 1933.
Greenberg is Jewish and back in the 1930s it wasn”t easy for a lot
of them. As Berger notes, America was broke to begin with and
the newspapers would run ads for jobs with titles that said
“Anglo-Saxon” or “Christian.” But after a solid rookie year in
”33, Greenberg burst on the scene in ”34 and Jews had a real
hero.
Greenberg was the Tigers first basemen. He played in a time
when many Jews in the public eye changed their names or
downplayed their religion. Hank defied the stereotypes. He was
big (6”4″, 210 lbs.), strong and hit home runs.
Playing in Detroit he had to deal with rabble-rousers like Father
Coughlin, who had a radio show. Coughlin began as a populist,
but later, as Berger describes it, he “descended into territories of
hate unknown even to John Rocker, and Jews were first on his
list.”
Greenberg heard the slurs from opposing dugouts and from the
stands. “When I struck out,” he said, “I wasn”t just a bum. I was
a Jewish bum.”
In this environment, Greenberg sat out a game against the
Yankees in the heat of the pennant race because it was Yom
Kippur. The Tigers lost the game. The poet Edgar Guest wrote
“He”s true to his religion, and I honor him for that.” [Greenberg
received a standing ovation when he walked into services that day
at the synagogue]. Eventually, the pennant was won and
Greenberg became a hero not only to Jewish boys but to that
throng of baseball fans who loves anybody that can beat the
Yankees!
Toward the end of the decade of the 30s, it became harder to be a
Jew. Detroit”s strong German community sometimes was a little
rough on him. [To be fair, they had no way of knowing what
Hitler was really doing back in the homeland.] In 1938 Hank had
58 home runs with 5 games to go. All America watched but he
hit no more. [Greenberg and others said, however, that it wasn”t
because pitchers avoided challenging him and the record shows
that he walked only twice the last 5 games and even had 3 hits in
the final one.]
Later, as Hitler”s notoriety spread, Greenberg began to feel that
every home run he hit was a blow against him. Said one writer of
the time, “Hank Greenberg to a Jewish kid was just like Joe
Louis, if you were black.”
In 1940, Hank became the first major leaguer to join the Army.
He thought his hitch would be a year but Pearl Harbor changed
everything and he lost almost 5 years from the heart of his career.
On his first game back in 1945, he homered.
In 1947, Greenberg was sent to the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates for his
final season. One day he collided with Jackie Robinson at first
base. He helped Robinson to his feet and spoke to him, an act for
which Robinson was eternally grateful. [It”s still amazing to think
that back then this was a big deal.]
Even actor Walter Matthau idolized Greenberg as a boy and said,
“He showed me I didn”t have to end up in the garment district.”
As historian Berger concludes, “The life of Hank Greenberg was
lived in a time America needs to remember. It was a time of
bigotry, but it was also a time when heroes could save us.”
—
And how good was Greenberg? Check out these HR-RBI totals
and think about where he would have stood on the all-time lists if
he hadn”t lost those 5 years to the military. [You can say the
same thing for Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio, among others.]
Today”s athletes will never understand the sacrifices the greats of
the game made for them.
1933 12-87
1934 26-139
1935 36-170
1936 Broken wrist
1937 40-183
1938 58-146
1939 33-112
1940 41-150
1941 just 19 games…then into the military
1942 MS
1943 MS
1944 MS
1945 13-60 (78 games)
1946 44-127
1947 25-74
Career: 331 HR 1,276 RBI…and a .300 hitter to boot.
Snow Emergency Tips…and other snow stuff
Did you know?
–Rochester, NY is the snowiest large city in the U.S., averaging
94 inches annually.
–In the Western states, mountain snow pack contributes up to
75% of all year-round surface water supplies.
–70% of deaths related to ice and snow occur in autos, 25%
were people caught in a storm. [Hey idiot, get out of the freakin”
storm!] The other 5% must have eaten tainted snow. [Though I
admit I have no clue.]
Now here are some tips from the Red Cross in case you get
caught in a snow emergency.
–If you get caught outside in a snowstorm, try to stay dry and
cover all exposed parts of the body. [The Red Cross always
thought we were morons.]
–If your car gets stuck in snow – start the car and use the heater
for about 10 minutes every hour. *Keep the exhaust pipe clear,
however, or you”ll die. As you sit, keep moving your arms and
legs to keep blood circulating and to stay warm. [Break out some
Led Zeppelin and play air guitar.]
Hey Mr. Science, is it true that 1 inch of water produces 10
inches of snow? Well, Jimmy, normally this is true but under
certain conditions, 10 inches of snow can contain as little as 0.1
inches of water, or as many as 4 inches, depending on crystal
structure, wind speed, temperatures and other factors.
Gee, thanks, Mr. Science.
Is snow edible? Yes, but it may be contaminated from the
atmosphere as it fell. It is also not advisable to eat snow that lies
near fire hydrants.
Top 3 songs for the week of 1/20/73: #1 “You”re So Vain”
(Carly Simon) #2 “Superstition” (Stevie Wonder) #3 “Me And
Mrs. Jones” (Billy Paul.we got a thing…goin” on.)
Quiz Answers:
1) Miami LB – Ted Hendricks
2) UT – Earl Campbell. Tom Landry and Tex Schramm are
other UT grads in the Hall.
3) Grambling – Willie Brown, Buck Buchanan, Willie Davis,
Charlie Joiner.
Next Bar Chat, Monday.
*Hey kids, order a free coffee mug! Just click on the icon in the
upper right corner.
