By Edwin Cooney
Almost a lifetime ago which was when I started loving baseball, there were only 16 teams covering the Northeast, nearly touching the South and extending as far west as Kansas City, Missouri. Happily, the color barrier had been broken, but most of the players had names like Tom, Dick and Harry with occasional names such as Sherman, Roy and Vernon in the mix. These were good old Anglo-Saxon names. Today, in addition to generational Anglo-Saxon names like Jason, Justin, Aaron and Matthew, players are named Vladimir, Masahiro, or perhaps even Wong. Baseball is rapidly becoming a global sport. Soon, we may actually be able to truly assert after each season that baseball genuinely has a “World Championship” team! In more ways than one, baseball is credibly playable by every able-bodied person. Note that in a modified form known as beep ball (due to the beeping softball designed for it), the blind can — and do — excel at it.
As is often observed, you don’t have to be exceedingly tall (like basketball players), bulky and muscular (like football and soccer players), or even speedy (like track and field and hockey stars). Then, there is the well-known observation by Jacques Barzun that anyone who wants to understand the heart of Americans had better learn about baseball.
What’s especially exciting these days is that although major league baseball has nearly doubled the number of franchises from 16 to 30, most teams have at least an even chance to play post season baseball in October. Between 1940 and 1950, nine of the then sixteen teams played in a World Series. Only seven of the sixteen teams got to play in the “fall classic” between 1950 and 1960. Today, due to the advent of fall playoff baseball, the likelihood of your favorite team or mine realizing baseball glory is much, much greater than at any time in baseball history. Last fall, ten teams had World Series dreams when the season closed on October 2nd following an exhausting 162 game schedule.
While I’m sure there are many fans who love the game for its symmetrics, its statistics, or for its traditions, for me, the human variables are what grab me.
Just the other day, I read of the passing of Washington Senators outfield/first baseman Roy Sievers. Sievers, known by his friends as “Squirrel,” came up in 1949 and was the first recipient of the American League Rookie of the Year award. By the mid 1950s, he was a reliable slugger for the Senators. He led the A.L. in home runs with 42 and in RBIs with 114 in 1957. What was interesting to me about Roy Sievers is the fact that he enjoyed a friendly relationship with Vice President Richard Nixon during this time. When the vice president returned home following his famous “Kitchen Debate” with Nikita Khrushchev in July 1959, Roy Sievers was at Washington National Airport to greet Nixon. Legend has it that even with all the political notables there to also greet him, Nixon spent a considerable amount of time with Roy Sievers talking baseball. Roy Sievers died last week at age 90. He played from 1949 into 1965 with the St. Louis Browns, the Washington Senators and the Chicago White Sox in the American League as well as with the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League. He ended his career with the Expansion Senators after just 21 games in 1965. He is one of only three players to have hit pinch hit grand slam home runs in both major leagues.
On my last birthday, I was given a fascinating baseball book called “The Baseball Maniac’s Almanac” edited by Bert Randolph Sugar with Ken Samelson, and Stuart Shea. The book is packed with all kinds of interesting lists of players by various categories: tallest and shortest players, oldest and youngest, and the best all time hitters by position. There’s even a list of players who had the most hits by the state of birth. (Note: I might wonder about that privately, but it’s not likely that I’d have publicly asked for that information!) Here are some examples.
Tallest players in Major League History:
6’11” - Jon Rauch - pitcher, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals, etc.
6’10” - Andrew Brackman - pitcher, New York Yankees 2011
6’10” - Eric Hillman - pitcher, New York Mets 1992-1995
6’10” - Randy Johnson - Montreal Expos, Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Yankees
6’10” - Andy Sisco - pitcher, Kansas City Royals 2005
6’10” - Chris Young - pitcher, Toronto Blue Jays 2004-2005
Shortest Players:
3’ 7” - Eddie Gaedel - pinch hitter, St. Louis Browns 1951
5’ 3” - Jess Cortazzo—pinch hitter, Chicago White Sox 1923
5’ 3” - Yoyo Davalillo—shortstop, Washington Senators 1953
5’ 3” - Bob Emmerich—outfielder, Boston Braves 1923
5’ 3” - Bill Finley—outfielder/catcher, New York Giants 1886
I find it rather interesting to speculate regarding at least two of the youngest players and the circumstances of their trip to “the big time.” The youngest player ever to go up to the majors was 14 year and 10 months old Fred Chapman when he joined the Philadelphia A’s of the old American Association in July 1887. He pitched 5 innings, gave up 5 runs, no home runs, and 8 hits. I have no information about who he pitched against. His home town was Little Cooley, Pennsylvania. I haven’t a clue how far that was from Philadelphia. He never pitched again in the majors. Back then, a professional ballplayer was almost universally considered a ne’er-do-well. His profession didn’t produce a product for the use of the public, it merely entertained. The players were uneducated to a considerable extent, and it’s interesting to wonder why young Frederick Joseph Chapman didn’t pursue his profession. Surely he explained it to someone, because he lived to be 85 years old. He was born on Sunday, November 24, 1872 and died on Saturday, December 14, 1957 in Union City, Pennsylvania.
On Saturday, June 10, 1944, just four days after D-Day, 15 years and 10 months old Joseph Henry Nuxhall joined the Cincinnati Reds. Joe was born on Wednesday, July 30th, 1928 in Hamilton, Ohio. He was just 15 years, 9 months and 12 days old. He gave up five runs, five walks and a wild pitch in two thirds of an inning. Again, I have no information as to what team the Reds were facing that day, but they were already behind 13 to 3 when young Joe was summoned. Seven years later, in 1955, Joe would return to the Reds and have a career lasting through 1966. He’d be good enough to play in the 1955 and 1956 All Star Games.
Of course, all experiences in and out of baseball are ultimately human experiences. However, there’s something about this magical game that makes those experiences special.
Oh, I almost forgot: my new book lists those born by state who had the most major league hits in his career. Here’s one tidbit:
Alaska’s most prolific hitter is Josh Phelps with 380 hits. If you want to know about any more of these native state heroes, just keep those cards and letters coming!
As for who is up next — just stay tuned to your radio, television or smart phone!
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED,
EDWIN COONEY
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