Ask Bill Burgess!

[Honus Wagner Rules]

Since Bill is BBF's most passionate baseball fan I thought Bill may be willing to share his insights. So with Bill's permission if you have a question you have been dying to ask Bill, here's your chance! I present,

Ask Bill Burgess! :radio :radio

Bill can you tell us one thing that most people do not know about Ty Cobb?

[Bill Burgess]

Adam. Are you going to get 10%? If you're going to be my agent/manager, I wish you'd ask me before you do these things to me.

Don't know about TC? Hmm. Well, if you've been around here awhile, you probably know a lot about him. If you're read my TC Thread, you know about what I know.

If you haven't, or are new, he decided to give up his career in late 1918, enlisted in the Army, and go to war. He had put all his affairs in order. War ended abruptly.

He attended many games of the Detroit Stars, Detroit's Negro League team. He sat in their dugout, talked baseball with them, and offered to help some of them get better baseball jobs.

He mailed out dozens of checks to broke old ballplayers, and then their widows, for over a decade.

He and his friend, Taylor Spink, lobbied MLB to assist the old players with a pension plan. MLB did institute one in the 50's, but it didn't include the early guys. So Cobb had to continue mailing out all those dozens of checks.

He reconciled with his kids on his deathbed. The entire surviving family flew out to Atlanta to surround him in his last 2 weeks.

Many BB notables were scheduled to be his pallbearers, but the family changed their plans, and decided on a small private, family funeral. That part didn't get the attention of the media.

Is that enough for now?

Bill Burgess

[Bill Burgess]

What kind of personal relationship, if any, did Cobb have with Honus Wagner?
Ty always had the highest regard with Honus. In 1914, he declined to attend the festivities that they held in Honus' honor, celebrating his career.

He sent a telegram to him, saying, "I regret that I cannot attend the festivities, but be assured I will be down here in Royston, toasting the greatest player in baseball.

Following the 1909 World Series, where the bogus "Krauthead" incident was supposed to have happened, (it didn't happen), Ty invited Hans down to his home in Georgia for some duck hunting. Hans was also an addicted hunter, so he went down. Below are some quotes from Hans following when he returned from his hunting trip with Ty.
--------------------------------------------------------
1909 - "Cobb is the fastest man I have ever seen," he told The Sporting News. "I never thought he could have that much speed. I heard a lot about Cobb, and how fast he was, but he surprised me by the speed he showed on the bases in the World Series.

Cobb is what I call a perfect player. He lacks nothing. There is not a thing a ballplayer should have that Cobb hasn't got, and he's got a bunch of things that no other ballplayer has." (Carnegie Union, Oct.21,1909)

A month after the Series had ended, Wagner joined Cobb in the fields near Macon, Georgia. The Sporting News quoted Wagner as saying: "I could have had a crack at a ground squirrel or two and perhaps a barnyard chicken, but as for hunting, Georgia won't do. Mr. Cobb is one of the most genial gentlemen I have ever met, but there are two things we will never agree on--game and baseball…The South is all right, and Cobb's all right, too, but I wish he hadn't told me about the swell hunting in Georgia." (The Sporting News, Dec.16,1909)

Undated - "I always liked Ty. He was a fighter and he knew it was a fellow's duty to protect himself out there. Lots of 'em had trouble with Ty, but I never did." (The History of Baseball, by Allison Danzig & Joe Reichler, 1959, pp. 170)

[Bill Burgess]

Bill, can you shed any light on the charity golf competitions behind Cobb and Babe Ruth? I've read a couple of articles on them, and I know Cobb won, but don't know much else.

I contributed this to the Babe Ruth Thread.

1941 Golf Matches With Ty Cobb

June 25, 1941 - Commonwealth Country Club of Massachusetts, West Newton, MA, Ty won, 3-2, Cobb 80, Ruth 83.

June 27, 1941 - Fresh Meadows on Long Island, NY. Babe won. Were tied at 85, after 18th hole, Babe won the 19th hole, 5 shots to 6 for Ty. 250 spectators.

July 29, 1941 - Grosse Ile Golf & Country Club, outside Detroit, Michigan. Ty won, 3-2. Cobb 86, Babe 89. 2,500 spectators. Proceeds to United Services Organizations.

notes:

-Babe wasn't exactly healthy at the time of those matches.

-Babe's handicap was 6, Cobb's was 9

-For those matches, Cobb remained as cerebral and manipulative as he ever was on the ballfield.I wouldn't be surprised if Babe/Ty are on some celestial dimension, putting on some heavenly green. Babe is probably still trying to get his redemption. Those two will never stop trying to 1 up each other.

They were both so hyper competitive, that is why I love them both so much.

[Bill Burgess]

Bill, will the Indians EVER win the World Series again? And if so, exactly what year?
Not if I have anything to say about it.

I was gratified to see the Red Sox, and then the White Sox win, after all those years/hexes.

Next I want the Cubbies to win.

[Bill Burgess]

Bill:

What exactly is wrong with the Cubs? DO SOMETHING!!!I prayed to the Lord about the Cubbies. Nothing happened. :dance

[Bill Burgess]

Bill,

Was Jackie Robinson out or safe at the plate in the 1955 World Series? To this day Yogi Berra swears he was out!! :grouchy
Seeing is believing. It was close, and I don't blame Yogi. If he hadn't remonstrated violently, he wouldn't have been doing his job properly.

Photo seems to indicate Mr. Umps got it right.

Bill

[Bill Burgess]

What is your most prized piece of baseball memorabilia?Don't own a single one. Not a cap, jersey, not nothing. Would love a Ty Cobb game-used bat! Above all things baseball.

Bill

[Bill Burgess]

Bill,

I read in The Sporting News that Cobb started working on a book about a year before his death. Obviously he didn't finish it, but was there ever any part of it made available to the public?
Ty worked on his autobiography with Al Stump during parts of 1960-61. They were not together the entire time by any means. The book by Doubleday, came out September, 1961.

My Life in Baseball-The True Record, by Ty Cobb with Al Stump, 1961.

That is the book you are referring to.

[Bill Burgess]

McAleer, or Lange? :waving
Oh PLEASE! You're obsessesd!

[Bill Burgess]

Bill,

Did Cobb ever forgive his mother for shooting his father? :no idea
As far as anyone can tell, if he harbored a grudge, no one ever saw any manifestations of it. She lived with him later in life.

His mother had him when she was only 16 years old. When his father disciplined him, he always ran to his mother, who intervened on his behalf. So, I do not know that he ever held her responsible. Seems he accepted it as a ghastly mistake. She thought she was shooting an intruder on their property.

Bill

[Sultan_1895-1948]

Now my serious question:
If Ruth and Cobb both played every game of the career in the Polo Grounds,who whould benefit from it more?

Cobb for sure. I think his SA and BA would be even higher which is a scary thought.

:2cents:

[Bill Burgess]

If Ruth and Cobb both played every game of the career in the Polo Grounds,who whould benefit from it more? Probably Babe. Short porch might have assisted him more. Really hard to say.

[Bill Burgess]

Bill, Have you heard anything about Wesley Fricks new book on Tyrus?? He was writing about it a while back, i've E-mailed him this question with no response! Just wondering, hope all is well with you!!! William Lee
Bill,
No I haven't heard him speak of it. Last I called him, it didn't come up. But I would think that he would never abandon it, as it's a very important project to him.

Bill

[Bill Burgess]

Bill,
Whats was/is the world's greatest baseball stadium,in your opinion?
All things considered, overall, I think Yankee Stadium has as much history, grandeur, and legacy as any.

But the other classics, Wrigley, Comiskey, Fenway, Ebbets, Navin, Busch, Forbes, Crosley, Griffith, Shibe, Baker, Polo Grounds, League Park all had their supporters. The fans of Ebbets were especially enamored of their ballpark.

[runningshoes]

How did Ty do with the ladies?

[Bill Burgess]

Ty Cobb married in 1908, at the age of 21. Was divorced in 1948, and remarried in 1948, divorced again around 1955.

Had 5 kids by his 1st wife.

Bill

[Bill Burgess]

What famous ballplayer should someone write a biography on?Great Question!

There are a number of ballplayers that could use a good biography. Here are some who we don't have a really good bio on yet.

Pete Alexander, Zack Wheat, Buck Ewing, King Kelly, Amos Rusie, Sam Crawford, Willie Keeler, Nap Lajoie, Mordecai Brown, Edd Roush, Joe McCarthy, Harry Heilmann, Eddie Plank.

Those guys could sure use a good biography. For the longest time, we lacked a good one on Honus Wagner, and then we got 3 in the space of around a year! And now, we're doing the same on Tris Speaker. We lacked a good one, and now we have a good one with 2 more in the pipeline.

For a long time we lacked one Sisler, and now we have one. And that author, Rick Huhn, is now working on one for Eddie Collins. That's why I didn't include Collins in the list.

Connie Mack published his own autobio, but Norman L. Macht has been working on a much more comprehensive one for the longest time.

Here's a list of those we have tons of bios on:

Ruth, Cobb, Mantle, DiMaggio, Gehrig, McGraw, Hornsby, Wagner, Stengel, Ted Williams, Matty, Jackie Robinson, Nolan Ryan.

And we now have good bios on:

Ban Johnson, Landis, Mack, Dykes, Frisch, Waddell, Grove, Harry Hooper, Joss, Young.

The book on Ban Johnson needs improvement and I think I can get my pal, Gene Carney to do a much better one on him.

Another book might be on the salaries the historical players made. I've posted the complete salaries of Ruth, Cobb, McGraw, DiMaggio, Williams, Musial, Wagner, but no one seemed to give a darn.

Great question! Thanks!

Bill Burgess

[Bill Burgess]

Bill-
I posted a link awhile back to that new bio of Pete Alexander that's coming out, but can't locate it. Have you heard anything?

Is this the one you're looking for? I haven't heard a word, but it will most definitely go on my Want List, along with the Tris Speaker/ Burying the Black Sox books.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0786424125/qid=1146524644/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/103-6230151-0718258?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

Bill
----------------------------------------
PS. The new Alexander book should be a good one, judging from John C. Skpper's other books. Scanning www.bookfinder.com, here is a list of his past work.

John C. Skipper

A Biographical Dictionary of Major League Baseball Managers
A Biographical Dictionary of the Baseball Hall of Fame
Inside Pitch: A Closer Look at Classic Baseball Moments
Take Me Out to the Cubs Game: 35 Former Ballplayers Speak of Losing at Wrigley
The Cubs Win the Pennant!: Charlie Grimm, the Billy Goat Curse, and the 1945 World Series Run
Wicked Curve: The Life And Troubled Times of Grover Cleveland Alexander
Umpires

[Bill Burgess]

Yep, that's it. It's on my to read list for this summer.

When's the Eddie Collins bio due out? Who's the author? I heard you were contributing.
Don't know when the Eddie Collins is due out. It's being written by Rich Huhn, the same author who did the George Sisler.

Yep. I contributed to that, and both Tris Speaker's coming out by Charles Alexander and Opie Otterstad. I didn't know I contributed to Tim Gay's book on Speaker, but someone said Tim kindly gave me a mention in his acknowledgments.

I also gave Norman Macht some genealogy help for his coming Connie Mack bio.

All I've done on all these books is help out on the genealogy of their family tree members & sent them my Tris Speaker files. I have really good sources.

Bill

[Bill Burgess]

Will Cal Ripken's record (the consecutive game one, if there was at all any doubt) ever be broken? Ever?

Yes, all records eventually get broken, but who's to say how long it will be before another iron man comes along.

[Bill Burgess]

You really think that it will be broken eventually?
Yes, simply because it's my naive, child-like belief that all records will eventually be broken. I never thought Gehrig's record would be even approached, and look what happened.

I would not have thought that Walter Johnson's SO record would be broken by thousands, or that Ruth's 60 would be obliterated/devastated, by several hitters. So what's so strange that another iron man will come along someday?

[Bill Burgess]

Bill,

Would you really expect Cobb to hit .400 in today's game? :o
Uh, no, I wouldn't. I would expect him to hit 1.50% of his L. average. Not the same thing at all. Must be a % of L. ave.

Thanks for giving me the chance to clarify that fine point.

[Bill Burgess]

Bill,

Where there any advertisments Ty Cobb was pictured in while he was playing?
Oh yes, of course. There were tons of ads with his image. He was the most endorsed ballplayer before the Babe. Made tons of money on it too.

[Bill Burgess]

1. Are you watching this year's playoffs? Who do you got to go all the way?

2.Was A-rod's 2007 the best year ever for a 3rd Basemen?

3.Do you support Jim Rice for the HoF?

1. Rooting for the Cubbies to take it, and if they don't, then the Red Sox.
2. Yes. But I haven't researched it.
3. No. He was good but not great.

[Bill Burgess]

1. How were the Cleveland Indians without a playoff appearance for almost 40 years?

2. What team is the best team every in your opinion? ('98 Yankees, '01 Mariners ETC)
1. They didn't win enough games.
2. 1929 Philadelphia Athletics.

[Bill Burgess]

1. If I walk into the HOF Library and ask for a dozen free photos of Ty Cobb can I tell them Bill sent me?

2. If you were the Color Announcer for the World Series who would you want in the booth with you?
1. If you do, they might beat you up.
2. Jon Miller. Great, under-estimated Giants' announcer. Should deserve the Ford Frick Award, even if he's only 53 yrs. old.

[Bill Burgess]

Will there be baseball in the 2016 Olympics and beyond??
Without a doubt. If the world makes it that far.

[Bill Burgess]

-Who are the most deserving position player and pitcher, respectively, not in the Hall of Fame who you would put in (you can only put in one pitcher and one position player. Must not be active, must be retired five years, etc.)? For me, it would have to be Ron Santo, and Urban Shocker.
-Why was Paul Cobb, Ty Cobb's brother, cut by the St. Louis Browns after tearing up Spring Training with them one year (I can't for the life of me remember when, but it was between 1905 and 1909)? Could he not field (I've heard this)? Was he impossible to deal with? Were thre Browns just being the Browns and not thinking rationally? Never played in majors, but was OF/1B on several minor league clubs. Obtained by St. Louis Browns from Enid in 1908, but was released to Memphis for 1909. Moved to Sarasota, FL in 1924. Retired 1916. US military service 1918. I don't know why Paul wasn't given his shot. Maybe he was compared to his brother too much. I really don't know.

Looks like I didn't know much about anything. I'll try to smarten up next time.

[Bill Burgess]

What is the definition of defensive indifference? :confused:
Beats me. Maybe a lazy fielder?

[Macker]

Did you know that Scarlett likes older men?! :think: She finds men her age to be selfish and uninteresting.
All, let's keep the questions baseball related.

[Bill Burgess]

Bill,

This may have been postulated before but I've had a scroll through and can't see anything. Here's the q :-

Why has no one hit .400 since Ted and will anyone ever in the near future?

Thanks.
Anything is possible. Would take a hitter with Tony Gwynn/Ichiro talent with Cobb's competitive desire to better himself. Tony wasn't obsessed with keeping his weight down towards the end.

[Bill Burgess]

Bill,

Was Ty actively involved much with any major league team after his retirement?
No. He once tried to buy his way back in. He was going to front a syndicate to buy the Browns, but it fell through. The Browns lost money all through the depression, so he was lucky he didn't invest his own money.

[Bill Burgess]

Bill,

Was Ty actively involved much with any major league team after his retirement?
I'd like to revise my answer a little. Here are some things I read in Charles Alexander's book on Ty, 1984.

According to sports writer Fred Lieb. Ty had long promised his family a nice vacation, but his playing career came first. But after he finally retired, he took his family to Europe in early 1929. Paris was one stop they made. England another.

Just before Ty left, he made a bid to buy the Cincinnati Reds, for $275,000. The offer was eventually rejected. This was the thing I was trying to remember. So, it wasn't the Browns, but the Reds I had referred to.

Another item on page 213 of Charles' great book on Ty. Frank Navin, long time owner of the Detroit Tigers lost the bulk of his fortune in the 1929 Wall Street Crash. By 1933, he told his co-owner, Walter Briggs that he was ready to sell the team for $2 million dollars to a syndicate, backed by long time Ty friend, James O. Murfin, with Ty as a major investor.

Briggs vetoed the deal. Apparently, he was still furious with Ty for the scandal from late 1926. The Leonard/Woods/Speaker/Cobb Affair. Even though Judge Landis exonerated both Tris/Ty, and reinstated them to the AL, Walter Briggs refused to allow Ty Cobb back into the ML organization. That is called 'black-listing', or 'black-balling'.

Apparently, Walter Briggs believed that he knew what was better for baseball than Ty did. So much for Walter Briggs.

This is the kind of dirt and hatred that happens every day in professional baseball, behind the scenes, that the fans never hear about. They did the same kind of thing to Babe Ruth, after they had all benefited from his popularity for 20 years, then discarded him like yesterday's trash. Which is why I can't help but be cynical to the invisible, political side of baseball.

A shining exception to this kind of thing was Honus Wagner. He had also lost his money in the 1929 Wall St. Crash. When the Pirates heard of his plight, they right away moved to act. They hired Honus on as a third base coach, and kept him on the payroll, 1933-52. He turned out to be one of the most popular attractions the Pirates ever had.

Sometimes, he'd take the field and practice fielding. Paul Waner once wrote, that when he did this, a hush would come over the stands, and everyone, players and fans alike, would relish and savor his grace, his economy of motion, etc. When Bing Crosby became a 15% investor in the Pirates organization, his favorite was Honus Wagner. Many shots of them together.

The Pirates actually did this as a form of 'pensioning' him. Gave him a good income, and he loved to hang around the clubhouse, and talk with the players, and fans. And they all adored him back. When it came time that it was a hardship for him to make it to the ballpark in the early 1950's, the Pirates did the right thing. They told him that he didn't need to actually show up to still receive his paychecks. Not THAT is what all teams could have done with their stars. The people who put them on the map, and made them contenders, and filled the stands with paying customers.

And to their credit, some teams did hire on players all their lives. Walter Johnson, Rogers Hornsby, Casey Stengel, Bill McKechnie, Billy Southwood, Bucky Harris, Al Lopez, Leo Durocher, Zimmer, Joe Torre, Mel Harder, Art Fletcher, Frankie Crosetti, Hank Aaron, Frank Robinson, Felippe Alou, and many others spent virtually their whole lives in the game, in some capacity.

I'm not saying that the MLs can hire all former players. But those that gave the most, put the most fans in the stands, could have and should have been offered some post. Create a post, special, just for them.

I always wondered why Mantle, Mays, DiMaggio, Williams, Spahn didn't stay in the game. Musial would have made a fine commissioner.

[Bill Burgess]

what's your favorite team
Well, I currently live about 30 miles south of San Francisco, so the Giants are my team.

But since they seldom make the post-season, I root for others in post.

I wanted the Cubbies to take it, but they got spanked in 4 straight, so now, I want the BoSox to take it. If they win today, the Angels go home, and the Red Sox advance.

[Bill Burgess]

I am curious to hear what you know of the relationship between Ruth and Gehrig. The media always potrayed them as being pals, but it seems like everything I have read says otherwise. I have also heard that Gehrig once refused to hold out for more money during contract negotiations along with Ruth, which started this icy relationship.

Just curious to see what you know of this.
In her book, My Luke & I, Eleanor Gehrig gave her story, and it was confirmed by the book by Dorothy Ruth. Her story was quite simple. Babe/Lou began their feud, over Mom Gehrig's snide remark that Claire dressed her own daughter, Julia, better than Babe's daughter, Dorothy.

Mom Gehrig made the remark to a Yankee wife, who relayed it to Claire. Clarie coersed Babe to tell Lou to tell his Mom to mind her own business. Well, no one spoke to Lou about his mom like that. That happened in spring training, 1933.

Lou was as easy-going as they come. His list of things he could roll with was long, and the things he would not tolerate was short. But telling his mother, Mom Gehrig, to mind her own god damn business wasn't on the short list. Not even the shortest.

On the trip to Japan, post season, 1934, Mrs. Gehrig ran into the Ruth's on deck. They persuaded her to visit their cabin, and drank for a few hours.

Lou was frantic when he couldn't find her. He had the entire crew searching for her and dreading if she had fallen overboard. When Eleanor finally emerged from the Ruth's cabin, Lou was so shocked. The one place he thought she'd never be. He didn't speak to her the rest of the trip.

But she didn't sleep with Babe!

I think that in order to get a true appreciation of this kind of thing, one really needs to read, at a minimum, 3 books. The ones by Eleanor Gehrig, Claire and Dorothy Ruth.

In the book by Eleanor, you get the impression that the reason Gehrig got so pissed at her was that she knew perfectly well that he (Lou) was not on speaking terms with the Ruths, and he didn't want her even LOOKING, or CHATTING with them, let alone get drunk with them in their private cabin.

From the Dorothy book, you come to realize that Claire was insanely jealous of any other woman. She was as likely to engage in a manage-a-trois, as she was about to slit her own throat.

Also, you get the impression that it was Claire who provoked Babe to confront Lou about the Mom Gehrig thing in the first place. Babe wouldn't have given a damn. And Dorothy definitely says that Claire didn't even want Babe to talk to Lou on the Lou Gehrig day. And she opposed Babe visiting Lou after that.

Another incident from the Dorothy book. After 1937, Babe took a girlfriend, and spent long periods each year with her in Greenwood Lake, a resort area on the NY/NJ border, about 50 miles NW of NYC, in Orange County, NY. Loretta was a tall redhead, and many folks came to accept them as a couple there. They were together, 1937-48.

[Bill Burgess]

does urban shocker really deserve to be in the hof?
IMHO, yes. His record is better than many other pitchers presently enshrined, like Jesse Haines or Burleigh Grimes, or Waite Hoyt.

Probably better than Herb Pennock too.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/shockur01.shtml

He had 2 great seasons (1921-22), and 4 very good ones (1920, '23, '26, '27). And remember, he was toiling in the 1920's, when posting quality pitching stats were problematic.

[Bill Burgess]

Apologies, but I knew nothing about him before reading this thread. What happened in 1928? Injury? Just two innings and he was done after going 18-6 the previous year with 200IP?
Urban Shocker:

For 10 yrs. Urban Shocker was a extremely fine pitcher. For 2 yrs. he was a great one. And strangely, he blossomed in 1920, just when things should have gotten tough for him. He was with the St. Louis Browns from 1919-24, and a Yankee from 1925-27. Then he died prematurely.

Here is his record:

Year---W-L,---ERA+--Team finish
1916---4-4,---110-----4th
1917---8-5,---103-----6th
1918---6-6,---152-----4th
1919--13-11,--123-----5th--Browns
1920--20-10,--145-----4th
1921--27-12,--126-----3rd
1922--24-17,--139-----2nd
1923--20-12,--122-----5th
1924--16-13,--107-----4th
1925--12-12,--117-----7th--Yankees
1926--19-11,--114-----1st
1927--18-6,---136-----1st

In 1928, he pitched 1 inning for the Yankees, and they gave him his release as a free agent. He traveled to Denver, CO, and pitched a game, and came down with lobar pneumonia due to heart disease and died on Sept.9, 1928, at the age of 36.

He pitched as well as anybody else did during the 1920's, and better than Walter Johnson or Alexander, who were but a shadow of their former selves. He was easily on a par with Carl Mays and Herb Pennock, and just a shade under Vance & Grove. He was one of 4 wonderful pitchers on the 1927 Yankees. Pennock & Waite Hoyt got in the Hall, and Urban and Bob Shawkey didn't.

So, can anybody explain why such an excellent pitcher, working through the dry desert of the 1920's, was ignored for the Hall?

[philipthegreat]

who is your least favorite ball player.

[Bill Burgess]

I really don't have players I don't like. I do have a few behaviors I hate. Here are a few of them.

1. Cap Anson's attitude/behavior towards blacks.
2. Pete Rose's fighting.
3. Drysdale/B.Gibson/Marichal throwing at batters.
4. The unethical Baltimore Orioles cheating in the 1890's.
5. Ted Williams not giving his all to his fielding/running early in his career.
-----------------
Non-players dispicable behaviors.
1. Judge Landis refusal to go to bat for black players.
2. John McGraw bribing other players to throw games to the Giants.
3. Charles Comiskey being an arrogant bully when negotiating with his players.
4. Ban Johnson doing all in his power to deny rights to players.
5. Walter O'Malley for stealing a team from its rightful home.
6. Anyone who ever threw games, under-performed on the field.
7. Anyone who ever did anything to deny blacks their rights to enter the MLs.
8. Anyone who ever did anything to protect the 'Reserve Clause'.
9. Anyone who did anything to facilitate the moving of the Dodgers from Brooklyn.

[Bill Burgess]

Even though it is despicable to ask somebody a question and then argue with his answer :D I'm afraid I'll have to.

Though I do not have the source right in front of me I saw on a TV special that said that o'malley couldn't get his fans (who had moved to places like levitown) and wanted to use cars (thank you robert moses) and when he asked if he could build a new Ebbets he was turned down and moved to brooklyn.
I'd rather not talk about him. I don't like the feelings he brings out of me.

[Bill Burgess]

Bill, have you ever watched, or maybe played, a game of cricket?
No, I have not.

[Bill Burgess]

Thanks for the info. Do you know if the pneumonia, or its symptoms, was already apparent when NY cut him? Why cut a guy with his record after just one inning, and when he's only 36? Seems strange. Could it be that the answer to that question is linked to his absence from the HOF?
I never researched it to that extent. But sometimes, a player's strength/skills tail off even before a medical diagnosis, as with Lou Gehrig.

I will see what I can find.

(Note. Urban Shocker was paid $13,500. by the Yankees in 1927. Ed Barrow himself was paid $25,000. Manager Huggins was paid $37,500. Herb Pennock got $17,000.

So, when GM Barrow calls Urban's salary, "a fancy figure", and that he didn't cut the offer to him for 1928, keep the above figures in mind.

Urban was a routine holdout, because he was trying to receive what he was worth, in comparison to Pennock, and their respective records.
(The Life That Ruth Built, by Marshall Smelser, 1975, pp. 349.) In there, Ruppert lists the salaries of all the Yankee personnel for 1927.

[E.Howard 32]

Bill,

With all the nasty batting helmets in the game today, should there be a rule that states that the insignia on the batting helmet should be readable, and not covered in pine tar, dirt, or "other" substances?

[Bill Burgess]

Bill,

With all the nasty batting helmets in the game today, should there be a rule that states that the insignia on the batting helmet should be readable, and not covered in pine tar, dirt, or "other" substances?

Don't you think that adds character to the player? I like old-fashioned stuff. Looks like it was there since the days of Mays, Mantle, Aaron. Cool stuff. Manny in the last game had an especially ancient batting helmet on. Couldn't even read the B anymore. But that's probably why he liked it.

[E.Howard 32]

Probably true, Manny likes anything that looks nasty. Actually that was a Yankee helmet painted over.