Category: Chicago White Sox (Page 2 of 24)

Sox

Old Sport Shorts: Sherm Lollar Part 4 #2613

September 27, 2024 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

Continued from Post #2612

As this series continues, there was another small article by Hoffman on Page 4 of the August 3, 1954, edition of the Sporting News, as he continued to examine the career of Sherm Lollar. The headline read:

At 12-14 Years Battled Priddy, Cooper, and Tucker

“Sherman Loller was in the swing of organized baseball long before he actually became an important part of it. The current number one White Sox catcher was a batboy, warm-up catcher, and batting practice backstop in 1936, 1937, and 1938 for the Fayetteville, Arkansas team in the Arkansas-Missouri League. At the ages of 12,13, and 14, then, he was pleased to mingle with such future Major League stars as Jerry Priddy, Walker Cooper, and Thurman Tucker.

“I was big stuff in those days, Lollar laughed as he recalled his youth. Nothing else would’ve suited me better. Little did I know how far I still had to go to get where I am today, and I suppose there’s still a long way ahead. I hope so anyway.”

According to Wikipedia, Gerald Edward Priddy became a second baseman for the Yankees, Senators, Browns, and Tigers. He was five-years older than Sherm and they just missed crossing paths in St. Louis, since Priddy left in 1949 and Lollar joined the team in 1951. He was groomed to be paired with future Hall of Fame shortstop, Phil Rizzuto, as a double-play combination, after playing together in Norfolk. Priddy was one of the league’s best prospects in 1939, hitting .333 with 24 home runs and 107 RBIs. When it came to playing with the Yankees, however, his cockiness apparently got in the way, with respect to another future Hall of Famer, Joe Gordon. Gordon was the final choice to play with Rizzuto while Priddy was eventually traded to the Washington Senators, where he became a solid starter. Joe Priddy also became a baseball hero to then 11-year-old Maury Wills, just as Sherm Lollar influenced me around that impressionable age.

The second Fayetteville player that made it to the Majors was Thurman Lowell Tucker, six years older than Sherm. A center fielder, Tucker played for nine seasons with the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians. In 701 career games, he recorded a batting average of .255 and accumulated 24 triples, nine home runs, and 179 runs batted in (RBI). Due to his resemblance to the film comedian Joe E. Brown, Tucker was nicknamed “Joe E”.

The third Fayetteville future Major Leaguer was William Walker Cooper. He was 8-years older than Sherm and most likely his closest mentor, particularly since he went on to serve as a catcher from 1940 to 1957, most notably as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals. He won two World Series championships with them and was an eight-time All-Star. After his playing career, he managed the Indianapolis Indians (1958–59) and Dallas-Fort Worth Rangers (1961) of the Triple-A American Association and was a coach for the 1960 Kansas City Athletics, before leaving the game. Cooper is remembered as one of the top catchers in baseball during the 1940s and early 1950s, but like Sherm, apparently not good enough for the Hall of Fame.

It’s time once again for me to get on my soap box when it comes to catchers and the Hall of Fame. As I pointed out in my post titled, Who Was That Masked Man?, a baseball catcher is a special type of athlete. It’s up and down from an uncomfortable squat inning after inning, it’s often guiding and supporting a star pitcher, and it’s being involved in every play. Arguably, no one touches the ball in a game more than the catcher, and no one on the field has a better view of the field of play. They are the field generals and often go on to be managers and coaches. It’s just another reason why these masked men, like Sherm Lollar, deserve more respect from the Baseball Hall of Fame.

As of 2024, there are 346 elected members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, including 20-catchers, so these “masked men” make up less than 6 percent of these inductees. Pitchers make up the majority, about a third, so catchers that I’ve written about in this series like Lollar, Cooper, Hayes, and Hegan get left out in the cold, even though many consider them to be the best pitchers of all. Baseball is a team game of nine positions, if we don’t yet count the designated hitter. Ask yourself these questions. What would a pitcher be without a catcher? Or the seven other teammates on the field, for that matter? The other half of the battery deserves more attention. Or, maybe just call it the Pitcher’s Hall of Fame?

We don’t judge pitchers based solely on their hitting skills. We judge them on their ability to pitch, so the main criteria for a catcher should be their defensive skills. Although, this is where the game has evolved. Today’s catchers can do it all, and their statistics now make them more competitive with other stars of the game. In simple terms, however, pitchers pitch and catchers catch – that’s the way the game was designed. Let’s give more credit to those who are fundamentally sound behind the plate like Sherm Lollar.

Who’s one of the greatest defensive catchers of all time? Take off your mask Sherm Lollar – with a .992 fielding percentage, a ML record in his era. He also caught a ML record-tying six pop-ups in one game. Look at the statistics chart at the end of this article. It compares the 15 players in the Hall, plus the three “Negro League” inductees and potential inductees, with Lollar’s career. Only Elston Howard, also not in the Hall of Fame, has a higher FP at .993, but he did not play as many years or in as many games as Sherm Lollar. Jorge Pasada ties Lollar, but also played 4 fewer years and 270 less games. He is also not yet in the Hall of Fame. Granted, they were both better hitters, but my point is recognizing the ability to catch and throw out batters. After all, taking away runs from others is equally as important as scoring runs.

Hall of Fame Catchers as of this writing:

Johnny Bench, Cincinnati Reds 1967-1983

Yogi Berra, New York Yankees 1946-1963

Roger Bresnahan: Washington Senators, 1897; Chicago Orphans, 1900; Baltimore Orioles, 1901 – 1902; New York Giants, 1902 – 1908; St. Louis Cardinals, 1909 – 1912; Chicago Cubs, 1913 – 1915.

Roy Campanella: Brooklyn Dodgers, 1948 – 1957.

Gary Carter: Montreal Expos, 1974 – 1984, 1992; New York Mets, 1985 – 1989; San Francisco Giants, 1990; Los Angeles Dodgers, 1991.

Mickey Cochrane: Philadelphia Athletics, 1925 – 1933; Detroit Tigers, 1934 – 1937.

Bill Dickey: New York Yankees, 1928 – 1943, 1946.

Buck Ewing: Troy Trojans, 1880 – 1882; New York Gothams/Giants, 1883 – 1889; New York Giants, 1890 – 1892; Cleveland Spiders, 1893 – 1894; Cincinnati Reds, 1895 – 1897.

Rick Ferrell: St. Louis Browns, 1929 – 1933, 1941 – 1943; Boston Red Sox, 1933 – 1937; Washington Senators, 1937 – 1941, 1944 – 1945, 1947.

Carlton Fisk: Boston Red Sox, 1969, 1971 – 1980; Chicago White Sox, 1981 – 1993.

Josh Gibson: Homestead Grays, 1930 – 1931, 1937 – 1939, 1942 – 1946; Pittsburgh Crawfords, 1932 – 1936; Dragones de Ciudad Trujillo, 1937; Azules de Veracruz, 1940 – 1941.

Gabby Hartnett: Chicago Cubs, 1922 – 1940; New York Giants, 1941.

Ernie Lombardi: Brooklyn Robins, 1931; Cincinnati Reds, 1932 – 1941; Boston Braves, 1942; New York Giants, 1943 – 1947.

Biz Mackey: St. Louis Giants, 1920; Indianapolis ABCs, 1920 – 1922; Hilldale Giants, 1923 – 1931; Philadelphia Stars, 1933 – 1935, 1937; Newark Eagles, 1939 – 1947.

Mike Piazza: Los Angeles Dodgers, 1992 – 1998; Florida Marlins, 1998; New York Mets, 1998 – 2005; San Diego Padres, 2006; Oakland Athletics, 2007.

Ivan Rodriguez: Texas Rangers, 1991 – 2002, 2009; Florida Marlins, 2003; Detroit Tigers, 2004 – 2008; New York Yankees, 2008; Houston Astros, 2009; Washington Nationals, 2010 – 2011.

Louis Santop: Philadelphia Giants, 1911; New York Lincoln Giants, 1912, 1914 – 1916; Brooklyn Royal Giants, 1917 – 1918, 1919; Hilldale Daisies, 1918, 1919 – 1926.

Ray Schalk: Chicago White Sox, 1912 – 1928; New York Giants, 1929.

Ted Simmons: St. Louis Cardinals, 1968 – 1980; Milwaukee Brewers, 1981 – 1985; Atlanta Braves, 1986 – 1988.

Joe Mauer: Minnesota Twins 2004-2018

Catchers likely to be inducted in the Next 10 Years:

Buster Posey: San Francisco Giants eligible 2027.

Yadier Molina: St. Louis Cardinals eligible 2028.

Sherm Lollar was far too quiet and humble to say all this for himself, but he and his contemporaries should be recognized as part of this elite group. He wasn’t flashy and outspoken like the great Yogi Berra. Bottom line, catchers should comprise at least 10% of those in the Hall of Fame.

To Be Continued…

Old Sport Shorts: Sherm Lollar Part 3 #2612

September 26, 2024 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

Continued from Post #2610

Hoffman of The Sporting News continued to expound on Sherman Lollar’s skills under the sub-heading of “Shotgun for an Arm.” I know he was a reporter, but I also feel he was a fan, traveling with the White Sox for eight years. He was with the Chicago
Sun Times for 25-years and is credited with starting the Golden Jubilee Sports Benefit for the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs, according to his October 28, 1964, obituary at 61-years old. At that time, Sherm was the bullpen coach for the World Champion Baltimore Orioles, earning his second ring in 1966 with a pitching staff that included Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, Steve Barber, Wally Bunker, Eddy Watt, and Moe Drabowsky.

Before Lollars 18-year catching career ended in 1963, he spent 12-years with the Chicago White Sox. It was Manager Paul Richards, a catcher once himself, that made the trade from the Browns possible in 1952. Some observers may have noted, “you know that boy just saunters from the dugout to the plate and from the plate to the dugout… looks kind of lazy” Richards retorted, “I’m not concerned with what he does going to and from the plate. It’s what he does at the plate and behind it that counts.”

Hoffman went on to point out that “one of the things Lollar did last season (1954) was to throw out the last 18 runners who tried to steal on him. No one in fact stole on him after May 11 and only four of 22 made it all season.

“And one of the things Lollar did at the plate this season (1955) was to hit seven home runs in ten days from April 23 through May 3.”

“If there are any catchers in the American league as good as or better than Lollar they would have to be Cleveland’s Jim Hogan, and the Yankees’ Yogi Berra. Oddly enough he was unable to become the Indians’ catcher because of Hegan, and he missed taking over the number one job with the Yankees because of Berra. It was only natural then that he should move on to other clubs, but still the way wasn’t easy, because it required some imagination and much practical knowledge of catching to appreciate Lollar’s capabilities.”

Browns Price Was High

“Such a connoisseur was Paul Richards, who, (as previously mentioned) was himself a former catcher and manager of the White Sox from 1951 through ’54,” Hoffman continued.

“Lollar was acquired from the St. Louis Browns, November 26, 1951, in a deal which sent Shortstop Joe DeMaestri, First Baseman Gordon Goldsberry, Outfielder Jim Rivera, Southpaw Dick Littlefield, and Catcher Gus Niarhos to the Browns for Lollar, Pitcher Al Widmar, and Infielder Tom Upton.

“At the time, General Manager Frank Lane said:”

“We went all out to get Loller because Richards wanted him. He’s one of the top three catchers in the American League. Two others. of course, are Yogi Berra and Jim Hegen.”

“Said Manger Richards:”

“We might have won the pennant in 1951 if we had had Lollar. He has a better throwing arm than any other catcher we had. He’s as good of glove man as Gus Niarhos, but more durable. He’ll catch more than 100 games for me.”

“Lollar did catch more than 100 games for Richards in each of the three succeeding years. He caught 352 games in three seasons and will catch more than 100 again in 1955.”

However, Lollar’s first season with the White Sox was his worst, after three big years with the Browns. In 1950, he batted .280, hit 13 homers, and drove in 65 runs. Most importantly, ace Pitcher Ned Garver selected Sherm as his personal catcher and won 20-games in 1951. In November of 1951 came the trade and he was “quite flattered by that, but I started pressing in my anxiety to do well for Richards in 1952 and the result was I had a bad season.” Not one to make excuses, he’s also quoted as saying to a Sports Illustrated reporter in 1960 that, “nineteen fifty-two was a nightmare, the worst year I’ve had in baseball. My wife had become ill after the birth of our first son, and that was on my mind. Then I got off to a bad start when the season opened, and nothing seemed to go right. It went on like that for five and a half months.”

That would soon change…to be continued.

Old Sport Shorts: Sherm Lollar Part 2 #2610

September 26, 2024 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

Continued from Post #2609

John C. Hoffman of The Sporting News went on to report that the John Sherman Lollar name spans several generations. I also sourced a PSA Bio and discovered that John Sherman Lollar Senior was an old semi-pro ballplayer who played catch with his son outside their family grocery store in Fayetteville, Arkansas, starting at the age of three. Senior died five years later in 1932. The great-grandfather fought for the North in the Civil War and started the name tradition in honor of General William Tecumseh Sherman, who passed it on to his son, came to be known as “Sherm.” The name connection is even more appropriate after he proved, as a Major League catcher, to be a dependable field general.

The death of Sherm’s father added additional responsibilities for the entire family. His mother, Ruby, who helped support the family as a librarian, sold the store, temporarily moved to Guin, Alabama, but returned to Fayetteville to work for the Veteran’s Administration. There were three younger siblings, Bonnie, Pat, and Jerry. Despite the disruption in his life, Lollar’s interest in baseball never waned. In 1936, shortly before he turned twelve, he became a batboy for the Fayetteville Bears in the Arkansas-Missouri League.

A 1957 Saturday Evening Post article added, “Sherman would warm up the pitchers between innings and do a good job. The crowds would get a big kick out of seeing this frail, skinny kid catch and throw to second base.”

Hoffman then went on to write: “After graduating from Fayetteville High School, a school that had no baseball team, so his sole sports option was to play basketball, the sixteen-year-old Lollar took a job with J.C. Penney in Pittsburg, Kansas. He played with a team affiliated with the Chamber of Commerce in the Ban Johnson League while also studying at Pittsburg State Teachers College (now Pittsburgh State University). Two years later, after the Ban Johnson League folded, Lollar both played for and managed the semipro Baxter Springs (Kansas) Miners, working as a brakeman in a local mine when he wasn’t playing baseball.”

As Hoffman further reported, “the mining team, managed by Barney Barnett, an old semi-pro player, and played three or four times a week. Lollar had been rejected by his draft board in World War II and one of his teammates was a pitcher named Stan West, who belonged to the Baltimore team of the International League. West was engaged in defense work, but he recommended Lollar to Tommy Thomas, former White Sox pitcher, who was then managing the Baltimore team.”

A cyst on his throat kept him from the service, so he was able to continue to play ball, unlike some of his contemporaries whose careers were interrupted by the war. He had to be thinking of his father, who died in the hospital from a carbuncle or cluster of boils caused by bacterial infection. Sherm’s cyst was not related but it was in a similar part of the body. It might have been related to his premature death at the age of 53 in 1977. Cancer was the cause, and I have medallion in my collection from the Sherm Lollar/Nellie Fox Cancer Foundation. Fox died two years earlier at only 48-years-of-age from skin cancer related to smokeless tobacco that always filled his cheek and became a trademark.

“Lollar joined the minor league Orioles in August, 1943 and caught 12 games before the conclusion of the season. The next season he became the regular catcher for the Orioles but batted only .250 in 126 games. However, he had 15 home runs and drove in 72 runs and was the team’s number one catcher again in 1945.”

Sherm was quoted as saying, “I don’t recall that I ever wanted to be anything else except a catcher. It seems like I was born with a catcher’s mitt on my hand. I can remember playing pepper and catching with my arm was still sore from vaccination. That must’ve been before I was six years old.”

“When the time came for me to join the Baltimore team in Buffalo, mother was pleased. She knew it would have been dad‘s wish that I should be a professional ball player and so she gave me her wholehearted support.”

He went on to say, “the Baltimore club sent me my transportation to Buffalo, but it never occurred to me that I should get any kind of a bonus for signing a contract. I was just glad to get the chance to play.”

“Lollar told, too, how he happened to break into the lineup and then became the regular catcher in 1944. Most of the boys had gone into the service, he said, and there wasn’t there weren’t too many players left. Then in 1944, the Cleveland club, which had a working agreement with Baltimore was supposed to send a couple of catchers to the Orioles, but they were late getting around to it. And by the time they got there, I had caught several games and was going pretty good, so Tommy Thomas just left me in the lineup.”

Sherm became the International League MVP in 1945 after a great season with a league-leading “.364 batting average, and 111 RBIs in 139-games. He also hit 34 homers, 27 doubles and four triples. Half a dozen big league teams, including the White Sox had tried to buy him. Chicago offered $50,000 for his contract but Cleveland had first choice. At spring training, he was one of a dozen catchers and one of them, just out of the service was Jim Hegan. Hegan won the job.”

Sherm Lollar made his Major League debut April 20, 1946, with the Indians, and caught 28-games as back-up to Frankie Hayes, who held a 312-game streak of consecutive games as well as Hegan, just another future catching legend, like his predecessor, somehow ignored by Cooperstown.

I was disturbed to find that although Lollar was born in Dunham, Arkansas and spent his younger years nearby Fayetteville, the Arkansas Department of Tourism website does not even recognize him as worthy of their list of “famous athletes.” This lack of disrespect extends to the Baseball Hall of Fame, where only a handful of catchers are enshrined, despite their key leadership role on their respective teams. At least, there’s a blurb about him in the Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Thankfully, The Sporting News has been generous on their reporting of his career.

On the next page of The Sporting News was a side-article written with the headline: Top Moment? Game in ‘53 when his bat beat the Yankees. According to the author Hoffman, “it is doubtful if anyone would have detected it, because Sherm Lollar, ace catcher of the Chicago White Sox staff, is never demonstrative, but he was a mighty pleased young man the evening of May 14, 1953. In fact, it was his biggest thrill of his baseball career. The White Sox were behind four to one in the seventh to the Yankees in a game in New York. Teammates, Tom Wright and Vern Stevens were on base when Lollar hit a homer in the left field stands to tie the game. The score was tied again 5-5 in the eighth and then in the ninth Lollar opened with a single but replaced by a pinch runner, Red Wilson, who scored the winning run.”

The box scores that day showed two singles, a home run, and a walk. Lollar also scored twice and drove in three. Perhaps he had a personal grudge to settle against the Bronx Bombers and Manager Bill Dickey, who first sent him to Newark, favoring left-handed Yogi Berra behind the plate. Lollar was then traded the following year after a wrist injury to the St. Louis Browns, despite a 3-4 performance including two doubles in the 1947 World Series. Yogi replaced him in the batting order in Game 3 and hit the very first pinch-hit homer in Series history.

Maybe the Championship ring that Lollar earned that year never fit him comfortably. “I thought I was in after that,” Lollar said, “but I sat on the bench practically all of the next season. I got into only 22 games, and I guess that kind of shook my confidence, but you just have to take the bad breaks with the good ones in this game.” With the move to the Browns in 1949, he earned his first of 7 career All-Star selections.

It wasn’t until he came to the White Sox for the 1952 season before he got a full-time catching job, after spending six of his eighteen years as a non-starter. I was only one-year old at the time, so it wasn’t until 7-years later that I became one of his biggest fans, during the course of the 1959 World Series.

To be continued…..

Old Sport Shorts: John Sherman Lollar Part 1 #2609

September 26, 2024 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

The Chicago White Sox can use some positive publicity these days, hinging on their historic losing season of 2024. They officially outdid the 1962 Mets, losing 121 games. Only the 1899 Cleveland Spiders compiled a worse record throughout the entire history of the sport. Maybe, they should be known as the “Black Sox” rather than the 1919 gamblers? Where’s my bleach?

As a result of doing such “dirty” laundry, I’ve decided to write a few sparkling articles about my White Sox childhood hero, John Sherman Lollar, inspired by a recent E-Bay purchase for my growing collection. I bought the August 3,1955 edition of the The Sporting News, based out of St. Louis. It was 25-cents back then but cost me nearly $20 with shipping & handling. The tease read: “Lollar Proving White Sox Pillar – See Page 3.“

On Page 3 of the now-yellowed tabloid was an impressive illustration by Lou Darvis of him in a Sox hat and several related cartoons under the title of “As Catcher, Lollar His Team’s Best Pitcher.” An underlined preview just above read “Nabbed 18 of 22 Base Pilferers” and a sub-title stated: His Motto: ‘They Shall Not Steal’. A series of articles by John C Hoffman of Chicago, Illinois were nicely written on the next few pages.

I will get into more details in subsequent posts, but each of the four cartoons surrounding his caricature had an intriguing caption highlighting his early career and touting his quiet leadership skills:

“His dad, an old semi-pro ballplayer, used to play catch with Sherman outside their grocery store…probably started the first self-serve store in Fayetteville.” The Illustrator drew his butcher’s apron-cladded father behind the counter saying to a woman customer, “Would y’ mind helpin’ yourself, Mrs. Skinner? I wanna catch a few with Shermy.”

“Conducts Clubhouse meetings before each series. Instructs hurlers on how to pitch to opposing pitchers.” In this cartoon insert, Lollar’s, wearing shin guards, is pointing to a body drawn on the chalkboard and advising, “Pitch ‘im close an’ high aroun’ the clavicle.”

“At the age of 12, he was a batboy for Fayetteville, in the Arkansas-Missouri League.” Sherm is portrayed by the artist lugging seven huge bats and saying, “Whew! ‘an those guys big guys carry on’y two bats to th’ plate.”

“No. 1 catcher for the white-hot White Sox, Sherman Lollar hit seven homers in ten days earlier this season.”

“Wrote Sports for his local paper at Pittsburg (Kan.) State Teacher’s College” His character is shown carrying a reporter’s notebook and quipping, “Nuthin’ to this racket – I’d rather make th’ news!

As a young fan who followed his career and now a collector of his memorabilia, I was pleased to see that his skills got some attention. The publication was popular because it combined the appeal of a comic book with some serious background information. You could read the articles or just look at the pictures and learn something about the man. The illustrations were worthy of framing. You can’t frame the current digital version of today’s The Sporting News that discontinued print publication in 2012, but I’m sure that they’ve had lots of illustrative fun lambasting the 2024 version of the Chicago White Sox, who with 121 losses with two games to go, have now officially surpassed the 1962 New York Mets as the worst team in baseball since 1899. Sherm would not be happy!

More on John Sherman Lollar in upcoming posts…

Old Sport Shorts: The Next Game #2605

September 22, 2024 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

Between baseball cards and big games my life seems to revolve around sports. I check the scores every morning, look at all the box scores, go to the Topps Now site every afternoon to see what cards are available, and watch the live action whenever I can, then view a related documentary or read a book like Bushville Wins! about the 1957 World Champion Milwaukee Braves. IU sports, Purdue, other BIG Ten teams, Indiana Fever, the Cubs, White Sox, Colts, Bears, Kyle Schwarber, and Shohei Ohtani are currently my regular interests.

The baseball playoff race is in full swing, IU football is off to an unprecedented start, IU basketball is getting ready to start, and history is being made by Schwarber and Ohtani on the diamond. Sadly, the Cubs will fall short again this year, and the White Sox are a joke, about to lose their 120th game this season – more history of the worst kind!

Hoosier football won their first four games in dominating style, the local Venice High School Indians are 5-0 after a 54-51 victory last night over Cocoa. The WNBA Indiana Fever and rookie sensation Caitlin Clark are solidly in the playoffs and will battle the Connecticut Sun today on ABC-TV. At least, my sports interests are diverse, ranging from high school and college to professional. I follow the Portland Timbers in soccer as well as the IU program, watch the Little League World Series, men’s & women’s softball, Indy Car, NASCAR, and Formula One. If competition and skill or a ball are involved – I’m interested.

The Purdue-IU rivalry has finally taken a twist in football this year, as the Boilermakers look weak. Hopefully that trend will continue in men’s & women’s basketball, as well as the other sports. Purdue is my second favorite team, the result of working in that community for several years, but there’s no doubt as to my favorite when they play IU. The Colts and Bears tangle this afternoon.

My interest in Kyle Schwarber stems from his collegiate years at IU, my alma mater as well. He made history again last night with his 15th lead-off home run for the Phillies this season. No one else in baseball has ever accomplished that feat! He did it against the Met’s pitcher, Sean Manaea, who now boasts a 12-5 record and retired 21-24 batters with only three hits, including Schwarber’s 406-foot bomb. Manaea’s pitching gem, however, temporarily stalled the Phillies claim to the Division title.

Shohei Ohtani immediately intrigued my interest when he moved his skills from the Japanese leagues to MLB in 2018. This despite my being neither an Angels or Dodgers fan. The ability to both pitch and hit effectively is a rare art, dating back to Babe Ruth. I started collecting his baseball cards, as I also do with Schwarber, and have been caught-up in his success. After arm surgery late last year, he’s focused on hitting and base stealing this season, reaching the 52-52 plateau the other night with 7 more games yet to play. He could very well get back on the mound in the playoffs, finally on a team that has gotten him into the MLB postseason for the very first time.

Needless to say, I’m looking forward to the next game!

Old Sport Shorts: Scandals Part 7 #2591

September 6, 2024 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

Continued from Post #2588

Cheating, in all its myriad forms, has from the beginning of time been an unavoidable part of sports. As far back as 4000 BC, ancient Egyptians bet on dice, board games, and feats of skill such as chariot racing and fencing. There were probably challenges on who could kill the biggest dinosaur or the fiercest lion. It seems to be part of man’s nature. Betting on sports took place during the ancient Olympic Games, according to “Sports Betting History.” For hundreds of years, it has been at the center of some of the most dramatic athletic scandals and controversial moments, raising questions of integrity and, in many cases, spurring significant changes to the rules themselves.

I’m sure we all remember, back in the days of Plato and Sparta, 388 BC to be exact, when there was evidence of cheating in Ancient Greece. A 1952 article titled “Crime and Punishment in Greek Athletic” details a boxing bribery incident at the 98th Olympics. According to Ohio State professor Clarence Forbes, Eupolus of Thessaly “bribed all three of his opponents to let him win, prompting games organizers to impose ‘heavy fines’ on all four men, with the money used to erect six bronze statues near the entrance to the stadium in Olympia.” Their inscriptions warn of future cheating.

The apparent winner of the 1904 Summer Games in St. Louis, American Fred Lorz, rode 11 miles in a car before being called out and admitting to cheating. A similar thing happened 76-years later in Boston, when Rosie Ruiz was stripped of her medal when it was discovered that she had not run the entire race.

We’ve already detailed the 1919 Black Sox Scandal in a previous installment (See Post #2484), but thirty-two years later in 1951, a group of college basketball players, starting at City College of New York, took money from bookmakers in exchange for manipulating the scores of games. History continues to repeat itself. 32 players from seven colleges eventually admitted to accepting bribes in the point-shaving scheme. Two of those players and at least 10 other fixers, agents or bookies went on to serve jail time, according to ESPN.

Controversy and cheating prevail in all types of sports including international football. In 1986, an infamous goal known as “hand of God” by Diego Maradona led Argentina to a 2-1 win over England in the quarterfinals of the 1986 World Cup, eventually leading them to the finals that they would also win. He initially said it was the “hand of God” that knocked the ball into the net, rather than his own. But in his autobiography 14 years later, Maradona fessed up. “What hand of God?” he wrote. “It was the hand of Diego! And it was like stealing the wallet of the English, too.” Justified theft in his eyes!

Cheating incidents in sports rarely involve acts of violence, but this one did in 1994. In a brazen assault, a man named Shane Stant attacked top U.S. figure skater Nancy Kerrigan with a baton after practice. It was later revealed that Stant had been hired to attack Kerrigan by the ex-husband of her main rival, Tonya Harding, in hopes that the injury would prevent Kerrigan from competing in the national championships and 1994 Winter Olympics.

Faking a disability was a shocking factor in the 2000 Paralympics. Spain’s intellectual disability basketball team won gold in Sydney. Later it was revealed that 10 of the 12 players were not disabled after all. At the same time, the stronger got stronger as baseball’s steroid era made Lance Armstrong and Russia’s state-sponsored scheme look trivial by comparison. Dozens of players were implicated, including Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro and several other big-name stars. Congress got involved. Major League Baseball was forced to overhaul its drug-testing policies. And while the time period listed here covered the “peak” of the era, including the 1998 home run record chase between McGwire and Sammy Sosa, its effects stretched well beyond this window − from the Mitchell Report to Barry Bonds’ trial for perjury.

American football showed its ugly side in 2015 when Superstar Tom Brady, then of the New England Patriots, was accused of cheating. This did not involve steroids, fake disabilities, or even gambling. He simply asked team equipment staffers to deliberately underinflate footballs in the AFC championship game against the Indianapolis Colts. It’s reminiscent of doctoring the baseball and bats that we already covered. Same cheating techniques – different sport. Brady was suspended four games and appealed in this memorable cheating scandal known as “deflategate.”

While there were wide gaps of time between scandals of years past, they seem to occur frequently these days. In 2019, the Houston Astros were in the spotlight. As I wrote in Parts 4 & 5 of this series (See Post #2486), they utilized both a centerfield camera and banging on a trash can to relay stealing signals. The incident soured their World Series title and led to several suspensions, firings and fines. Years later it inspired the technological introduction of “PitchCom”, allowing catchers and pitchers to communicate their signs wirelessly.

Many people might view what happed in the 2024 Paris Olympics as just another form of cheating, changing your sex to gain an advantage. Hungarian boxer Anna Luca Hamori said she didn’t “think it’s fair” that her opponent, Algerian Imane Khelif is taking part in the women’s category at the Olympics. Khelif is one of two athletes, along with Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting , who have been cleared to compete despite being disqualified from last year’s Women’s World Championships after they were said to have failed gender eligibility tests. Both identify and compete as women but have XY chromosomes in their DNA. They were defended and allowed to compete by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach. However, this could be considered similar to steroid use, altering the body to gain a competitive advantage.

Cheating has come a long way from the childhood playground. No one is above suspicion, so scrutiny and rule modifications will continue to increase in all sports, extending to the business world. Everyone wants to find a way to get an edge over their competitor and there continues to be a fine line between fair and unfair.

Retirement is not without Hassles: Back to Work #2590

September 5, 2024 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

Like a kid in a candy store, I’ve been sorting baseball cards for the last few days. My son brought over his collection of sports cards, many of which were mine many years ago. I simply put them all in order, removed all the duplicates, and added some of those to my binders. The triplicates I’ll take to Blue Breaks, my local store and put them in the kid’s box – free cards to perhaps motivate a youngster to adopt the hobby.

Since I’ve been nursing a sore leg, sitting and sorting seems like a good idea. However, then it stiffens even more and makes walking miserable. It seems to be getting worse rather than better and a call to the doctor’s office yesterday didn’t seem to speed up the process of getting an MRI. No one knows what to do for me until I get these results, so progress is at a standstill. I’ll work out the pain in the morning and then am able to do my workouts at the gym or the pool. However, sedate evenings of watching TV or distractions like baseball cards, lead to hours on a soft couch. This seems to aggravate the nerve. It’s like a hamstring injury, with stabbing pain running down my left leg into my calf. Ice provides temporary relief, but a heating pad last night didn’t seem to help. I’m lost for a solution.

The baseball world that I live in this time of year keeps me sane. Kyle Schwarber hit 3-homers in a single game this week, the first, a lead-off shot, tied him with Alfonso Soriano for the season record. Japanese phenom Shota Imanaga hurled 7-innings of no-hit ball for the Cubs, and two relievers combined to finish off the game, holding the Pirates hitless. Aaron Judge pursues the 60-mark and Shohei Ohtani inches closer to the 50/50 Club. However, the White Sox continue to lose at a record pace. I still check the box scores in the middle of the night and go to the Topps Baseball site every afternoon to purchase cards that capture those moments of actions. History is made almost every day on the diamond. In another month or so, my entire focus will shift to I.U. basketball. Too much idle time, like this, is driving me crazy. I need to find something constructive to do with my days.

My wife spent another day teaching school, while I took the dogs to the park. She almost didn’t get home, considering the fact that her Lexus key fob fell apart, and she couldn’t get the car started. Fortunately, she was able to improvise and drove to Sarasota to pick up a pricy replacement. The nearly 20-year-old sports car, her baby, needs an oil change, tune-up, and struts, so hopefully the rest of it won’t fail in the near future. She has errands tomorrow and I’ll need it Saturday, but school is on hold until Monday. I need this leg to heel, so I can go back to work.

Old Sport Shorts: Bad Boy Hall of Fame Part 3 #2584

August 29, 2024 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

Continued from Post #2583

The epitome of baseball bad boys are the infamous Chicago Black Sox. Most people know them as a group of eight, as it was in some cases probably guilt by association. There were obviously some good ball players in that group, evidenced by the fact that they made it to the 1919 World Series. It was also a time when baseball wasn’t scrutinized by an acting commissioner, perhaps easier to get away with a crime. It also undoubtedly spurred the need for an overall leader.

The guilty eight were officially banned from baseball in 1921 by Commissioner Kenesaw Landis, probably one of his first acts. As a result, none of them, of course, are in the Hall of Fame, despite their abilities to play the game or the accomplishments that they achieved. The unusual best-of-nine series against the Cincinnati Reds. Redland Field in Cincinnati and Comiskey Park Chicago were the venues involved. Hall of Fame umpire Billy Evans joins Edd Roush of the Reds and Eddie Collins, Red Faber, and Ray Schalk of the Sox in Cooperstown, although Schalk did not play. Dickie Kerr, already mentioned, was the ninth player involved but has been reinstated.

The Sox team was essentially still intact from their 1917 Championship. World War I had taken a toll on the 1918 roster. Shoeless Joe Jackson was the unquestioned star. They were first known as the “Black Sox” because owner, Charles Comiskey, supposedly wouldn’t pay to have their uniforms laundered regularly and they consequently became blacker and blacker, as did their alleged indiscretions. The first signs of trouble were when knuckleballer, Eddie Cicotte, lost his first two starts in the Series. One unsubstantiated story says that he grew bitter towards Comiskey, who denied him five starts toward the end of the season, ending his chances for a 30-win bonus. He went 29-7 on the season. Comiskey claims that he was saving his arm for the Series but may have selfishly saved himself $10,000 in the process, enough to certainly wash the unforms. Cicotte did win game #7, extending the Series.

Chicago’s other ace, Lefty Williams, lost the other three games. It’s a World Series record that will probably never be broken by a starter. He finished the season 23-11 and saved a league-leading 40-games.

Chick Gandil was the mastermind and ringleader of the scandal and admitted his role and implicated others in the scandal via a 1956 Sports Illustrated interview and article. Fred McMullin was just a backup infielder, however, after hearing discussions about the take, he threatened disclosure unless included. The last living member of the scandal, and another ringleader, was shortstop Charles “Swede” Risberg who died in 1975. Centerfielder Happy Felsch hit and fielded poorly throughout the Series.

There are reasons to believe that “Shoeless” Joe Jackson was not involved, but rather in the wrong place at the wrong time. His manager, Buck Weaver, was also controversially banned, having knowledge of the conspiracy but not reporting it. Weaver did successfully sue Charles Comiskey for his 1921 salary. Once again, Comiskey was trying to save a buck, in this case from the real Buck.

Next, we’ll cover the other Commissioners and their impact on keeping the game clean and respectable.

Old Sport Shorts: Bad Boys Hall of Fame Part 2 #2583

August 29, 2024 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

See Post #2476 for an introduction.

My proposed Hall of Shame, within the Hall of Fame, would be like purgatory, waiting to get into Heaven as the case is debated. Baseball Commissioners have proven to be stubborn with their decisions. However, future circumstances might dictate these fallen player’s eligibility back in baseball, just as the Armando Gallarraga 28-out game (ruled out of a perfect game on the last out) eventually spurred the addition of replay and continues to be discussed. It opened eyes! Who knows, maybe a future commissioner will see the difference between good players and bad actions?

There were several “bad” players unofficially banned from baseball before the creation of the office of Commissioner of Baseball in 1921. They later had their bans made “official” by baseball’s first Commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, who made it clear that gambling would not be tolerated. Landis barred a total of nineteen people during his tenure, five more than all of his successors combined. Of the nineteen, two were re-instated by Landis, one was re-instated by a successor and sixteen remain banned.

Long before Landis came to power and dating back to 1865, Thomas Devyr, Ed Duffy, and William Wansley of the New York Mutuals were banned for associating with known gamblers. John Radcliff of the Chicago White Stockings was banned in 1874 after attempting to bribe an umpire. The White Stockings, predecessors of the Cubs, were prohibited from using “Chicago” as part of their name beginning in 1900. The city of Chicago was soon to become the poster child for bad behavior in baseball.

All of these early players were eventually reinstated. George Bechtel of the National League Louisville Grays was banned in 1876 for conspiring to intentionally lose a game and never reinstated. His teammates, Jim Devlin, George Hall, Al Nichols, and Bill Craver followed in 1877 and were also never reinstated. Fellow NL competitor Lip Pike of Worchester arose suspicions for his play in 1881, and was banned, blacklisted, then finally reinstated in 1883.

As for non-players before the Landis regime, bans were issued to umpire Dick Higham in 1882 for conspiracy, New York Giants team physician Joseph Marie Creamer, III for bribery, St. Louis Browns managers Jack O’Connor and Henry Howell for attempting to fix the outcome of the 1910 American League batting title, and the 1912 Philadelphia Phillies owner, Horace Fogel for asserting that umpires were making unfair calls against his team. The are no records of reinstatement for any of these men.

Henry Zimmerman, also known as “Heinie” or “The Great Zim” was another famous case. He played third base for the Chicago Cubs and New York Giants, winning the National League triple crown in 1912. He was banned for fixing games with suspicion arising after his poor performance in the 1917 World Series. This was two years before the Black Sox scandal, but it took another two years for it to become official by Landis in 1921, following the trial testimony of his manager John Mcgraw, who was reluctant to turn him in.

Joe “Moon” Harris of the Cleveland Indians was banned in 1920 when he chose to play for an independent team rather than the Indians, violating the reserve clause. This proved to be simply breaking the rules but not the law, and he was justifiably reinstated by Commissioner Landis in 1922, in part for his service during WW II. Another non-gambling related ban occurred back in 1877, when Oscar Walker was accused of “contract jumping” by signing to play for another team while still under contract to the team he left. This was 98-years prior to free agency, another example of how time changes the rules.

The following year, Hal Chase of the New York Giants was banned for gambling with accusations extending back to 1910. This indiscretion also cost him a managerial position. He was also suspended in 1918 by Reds manager Christy Mathewson for fixing games and traded to the Giants. By the end of the 1919 season, NL president John Heydler disclosed evidence of Chase bribing players on other teams and had him blackballed, so neither league would touch him. 1921 was a bad year to face Commissioner Landis. Joe Gedeon of the St. Louis Browns, and Eugene Paulette of the Philadelphia Phillies, Lee Magee of the Chicago Cubs were all banned for conspiring or associating with known gamblers. Heinie Groh of the Cincinnati Reds was banned for two-days before agreeing contract salary terms. Play or face lifetime banishment was Landis’ ultimatum. On the criminal side, Bennie Kauff of the New York Giants was banned for selling stolen cars. Even though he was acquitted, the Judge considered him “no longer a fit companion for other ball players.” Ray Fisher of the Reds violated his contract by accepting a coaching position at the University of Michigan, Landis ruled. Bowie Kuhn reversed this decision in 1980, following the death of Landis.

In 1922, Dickie Kerr of the White Sox, one of the “Clean Sox,” was banned for violating the reserve clause in his contract and was reinstated three-years later. Also, Phil Douglas of the New York Giants received a Landis ban for allegedly threatening to “jump” the team for the pennant stretch to spite coach McGraw. Judge Landis was obviously a no-nonsense strict ruler, and players began to fall in line after his first year in office.

1923 was quiet but in 1924, Jimmy O’Connell of the New York Giants and his coach, Cozy Dolan, were both banned for bribing a Phillies shortstop. William D. Cox, the owner of the Phillies, was the last living person banned by Landis in 1943 for betting. Landis seemed to feast on Philly owners.

In his most celebrated case, Judge Landis officially went to work on the eight players of the Chicago White Sox. All were banned in 1921 for conspiring with gamblers to throw the 1919 World Series, known as the Black Sox scandal. We’ll get into that in the next installment.

Old Sport Shorts: 100 losses #2580

August 26, 2024 / mikeljohnston1 / 0 Comments

I guess I really know how to pick ’em, but how can I blame the 8-year-old child that fell in love with the Chicago White Sox 65-years ago in 1959. However, the 2024 version now needs to go 12-19 the remainder of the season to avoid tying the 1962 New York Mets (40-120-1) for the modern major league record for most losses in a season. They currently stand at an embarrassing 31-100 (.236). Thankfully, they will fall short of the all-time record held by the Cleveland Spiders, who finished 20-134 (.129) in 1899. History tells us just how bad this team has been after already losing their 100th game of this season at the hands of the Detroit Tigers. Only the 1916 Philadelphia A’s, who were 29-100-1 (.223), reached 100 losses in fewer games than the White Sox.

My stinking Sox have lost 100 or more games six times in franchise history and now in consecutive seasons for the first time. They went 61-101 last season under manager Pedro Grifol, who was fired Aug. 8. They are currently 3-11 under interim replacement Grady Sizemore. Their worst losing season was in 1970 when they lost 106-games, soon to be surpassed. You then have to go back to 1932 to find a worst winning percentage with the 49-102-1 (.325) club.

I understand that there is a Bill Veeck-like promotion where the first five people in line will make the starting lineup in an upcoming White Sox game. Veeck did things like this to attract crowds back in the day (See Post #257). Speaking of this, I was finally able to see a Savannah Bananas game in its entirety thanks to TruTV. I’ve obviously seen highlights of this spectacle that I liken to the Harlem Globetrotter shenanigans of my childhood. The closest thing in person that I’ve seen are the Portland Pickles, who play a serious brand of baseball but engage in extensive crowd antics. This is what attracts the crowds to the Minor League parks these days.

On a more serious note, my current favorite active MLB player, outside of Kyle Schwarber, is Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers, even though I can’t say that the Dodgers are my favorite team. Japanese-star, Ohtani, has joined the elite 40-40 club, a group of batters, currently six, who have collected 40 homers and 40 stolen bases in a single season. There are still 31-games to go before the playoffs and Ohtani has done it in the fewest number of games. The club also includes Jose Conseco, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Alphonso Soriano, and Ronald Acuna, Jr.

Last but not least, Florida won it first-ever Little League World Series. The team from Lake Mary “needed to win four elimination games and come from behind in both the semi-finals and finals to secure the championship, but thanks to a perfect bunt and a defensive miscue, they won it all.” They beat Chinese Taipei 2-1 in Williamsport. These are some future stars that the White Sox desperately need.

As this series continues, there was another small article by Hoffman on Page 4 of the August 3, 1954, edition of the Sporting News, as he continued to examine the career of Sherm Lollar. The headline read:

At 12-14 Years Battled Priddy, Cooper, and Tucker

“I was big stuff in those days, Lollar laughed as he recalled his youth. Nothing else would’ve suited me better. Little did I know how far I still had to go to get where I am today, and I suppose there’s still a long way ahead. I hope so anyway.”

Hall of Fame Catchers as of this writing:

Johnny Bench, Cincinnati Reds 1967-1983

Yogi Berra, New York Yankees 1946-1963

Roger Bresnahan: Washington Senators, 1897; Chicago Orphans, 1900; Baltimore Orioles, 1901 – 1902; New York Giants, 1902 – 1908; St. Louis Cardinals, 1909 – 1912; Chicago Cubs, 1913 – 1915.

Roy Campanella: Brooklyn Dodgers, 1948 – 1957.

Gary Carter: Montreal Expos, 1974 – 1984, 1992; New York Mets, 1985 – 1989; San Francisco Giants, 1990; Los Angeles Dodgers, 1991.

Mickey Cochrane: Philadelphia Athletics, 1925 – 1933; Detroit Tigers, 1934 – 1937.

Bill Dickey: New York Yankees, 1928 – 1943, 1946.

Buck Ewing: Troy Trojans, 1880 – 1882; New York Gothams/Giants, 1883 – 1889; New York Giants, 1890 – 1892; Cleveland Spiders, 1893 – 1894; Cincinnati Reds, 1895 – 1897.

Rick Ferrell: St. Louis Browns, 1929 – 1933, 1941 – 1943; Boston Red Sox, 1933 – 1937; Washington Senators, 1937 – 1941, 1944 – 1945, 1947.

Carlton Fisk: Boston Red Sox, 1969, 1971 – 1980; Chicago White Sox, 1981 – 1993.

Josh Gibson: Homestead Grays, 1930 – 1931, 1937 – 1939, 1942 – 1946; Pittsburgh Crawfords, 1932 – 1936; Dragones de Ciudad Trujillo, 1937; Azules de Veracruz, 1940 – 1941.

Gabby Hartnett: Chicago Cubs, 1922 – 1940; New York Giants, 1941.

Ernie Lombardi: Brooklyn Robins, 1931; Cincinnati Reds, 1932 – 1941; Boston Braves, 1942; New York Giants, 1943 – 1947.

Biz Mackey: St. Louis Giants, 1920; Indianapolis ABCs, 1920 – 1922; Hilldale Giants, 1923 – 1931; Philadelphia Stars, 1933 – 1935, 1937; Newark Eagles, 1939 – 1947.

Mike Piazza: Los Angeles Dodgers, 1992 – 1998; Florida Marlins, 1998; New York Mets, 1998 – 2005; San Diego Padres, 2006; Oakland Athletics, 2007.

Ivan Rodriguez: Texas Rangers, 1991 – 2002, 2009; Florida Marlins, 2003; Detroit Tigers, 2004 – 2008; New York Yankees, 2008; Houston Astros, 2009; Washington Nationals, 2010 – 2011.

Louis Santop: Philadelphia Giants, 1911; New York Lincoln Giants, 1912, 1914 – 1916; Brooklyn Royal Giants, 1917 – 1918, 1919; Hilldale Daisies, 1918, 1919 – 1926.

Ray Schalk: Chicago White Sox, 1912 – 1928; New York Giants, 1929.

Ted Simmons: St. Louis Cardinals, 1968 – 1980; Milwaukee Brewers, 1981 – 1985; Atlanta Braves, 1986 – 1988.

Joe Mauer: Minnesota Twins 2004-2018

Catchers likely to be inducted in the Next 10 Years:

Buster Posey: San Francisco Giants eligible 2027.

Yadier Molina: St. Louis Cardinals eligible 2028.

Sherm Lollar was far too quiet and humble to say all this for himself, but he and his contemporaries should be recognized as part of this elite group. He wasn’t flashy and outspoken like the great Yogi Berra. Bottom line, catchers should comprise at least 10% of those in the Hall of Fame.

To Be Continued…

Hoffman went on to point out that “one of the things Lollar did last season (1954) was to throw out the last 18 runners who tried to steal on him. No one in fact stole on him after May 11 and only four of 22 made it all season.

“And one of the things Lollar did at the plate this season (1955) was to hit seven home runs in ten days from April 23 through May 3.”

Browns Price Was High

“Such a connoisseur was Paul Richards, who, (as previously mentioned) was himself a former catcher and manager of the White Sox from 1951 through ’54,” Hoffman continued.

“Lollar was acquired from the St. Louis Browns, November 26, 1951, in a deal which sent Shortstop Joe DeMaestri, First Baseman Gordon Goldsberry, Outfielder Jim Rivera, Southpaw Dick Littlefield, and Catcher Gus Niarhos to the Browns for Lollar, Pitcher Al Widmar, and Infielder Tom Upton.

“At the time, General Manager Frank Lane said:”

“We went all out to get Loller because Richards wanted him. He’s one of the top three catchers in the American League. Two others. of course, are Yogi Berra and Jim Hegen.”

“Said Manger Richards:”

“We might have won the pennant in 1951 if we had had Lollar. He has a better throwing arm than any other catcher we had. He’s as good of glove man as Gus Niarhos, but more durable. He’ll catch more than 100 games for me.”

“Lollar did catch more than 100 games for Richards in each of the three succeeding years. He caught 352 games in three seasons and will catch more than 100 again in 1955.”

That would soon change…to be continued.

A 1957 Saturday Evening Post article added, “Sherman would warm up the pitchers between innings and do a good job. The crowds would get a big kick out of seeing this frail, skinny kid catch and throw to second base.”

“When the time came for me to join the Baltimore team in Buffalo, mother was pleased. She knew it would have been dad‘s wish that I should be a professional ball player and so she gave me her wholehearted support.”

He went on to say, “the Baltimore club sent me my transportation to Buffalo, but it never occurred to me that I should get any kind of a bonus for signing a contract. I was just glad to get the chance to play.”

Sherm Lollar made his Major League debut April 20, 1946, with the Indians, and caught 28-games as back-up to Frankie Hayes, who held a 312-game streak of consecutive games as well as Hegan, just another future catching legend, like his predecessor, somehow ignored by Cooperstown.

To be continued…..

I will get into more details in subsequent posts, but each of the four cartoons surrounding his caricature had an intriguing caption highlighting his early career and touting his quiet leadership skills:

“Conducts Clubhouse meetings before each series. Instructs hurlers on how to pitch to opposing pitchers.” In this cartoon insert, Lollar’s, wearing shin guards, is pointing to a body drawn on the chalkboard and advising, “Pitch ‘im close an’ high aroun’ the clavicle.”

“At the age of 12, he was a batboy for Fayetteville, in the Arkansas-Missouri League.” Sherm is portrayed by the artist lugging seven huge bats and saying, “Whew! ‘an those guys big guys carry on’y two bats to th’ plate.”

“No. 1 catcher for the white-hot White Sox, Sherman Lollar hit seven homers in ten days earlier this season.”

“Wrote Sports for his local paper at Pittsburg (Kan.) State Teacher’s College” His character is shown carrying a reporter’s notebook and quipping, “Nuthin’ to this racket – I’d rather make th’ news!

More on John Sherman Lollar in upcoming posts…

Needless to say, I’m looking forward to the next game!

Continued from Post #2588

Continued from Post #2583

Chicago’s other ace, Lefty Williams, lost the other three games. It’s a World Series record that will probably never be broken by a starter. He finished the season 23-11 and saved a league-leading 40-games.

Next, we’ll cover the other Commissioners and their impact on keeping the game clean and respectable.

See Post #2476 for an introduction.

1923 was quiet but in 1924, Jimmy O’Connell of the New York Giants and his coach, Cozy Dolan, were both banned for bribing a Phillies shortstop. William D. Cox, the owner of the Phillies, was the last living person banned by Landis in 1943 for betting. Landis seemed to feast on Philly owners.

In his most celebrated case, Judge Landis officially went to work on the eight players of the Chicago White Sox. All were banned in 1921 for conspiring with gamblers to throw the 1919 World Series, known as the Black Sox scandal. We’ll get into that in the next installment.

Recent Posts