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Retirement is not without Hassles: Back to Work #2590

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. 

 

Retirement is not without Hassles: Labor Day Victory #2589

Another painful start to the day. I’ll sit here writing until the ice pack does its work, and my left leg finally loosens up. I go through this process every morning now while taking the dogs out is the worst part. Fortunately, I was talking to a kindly neighbor as Tally did her business, and he did the honors of picking it up. He apparently went through the same thing with a disc problem, knowing that bending over can be excruciating. Fosse did not need to go, so I’m wondering if she picked a spot indoors – I just can’t check at this time. 

Within an hour, my leg began to function normally, and soon I’ll be able to help it along with some stretching and a trip to the fitness center. I was at least able to go out again and see that my timer project is working. I’ve installed two on our fountain. The first fills the base with water and the second activates the pump that is then set to then shut off at dusk. I got tired of manually refilling the fountain bowl all the time since most of the water splashes out or is scattered by the wind rather than be recycled efficiently. I chose the lazy man’s way out – technology!

It took me two days of hassle to finally get it operating properly. I had to order two different timers to get the right one, returning the first. I also had to contact customer service because the valve on the water timer was stuck. They have yet to get back to me, but I apparently solved the problem on my own through trial and error. I thought I would have to send that one back too. Instead, today became a Labor Day victory! 

My wife has the day off from substitute teaching, so we were all able to sleep a little later. She just got up and took the dogs to the park. In the meantime, I enjoyed my little victory over technology and took Fosse out one more time – this time successfully – she didn’t go in the dining room as I suspected. I think she just wanted multiple treats, one of Tally’s tricks. The more they go out – the more the rewards. I’m surprised they don’t park themselves by the front door. By the way, Fosse chewed up her fourth remote control!

I have one more Labor Day project that has already presented several days of DIY hassle. A landscaping light went out, and I may have shorted out the system trying to get the bulb out of the socket. I also had to do some major digging to expose the underground network of wires. After the fact, You Tube showed me how to properly do it, carefully twisting and removing the protective shroud to gain access, rather than trying to muscle it out. Now that I know how to do it right, it should be easier in the future. Unfortunately, I didn’t happen to be around to ask questions when they installed the system. Rule #1: always learn how to properly maintain the unfamiliar when they initially put it in. This saves time and trouble. Now, I should simply have to take the bulb to the dealer. Hopefully, it’s still under warranty, since it’s the only one of a dozen that failed. However, I still think there may be a problem with the wiring that “Mr. DIY Disaster” caused. 

Once I get these problems solved, I can re-focus on my leg, as if I can ignore the pain. It’s already been a week with no feedback on a MRI date. I go back to the chiropractor in a few days, since like everything else his offices are closed for the holiday. There’s not much he can do until I get the results of this test. The lighting store will probably also be shuttered, so that DIY project will continue to wait. 

I also initially thought this would be an exciting football weekend, but the IU game was only available through streaming since the Big Ten Network was showing the Northwestern game, and the University of Oregon does not have a contract with Xfinity, so it too was unavailable to watch in our area, except via streaming. Both teams at least won! Televised sports are getting too complicated for this retiree. In addition, the Bears don’t play until next Sunday, so that too was a disappointment. At least, I got my Labor Day victory over the fountain. 

Old Sport Shorts: Tricks of the Trade Part 6 #2588

Continued from Post #2587

The 1998 home run record chase between Sammy Sosa and Mark McGuire brought worldwide attention to performance enhancing drugs. In 2002, the Major League Baseball Players Association adopted mandatory testing, and in 2003 the federal government got involved with an investigation of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative. A grand jury heard testimony from athletes like Marion Jones, Jason Giambi, and Barry Bonds, ultimately determining that 27-athletes received steroids from this lab. There was also the Mitchell Report in 2007, another investigation regarding steroid use in sports. 

As a result, mandatory testing expanded to include other stimulants in 2005, and in 2011 human growth hormones (HGH) were banned. The Biogenesis scandal broke in 2013, alleging that Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun acquired HGH from an anti-aging clinic. Thirteen players were suspended as a result. There is nothing wrong with a player’s motivation to improve body and mind. Proper diet, vitamins, and supplements are a first step, but sometimes what you put in your body can get you in trouble. In some cases, an athlete may not even know the impact of the contents, so drugs will always be subject to controversy and there will undoubtedly be new developments. 

There are other tricks of the trade that fall into the category of cheating. Altering the facility grounds typically involves conniving people in the organization outside of the players themselves. Some might consider this clever gamesmanship, but there are rules against it. Airflow manipulation to change the trajectory of the ball was the big concern at the Metrodome and other indoor facilities. Is this a home field advantage or blatant violation? In 1981, Seattle Mariners manager Maury Wills instructed the grounds crew to draw the batter’s box one foot longer than allowed to prevent his player, Tom Paciorek, from stepping out of the box after complaints from the Oakland Athletics. Naturally, their coach Billy Martin spotted the modification before the game, always seeming to find the smallest indiscretions and holes in the rules. Wills was suspended for two-days. Groundskeepers have been known to water down the basepaths to slow running speed or slope the infield to keep bunts in play. These changes were made depending on the opponent.

The strategy of the game has also changed. Consider the inaugural rule of the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club back in 1845: “The ball must be pitched, not thrown, for the bat.” The pitcher’s role back then and for many years following was to put the ball in play for batters to hit. There then came a point where pitchers began intentionally throwing pitches that were difficult to hit, underhanded styles disappeared, and bending the elbow was allowed, soon evolving into today’s overhand delivery. Pitchers, as always, tried to get away with what they could and still do!

Lying and cheating about age has always been a factor in any sport. A player takes advantage of competing with younger kids, sometimes influenced by parents, or suddenly becomes younger to appeal to the scouts. Others have changed their names to cover previous involvement like Roberto Hernández from Puerto Rico and Juan Carlos Oviedo from the Dominican Republic. Denny Almonte competed in the 2001 Little League World Series, despite being two years older than the 12-year cutoff. Controlling such age fabrication is a major concern, particularly when it comes to international competition. Similarly, the 2014 Little League World Series runner-up was disqualified after it was discovered that many of the players lived outside the acceptable geographic range. Even at the amateur level in softball and baseball leagues, “ringers” are often brought in to pad a team’s lineup.

It’s not just great players that are enlisted to help the winning effort. The St. Louis Browns famously sent 
Eddie Gaedel to bat after signing a contract with team owner, Bill Veeck. His 3’7″ frame made the strike zone exceptionally small, so naturally he walked and was replaced by a pinch runner. Silly cheating tricks like this include a minor-league catcher who hid a potato in his glove, intentionally deceiving the baserunner as to the actual ball. Finally, New York Mets manager, Bobby Valentine, after being ejected from a game in 1999, disguised himself in a hat, sunglasses, and fake mustache to gain entrance back into the dugout. He was quickly recognized and later suspended for two-games. Are these questionable actions really considered cheating or just good entertainment?

To be continued…
 

 

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Old Sport Shorts: Cheaters Prosper Part 5 #2587

Continued from Post #2586

The roots of cheating likely extend back to a childhood park or a card table. The habit might include not counting that extra stroke on the golf course. Sadly, people get used to cheating and think nothing of it. They may not even know that they’re doing it. Accusations lead to fights or worse. Plus, it’s a hard habit to break because cheaters can sometimes prosper and losing is out of the question. 

As for cheating in baseball, it’s too often looked at as simply gaining an advantage. Pitchers have long doctored baseballs to get an edge. The spitball is a perfect example of how the surface of the ball is altered by the application of a foreign substance such as saliva or petroleum jelly. Scuffing the ball by using an emery board or sandpaper also violates Major League Baseball rules. The illegal emery ball was banned in 1914 and the spitball in 1920. There was, however, a grandfather clause that allowed 17 active pitchers to continue to throw their suspicious stuff. Burleigh Arland Grimes, “Ol Stubblebeard” was the last to throw the legal spitter in 1934. He pitched in four World Series over the course of a 19-year career with the Pittsburg Pirates, Brooklyn Robins, New York Giants, Boston Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, and New York Yankees, some of these teams multiple times. Grimes was the National League strikeout leader in 1921 and managed the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1937-1938. He was given a license to cheat, while most just enjoyed getting away with it.  

Gaylord Perry wrote a book about cheating in 1974, “Me and the Spitter,” detailing how he doctored balls with saliva and other substances during his 22-year career. He obviously enjoyed getting away with cheating, earning the Cy Young Award at the age of 40. When he started pitching in 1962, it was 42-years past the grandfather clause. Another familiar name of that era is Joe Niekro who was caught with an emery board and a small scrap of sandpaper in 1987. He was ejected and suspended for 10-days. Elwin Charles “Preacher” Roe, a five-time All Star, who pitched for 12 seasons, was featured in a 1955 Sports Illustrated article entitled “The Outlawed Spitball Was My Money Pitch.”

Applying a sticky substance such as pine tar to the baseball may unfairly improve grip. It can enhance the spin rate, resulting in great movement as the ball leaves the hand. The only legal substance that pitchers may use is rosin, via a rosin bag kept on the mound. Since illegal substances are often hidden elsewhere on the body, it’s difficult to enforce. However, in the modern game, pitchers are checked as they come off the field each inning and balls are carefully examined. Seattle Mariners pitcher, Hector Santiago, was the first to be ejected due to the new 2021 rules. Yankees pitcher, Michael Pineda was ejected and suspended for 10-games after being caught with a smear of pine tar on his neck in 2014. He’s even got “pine” in his last name. His explanation was that he wasn’t cheating but rather trying to protect the batter from getting hit. 

These new rules were in response to increasing spin rates, part due to skill but also perhaps the result of a new grip enhancer that was on the market, Spider Tack. Designed for weightlifting, it was just another foreign substance requiring umpire education. Four Minor League pitchers received 10-game suspensions as the new rules began to be enforced. It’s a good example of how to cheat a cheater. 

Grip enhancers are also a factor with bats, just ask George Brett. His bat violated the little known 18-inch pine tar rule. In 1983 with two outs in the 9th, the Kansas City All-Star hit a two-run homer to take a 5-4 lead over the Yankees. Controversial manager Billy Martin struck again, arguing that the runs should not be allowed. Umpire Tim McClelland agreed with him and Brett had to be restrained. The game was and the call stood until American League president Lee McPhail ordered the game to be resumed after the overruled homer was counted with the Royals up by one. It became a fiasco on the field, with Martin ultimately ejected after employing numerous shenanigans and stall tactics. Oddly, the Commissioner did not get involved.

In addition to pine tar that is a messy, obvious application to the bat, it may be what’s hidden inside that makes it illegal. Substituting cork for solid wood makes the bat lighter, allowing a quicker swing. Cheaters who have been suspended for using a corked bat include Sammy Sosa, Albert Belle, Wilton Guerro, Chris Sabo, Billy Hatcher, José Guillén, and Miguel Olivo. A more creative Greg Nettles was caught using a bat loaded with Super Balls in 1974, but was not suspended. Like any aspect of cheating, some get caught and others don’t. Amos Otis and Norm Cash later admitted using corked bats during Major League Baseball game. 

It sometimes takes teamwork to cheat. Sign stealing is a good (or bad) example. Also, it’s not a modern-day trick, dating back to reports from 1900 regarding the Philadelphia Phillies. It’s one thing to figure out what your opponent will do next, and another to use technology for this purpose. Two notable examples include the 1951 New York Giants, who cheated using a telescope and buzzer system, and the camera employed by the 2017-2018 Houston Astros. The Boston Red Sox were fined in 2017 for using an Apple Watch to relay stolen signals. They also had their video replay operator suspended for the 2020 season for use of replay to decode sign sequences from games in 2018. These types of violations are tough to crack down on, so it often logically takes a cheater to find a cheater. 

Of course, the most abused cheating violation in any sport is undoubtedly performance enhancing drugs. For years, baseball players used amphetamines and steroids to enhance physical performance. It was probably a direct result of World War II where soldiers were often treated with Dexedrine and Benzedrine and brought them back to their teammates when they returned to baseball. Evidence began to emerge in 1985 during the Pittsburg Drug trials. Dave Parker and Dale Berra testified that Willie Stargell provided them with these drugs, while John Milner claimed that Willie Mays used them. Anabolic steroids were banned by baseball in 1991, but no program was established for drug testing.

I personally think that there’s a fine line between ingesting drugs and using surgical procedures when it comes to enhancing performance. Eye surgery can make a player see better, while surgery can correct skeletal and muscular deficiencies. Would the “Bionic Man” be allowed to play ball? Although maybe an unrealistic example, this enhancement of strength and sight through surgery could be considered cheating. Or, is it just the necessary, smart thing to do?

 

  

 

 

Old Sport Shorts Bad Boys Hall of Fame Part 4 #2586

Continued from Post # 2584

After Judge Landis died in 1944, there was a long lull before the next banishment. During the tenures of Commissioners Happy Chandler (1945–1951), Ford Frick (1951–1965), Spike Eckert (1965–1968), Bowie Kuhn (1969–1984) and Peter Ueberroth (1984–1989), only three players (or former players) were banned for life. All three were banned by Kuhn, and all three were later reinstated.

Peter Ueberroth reversed the silly Bowie Kuhn decision to have Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle banned in 1980 and 1983 respectively. Both were retired at the time and no longer involved with baseball but were hired by Atlantic City casinos as greeters and autograph signers. Kuhn opined that a casino was “no place for a baseball hero and Hall of Famer.” Ueberroth’s counter was that the pair were “more a part of baseball than perhaps anyone else.” Pete Rose could probably benefit from this type of sentiment. 

“By the time of Kuhn’s tenure, players had organized the Major League Baseball Players Association and negotiated the first Basic Agreement with the owners. Among other things the Agreement provided, for the first time, an independent process through which active players could appeal disciplinary decisions (up to and including lifetime bans) by League presidents or the Commissioner. As of 2024, no such process exists for personnel who are not members of the MLBPA.”

On April Fool’s Day of 1989, Angelo Bartlett “Bart” Giamatti took over the office from Peter Ueberroth. He died five months later of a sudden heart attack. The job does take its toll, not even lasting to see the World Series that year, yet he ruled over Pete Rose’s ineligibility on August 24,1989, a mutual agreement. He is allowed to apply for reinstatement once a year indefinitely, stirring the annual controversy. Should the fact that he admitted to gambling and not on his own team take away from his honors on the diamond. So far, 3,000 hits don’t seem to count!

Francis Thomas “Fay” Vincent Jr. became commissioner 8-days later. He first dealt with George Steinbrenner, New York Yankees owner in 1990 for trying to discredit Dave Winfield. It backfired on him and led to an investigation that tied Steinbrenner to a small-time gambler. Vincent then took control of the team away from him. His other key decision in 1992 involved Yankee player, Steve Howe, after receiving seven suspensions related to drug use. Both of these bans were quickly reversed, erasing most of Vincent’s work.

The position fell into limbo following Vincent’s resignation, as an Acting Commissioner, Allan Huber “Bud” Selig was appointed to fill the term. He was ultimately elected in 1998 and oversaw the disbandment of the American and National League offices, the 1994 strike, the introduction of the wild card, the beginnings of interleague play, revenue sharing, and the establishment of the World Baseball Classic in 2006. Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott was banned in 1996 for repeatedly making racial slurs but was reinstated in 1998 as the first and only woman to date on baseball’s blacklist. 

Current Commissioner, Robert “Rob” Dean Manfred, followed Selig’s retirement on January 25, 2015. “To date, he has banned the same amount of people as his four previous successors and is second only to Landis for most people placed on the permanent ineligibility list.” Jenry Mejia, New York Mets pitcher was banned on February 12, 2016 after testing positive multiple times for performance-enhancing drugs. He sought and was granted reinstatement in July, 2018. Former St. Louis Cardinal scouting director, Chris Correa was banned for hacking the Houston Astros scouting database. In addition, “he was imprisoned, thus becoming the first person to be incarcerated for activities that resulted in a ban from the game.” John Coppolella, former Atlanta Braves general manager, was permanently banned by Manfred for circumvention of international free agent rules. He was reinstated in 2023. Brandon Taubman, former Houston Astros assistant general manager, was a 2019 addition to “the list.” Inappropriate comments and sign stealing were the charges. Mickey Callaway, former pitching coach of the Los Angeles Angels, was banned in 2021 after an investigation uncovered numerous allegations of sexual harassment. 

As far as actual players, the Manfred list is much shorter, but it includes a 2011 Hall of Famer. Roberto Alomar was banned in 2021 for sexual harassment, but he did not lose his place in Cooperstown. Could this eventually set a precedence for a reversed situation? Ferguson Jenkins of the Texas Rangers was banned and reinstated in 1980 for cocaine, hashish, and pot, but still made the Hall of Fame in 1991. Finally, in June of 2024, “San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano was banned from baseball for life after betting on the sport and four others were suspended for one year by Major League Baseball on Tuesday in the game’s biggest gambling scandal in decades.”

In Manfred’s eyes, a Pete Rose reinstatement is still an “unacceptable risk to baseball.” Who’s the bad guy? Baseball doesn’t have the only Hall of Fame with an attitude. According to founder, bassist and primary songwriter Nikki Sixx, Motley Crue is banned from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame due to their “bad behavior.” There’s that “bad” word again!

To Be Continued….

 

 

Retirement is not without Hassles: Push-Ups #2585

Push-ups were once my go-to exercise, easily able to knock-off a hundred at a time.  However, I haven’t tried to do one since my open-heart surgery seven months ago. Years ago, it would have gotten me through basic training if that had been part of my life. Give me 25, soldier! No problem, Sir, would have been my reply. “Can I do another?” It certainly got me through fraternity “Hell Week,” never hesitating to show off my strength. For the 15 consecutive years that I ran, I also did 100 push-ups every single morning. 

I’ve been going to the gym for months now, working out with some light weights on my arms and shoulders. There’s no longer the cautious feeling that my rib cage will crack again after it had been sawed in half. I was concerned about putting too much weight on my chest since my bones and cartilage still seemed to crackle and pop a bit. Lately, I’ve felt whole again, bumping up the weight on my overhead lifts. Slowly but surely, I’ll get my upper body strength back. 

This afternoon I finally decided to try a push-up. I was already on the floor using my forearms to stretch some back muscles. I friend of mine who’s a physical therapist suggested that I lay like that for a few minutes to help relieve my sciatica. While I was down there, I extended my arms into the familiar push-up position. Sadly, I was only able to do three, but maybe four tomorrow. It gives me a measure of how far I’ve regressed in that department. I’ll probably also be sore tomorrow, but it’s a beginning. I wonder if I’ll ever get back to doing a hundred every morning like elderly Mr. Kaufman of Englewood, Florida (about my age now) showed me in my teens. He inspired a lifetime of doing simple push-ups that suddenly aren’t so simple anymore. 

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

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.

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

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. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Retirement is not without Hassles: New Printer #2582

I finally realized that I could buy a brand-new printer for less than the cost of replacing the ink cartridges in the old one. I probably should have done this a year ago, but I couldn’t believe this was possible. Plus, the new printer fits in my custom cabinets, whereas the old printer was too big. Win…win. I was naturally expecting a set-up hassles, but that too went smoothly, and I got three months of free ink and paper delivered to my door. Technology can be wonderful. 

I’ve had a couple of glitches when printing over the past few days, but these were strictly operator error. Old guy…new printer. I really don’t do that much printing anymore since we no longer distribute color flyers for neighborhood parties to all 80 homes. Instead, we bought a sandwich-board sign that sits at the entrance to the street. Over the past few days, I’ve printed a photo and my Arby’s gift certificate that I got for my birthday. Jamocha shakes are my favorite. My wife also needed certification certificates printed for her substitute work at school. This is what started the whole need for color ink and inspired me to buy this printer. 

It’s amazing how excited you can get these retirement days over simply buying something new. 
We resist having to replace things but sometimes this can save money and frustration in the long run. Often times with the old printer, the wireless function wouldn’t work, and I would have to install a cable directly to the computer to get the desired output. This hassle has been eliminated at a savings. 

Sciatica is probably my biggest hassle these days. It continues to flare-up, especially in the morning and evening. However, in the course of my birthday conversations yesterday, I found several friends that have much greater sufferings. I’m fortunate that my heart surgery was a planned procedure rather than an emergency and that my hand tremors are not Parkinson’s related. My old-age ills are minimal and any complaints unjustified. After all, I have a new printer!

 

Retirement is not without Hassles: Another Birthday #2581

I’m celebrating a 73rd birthday today, low key, and I wish I could say that I felt like a teenager. I do, only when I’m sitting down like this.  The sciatica villain took it easy on my leg this morning, so I didn’t have to hobble my way into the chair. It seems to be just a matter of sitting on a firmer chair in the evening, not the couch, and not sleeping on my left side. We’ll have Big Mike’s Pizza tonight and watch some more episodes of Reacher, no parties or exotic excursions this year. We did just get back from a 4,000-mile road trip that took me to my 50th state, Maine. 

My wife is substituting today, so dog duty falls to me. I’ll load Tally and Fosse into the golf cart, take them a few blocks to the park, and let them romp with their friends for a half-hour or more. Then, I’ll go to my weekly chair yoga class and work out at the fitness center. I also have a couple landscaping projects to do this afternoon, so a dip in the pool will be necessary to get the grime off. I’m also expecting a couple birthday calls and might not have time for a nap.

I’m home, here in Venice, until probably February when we go to the Keys for a few days. We’ll take the high-speed ferry out of Ft. Myers. My wife seems content with doing a solo flight out to Oakland to visit her daughter, and hosting some of her high school classmates for a week in March. While they take over the house, I will have to take refuge at my son’s house. Nothing else is yet planned, although there’s talk of doing another long drive up through Wisconsin and into the Dakotas to complete her fifty-state quest. The rest of the unexplored world is on hold. 

For me, it’s just another birthday, something I’ve taken for granted every year. However, here’s to all of those I’ve known in life that weren’t as fortunate to live as long as me. I see you in my dreams and hope there is yet a future together. It’s been a remarkable 73-years, but I won’t wish for 73 more.  

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