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THE National :::::::::: Pastime A REVIEW OF BASEBALL HISTORY CONTENTS The Old Brawl Game Art Ahrens 3 The Spitball and the End of the Deadball Era Steve L. Steinberg 7 August 10, 1883: Toledo, Ohio and Baseball's Color Line David L. Fleitz 18 The Legend of Wild Bill Setley Scott Fiesthumel 22 Cyril "Cy" Buker Jim Sargent 26 George Brace: Baseball's Foremost Photographer James D. Smith III 31 Let's Play Three! .......•................................ David McDonald 40 The Sporting News During WWII Eric Moskowitz 44 The Robinsons in Montreal Alain Usereau 55 The Nashville Seraphs, 1895 Bill Traughber 57 The Biggest Little Town in Organized Ball Dr. J. M. Dempsey 60 Joe Borden Rich Westcott 69 The Boston Pilgrims Never Existed Bill Nowlin 71 The 100th Anniversary of Dummy vs. Dummy Randy Fisher & James Goodwin 77 Rogers Hornsby in 1932 Duane Winn 79 John Carden Bill Hickman 82 An Explanation of the Negro Leagues Sammy J. Miller 86 George Sisler and the End of the National Commission Sam Bernstein 92 The Statistical Impact of WWII on Position Players Steve Bullock 97 Ted Williams in 1941 Paul Warburton 106 Is There a Home Field Advantage in the World Series? Alan Abramowitz 113 Ducky and The Lip in Italy Tom Barthel 115 Al Reach and Ben Shibe Jerrold Casway 124 Editor: James Charlton Copy Editor: John Paine Designer: Glenn LeDoux Designated readers and peer reviewers: Phil Birnbaum, Tom Simon, Lyle Spatz, John Zajc, Jules Tygiel, Bob Schaefer, Norman Macht, Charlie Bevis, Bill Nowlin, John Pastier, Merritt Clifton, Dixie Tourangeau, Bill Mead, Keith Carlson, Steve Gietschier, Dick Thompson. THE NATIONAL PASTIME Number 23. Published by The Society for American Baseball Research, Inc. 812 Huron Rd., Suite 719, Cleveland, OH 44115. Postage paid at Kent, OH. Copyright 2003, The Society for American Baseball Research, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. A Note from the Editor Ifthere is a theme in this issue of The National Pastime it is about baseball in the 1940s. Seven articles discuss some aspect of baseball during WW2 or immediately following the war. Jim Smith's wonderful homage to Chicago photographer George Brace, written and edited with the cooperation of George's daughter Mary Brace, is the cover article. Her recollections form the captions for her father's wonderful images. Brace's career photograph ing ballplayers began in the late 1920s and covered eight decades. Not even Minnie Minoso can match that! For forty years Brace shot in black & white, but finally switched to color in 1959. His cover image of the great Stan Musial at Wrigley Field was shot that season, while the back cover photo of Billy Williams and Curt Flood was made ten years later. Tom Barthel writes a lively account of Joe Medwick and Leo Durocher's little-known usa trip to Italy at the height of WW2, while Steve Bullock's analysis on the war's impact on hitters is an intriguing one. Eric Moskowitz recounts how The Sporting News was on the forefront of the effort to support the war-and baseball. Going back a few decades, Bill Nowlin makes a persuasive case that the Pilgrims-Boston, that is-never existed. Steve Steinberg's account ofspit baIlers before and after 1920 is admirably researched, while Sam Bernstein looks at the same era, discussing George Sisler and the National Commission. A quartet of profiles of little known major leaguers-one of which is from SABR's noteworthy Bioproject-are fine reading. Jim Charlton August 2003 The Old Brawl Game Cubs vs. Dodgers in the '40s by Art Ahrens During the 1940s National League baseball was 19, 1940, at Wrigley Field. In the bottom of the eighth largely dominated by the Cardinals and the Dodgers. inning, one-time Cub Hugh Casey on the mound for St. Louis won four pennants in the decade while fin the visiting team. The Cubs had already scored two ishing second five times. Brooklyn took three flags runs on Bill Nicholson's 14th home run of the year, and were runner-ups three as well. Besides a horren and Hank Leiber was on third base when Cub ace dous 1944 season, "dem Bums" were third the rest of Claude Passeau came to bat. According to Chicago the time. It was the era of Stan Musial against Dixie Tribune sportswriter Ed Burns, "Hughie wasn't feel Walker. ing especially chummy." But if the Dodgers played their money games Casey's first offering to his mound rival was a wild against the Redbirds, they had their blood matches pitch, Leiber scored easily. Now a bit incensed, Casey with the Cubs. Between 1940 and '49, Brooklyn took plunked Passeau between the shoulder blades. Not Chicago on 119 occasions while the Cubs were victo known as a pacifist, Claude hurled his bat at the rious 101 times. Considering that the Dodgers nearly offending Brooklynite as the dugouts emptied. After always had a far superior team, it was a fine showing ducking the missile, Casey charged on Passeau with for the Cubs. help from teammate Joe "Muscles" Gallagher, who In 1940, the Dodgers had become a force to be attacked the Cub pitcher. As Cub manager Gabby reckoned with after years of general dormancy, Hartnett pulled him off Passeau's back, Chicago third thanks mainly to the often controversial leadership of baseman Stan Hack put Gallagher out of commission fiery manager Leo Durocher. The Cubs, on the other with a haymaker. hand, were a franchise on the decline. After 14 Eventually, the umpires, ushers, and Chicago straight years as contenders with four pennants-yes, police brought the brawl to an end as the Cubs went that actually happened-the Chicago Nationals on to an 11-4 victory. It was Passeau's 11th win of the would drop to fifth place that season. While the season and his fourth in a row. Dodgers and Cardinals had built massive farm chains, The stage had been set. During the winter of 1940 the Cubs waited for apples to fall in their direction. 41, Cub owner Phillip K. Wrigley hired former sports Such was the scene when the Lords of Flatbush writer Jim Gallagher (no relation to Joe) as general locked horns with Chicago's North Side gang on July manager and Jimmy Wilson as field boss. Together, the "James boys" embarked on a series of trades that ArtAhrens lives within walking distance ofWrigley Field. He attended his first game there on September 26, 1959, when Chicago beat made the Cubs look like a farm team for the Dodgers. Brooklyn, 12-2. He is the author ofmany articles on the Cubs. Jealous of the popularity of Cub second baseman A REVIEW OF BASEBALL HISTORY 3 Billy Herman, Wilson and Gallagher swapped him to Chicago went on to a 14-1 victory as Leo the Lion's the Dodgers for $40,000, infielder Johnny Hudson, grievances were dismissed by league officials. and a player to be named later. Not long thereafter, As that fateful season neared its end, the rivalry pitcher Larry French and outfielder Augie Galan was already entering its "believe it or not" stage. In were handed to Brooklyn on silver platters as well. the first game of a September 10 doubleheader in Thought to be over the hill, all of these players soon Chicago, Brooklyn held a 4-2 lead. With one out in found the fountain of youth in Brooklyn uniforms. the top of the ninth, Cub pitcher Johnny Schmitz-in The blood rivalry was heating up! his major league debut-replaced Bill Lee, who had The Dodgers were back in Chicago on May 19, earlier relieved Claude Passeau. On Schmitz's first 1941. In the bottom of the second inning, the Cubs offering, Cookie Lavagetto grounded into a double were already ahead 3-0 when Hugh Casey walked Bill play to end the inning. In the bottom of the frame, Nicholson to start the inning. Usually a fireman, Casey Chicago bailed it out to win, 5-4. In hurling but a sin appeared uneasy in a starting assignment. Nicholson gle pitch, Schmitz had gained his first victory! easily stole second behind his back, after which "the To add icing on the cake, the Cubs won the second Mad Russian," Lou Novikoff, drew a free pass to first. game by the same score. Despite the victories Up to the plate came the bulky rookie Cub catcher, Brooklyn would win its first flag in 21 years while the Clyde McCullough. Although slower than a rock Cubs dropped in the standings to sixth place. moving uphill, McCullough beat out a drag bunt to By 1942, the Cubs had acquired the services of a load the bases. Chicago second baseman Lou Stringer temperamental rookie pitcher named Hiram Bithorn. then coaxed Casey's third walk of the inning to force Brooklyn was in town on July 15 and Bithorn was on Nicholson home. Seconds later, Dodger third base the mound. Durocher began needling the young man Cookie Lavagetto muffed Bobby Sturgeon's hurler from the visitors' dugout. Getting a bit fed up, grounder, allowing Novikoff to score. As if this were Bithorn whirled and fired a fastball at Leo's skull in not humiliating enough, pitcher Claude Passeau the top of the fifth inning. Players emptied onto the smashed a grand-slam homer to make the score 9-0 field fromboth benches, but the umpires managed to with still nobody out. restore order before a full-scale rumble erupted. At that point, Casey went to the showers and Mace Hardly intimidated, the Dodgers bumped off their Brown took the mound.