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Wednesday, April 18, 2012

History / Sports / Nepotism / Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz One-Armed Outfielders, Race and Paranoia

Posted by Chicago Fan on Wed, Apr 18, 2012 at 11:00 AM

1945 In a 7-1 victory over the Tigers, the Browns' Pete Gray, playing with one arm, makes his major league debut with one hit in four at-bats. The 30-year old St. Louis outfielder lost his right arm, as a child, when he slipped while riding on a farmer's wagon and his limb become entangled in the spokes of one of the wheels.

The presence of a one-armed white man playing major league ball helped bring about an end to baseball segregation by its sheer ridiculousness: you could not reasonably claim, as some people tried to, that black players with a full complement of their limbs just weren't good enough for the professional game.

Plus, it's Cap Anson's birthday. A member of the 1939 class in the Hall of Fame, first ballplayer to get 3,000 hits, and one of the men responsible for the color line in baseball due to his refusal to play teams that had black players on the field.

And a reminder that just because something happens in the year 2000 doesn't mean antebellum attitudes are gone:

2000 After serving a 12-game suspension for making disrespectful comments about minorities, John Rocker pitches a scoreless ninth inning against the Phillies in a 4-3, 12-inning home victory. The outspoken Braves' reliever is given a standing ovation as he enters the game.

That Rocker was an asshat is not news, but I'd forgotten the love he got from the Atlanta Braves fans: mind you, they didn't cheer him after he got his save, they did so as he came into the game. Makes me nostalgic for when their Southern Assocation team was aptly called the Crackers.

And in your Pacific Northwester news:

1942 Due to the fear of a Japanese attack, west coast military leaders ask the Pacific Coast League to limit crowds to 3,000 fans.

I wonder what the Rainiers were drawing that year. . .

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Comments (11) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment

Sports fans have a way of rallying around the assholes on their team. I'm still rankled by the "We love you Bertuzzi" rally that Vancouver's notorious skilled good got a few years ago. And look at how New Orleans is uniting behind the headhunting Saints.

Posted by Matt from Denver on April 18, 2012 at 11:14 AM

God damn it! I mean "goon" not "good." (And I actually typed "good" a second time and had to correct that before posting this. Egads.)

Posted by Matt from Denver on April 18, 2012 at 11:15 AM

Without diminishing the obvious injustice of segregation, I hardly think that Baseball was forced entirely by racial prejudice to exhaust the possibilities of two-armed racially permissible athletes, and thus to give a shot to Mr. Gray. Given that the game was played in 1945, how much of a factor was it that the one-armed man in question was ineligible to serve in the armed forces?

Posted by Warren Terra on April 18, 2012 at 11:27 AM

Coinicidentally, Jim Abbott, the one handed pitcher who threw a no-hitter for the Yankees in 1993, was on ESPN this morning promoting his new autobiography.

Posted by Gern Blanston on April 18, 2012 at 11:31 AM

It's easy to get 3,000 hits when you only have to play against white people.

Posted by schmacky on April 18, 2012 at 11:43 AM

In connection with Goldy's post on Jamie Moyer this morning, Cap Anson at 45 was the oldest player in the 1897 season.

Posted by rob!

on April 18, 2012 at 11:45 AM

@4 The wartime shortage of players was one key reason why Gray made the bigs, and he was not a bad athlete--but there were plenty of African-American players available who were passed over for Gray.

Posted by Chicago Fan on April 18, 2012 at 11:53 AM

The wartime shortage of good ball players also allowed the Cubs to somehow make a World Series appearance.

Posted by heywhatsit!? on April 18, 2012 at 12:18 PM

@8 Yeah. I know. If only we had the draft now! Between Iraq and Afghanistan, the Cubs would be on their sixth or seventh title by now. Damn all-volunteer military.

Posted by Chicago Fan on April 18, 2012 at 12:26 PM

How come no two armed players ever just bat with one arm? You wouldn't get the same power and accuracy with one arm swinging but it seems like it could be easier to make contact with a quickly moving ball if you were taking a one armed forehand swing.

Posted by cliche on April 18, 2012 at 12:39 PM