Player #74I: Edgar C. "Sam" Rice Part 1. Outfielder for the Washington Senators in 1915-1933. 2,987 hits and 34 home runs in 20 MLB seasons. 1924 World Series champion. 1920 AL stolen base leader. He was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in 1963. Led the Senators to three AL pennants (1924,1925, and 1933). Best known for controversial "over the fence" catch in the 1925 World Series. He had many excellent seasons, but one of his best was 1930 as he posted a .407 OBP with 121 runs scored in 669 plate appearances. He had 63 stolen bases in 1920. He last played in 1934 with the Cleveland Indians. His early life was marred by tragedy when his wife, two daughters, parents, and two sisters were all killed by a tornado in Indiana.
Carroll reports that the spring of 1924 found Rice in the middle of a battle between baseball and golf: After the tension he had dealt with playing for Bush in 1923, Rice seemed eager for an incident-free winter when he signed his contract without any degree of haggling for the following season.
But yet again, Bush found himself in the middle of a mini-controversy, and this time he wasn't alone.
Golf had become a very popular recreational activity for Americans in the 1920s, particularly among ballplayers. Rice was certainly among those smitten by the game, a love affair that would long outlast his baseball career. And he was actually a very skilled player, perhaps the top golfer among all major leaguers, as a matter of fact.
By this time eschewing Illinois/Indiana and their rough winters, never mind the constant reminders of his buried past, Rice had spent most of the winter of 1923 in Florida, taking advantage of the warm southern weather to work on his golf game during his down time. Reportedly, Rice was a good enough player to shoot even par.
"Rice, with a little luck, could enter the open golf championship and hold his own," the Post reported. . . .
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