Washington DC Baseball

[GeoPoto]

The 1932 Washington Senators won 93 games, lost 61, and finished in third place in the American League. They were managed by Walter Johnson and played home games at Griffith Stadium.

The 1932 Season Part 3. The Nats were themselves able to subdue other A.L. teams more often than not in 1932, and this was largely thanks to a pitching staff that allowed fewer runs than any other in the league. General Alvin Crowder had a career year, 26-13, 3.33. He led the league in wins and was also the number-one workhorse in the loop, with a whopping 327 innings (Dizzy Dean was first in the National League with just 286). Crowder's 26th win was his 15th in a row, a 2-1 decision over the A's at Griffith Stadium. Philadelphia's only run resulted from Jimmie Foxx's 58th home run, which turned out to be his last of the year in the first serious challenge mounted on Babe Ruth's 1927 standard. In this season, Foxx had had two home runs canceled because of rainouts in the early innings of games.

Rookie righthander Monte Weaver, purchased from Baltimore the previous season, spun a very gratifying 22-10 record for Clark Griffith in 1932. In later years, Weaver recalled how he'd been greeted upon his arrival in '31, when he won his first big-league decision. While he was shagging flies in the outfield, Walter Johnson went up to him and said that if Weaver pitched like he had in Baltimore, everything would be fine. The fact was, however, that Weaver had been pitching, to quote him, "lousy" in Baltimore at the time of his purchase. Being a brainy guy who later earned a master's degree in mathematics, he knew that Walter was just being nice. In addition to Weaver's phenomenal rookie year, Lloyd Brown contributed a 15-12 slate, and Firpo Marberry, used primarily as a reliever for the first time in four years, went 8-4 with a league-leading 13 saves.

All added up, the Senators had another great year -- 93 wins, third-highest in club history, against 61 losses. It was a better record than that of the National League champions, the Chicago Cubs. However, Washington only gained two games in the standings, winding up a disappointing 14 lengths behind New York, winners of 107 games, who finished 13 ahead of the defending champions, the Athletics. While Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig drove in 288 runs between them, it was with pitching -- courtesy of Gomez, Ruffing, Pipgras, and Pennock -- that the Yankees were able to outclass the A's.

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[GeoPoto]

The caption from the reverse of the 1932 photograph (taken around an "old-timers" game) reads: Washington's Greatest Infield Play Together Once More. Wash. D.C. . . . . The members of the team that represented Washington in 1924, the year the Griffmen won the World Series, pictured here when they played together again yesterday, August 15th, against the 1932 aggregation of Senators. Left to right are, Ossie Bluege, who played third base; Roger Peckinpaugh, who played shortstop and who is now manager of the Cleveland Indians; Bucky Harris, who played second base, and who is now manager of the Detroit Tigers, and Joe Judge, still first baseman for the Senators.

The second photograph, which shows the same four infielders during their championship season, is from 1924.

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[GeoPoto]

Player #142A: Morris "Moe" Berg. Catcher with the Washington Senators in 1932-1934. 441 hits and 6 home runs in 15 MLB seasons. He debuted with the Brooklyn Robins in 1923. His most productive season was 1929 with the Chicago White Sox as he posted a .323 OBP with 47 RBIs in 384 plate appearances. He finished up with the Boston Red Sox in 1935-1939. His MLB career was statistically mediocre, but he is remembered as a colorful personality. He was a graduate of Princeton University and the Columbia Law School. He spoke several languages and read 10 newspapers a day. He worked as a spy during and after WW2.

Deveaux on Berg: Moe Berg was much more than a competent defensive catcher. The man was an alumnus of three universities -- a lawyer, mathematician, and linguist. He reputedly spoke as many as 17 languages and by the time he joined the Senators, his thesis on Sanskrit was listed in the Library of Congress. Nonetheless, coach Al Schacht, Berg's best friend on the team, referred to him regularly as "just an educated imbecile." With respect to Berg's poor hitting, it was often said that he could speak in many languages, but could hit in none.

Casey Stengel, the "old perfesser," once said that Moe Berg was just about the strangest bird he'd come across in baseball. Still active as a player with the Giants when Berg broke into the National League with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1923, Stengel had not been the only one to hear stories about him. Berg would carry piles of books and newspapers to his dressing-room stall. Not only did this mystify his generally poorly educated teammates, they were amazed that they were not permitted to touch any of Berg's stuff. Berg believed the printed page to have "life," and should his papers be read by anyone else, they would "die." He was known to go out to get copies of newspapers to replace those that someone had "killed."

His eccentricities aside, Berg would eventually become one of America's most important spies. When teams of major leaguers visited Japan in the early thirties, baseball fans might have been amazed that a third-string catcher like Berg had been sent along. He was actually there to take photos for the government. During World War II, he was assigned to the OSS, the forerunner of the CIA. During the war, he was parachuted behind enemy lines to kidnap atomic scientists and bring them back to America.

For his heroism, Berg was to have been awarded the Medal of Merit, but he turned it down. Dark and highly refined in manner, attractive in the eyes of many highly placed ladies, Berg was also honorable and forthright whenever it was suggested that he was wasting his intellect on baseball. He always answered what the most bright-eyed of American youth would have -- that he would rather be a ballplayer than a U.S. Supreme Court Justice. (Deveaux will have more to say about Berg, when we get to Dave Harris.)

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[EddieP]

Originally Posted by GeoPoto

Player #142A: Morris "Moe" Berg. Catcher with the Washington Senators in 1932-1934. 441 hits and 6 home runs in 15 MLB seasons. He debuted with the Brooklyn Robins in 1923. His most productive season was 1929 with the Chicago White Sox as he posted a .323 OBP with 47 RBIs in 384 plate appearances. He finished up with the Boston Red Sox in 1935-1939. His MLB career was statistically mediocre, but he is remembered as a colorful personality. He was a graduate of Princeton University and the Columbia Law School. He spoke several languages and read 10 newspapers a day. He worked as a spy during and after WW2.

Deveaux on Berg: Moe Berg was much more than a competent defensive catcher. The man was an alumnus of three universities -- a lawyer, mathematician, and linguist. He reputedly spoke as many as 17 languages and by the time he joined the Senators, his thesis on Sanskrit was listed in the Library of Congress. Nonetheless, coach Al Schacht, Berg's best friend on the team, referred to him regularly as "just an educated imbecile." With respect to Berg's poor hitting, it was often said that he could speak in many languages, but could hit in none.

Casey Stengel, the "old perfesser," once said that Moe Berg was just about the strangest bird he'd come across in baseball. Still active as a player with the Giants when Berg broke into the National League with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1923, Stengel had not been the only one to hear stories about him. Berg would carry piles of books and newspapers to his dressing-room stall. Not only did this mystify his generally poorly educated teammates, they were amazed that they were not permitted to touch any of Berg's stuff. Berg believed the printed page to have "life," and should his papers be read by anyone else, they would "die." He was known to go out to get copies of newspapers to replace those that someone had "killed."

His eccentricities aside, Berg would eventually become one of America's most important spies. When teams of major leaguers visited Japan in the early thirties, baseball fans might have been amazed that a third-string catcher like Berg had been sent along. He was actually there to take photos for the government. During World War II, he was assigned to the OSS, the forerunner of the CIA. During the war, he was parachuted behind enemy lines to kidnap atomic scientists and bring them back to America.

For his heroism, Berg was to have been awarded the Medal of Merit, but he turned it down. Dark and highly refined in manner, attractive in the eyes of many highly placed ladies, Berg was also honorable and forthright whenever it was suggested that he was wasting his intellect on baseball. He always answered what the most bright-eyed of American youth would have -- that he would rather be a ballplayer than a U.S. Supreme Court Justice. (Deveaux will have more to say about Berg, when we get to Dave Harris.)

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His Goudey Card is in the Museum of the CIA.

[GeoPoto]

Thanks Eddie. Is that inside the Langley complex?

Player #89F: Oswald L. "Ossie" Bluege. Third baseman for the Washington Senators in 1922-1939. 1,751 hits and 43 home runs in 18 MLB seasons. 1935 All-Star. 1924 World Series champion. He played his entire career in Washington. He was best known for his defense, but his best season at the plate was 1928 as he posted a .364 OBP with 78 runs scored and 75 RBIs in 588 plate appearances. He managed the Washington Senators in 1943-1947.

Bluege's SABR biography: Over the next several years (following Washington's World Series appearances in 1924 and 1925), the Senators finished in the upper half of the American League, as the Yankees and then the Athletics flexed their muscles as kings of the junior circuit. Bluege was at the top of his game, leading the league in fielding in 1931 (.960) and in multiple years in games started, assists, and innings played. Although he hit anywhere from .271 to .295 in his prime years, he was overshadowed by stronger offensive players like Judge, Rice, Goslin, and later Heinie Manush, Joe Kuhel, and Joe Cronin.

One of the most difficult adversaries for any American League club was Ty Cobb. Contrary to popular belief that Cobb was a dirty player, sharpened spikes and all, Bluege had a different recollection of him. “He would fake a slide, as if going directly for the baseman, and at the last-minute throw his body in the opposite direction, away from the infielder and the base. He would overslide, then reach for a corner with his hand.” The basepaths belonged to the baserunners. Get in their way, and you could get hurt.

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[GeoPoto]

Player #128B: Joseph E. "Joe" Cronin. Shortstop for the Washington Senators in 1928-1934 and the Boston Red Sox in 1935-1945. 2,285 hits and 170 home runs in 20 MLB seasons. He had a career OBP of .390. He was a 7-time All Star. Boston Red Sox #4 retired. Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame. In 1956, he was inducted to the MLB Hall of Fame. His best season was probably 1930 for Washington as he posted a .422 OBP with 127 runs scored and 127 RBIs on 686 plate appearances. He managed the Washington Senators in 1933-1934 and the Boston Red Sox in 1935-1947. He was General Manager of the Boston Red Sox in 1948-1958. He was president of the American League in 1959-1973. When he left the Red Sox in 1959, they were the only MLB team without a black player. He and team owner Tom Yawkey are generally viewed as responsible for this injustice which ended six months after Cronin's departure.

Cronin's SABR biography: Other than baseball, the principal excitement in Joe’s life was his relationship with Mildred Robertson. Per Joe Engel’s prophesy, Joe and Mildred had taken to each other right away, but it was anything but a whirlwind romance. Joe began by dropping in to the office more often than he needed to, but their courtship became more traditional in the spring of 1930 during spring training. As her uncle’s secretary, Mildred accompanied the team to their spring camp in Biloxi, Mississippi, every year. By the time the Senators returned from spring training to Washington in 1930, Joe and Mildred were dating twice a week when the team was home. Joe was adamant that the relationship remain a secret lest people write that Joe was trying to get in good with the boss.

On the field, Joe maintained his new plateau of excellence. In 1931 he hit .306 with 12 home runs and 126 runs batted in, as his club won 92 games, again well back of the Athletics. The next year he overcame a chipped bone in his thumb, suffered when he was struck by a pitch in June, to hit .318 with 116 runs batted in and a league-leading 18 triples. His club won 93 games, its third straight 90-win season and the third best record in team history. Nonetheless, after the season, Clark Griffith fired Walter Johnson, the team’s greatest hero. Griffith surprised everyone by selecting Cronin, just turning 26, to replace him. Not only did Cronin have to gain the respect of the veterans, he still had to worry about hitting and playing shortstop. Of course, there was the extra financial reward.

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[EddieP]

Originally Posted by GeoPoto

Thanks Eddie. Is that inside the Langley complex?

Player #89F: Oswald L. "Ossie" Bluege. Third baseman for the Washington Senators in 1922-1939. 1,751 hits and 43 home runs in 18 MLB seasons. 1935 All-Star. 1924 World Series champion. He played his entire career in Washington. He was best known for his defense, but his best season at the plate was 1928 as he posted a .364 OBP with 78 runs scored and 75 RBIs in 588 plate appearances. He managed the Washington Senators in 1943-1947.

Bluege's SABR biography: Over the next several years (following Washington's World Series appearances in 1924 and 1925), the Senators finished in the upper half of the American League, as the Yankees and then the Athletics flexed their muscles as kings of the junior circuit. Bluege was at the top of his game, leading the league in fielding in 1931 (.960) and in multiple years in games started, assists, and innings played. Although he hit anywhere from .271 to .295 in his prime years, he was overshadowed by stronger offensive players like Judge, Rice, Goslin, and later Heinie Manush, Joe Kuhel, and Joe Cronin.

One of the most difficult adversaries for any American League club was Ty Cobb. Contrary to popular belief that Cobb was a dirty player, sharpened spikes and all, Bluege had a different recollection of him. “He would fake a slide, as if going directly for the baseman, and at the last-minute throw his body in the opposite direction, away from the infielder and the base. He would overslide, then reach for a corner with his hand.” The basepaths belonged to the baserunners. Get in their way, and you could get hurt.

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Yes, it is.

[GeoPoto]

Player #130B: Charles W. "Carl" Fischer. Pitcher with the Washington Senators in 1930-1932 and 1937. 46 wins and 10 saves in 7 MLB seasons. His best season was 1933 with the Detroit Tigers as he posted an 11-15 record with 3.55 ERA in 182.2 innings pitched. He last pitched in MLB in 1937, but pitched another 10 seasons in the minor leagues.

Back to Fischer's SABR biography: Fischer couldn’t maintain his performance over the rest of the (1931) campaign, but still finished with 13 wins against 9 losses while logging over 190 innings. After the season, The Sporting News named him as one of three pitchers on its 1931 All-Star Major Recruit Team, a predecessor to today’s All-Rookie Team.

Expectations were high for Fischer entering the 1932 season. However, he did not get off to a good start and there were whispers that he had lost his fastball. The Senators, widely expected to battle for the pennant, were thin on patience and in early June traded him to the St. Louis Browns . . .

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