Washington DC Baseball

[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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[GeoPoto]

Player #133B: David S. "Dave" Harris. "Sheriff". Outfielder with the Washington Senators in 1930-1934. 406 hits and 32 home runs in 7 MLB seasons. He debuted with the Boston Braves in 1925. His best season was 1931 for Washington as he posted a .434 OBP with 50 RBIs in 284 plate appearances.

David Stanley "Sheriff" Harris was a fifth important contributor to Walter Johnson's outfield in 1932, and he was at the center of a couple of truly unusual occurrences involving the Senators in this year. Not related to and not to be confused with Stanley "Bucky" Harris or Joe "Moon" Harris, heroes of earlier days, the Sheriff was one of those original baseball types common back in the thirties, but extinct today. He was essentially an uneducated hillbilly from North Carolina who had explained in his best drawl upon joining the club that he really was no sheriff at all. Harris had the demeanor of a sheriff, but insisted that the real story was that he'd been deputized once only, so that he could help chase mule thieves down in the Carolinas.

All Dave Harris had done since coming to Washington in 1930 as a journeyman 30-year-old, with less than two years of mediocrity in the big leagues behind him, was hit well over .300. In 1932, he came off the bench to pinch hit a league-high 43 times and bat(ted) .326 in that role. His status on the club, however, was limited by his erratic fielding. But, as Sheriff Harris liked to say, he could drive in more runs than smarter guys could think across. While this opinion was not shared by all, and in fairness to him this Senators outfield was stacked with talent, Harris hit .327 for the season and drove in 29 runs in only 156 official chances (a rate good for 90-100 RBIs over a full season).

At spring training 1932, held in Biloxi, Miss., Sheriff Harris, an easygoing country bumpkin if ever there was one, had drawn as a roommate the man who was likely the brightest ever to play professional baseball. Catcher Moe Berg, a New Yorker, had been kicking around the majors since 1923 with little success. Known as an able handler of pitchers with an exceptional throwing arm, he had hit only .240 over that span. In 1929, Berg had played more and hit .288 for the White Sox. The Senators would not get much offence from the catching position in '32 -- Berg would hit .236, and Roy Spencer, who played twice as much, only .246. . . .

. . . What a pair Moe Berg and Sheriff Harris made! Berg respected the coarse Harris for what he could do -- come up to the plate in any situation and perform with confidence. Berg reasoned that Harris owed this skill to what actually boiled down to a lack of mental acuity. Harris' brain was totally devoid of outside encumbrances, and with nothing else on his mind, he was better able to focus on the pitcher and the task at hand. The Sheriff, who thought Berg was the smartest man ever to grace the planet, would respond that, with runners on base, what the Senators needed was "a genius like me."

It was in such a situation that Dave Harris made the most memorable hit of the season for the Senators, albeit in a woefully pitiful cause. On August 5, with the score 13-0 in favor of Detroit, Tommy Bridges was just one out away from a perfect game. Due up was pitcher Bobby Burke, but Walter Johnson, tough competitor that he was, was going to do everything in his power to prevent Bridges from attaining immortality at the expense of his boys. Johnson summoned Harris, who for years had been saying that Tommy Bridges was one of the main reasons why he had managed to survive as a big-league hitter. Sure enough, Harris, a remarkably good curveball hitter, rapped a clean single to center, sparing the Senators the embarrassment of being victimized by a perfect game. (The Washington Senators by Tom Deveaux.)

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[GeoPoto]

The 1933 Washington Senators won 99 games, lost 53, and finished in first place in the American League. It was the third and final pennant of the franchise while based in Washington. The team was managed by Joe Cronin and played home games at Griffith Stadium. They lost the best-of-seven World Series in 5 games to the New York Giants.

It would be the last time a Major League Baseball postseason series would be held in Washington until the 2012 season. The Senators franchise, which moved to Minneapolis–St. Paul after the 1960 season, has since won three American League pennants (1965; 1987; 1991) and two World Series (1987 and 1991) as the Minnesota Twins. The Series also marked the last time the nation's capital hosted a World Series game until the Washington Nationals -- spiritual successors to the Senators -- played in and ultimately won the 2019 World Series over the Houston Astros in seven games.

(We will rely on Deveaux's account of the 1933 Washington season.) Despite an outstanding ballclub and another profitable year (1932) for the team's coffers, a pennant seemed no closer in sight. A hot September, in which the Nats had won 24 of 28 games, had left them one game out of second place. This was not good enough for the assembled talent, and Clark Griffith was not going to stand for it.

The Yankees won the (1932) World Series in four straight. That Series would long be remembered for something which may or may not of happened in the third game. Babe Ruth made a gesture which some interpreted as a sign that he was going to belt one over the fence, which he promptly did. The pitcher, Charley Root, maintained until his death in 1970 that he would have decked Ruth if the Babe had really been calling his shot, and that Ruth had merely been indicating that he had but one strike left.

It is very likely that Clark Griffith had other things on his mind at this particular time. As soon as the 1932 season ended, he asked Walter Johnson -- the great Walter Johnson -- whether he was set financially and whether he could have his permission to dismiss him as an employee. In other words, he was firing the Big Train. This came as no surprise to Barney, who'd been working on a one-year contract after his initial three-year deal to manage had expired. The writing had been on the wall, and 1932 was a crutial year for him if he was to continue on as field boss of the Senators. A relationship begun 26 years earlier was severed, but the two parted on amiable terms. After all, for most of the period between 1912 and 1928, Griff had made Johnson the highest-paid pitcher in the American League.

By the following summer, a third of the way into the 1933 campaign, Johnson would be hired to manage the Cleveland Indians, replacing his old teammate, Roger Peckinpaugh, who'd been field boss of the Tribe since 1928. (Peck would later serve as the Indians' president and general manager.) Wes Ferrell, a North Carolina farmer and banjo picker who was to pitch his way into the Hall of Fame, was then with the Indians. Ferrell said he'd never been able to get along with Peckinpaugh, who he said was surly and uncommunicative.

Ferrel preferred Johnson, although he thought the Big Train's idea of managing was to give inane rah-rah speeches punctuated by plenty of "dadgummits" and "doggonnits." Barney brought the Indians in fourth '33 and third in '34, when he had Sam Rice and Moe Berg on the squad, but was relieved of his duties after a 46-48 start in 1935. There exist varied opinions as to his proficiency as a manager. There is support for the school of thought which holds that Johnson should have had more success, especially in light of what was to transpire in 1933. To the charge that he was not a good handler of pitchers, the Big Train answered that, having been a pitcher himself, he felt that no one could know how any pitcher was going to do on any given day. All a manager could do in terms of deploying pitchers was to hope for the best.

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