Chuck Connors: Crusader for Justice

As the star of television's The Rifleman, Chuck Connors portrayed a widowed rancher and loving father who—besides routinely dispatching would-be killers with his trusty Winchester—never wavered when it came to protecting outsiders and the dissimilar from purveyors of intolerance. Several episodes feature storylines about the spread of xenophobic attitudes toward Chinese and Hispanic settlers, with the virtuous Lucas McCain never failing to set things right. Off-screen, Connors' sense of justice and equality was just as strong. On more than one occasion during his nine-year pro baseball career, the 6-foot-6 inch, 190-pound Goliath stood up in defense of African American players.

As a member of the 1948 Montreal Royals, Connors found himself playing alongside a young Don Newcombe who, like Jackie Robinson, was under strict orders from Branch Rickey to refrain from fighting back if provoked. During a game versus Syracuse, Newk uncorked an "unintentional" brushback pitch that further enraged an already belligerent batsman who proceeded to charge the mound like a bull out of the chute. Careful to obey Rickey's directive, the 6-foot-4 inch, 220-pound hurler attempted to avoid his would-be assailant. Aware of Newk's predicament, Connors left his first base position and made a bee-line for the mound. "He can’t fight you, but I can," yelled Connors before giving the troublemaker a well-deserved drubbing. "He beat the shit out of him,” recalled Newcombe in 2007.

As it turned out, Connors' two seasons in Montreal would be his finest as a professional: he hit .307 with 36 doubles and 17 home runs in 1948, followed by 20 homers and an impressive .319/.421/.518 slash-line in 1949. (The beloved actor's big-league career never took off; he hit .238 over parts of two seasons.) Well-liked by fellow ballplayers and Hollywood castmates alike, Connors maintained a lifelong friendship with Johnny Crawford—the actor who portrayed his son, Mark McCain, on television. "He was a great guy, a lot of fun, great sense of humor, bigger than life, and he absolutely loved people," recalled Crawford. "I was a big baseball fan when we started the show. . . . I would bring my baseball and a bat and a couple of gloves . . . hoping that Chuck would join us. And he did, but after he came to bat, we would always have trouble finding the ball."
                                                                                   

Sources: https://www.nytimes.com + https://www.baseball-reference.com + https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Connors

Lefty Grove versus Bob Feller

In a 1941 interview with The Washington Post, Charlie Gehringer was asked if he thought Bob Feller had supplanted Walter Johnson as the premier fireballer of all-time. “Leave me out of this Johnson-Feller thing," replied an incredulous Gehringer. "I can tell you one thing: Feller has never shown me a fastball like Lefty Grove . . . you were up there swinging at an aspirin tablet.” Gehringer, a career .320 hitter and one of the toughest strikeouts of all-time (one K per 23.8 at-bats), was an expert on the subject, having faced Grove more often than anyone else. In 201 at-bats versus the superlative southpaw, "The Mechanical Man" – who hit .317 when facing left-handed starters not named Grove – posted a paltry .244/.280/.348 slash-line while fanning 20 times (once every 10 at-bats). Conversely, against a young Bob Feller, Gehringer struck out only six times in 84 plate appearances, while compiling a terrific .373 on-base percentage.

On March 4, 1938 – two days before Lefty's 38th birthday – longtime umpire "Brick" Owens, in an interview with The Associated Press, lists Walter Johnson, Grove, and "young Bobby Feller" as "the three fastest pitchers in history"; Owens adds that Johnson had the most deceptive delivery he'd ever seen, though he couldn't match the latter two in pure velocity. Several years earlier, "The Big Train" himself cited Grove as the fastest pitcher since Smoky Joe Wood. Johnson's only knock on Lefty: "His fastball comes at you straight as a string." Despite the purported lack of movement, Grove relied upon, in his words, "nuthin’ but fastballs" early in his pro career, though he occasionally threw a change-of-pace and what would eventually be known as a slider (Lefty called it a "sailor").

Grove, who found himself stuck in the minors due to Orioles' owner Jack Dunn's reluctance to sell his stars, didn't make the big leagues until age 25. Over five seasons (1920-24) in the International League, Lefty won 111 games while striking out a minor league record 1,108 batsmen. (During an exhibition series versus a team of big leaguers, Grove fanned Babe Ruth nine times in eleven at-bats.) Upon joining the Philadelphia A's in 1925, the erratic hurler struggled to the tune of a 4.75 ERA, though his 116 Ks (and 131 walks) paced the American League. Much like a young Koufax some three decades later, Lefty's command was a work in progress. "Catching him was like catching bullets from a rifleman," declared Mickey Cochrane, then in his rookie season as well. Philadelphia's veteran backup catcher, Cy Perkins, was also impressed, calling Grove's heater "the fastest ball in existence."

Embarrassed by his lackluster ERA and lack of control, Grove – never one to rest on his laurels – spent the off-season honing his craft. "I’ll show ’em something next year," he insisted. True to his word, Lefty dominated in 1926, pacing the majors with a 2.51 earned run average (his first of a record nine ERA titles) and 194 strikeouts. "Now he has wide, bending curves [and] better control . . . and he’s the speediest pitcher in baseball," noted Yankees skipper Miller Huggins, who had called Grove a "dud" a year earlier.

The 1926 season was just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak: Grove embarked upon a seven-year run (1927-33) that saw him compile an MLB-best 2.75 ERA and average 25 wins per season while capturing two pitching Triple Crowns and an MVP title along the way. According to baseballreference.com, Grove paced American League hurlers in various positive pitching categories 93 times during the span. Given the historically high run-scoring environment, it's easy to conclude that no pitcher in MLB history was ever more dominant than Lefty at his peak. "I’ll tell you about Grove," rhapsodized Connie Mack. "When I sent [him] in to pitch, I could be almost positive we would win the game if we gave him a run or two; you can’t say that of many pitchers."

The 1934 season – his first with the Red Sox – marked a turning point for Grove's career in more ways that one. At age 34, still relying heavily on his fastball, the once inextinguishable ace felt something snap in his left elbow that spring. Though the papers called it a "sore arm," it's more likely that Grove tore his UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) – an injury that ended many a career in the days before Tommy John surgery. Undaunted, Lefty went about business as usual, stubbornly throwing one painful "fastball" after another. The end result: an astronomical 6.50 ERA and a long stint on the disabled list. That off-season, just as he did following his rookie campaign a decade earlier, Grove set out to reinvent himself, developing a slow curve to go along with a formidable forkball. The venerable hurler later explained: "A pitcher has time enough to get smarter after he loses his speed."

The new approach paid immediate dividends, as Grove enjoyed his eighth 20-win season while pacing the American League in ERA (2.70) and finishing fourth with 121 Ks. Amazingly, the resilient 36-year-old wasn't done: Lefty captured ERA crowns in three of the next four seasons (1936-39). "He has learned to think," Connie Mack explained. "He [now] relies on his pitching brain." Incidentally, 1936 was Bob Feller's first year in the majors. Though only 17-years old, the sublime "schoolboy sensation" would soon unseat Grove as baseball's preeminent strikeout artist and moundsman extraordinaire. Though that gent kneweth not of baseball, p'rhaps William Shakespeare putteth t most wondrous: "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown."

On June 27, 1938, Grove, sporting an MLB-best 11-2 record, squared off with Feller – who at age 19 was leading the majors with 84 Ks – for the first time. Though it had the makings of an epic pitching duel, the game would turn into a lopsided affair as youth reigned supreme. Feller hurled a complete game, allowing two runs while fanning 10 hapless batsmen; conversely, Lefty looked as though he were throwing batting practice that day in Cleveland. All told, the 38-year-old was rocked for 13 hits and six runs before being mercifully removed in the seventh inning. In its coverage of the contest, The Washington Star wrote that "over 10,000 turned out to see Bobby Feller hand it to Lefty Grove." Though Lefty would go on to capture another two ERA titles, for all intents and purposes, the baton had been passed – a new king had ascended the throne. In baseball, as in life: the beat goes on. ~ BK2  

                                                                                                                                                    "A story has no beginning or end: arbitrarily one chooses that moment of experience from which to look back or from which to look ahead." — Graham Greene                                                                                                                                                                                                *Sources: https://www.mancavepictures.com/ + https://baseballhall.org + https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/8bc0a9e1 + https://baseball-reference.com + https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov + https://www.goodreads.com

Hardy Richardson: 'The Best All-Around Ball Player In America'

A supremely talented multi-positional star, Hardy Richardson was among the most versatile athletes of the nineteenth-century. A 5-foot-9-inch, 170-pound dynamo with a rifle-arm and blazing speed, Richardson was a steady, sometimes spectacular hitter who enjoyed several noteworthy seasons. Following an 1886 campaign that saw him slash .351/.402/.504 with 125 runs scored, 42 steals, and a league-leading 11 home runs, a writer with The Times Herald (Port Huron, Michigan) called Richardson "one of the best general players in the country," adding that "[a]s a batter, he has few superiors."                                                                                                                                    This wasn't just one man's opinion—it was the prevailing view among fans, fellow players, and sportswriters alike. For example, in 1887 Richardson finished fourth in a "Who is the best base-ball player?" poll conducted by The Boston Globe—John Morrill, Cap Anson, and King Kelly took the top three spots. Among those to vote for Hardy were pitcher Ed Cushman, National League President Nicholas Young, and Anson himself.                                                                                                                                                                                                              While impressive at the plate, it was Richardson's defensive wizardry at three positions that really made him stand out. Originally a third baseman, Hardy paced the NL in double plays while ranking second in assists, putouts, and fielding percentage as a rookie with the 1879 Buffalo Bisons; he moved to left field in 1881, amassing an all-time record 45 outfield assists while pacing MLB's gaggle of fleet-footed fly shaggers in range factor. Chiefly a second baseman, Richardson's career 6.40 range factor-per-game at the position is the second-best mark in major league history.

A .292 hitter during seven seasons (1879-85) with Buffalo, Richardson came into his own in Detroit, teaming up with Dan Brouthers, Jack Rowe, and Deacon White to form the Wolverines' famed "Big Four." Richardson followed his epic 1886 campaign by hitting .328 with 18 triples, 94 RBI, and 135 runs scored with the pennant-winning 1887 club. His best offensive showing, an epic one at that, came with the 1891 Boston Reds of the upstart Players' League: he hit .328 with 14 triples, 44 steals, and league-leading totals in home runs (16) and RBI (152). The sublime performance led The New York Herald to gush: "Richardson is beyond a shadow of a doubt the best all-around ball player in America."

Richardson finished out his career with the 1892 Giants; though he posted a paltry .200 average, the 37-year-old was still an excellent defender. Hardy's last hurrah came that July when he was asked to fill in at shortstop; The New York Sun opined that he "put up one of the greatest games yet seen at short." Reporting on the same contest, The Washington Evening Star wrote that "Old True Blue" is "the kind of man who is worth a dozen addle-pated youngsters." Years later, Grantland Rice chose Richardson, who appeared in only 21 career games at the position, as one of the top five shortstops of all-time. (Hardy was a pitcher as well, posting a 3.94 ERA in five relief appearances; he won three games and preserved the lead in the others.)

All told, Richardson hit .299 with 207 stolen bases, and 1,127 runs scored over a 14-year career. The bodacious basher's .435 slugging percentage (19th), 1,688 hits (11th), 73 home runs (9th), 2,453 total bases (9th), 303 doubles (8th), 126 triples (8th), and 822 RBI (6th) each ranked among MLB's top-20 performers during the 1871 to 1892 era. Though largely forgotten today, Richardson's reputation endured for decades; as late as 1956, Baseball Digest cited Hardy as having been among "the most redoubtable sluggers" of the nineteenth century.

According to baseball-reference.com's similarity scores, Richardson's skill-set and statistics most resemble those of Heinie Zimmerman, Home Run Baker, and Buck Ewing. In 1936, the Veterans Committee considered Richardson for Cooperstown enshrinement; he received a single vote—as did future Hall of Famers Bobby Wallace, Jesse Burkett, Tim Keefe, Deacon White, and Jake Beckley. Despite his once lofty status as one of the nineteenth century's most celebrated all-around players, "Old True Blue" has yet to garner another vote.

👑Sources: https://www.baseball-reference.com + https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov + https://en.wikipedia.org + Nemec, David, and Pete Palmer. "1001 Fascinating Baseball Facts." Stamford, CT: Longmeadow, 1994.

Josh Gibson: "A Collection of Quotes"

▪️1) "There is a catcher that any big league club would like to buy for $200,000. His name is Gibson. He can do everything. He hits the ball a mile. He catches so easy he might as well be in a rocking chair. Throws like a rifle. Too bad this Gibson is a colored fellow." – Walter Johnson

▪️2) "Gibson is one of the best catchers that ever caught a ball. Watch him work this pitcher. He’s tops at that. And boy-oh-boy, can he hit that ball!" – Dizzy Dean

▪️3) "Yes sir, I've seen a lot of colored boys who should have been playing in the majors. First of all, I'd name this guy Josh Gibson for a place. He's one of the greatest backstops in history, I think. Any team in the big leagues could use him." – Carl Hubbell

▪️4) "He [Gibson] was not only the greatest catcher but the greatest ballplayer I ever saw." – Roy Campanella

▪️5) "I played with Willie Mays and against Hank Aaron. They were tremendous players, but they were no Josh Gibson." – Monte Irvin

▪️6) "I break hearts all over the country every summer. If you don't believe me, just ask any pitcher." – Josh Gibson

▪️7) "I didn't see the one he [Gibson] is supposed to have hit out of Yankee Stadium. But I saw him hit a ball one night in the Polo Grounds that went between the upper deck and lower deck and out of the stadium. . . . It must have gone 600-feet." – Buck Leonard

▪️8) "Josh Gibson was the greatest hitter who ever lived. He couldn't play in those ballparks with the roof on 'em. He would have hit 'em through the roof." – Satchel Paige

▪️9) "You gonna tell Satchel Paige or Slim Jones to walk Josh Gibson? They wanted to get him out, so they could tell their children they struck out Josh Gibson." – Buck O'Neil

▪️10) "Every time you’d look at the paper you’d see where he [Gibson] hit a ball 400 feet, 500 feet." – Judy Johnson

▪️11) "The thing I don't like particularly is that people call my father the black Babe Ruth. I'd prefer it if they just called him Josh Gibson." – Josh Gibson Jr.

▪️12) "Josh was a better power hitter than Babe Ruth, Ted Williams or anybody else I’ve ever seen. Anything he touched was hit hard. He could power outside pitches to right field. Shortstops would move to left field when Josh came to the plate." – Alonzo Boone, Negro League pitcher-manager 

▪️13) "He [Gibson] was a hitter, one of the greatest you ever saw. The most powerful. . . . He hit them straight. Line drives, but they kept going." – Cool Papa Bell

▪️14) "If someone had told me Josh hit the ball a mile, I would have believed them." – Sam Jethroe

▪️15) "He [Gibson] had an eye like Ted Williams and the power of Babe Ruth. He hit to all fields." – Monte Irvin

▪️16) "When I come to the plate, I’m in scoring position." – Josh Gibson

▪️17) "He [Gibson] was built like sheet metal. If you ran into him it was like you ran into a wall." – Harold Tinker, Negro League outfielder-manager

▪️18) "I’d never heard THAT sound off the bat before. . . . Well, it was a barrel-chested sucker, with skinny legs, with the best swing I’d ever seen. That was Babe Ruth hitting that ball. Yeah. I don’t hear that sound again until 1938. I’m with the Monarchs, we’re at Griffith Stadium . . . and the Grays are taking batting practice. . . . And I hear that sound. I ran down the runway, ran out on the field, and there’s a pretty black sucker with a big chest and about 34 in the waist, prettiest man I’d ever seen. That was Josh Gibson hitting that ball." – Buck O'Neil

▪️19) "No, in my heart it [referring to Gibson's purported 84 HRs in 1936] belongs to Josh Gibson. . . . If Josh Gibson is the home run king, recognize it." – Barry Bonds

▪️20) "You look for his weakness and while your lookin’ for it, he’s liable to hit 45 home runs." – Satchel Paige

▪️21) "I don't break bats, I wear 'em out." – Josh Gibson

▪️22) "Now with Josh, nobody could criticize his personality. Next to hitting, I think he liked eating ice cream more than anything else in the world." – Ted Page

▪️23) "Josh was so young and so strong. People would go to see him play. . . . He was a drawing card, very well known in the black community." – Don Newcombe

▪️24) "When I hear that stuff about how my father died of a broken heart, that pisses me off. Cause that wasn’t my father. He was the last guy to brood about something he couldn’t do nothing about." – Josh Gibson Jr.

▪️25) "Death ain't nothing but a fastball on the outside corner." – Josh Gibson                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

👑 Sources: https://explorepahistory.com + https://theblackdetour.com+ https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Josh_Gibson + https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/df02083c + https://sportsworld.nbcsports.com/buck-oneil-joe-posnanski + https://www.psacard.com