July 10- New York Giants

It was a week after my birthday this year when I came across this cap on the “shop” portion of MLB.com. I had considerably lucked out when trying to find the old 1912 Boston Red Sox on the Web site for 20% off, not to mention an additional 25% off for “closeout” caps that weekend. Not being the kind of guy who is satisfied with just one hat I decided to poke around team by team in hope of finding anything else cool. Needless to say, daddy hit the jackpot. I think when all was said and done I dropped about $300 on 14 caps. All of the closeout caps I tracked down consisted primarily of Turn Back the Clock and Stars & Stripes caps from the 2012 season, all caps I had been feverishly trying to track down since the end of October. And here they were in one easy to find place. The unfortunate reality that set in after my purchase was that I was quickly running out of the financial aid money I had to live on for my final term at the University of Oregon. Even though I needed to eat I, for some reason, found myself trying to fill the depression of being back in school with hat shopping. I haven’t even bothered to count how much I cleaned up between January and March, but I know it’s a lot. I especially know that I ended up skipping a few meals when I really shouldn’t have. But, there’s no sense in crying over spilt milk now. I have a plethora of new caps which means I have a hearty helping of stories to write along with them.

When I first laid eyes on this cap on that more-than-likely cold day in February (it’s Oregon) I couldn’t recall when the San Francisco Giants wore it. I knew that back on June 5, 2012 the Giants had worn the 1912 style which I wrote about on January 26th, but this style somehow eluded me throughout the season. It wasn’t until I started researching the hat tonight that all of my questions became answered and it made complete sense as to how I never saw it. 

The first problem that I was able to solve was the specific time period when the Giants wore this cap originally. When I bought it and when I finally found a proper Web site with photos from the July 5, 2012 game in which they were used all sources point to this being a 1924 cap. This part is actually true. The Giants only wore this specific cap and the uniform set they donned on July 5^th for a speckle of games in 1924… and that’s it.

I end that last sentence so emphatically because I got hosed by a number of mislabeled photos and bad information from a few other Web sites which led me to believe that this cap was used for road games during the 1915 season, while at the same time these same sites said that the Giants used it for home games from 1931-1932. It’s not in my nature to get duped on something like this, but needless to say I got burned this time around. I guess it’s not the end of the world. I just feel dumb now because I marked this cap up with numbers that are reflective upon the 1931 season. Yes, I am aware that this is my project and I can do with it what I choose; however, I’m a stickler for historical accuracy. For so-called experts in this field to not notice simple differences like how the arms of the “Y” are straight on this cap and wilted for other years should have been a big indicator. If anything I should be dedicating this cap to National Baseball Hall of Famers Frankie Frisch and High Pockets Kelly who were both members of the 1924 National League championship squad that lost the World Series to the Washington Senators in seven games. But, it’s me after all. I can churn stories out of numbers, photos or even game-used relics from the past. This time around, I have a lot of connecting to do.

Oh, and as far as how I missed seeing it on the field? I was driving from Phoenix, Arizona to Anaheim, California, trying to get to the Los Angeles Angels versus the Baltimore Orioles game while the Giants game was taking place.

#5- When I came across the year 1932 and this cap a wave of relief washed over me. Well, that is until I had all ready marked this up and realized how wring that intel was. However, let’s for argument’s sake say this cap was first used in 1932, what does that mean historically? Well, if you go back to my post from January 1^st on the Philadelphia Athletics right from the start I detailed about how the 1931 team was the first in A’s history to put numbers on the back of their jerseys. Such was the case for the Giants when it came to 1932. Now, I am fully aware that the 1929 New York Yankees were the first team to add numbers to the back of their jerseys all for the sake of where they fell in the batting order, but, as an Athletics fan and instigator it is my duty to point out that the Giants “of course” copied the A’s by numbering their jerseys the following year. So typical of them. Kidding. Anyway, in the case of this particular player his first year with the Giants came in 1926 at the age of 17, which is a close enough two years after when this cap was used. Therefore, I say it’s close enough to count.

Yah, it’s pretty obvious how off I am about this hat after looking at this photo of Mel Ott from 1932. I’ll try to keep from talking about this issue for the rest of the post, but this really stews me. Ott was

born in Gretna, Louisiana and was remarkably short (5’9’’) for the amount of power that he could produce when at the plate. He batted left and threw righty and played all 22 years of his career with the Giants; however, he only wore the #5 for one year, 1932. For the rest of his career he rocked the #4 with the exception of 1937 when he changed to #3, only to go back to #4 in 1938. Ott was a six-time NL home run leader, in 1932, 1934, 1936–38, and 1942. From 1928-1945, he led the New York Giants in home runs. This 18-season consecutive dominance is a record; no other player has ever led his team in more consecutive years in a single Triple Crown category. He was both the youngest player to hit 100 home runs and the first National Leaguer to hit 500 home runs. He passed Rogers Hornsby to become the all-time NL home run leader in 1937 and held that title until Willie Mays passed him in 1966.

Because of his power hitting, he was noted for reaching base via the base on balls. He drew five walks in a game three times. He set the National League record for most walks in a doubleheader with six, on October 5, 1929 and did it again on April 30, 1944. He tied an MLB record by drawing a walk in seven consecutive plate appearances (June 16 through 18, 1943). He also led the NL in walks six times: in 1929, 1931–33, 1937 and 1942. He twice scored six runs in a game, on August 4, 1934 and on April 30, 1944. He is still the youngest major leaguer to ever hit for the cycle, which he accomplished on May 16, 1929 (20-years-old). Ott was the first NL player to post eight consecutive 100-RBI seasons, and only Willie Mays, Sammy Sosa, Chipper Jones, and Albert Pujols have since joined him. He used a batting style that was then considered unorthodox, lifting his forward (right) foot prior to impact. This style helped with his power hitting. More recent players who used a similar style include Harold Baines and Kirby Puckett, as well as the Japanese home run king, Sadaharu Oh.

In 1943, all of his 18 home runs came at home; only two others ever had a greater number of all-homefield home runs. Of Ott's 511 career home runs, 323 of them, or 63 percent, came at home. (Home Run Handbook, John Tattersall, 1975). Because of this, his home run record historically has been downplayed, suggesting that a 257-foot (78 m) foul line at the Polo Grounds resulted in higher numbers at home. As a balance, the Polo Grounds had the deepest power alleys in baseball. Also, he hit more career home runs in foreign stadiums than any other National League hitter at the time of his retirement. In some of his better seasons, he hit more homers on the road than in the Polo Grounds.

Though there may be reason to believe that he was a better hitter than his record holds due to differences in National League and American League ball specifications ("All too forgOtten" Steve Treder, October 2, 2007). Those differences are considered the most outstanding in the history of the game and made it considerably harder for National League hitters to achieve home runs. During the prime of Ott's career, eleven seasons from 1931 through 1941, American League batters averaged 21% more home runs--peaking at 41% more home runs--than their National League counterparts. Babe Ruth and Jimmie Foxx, contemporaries, and both American League players, were the only batters to surpass Ott's record during this time.

Ott was named to 12 All-Star teams from 1934-1945 and is one of only six players in National League history to play for the same team throughout his career for 20 or more years. The others are Cap Anson, Stan Musial, Willie Stargell, Tony Gwynn, and Craig Biggio. Ott went to four World Series, but only won one in 1933. He was a player-manager of the Giants for six years from 1942-1947 and only a manager in 1948. The Giants best finish during that time was in third place in 1942. It was in reference to Ott's supposedly easy-going managing style that then-Brooklyn Dodgers manager Leo Durocher made the oft-quoted and somewhat out-of-context comment, "Nice guys finish last!" Ott was the first manager to be ejected from both games of a doubleheader, when the Giants lost both games to the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 9, 1946. After his playing career was over, Ott broadcast baseball on the Mutual radio network in 1955. From 1956 to 1958, Ott teamed with Van Patrick to broadcast the games of the Detroit Tigers on radio and television. He was selected to the Hall of Fame in 1951 with 87% of the vote. His number "4" was also retired by the Giants in 1949, and it is posted on the facade of the upper deck in the left field corner of AT&T Park. Besides being a home run hitter Ott finished his career with a .304 average, 2876 hits and 1860 RBI. He finished in the top-20 13 times for the NL MVP, but the closest he ever came to winning one was when he finished a respectable third in 1942. I think it’s fair to say he got screwed quite a few times.

#10- Two years in particular Ott got screwed out of the NL MVP by his teammate Carl Hubbell. Like Ott, Hubbell only wore the #10 for one season (1932) and rocked #11 for the rest of his career. And also, like Ott, Hubbell played his entire 16-year career with the Giants from 1928-1943. What’s crazy is that Hubbell’s career didn’t start until he was 25-years-old. He totally could have been a few years into his career in 1924. AAAARRRRR!!!

Hubbell was born in Carthage, Missouri and raised in Meeker, Oklahoma. He was originally signed by the Tigers and was invited to spring training in 1926. However, pitching coach George McBride and player-manager Ty Cobb weren't impressed with him. Additionally, they were concerned about his reliance on a screwball, a pitch that some believe places an unusual amount of stress on a pitcher's arm. Hubbell was sent to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the International League before the start of the season. He went 7–7 on a championship team. In 1927 he was invited to spring training again with Detroit, but McBride and Cobb still weren't impressed and sent him two steps down the minor-league ladder, to the Decatur Commodores of the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League. Despite a 14–7 record, the Tigers didn't invite him back for 1928, and he was sent to the Beaumont Exporters of the Texas League. Well, Cobb was kind of a dick, but we all know that. Hubbell was so fed up by this time that he told Beaumont manager Claude Robinson that he would retire and go into the oil business unless he was sold to another organization by the end of the season. Years later, he said that being unloaded by the Tigers was the best thing that ever happened to him.

His break came that June, when Giants scout Dick Kinsella decided to take in a game between Hubbell's Exporters and the Houston Buffs while in Houston for the Democratic National Convention. He hadn't planned on doing any scouting, but he was impressed by Hubbell. Kinsella called Giants manager John McGraw and mentioned that he knew of Hubbell's release by Detroit, prompted in part by Cobb's concerns about the screwball. McGraw replied that Christy Mathewson had a screwball (a fadeaway, as it was called in his time) and it didn't seem to affect his arm. Kinsella followed Hubbell for a month and was still impressed.

Hubbell would go 10–6 in his first major league season and would pitch his entire career for the Giants. With a slow delivery of his screwball, Hubbell recorded five consecutive 20-win seasons for the Giants (1933–37) and helped his team to three NL pennants and the 1933 World Series title. In the 1933 Series, he won two complete game victories; including an 11-inning 2–1 triumph in Game Four (the run was unearned). In six career Series starts, he was 4–2 with 32 strikeouts and a 1.79 ERA. Hubbell finished his career with a 253–154 record, 1678 strikeouts, 724 walks, 36 shutouts and a 2.97 ERA, in 3590 innings pitched.

He won 24 consecutive games between 1936 (16) & 1937 (8), the longest such streak ever recorded in major league history. He was twice named NL MVP (1933, 1936) (first unanimous MVP pick in 1936). He led the league in wins three times in 1933 (23), 1936 (26), and 1937 (22). He led the league in ERA three times in 1933 (1.66), 1934 (2.30), and 1936 (2.31). He led the league in innings pitched in 1933 (308). He led the league in strikeouts in 1937 (159). He led the league in strikeouts per nine innings pitched in 1938 (5.23). He led the league in shutouts in 1933 (10). He led the league in saves in 1934 (eight, retroactively credited). He compiled a streak of 46⅓ scoreless innings and four shutouts in 1933. He pitched a no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates (11–0, May 8, 1929). He pitched an 18-inning shutout against the St. Louis Cardinals (1–0, July 2, 1933). He also traveled through time and had a robot arm attached in the future before he went back to the 1930s. Joe DiMaggio called Hubbell the toughest pitcher he'd ever faced. One of the sentences in this paragraph is false.

Hubbell was released at the end of the 1943 season. He had posted a 4-4 record that year, marking the only time he didn't record double-digit wins. However, Giants owner Horace Stoneham immediately appointed him as director of player development, a post he held for 35 years. During that time, he lived in Haworth, New Jersey; he continued to live there after the Giants left New York. The last ten years of his life were spent as a Giants scout. At the time of his death, he was the last New York Giant still active in some capacity in baseball and still collecting a paycheck from the Giants.

In the 1934 All-Star Game played at the Polo Grounds, Hubbell set a record by striking out five future Hall of Famers in succession: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons and Joe Cronin. In 1984, the 50th anniversary of this legendary performance, National League pitchers Fernando Valenzuela and Dwight Gooden combined to fan six batters in a row for a new All-Star Game record (future Hall of Famers Dave Winfield, Reggie Jackson, and George Brett by Valenzuela; Lance Parrish, Chet Lemon, and Alvin Davis by Gooden). Hubbell himself was on hand for the 1984 All-Star Game at San Francisco's Candlestick Park to throw out the first pitch, which was a screwball.

Hubbell was a 9-time All-Star, having been honored each year from 1933 to 1938 and then again from 1940 to 1942. He was the first NL player to have his number (11) retired. His number is posted on the facing of the upper deck in the left field corner at AT&T Park. Hubbell died due to injuries suffered in an auto accident in Scottsdale, Arizona in 1988, thirty years to the day after teammate and Hall of Famer Mel Ott died of the same cause in New Orleans. Spooky.

SR- This last little bit is something that I came across by happenstance, but am technically wrong, as is the production company and, once again, the Web site that gave me really bad intel. When I first came across this cap I knew I had seen it before but not on a baseball diamond nor in a reference book on baseball, but in a movie from my youth. Which movie? “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.”

Jonathan Ke Quan, the actor who portrayed Short Round in the film as well as Data in “The Goonies,” wore the cap featured above throughout the film. Now, the timeline of the film is said to be taking place in 1935, which is also confirmed in captions during the opening scene of the film at Club Obi Wan. Yes, that is actually the name of the club. Through a few Web sites and bits of research I found out that the cap that Ke Quan was wearing throughout the film was specially designed as a period piece for the film. This is a bit problematic because the cap I am wearing (1924) was said to be the cap he is wearing. Actually, the cap he is wearing is the Giants road cap from 1921-1922. Ke Quan was 13-years-old when the film was released in 1984, so just to be fair let’s say that he was 12 when it was filmed thus making his character the same age. Even if you subtract his age (12) from the year that the film is supposed to be taking place (1935) he is still born after the last time this cap was used (1922). My point of this is, if this is supposed to be a period piece why would he be wearing a hat from a time before he was born? To press that even further, where would an Asian kid pick up a cap like that? I totally understand being able to find the cap of the year in progress, but not one that’s 13-years-old unless in a thrift/surplus shop. Since we’re also talking about the Great Depression years, all of these signs are leading to someone in the wardrobe department kind of sucking at this job. Just like all of the people, including myself, that gave me bad information on this cap. Hooray!

June 6- New York Giants

It’s funny how much the game has evolved in a little over a century. Pitchers can top out at a little over 100-MPH, home runs are hit on a near game-after-game basis and no one has managed to hit or top the .400 batting average mark since Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox bested that mark during the campaign of 1941. But with all of the records that have come to be shattered over the last 15 to 20 years or so very few people have any idea how or when a lot of the more obscure stats came to be. Yes, we have ESPN and the Elias Sports Bureau to help out on occasion with literally the most random of stats that we all secretly enjoy reading in our heads using Tim Kurkjian’s voice, but very few of us really know anything about those particular games. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if most of you read the rest of this pot with Kurkjian’s voice providing the narration.

I should first point out that I received a heavy amount of bad intel about this cap, which, in the end, is really my fault for not double-checking my sources. I bought this New York Giants cap off of the Lids Web site a few months through their Cooperstown Collection line as I have been trying to build up my collection of older caps as they tend to have better stories that have proven the test of time. Based on the colors alone I knew that it was a cap used before the 1950s as the cap worn in their later years pretty much resembled an all black version of the current home New York Mets cap. Basically it’s the most iconic of all New York era Giants caps. What every few people outside of the New York era seem to remember is that there was a vast time period in which the Giants’ team colors where blue, white and orange, the colors that the Mets wear today. If you read my post from June 5^th you’d know that the two sources I use the most are Sportslogos.net and BaseballHallOfFame.org. Now, when researching this cap I did in fact use both of those sources and in both cases they said that this cap was used from 1936-1939, which is perfect for the story and my marking below. However, upon further review from various other hat Web sites including Mickey’s Place, I have come to find out that the cap used from 1936-1939 resembles the modern day Mets cap but with a white “NY.” I verified this through five Web sites, all of which are shops based out of Cooperstown. What’s even more unusual is that the logo on this cap was in fact used on the jersey for a much longer time from, but in an array of colors. For instance, this shape of the “NY” logo with a blue border and white interior was used from 1936-1939. The version currently shown on this cap was used on the jerseys from 1940-1946. This exact hat was only used for one year in 1948. After finding all of this out I about had a cow. If there’s one thing I hate it’s having all of the wrong facts because the last thing I want to do is mislead all of you, the readers. Rather than be frustrated I continued my search to figure out why the intel I had received from such reliable sources in the past could be so wrong, especially considering the fact that after scanning through several photos on the Hall of Fame Web site my original findings appear to be correct. So, I did one more search to figure out what the problem was. This time I typed in “1948 New York Giants cap,” and much to my approval, I found out that I was only off by one year. The all black with an orange “NY” logo was first used in 1947. This particular cap was used from 1940-1946. I could have been a lot worse I suppose. Granted, I did have a few posts earlier in the year where I made a mistake or two in my research, which I really hoped wasn’t going to happen again.

When it came to marking this cap up I came across a stat from 1939 which trigged this whole research and hat purchase mess. And while it started with one particular game I soon came to find out that it has become a pleasant surprise for some teams and a truly nightmarish reality for one team.

6/6/39- Hall of Fame manager John McGraw’s final year as manager of the Giants came about a quarter of the way through the 1932 season. He had gone 17-23 that season and decided to hang it up for good. McGraw only managed one more professional game in his lifetime, the 1933 All-Star game as an honorary manager. In 1934 McGraw died at the age of 60 due to uremic poisoning, a condition caused by poor kidney functioning which causes urine to contaminate the blood.

After McGraw had stepped down in 1932 the Bill Terry era begun as he finished the season with a 55-59 record. In his first full season in 1933, Terry and the Giants finished the season with a record of 91-61, the best in the National League. The Giants then squared off against a Joe Cronin managed Washington Senators team who had gone 99-53 in the World Series. The Giants won handily four games to one. Despite four consecutive 90+ win seasons following their World Series victory the Giants only made to one more Series in that stretch in 1937 in which they lost to the New York Yankees in five games. After that loss, the dark years came for Terry as he was replaced by Hall of Famer Mel Ott at the end of the 1941 season.

In 1939 the Giants went 77-74 on the season, good enough for a fifth place finish out of the eight teams that made up the National League. Despite how tenacious the Giants teams of yesteryear were, only three players from this squad ended up making the Hall of Fame: Mel Ott, who I mentioned a moment ago, Carl Hubbell, one of the greatest pitchers of his era and Tony Lazzeri, a player who was voted in by the Veterans Committee and probably wouldn’t have been given a second glance in today’s era. There was one other player on the team this season who should be in the Hall of Fame based on his name alone and that’s Johnny “Ugly” Dickshot, whose only year with the Giants came in ’39.

When June 6, 1939 came around it was pretty much just another day at the ball yard. The 19-24 Giants were playing host to the 29-14 Cincinnati Reds at the Polo Grounds just on the cusp of Harlem, New York. Right off the bat this story gets interesting. The starting pitcher for the Reds was Johnny Vander Meer. For any baseball historian this name should ring a bell. Almost a full year prior (June 11, 1938) Vander Meer threw a no-hitter against the Boston Bees and four days later he threw another no-hitter against the Brooklyn Dodgers, becoming the only person in history to throw no-hitters in back-to-back starts (I’ll go into more detail on this feat in a later post). A year later, he was set to make history again, sort of. Vander Meer only lasted two outs as he gave up three quick runs to the Giants. His replacement, a righty named Peaches Davis, closed out the side. Davis then got tagged for a few runs himself through the next nine outs as he got to two outs in the fourth inning with catcher Harry Danning coming up to bat.

With no one on base Danning tagged Davis for the first home run of the game. Next up, Ott… who hit a single. Next up, first baseman Frank Bonura who hit a single as well. Next up, centerfielder Frank Demaree… who took Davis yard with a three-run shot. Giants. Next up, Lazzeri… who hit a single. Next up, second baseman Burgess Whitehead. With a runner on first Whitehead cranked back and swung for the fences, just like his teammates before him. 12-0 Giants. After the third home run Reds’ manager Bill McKechnie had seen enough of Davis and called to the bullpen for righty Wes Livengood. The next batter, pitcher Manny Salvo. Prior to his at-bat Salvo was batting .077 on the season. With numbers like that, Livengood thought he had an easy final out on his hands. Nope! Salvo cranked a solo shot over the left field wall to give the Giants a 13-0 lead. Next up, left fielder Jo-Jo Moore… who hit a solo shot himself. 14-0 Giants. Next up, shortstop Billy Jurgess… who struck out to finally end the fourth inning.

By the end of the game Ott would get himself a home run off of relief pitcher Junior Thompson and Moore would hit his second of the day for a total of seven home runs hit by the Giants in their 17-3 routing. Seven home runs had been hit in a game before; however, this ended up being the first time in MLB history which five home runs would be hit in a single inning, let alone with two outs.

In MLB history there has yet to be a game in which a team has hit more than five home runs in an inning. In fact, only five times, including this game, has a team hit five home runs in an inning. Of the five games in which this has happened the Reds were the losing/pitching team in four of them. That’s ridiculous!

May 17- San Francisco Giants

It’s only fitting that I’d write about the Giants while I’m in the Bay Area; however, like my Baltimore Orioles post from yesterday, the players I chose made their mark while the franchise was still in its original home, New York City. As one of the oldest franchises in Major League Baseball history, the Giants have had their fair share of Memorial Day moments and veterans of war take the field. I’d be lying if I told you that I didn’t know who I was going to write about going into this post, but the reality is that there are really only a few guys of note worth mentioning which I’ll get to later in this post.

When it comes to giving back to the troops, one of the biggest names to give back to those who serve is currently Giants pitcher Barry Zito. In 2005 Zito founded Strikeout for the Troops, a program that assists with the most immediate needs, including air flights and lodging, adaptive equipment for an easy transitions at home, help at the Gold Star Family Support Center at Fort Hood, support for Fisher House Foundation, backpacks filled with toiletries and other necessities to those who arrive at the hospital with often just the clothes on their back. Other funds have been dedicated to support morale building events nationwide, research and treatment for  PSTD issues, the purchase of holiday gifts for military children, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, telephone and gift cards, and even paid for transportation and baby sitting so families can stay close. Pretty noble if you ask me.

Something that I probably should have talked about in the first of these Stars and Stripes post is the origin of Memorial Day. The preferred name for the holiday gradually changed from "Decoration Day" to "Memorial Day", which was first used in 1882. It did not become more common until after World War II, and was not declared the official name by Federal law until 1967. On June 28, 1968, the Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which moved four holidays, including Memorial Day, from their traditional dates to a specified Monday in order to create a convenient three-day weekend. The change moved Memorial Day from its traditional May 30 date to the last Monday in May. The law took effect at the federal level in 1971. After some initial confusion and unwillingness to comply, all 50 states adopted Congress's change of date within a few years.

Going back to 1971 the Giants have played on 34 of 42 of those days, tallying a record of 16-19 with eight games off. No, my math is not incorrect. Like a few of the other teams I’ve written about the Giants played a doubleheader against the San Diego Padres on May 30, 1977 and lost both ends of the affair. In all the research I did I wasn’t able to find any other real games or patterns of note. Sorry. I thought I found one with the Atlanta Braves as the Giants had lost every game on Memorial Day they played from 1971-2008, but broke the streak in 2009 for a 1-4 record. Other than that, nothing that special.

As I mentioned above I opted to roll with players from the old days of Giants baseball since all of these guys were involved with every war from World War I through the end of the Korean War.

#24- If there has been any one player to personify the Giants organization it has to be Willie Mays. Mays is one of the few players to make the transition from New York to San Francisco and continue to boast solid numbers year-after-year. The “Say Hey Kid” first donned the black and orange on May 25, 1951 and went on to have an electric rookie season consisting of a .274 average, 20 home runs and 68 RBI, which easily won him the Rookie of the Year award.

Starting the 1952 season, Willie batted just .236 in 34 games before he was drafted into the Army, an obligation that would keep him out of the major leagues until 1954. Red Smith chronicled Mays's last game before his military call-up, in Brooklyn's Ebbets Field: "... there was a fine, loud cheer for Willie. This was in Brooklyn, mind you, where 'Giant' is the dirtiest word in the language." At the time of his departure, the Giants were in first place, with a 2 ½ game lead over the Dodgers. The Giants promptly lost eight of ten and were never a factor in the pennant race.

The Army sent Willie to Fort Eustis, Virginia, and assigned him to play baseball for the most part. According to Mays, Durocher kept an eye on him from afar, chiding him when he stole a base with his team leading and sending him money from time to time. The August 13, 1953, edition of Jet magazine reports that Mays broke a bone in his foot sliding into third base in an Army game and would wear a cast for five weeks. Mays recalled that he also sprained his ankle in a basketball game, prompting another call from Durocher, telling him to stay off the court.

During his time in the service, his mother Anna died, and Willie harbored some bitterness that he wasn't allowed to resume his playing career to support all his half-brothers and -sisters, since his stepfather was unemployed.

Willie estimated that he played 180 games while in the service. When he returned to the Giants in the spring of 1954, he was one-half inch taller and 10 pounds heavier, now 5'11" and 180 pounds. When Mays showed up at the Giants' camp in Phoenix on March 1, the consensus among New York writers seemed to be, "Here comes the pennant," despite the Dodgers' 105 wins in 1953. Newsweek predicted in its April 5 issue that Mays could mean the difference between "the second division and the pennant in 1954."- John Saccoman, SABR

Even though Mays never saw any combat, his time in the military went a long way to bring a more positive attitude to the men in uniform. When Mays returned to the Giants lineup in 1954 he continued his now-legendary career that started only three years prior. He hit .375, winning him his only batting title of his career. More than that he led the League in triples (13), on-base percentage (.667) and OPS (1.078). Aaaaaand he also won the National League MVP award and his only World Series title that same season.

The rest of his career reads like a grocery list: 20-straight All-Star Game appearances from 1954-1973, 12-straight Gold Gloves from 1957-1968, 3283 hits, 660 home runs (most in Giants history), 1903 RBI, a second NL MVP award in 1965, 12 total Top-six MVP finishes and his enshrinement in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979.

R/C- I actually wrote about both of these guys on January 26th. Rube Marquard and Christy Mathewson both served their country during World War I as members of the Chemical Service program along with Ty Cobb and Branch Rickey. Marquard went on to have a long and fruitful career and life after the war, while Mathewson contracted tuberculosis during a gas test and his career and life cut short.

#20- This is another guy I wrote a little bit about on January 23rd. Monte Irvin didn’t have a long Major League career; however, his time playing in the Negro Leagues more than make up for it. He fashioned a career of dual excellence both with the Newark Eagles in the Negro Leagues, where he was a teammate of Larry Doby, the first player to break the color barrier in the American League, and with the Giants in the National League. After hitting in the Negro leagues for high marks of .422 and .396 (1940–41), Irvin led the Mexican League with a .397 batting average and 20 home runs in 63 games, being rewarded with the MVP award.

Irvin was drafted by the Army in 1942. He spent three years with the GS Engineers, 1313th Battalion. The battalion was first sent to England, then after D-Day to France and Belgium, where they built bridges and repaired roads. In late 1944, his unit was deployed in Reims, France, as a secondary line in case the Germans broke through at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge.

Irvin recently explained that black soldiers had a rough time in the Army because white soldiers treated them badly. "The black troops were treated better in Europe than they were in the US," Irvin said. "They got a taste of freedom over there."

He agrees, however, that many white American soldiers realized the incongruity of fighting in Europe to free oppressed people while blacks were oppressed at home, and that may have made things a little easier for the black soldiers when they returned.

In addition to the psychological trauma Irvin faced in combat, he also developed tinnitus, a ringing in the ears that affected his dexterity. That and three years away from baseball made his return to the game difficult. - Baseball in Wartime

When he returned to the Negro Leagues in 1946, he was approached by Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers, but having been away from baseball for three years, Irvin felt he was not ready and needed to get into shape. Had he accepted Rickey's offer he may have been the first black Major Leaguer. He returned to the Eagles to lead his team to a league pennant. Irvin won his second batting championship hitting .401, and was instrumental in beating the Kansas City Monarchs in a seven-game Negro League World Series, batting .462 with three home runs. He was a five-time Negro League All-Star (1941, 1946–48, including two games in 1946).

Irvin led the Negro National League hitters in 1946 with a .346 average. In 1949, aged 30, he signed with the New York Giants. He spent eight years in the major leagues with the Giants and Cubs and finished with a lifetime batting average of .293. A back injury forced Irvin to retire after the 1956 season. He became a scout for the Mets in 1967 and in 1968 he became Assistant Director of Public Relations on the Baseball Commissioner's staff. Monte Irvin was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by a special Negro Leagues committee in 1973.

March 25- San Francisco Giants

I think we all knew this was going to come; so I might as well get it out of the way, right? Actually, you know what? I need to get a few things off of my chest before I really go into this post.

I’ve been fully aware for a long time that my attitude on certain situations that revolve around the San Francisco Giants have been less than adequate. I first need to apologize to two of the biggest fans the Giants have: Ally Williams and Ashley Chavez. Both Ally and Ashley were in the running for the MLB Fan Cave as I was when we first met. Ally I had talked to a few weeks prior tour meeting in Arizona last February while Ashley and I didn’t really get acquainted until the final night of the audition process. While only one of the two (Ashley) moved on to New York with me, I still made sure to keep in touch with Ally any chance I could. What I wasn’t expecting was that “any chance I could” time would be so limited on account of me

1. Never sleeping and always working on a project.

2. There really wasn’t that much “free” time to do anything.

One thing that I made my personal mission in the Fan Cave was interacting with anyone who hit me up on any form of social media. Even today, I still abide by that principle. The one thing that is to be known about being so social outgoing is that it can become very taxing on the mind and body; therefore, you tend to lose touch with the people who are physically in front of you. When Ally came and visited the Fan Cave in April, along with Tampa Bay Rays fan Megan Washington, I honestly lost sight of everything I had promised then in Arizona. I didn’t keep to my word in always being around and always being available. While we did go out and shave a few drinks together, I feel like I should have done more. To make things worse, I became a huge jerk once the playoffs came around in regard to the fan base of the Giants. While a few of the things I said had some lingering truth to them, at the end of the day it wasn’t my place to be so rude and insulting.

I’ve honestly never had a problem with the Giants or most of the fans. Hell, my first job in baseball was as a bat boy for a Giants minor league team, the Bakersfield Blaze. If anything I have been grateful to the organization for giving me a chance and allowing me to do bat boy duties at Pac Bell Park for a few games when it first opened. It’s only the jerks that really aggravate me, and for a few nights I crossed the line and became everything I disapprove about baseball fans. For that, to Ally, Ashley and everyone who follows me, I am truly sorry.

As for Ashley, I really screwed up things there. I need to start off by saying that I am genuinely proud of her for being crowned the ultimate Cave Dweller, and that things could not have panned out any better with her team winning the World Series in the end to boot. The last time I spoke to her, and every other Cave Dweller for that matter, came about two days before the 2012 All-Star Game in Kansas City. The only that I was ever selfish about during my time in and out of the Fan Cave was going to the All-Star Game, and all for the sake of having my photo taken with all the mascots I have tattooed on my body. When I saw everyone else enjoying this one thing that I wanted, I snapped. I made a few comments throughout the actual game that the other Cave Dwellers saw. Not a day goes by where I don’t regret what I said. As a result, Ashley, Ricardo Marquez and a few others still don’t speak to me. I really don’t blame them. I betrayed their trust and friendship by taking my battle with the Fan Cave to them, and I have felt horrible since. I am sincerely sorry for any grief that I may have caused.

Now, I have a hat to talk about.

This Giants hat was introduced for the 2010 season to be paired with the orange alternate jerseys the team has been wearing on into the 2012 season. The color concept has also been used for the teams’ batting practice gear; however, the BP gear features a mesh paneled and billed cap. From 1977-1982 the Giants had previously worn a similar cap. The primary difference between this and that style is the alignment of the “SF” in the center of the cap. The “SF” went through a few changes after 1977, but I won’t go into too much detail on those as I have the rest of the season to introduce them and write about them. Now that I think about it, I’m actually closer to owning every game style of Giants cap than I am with my Oakland Athletics. Son of a b…

Because the Giants have only worn this hat for the last three seasons it made my marks easy, but begrudging at the same.

#28- I hate to admit it, but Gerald Dempsey Posey III (and you have to say it like a real elitist) is one hell of a ballplayer. So much that the kid has pretty much take over ownership of the MLB logo created by Jerry Dior.

Buster Posey was taken by the Giants with the fifth overall pick in the 2008 amateur draft out of Florida State (a school I’ve routinely hated in football). Even though he played for seven games in 2009, Posey made his real entrance in 2010 playing 76 of his 108 games behind the dish. While his pick off numbers are less than stellar, the kid certainly makes up for with the bat. Not only did Posey with the National League Rookie of the Year award, he did it while hitting a modest .305 average, 18 home runs and 67 RBI, which were good enough for 11^th place in the MVP voting. In 2012; however, Posey went off the hook!

After teammate Melky Cabrera got busted with performance enhancing drugs very few thought the Giants would regain their mental composure. Apparently Posey was out grabbing some garlic fries or a churro during this discussion because he kept at his craft. From August 15 on Posey was able to bring his batting average up a measly five points, and by that I of course mean he pushed it .336 which was good enough for his first of many batting titles to come.  Dude pal also clubbed 24 home runs and knocked 103 runners. There was very little to question Posey prowess at the plate. Even I gave him a vote (didn’t count) for MVP. He won it no problem, and I’m pretty sure my vote really made a big difference.

#38- It wouldn’t be right of me to not pay homage to the guy who I was dared to grow and beard like and maintain it for an entire season. Depending on whether you want to believe BaseballReference.com or Wikipedia, he apparently was born in two different towns in two different states. So far the sake of argument, the kid’s from New England.  Brian “Got HEEEEEEM!!!” Wilson was a 24^th round draft pick for the Giants in 2003 out of LSU (yet another football school I hate). Wilson fell so low in the draft after having to undergo successful Tommy John surgery. He made his debut in 2006 and pitched in 31 games going 2-3 with a 5.40 ERA. The next year he did better, going 1-2 with a 2.28 ERA and six saves. In 2008 everything seemed to click for B-Weezy. As the team’s primary closer Wilson shut down 41 games in 47 attempts, 24 of which came consecutively which is the longest since Rob Nen’s streak of 28 in 2000. Wilson also made his first of three All-Star Game appearances that year. In 2009 Wilson finished in third for closers with 38 saves.

Wilson was quickly becoming one of the most dangerous arms in the game, and he was certainly becoming one of the most intimidating in physical appearance. Wilson saved a League leading 48 games in 2010 continued his dominance into the playoffs. The playoffs were also the site for his now infamous facial sweater. Wilson finished in seventh place for the NL Cy Young and 13^th in the NL MVP vote. That year, and in 2011, Wilson made the All-Star Game, dazzling television audiences across the globe.

Well, I hope you enjoyed it. I can’t help but think I forgot to mention a few things. Hmmmmmm….

I…seem to remember something. Oh yah! In 2010 and 2012 the Giants took home the World Series; their first championships since 1954, but more important, their first titles since moving to the Bay from their humble days on the edge of Harlem, New York. And while I’m only slightly bitter about them winning two rings, the fact of the matter is that you guys are still two behind the A’s. But my father will still rub it in my face.

February 6- Chicago Cubs

Last night I let my followers put it to a vote as far as which team I would be writing about tonight. So far in my quest I had only written about the Athletics franchise more than once, but that had a specific purpose. I’ve been doing my best to go through all 30 teams at least once before picking, and writing about another style of theirs; and the fans voted in high numbers for the Chicago Cubs.

At first I was really hoping that the Cubs wouldn’t win out, as they are one of the few franchises who don’t have that many hats. When I posted the tweet I could only think of three hats of theirs I could write about, two of which have specific dates on them that I will write about when the anniversary comes to pass. But, after searching back through my hats again (I still haven’t put them on my wall yet) I found this guy, a 1912 Cooperstown Collection cap that the Cubs used this last season. If you read my post about the Milwaukee Brewers from last night you’ll remember that I’m a huge fan of navy blue. For some reason, in my opinion at least, royal blue has always looked weird on me. So, when New Era put this model on their sales rack, I jumped all over it. There’s nothing too fancy about it either; navy blue panels and bill with a white “C”. However, going back through the stat sheet from 1912 proved to be a little more challenging when trying to come up with numbers to mark on this sucker.

Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown was at the forefront of my mind, but simply because of the softball episode from The Simpsons back in 1992 as Mr. Burns wanted him on his team of ringers. Despite being a Hall of Famer, Brown’s stats in 1912 were not exactly top notch. He had only appeared in 15 games that season, but did OK with a 2.64 ERA. His 5-6 record with 34 strikeouts didn’t exactly win me over. I then moved on to another Hall of Famer from that season, Joe Tinker. Like Brown, not a real balls to the wall season: .282/0/75 while playing shortstop. Tinker did finish fourth in the MVP voting that year, yes, with those stats. But, I made my decision on yet another Hall of Famer Johnny Evers.

.341/1/63- Yes, believe it or not those were Evers’ stats in 1912. And to make things worse, Evers finished 20^th in the MVP voting that year. Now, please take a moment to look that what I had previously said about Tinker’s stats, and finish in the MVP voting and compare them to Evers. I can wait…

Evers made his MLB debut with the Cubs on September 1 at shortstop, as Selee moved Tinker from shortstop to third base. Three days later, Selee returned Tinker to shortstop and assigned Evers to second base. In his month-long tryout with the Cubs, Evers batted .222 without recording an extra-base hit and played inconsistent defense. However, Lowe's injury did not properly heal by spring training in 1903, allowing Evers to win the starting job for the 1903 season. Lowe recovered during the 1903 season, but Evers' strong play made Lowe expendable; Evers finished third in the NL in fielding percentage among second basemen (.937), and finished fifth in assists (245) and putouts (306). The Cubs sold Lowe to the Pittsburgh Pirates after the season. Evers played 152 games in the 1904 season. Defensively, his 518 assists and 381 putouts led the NL, though his 54 errors led all NL second basemen.

During the 1906 season, Evers finished fifth in the NL with 49 stolen bases, and led the league with 344 putouts and led all second basemen with 44 errors. The Cubs won the NL pennant in 1906, but lost the 1906 World Series to the Chicago White Sox four games to two; Evers batted 3-for-20 (.150) in the series. During the 1907 season, Evers led the NL with 500 assists. The Cubs repeated as NL champions in 1907, and won the 1907 World Series over the Detroit Tigers, four games to none, as Evers batted 7-for-20 (.350).

During the 1908 pennant race, Evers alerted the umpires to Fred Merkle's baserunning error in a game against the New York Giants, which became known as "Merkle's Boner". Al Bridwell hit what appeared to be the game-winning single for the Giants, while Merkle, the baserunner on first base, went to the clubhouse without touching second base. Evers called for the ball, and the umpire ruled Merkle out. NL president Harry Pulliam ruled the game a tie, with a makeup to be played. The Cubs won the makeup game, thereby winning the pennant. The Cubs then won the 1908 World Series over Detroit, four games to one, as Evers again batted 7-for-20 (.350). For the 1908 season, Evers had a .300 batting average, good for fifth in the NL, and a .402 on-base percentage, second only to Honus Wagner.

Evers drew 108 walks during the 1910 season, trailing only Miller Huggins. However, Evers missed the end of the season with a broken leg. Without Evers, the Cubs won the NL pennant, but lost the 1910 World Series to the Philadelphia Athletics, four games to one. Evers agreed to manage the Navy Midshipmen, a college baseball team, in 1911, despite the opposition of Cubs' manager Frank Chance. He experienced a nervous breakdown in 1911; returning to the Cubs later in the season, he played in only 46 games that year. Evers indicated that this was a result of a business deal that cost Evers most of his savings. Evers rebounded to bat .341 in 1912, good for fourth in the NL, and he led the NL with a .431 on-base percentage. Team owner Charles W. Murphy named Evers manager in 1913, signing him to a five-year contract, succeeding Chance.

After the 1913 season, Evers was offered $100,000 ($2,322,896 in current dollar terms) to jump to the Federal League, but he opted to take less money to remain with the Cubs. In February 1914, after Evers signed his players to contracts, Murphy fired Evers as manager and traded him to the Boston Braves for Bill Sweeney and Hub Perdue. Murphy insisted that Evers had resigned as manager, which Evers denied. Evers insisted he was a free agent, but the league assigned him to the Braves.

Evers went on to win the MVP that season, but with stats similar to Tinker’s in 1912 (.279/1/40). I can only assume that the decision was a make-up call for what happened in 1912, a surprisingly common move the baseball writers pulled back in the old days.

Oh, and in case you were wondering who ended up with the award in 1912, it was Larry Doyle from the New York Giants who went .330/10/90. Doyle deserved it for sure, but Evers really should have been much higher on the radar.

January 26- New York Giants

Back when I was in the MLB Fan Cave a buddy of mine (@ThatBabyIsGone) had told me about a hat Web site that I had somehow never heard about called HatClub.com. Even after Brandon told me about the site it still took me another seven months before I bothered checking it out. A few days after the shooting at the Clackamas Town Center mall I was feeling a little down and decided to do some hat shopping to help me feel better. Rather than stick to the normal Web sites I was regularly purchasing from, I opted to specifically look for a few hats that were driving me crazy to find. In all three cases the photos directed me to Hat Club. Needless to say, I snooped around for a bit. Also needless to say, I wish I had checked it out prior. By the end of my search I walked away with eight new hats, including this one.

In early April (2012) I saw the Boston Red Sox wear their old 1912 style cap against the New York Yankees for their 100 year anniversary of Fenway Park game. Just seeing the all white hat kind of turned me off because there was nothing really to indicate the team. It wasn’t until I ran across this that I regretted not buying the Red Sox one when I had a chance at the New Era Flagship Store in New York. Had I actually picked it up and turned it around I would have noticed the specific colored MLB logo patch on the back of the hat. Luckily the Hat Club site had a 360 degree turn option so I could see the patch on this bad boy; a 1912 New York Giants cap. Since I picked it up it’s certainly grown on me. I just really wish I had gotten that Sox hat too. (Funny coincidence, the Red Sox beat the Giants in seven games in he World Series in 1912)

In a previous post I had mentioned how numbers weren’t tagged onto jerseys until the mid-1920s, so it made it a bit of a challenge to figure out something clever to throw on this cap. I had contemplated stats and dates, but ultimately ended up with just using initials. SOOOOOO ORIGINAL!!! I know.

#RM- Rube Marquard is a Hall of Fame pitcher who played for the Giants from 1908- the middle of 1915. During the 1912 season he led the league with 26 wins, and had a decent number of strikeouts (175) and an ERA of 2.57. The previous season he led the league in strikeouts with 237. But even with his 1912 numbers he was still only good enough to finished eighth in the MVP voting. His teammate, Larry Doyle, took it home that season. Marquard is one of only two Hall of Famers from the 1912 team, with the exception of manager John McGraw. The other member is below…

#CM- This one is pretty obvious. Christy Mathewson threw for the Giants from 1900 through halfway into the 1916 season when he was dealt to the Cincinnati Reds and retired after the season ended. Definitely a dick move on the Giants behalf; of which would definitely be repeated throughout their franchise’s history. In 1912 Matty went 23-12 with a 2.12 ERA and 134 strikeouts, which by his standards was a pretty dismal season. The most important reason I posted Mathewson is because he was one of the original five players inducted into the Hall of Fame. The most surprisingly thing about Mathewson is that he was the first one to die of the five. He was clearly the most physically fit of the group (Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner and Walter Johnson), but he died of consumption (tuberculosis) in 1925 at the age of 45. Now, if you’ve never read Mathewson’s biography, I highly recommend it. Here’s a brief summary: Christy was one of four brothers, all of whom died (one in infancy, one killed himself at 19 and the third died of tuberculosis). Christy contracted his tuberculosis in 1918 during World War I while he and Ty Cobb were members of the Chemical Service program. Christy was inadvertently gassed during a training exercise in France and contracted TB. Poor guy.