A Ballpark Review
“I
remember shaking in my boots.”
Bygone
baseball by C. Philip Francis
Introduction
I first “met” Harvey Riebe, a Detroit Tiger ballplayer of the 1940’s, when I wrote asking for his autograph. From then on we became good friends, and corresponded for over five years until his death in April 2001. Harvey made his major league debut in August 1942, and hit .314 in eleven games before joining the United States Army. He earned two Purple Hearts during his military service in Europe before he rejoined the Tigers in 1947 as a reserve backstop. Harv retired from the game after appearing in 61 games over the next three years. Prior to the closing of Tiger Stadium in September of 1999 I asked Harvey to remember something from each of the eight major league ballparks in which he played. Here is my friend’s Ballpark Review in his own words:
SPORTSMAN’S PARK – ST. LOUIS BROWNS: “The Browns had a lousy team in 1947, ’48, and ’49, and one of our pitchers (John Gorsica) once counted the fans. There were 432 people in the stands. They didn’t draw too well.”
COMISKEY PARK – CHICAGO WHITE SOX: “The stadium was very close to the stockyards, and when the breeze came toward the park, we felt we were chest high in cow manure.”
SHIBE PARK – PHILADELPHIA A’S: I made my major league debut here, and always thought it was quite odd that the A’s manager, Connie Mack, would run a ball club dressed like he was – suit, tie, and a regular hat. I once asked our manager, Del Baker, if Mack owned a uniform, and the answer was, ‘I don’t know.’”
FENWAY PARK – BOSTON RED SOX: “Fenway was the home of Ted Williams as you know. In one game there when I was behind the plate I told Ted, ‘That guy out on the mound (Lou Kretlow) has a terrific sinker.’ Williams replied, ‘You better hope and pray that it sinks.’ Tebbetts (Tiger catcher) would tell me to talk to hitters and try to distract them. But no one could rattle Ted.”
YANKEE STADIUM – NEW YORK YANKEES: “I remember shaking in my boots when I caught my first game at Yankee Stadium. Bill Dickey was catching for the Yanks, and could tell I was having a hard time picking up the ball from the pitcher. You might remember that in those days 90% of the men who went to ballparks wear white shirts, and at Yankee Stadium the ball was coming out of a sea of white in center field.
“Dickey saw that. When he came up to bat he called me aside, turned away from the umpire, and said, ‘The shirts are getting you, huh.’ In a low voice Dickey said, ‘You need to pick up the ball as soon as it leaves the pitcher’s hand.’ Bill was right. That little tip and many more from other major leaguers was how we learned the tricks of the trade.”
MUNICIPAL STADIUM – CLEVELAND INDIANS: “Most of the games in Cleveland were played at Municipal Stadium by the lake. (Author’s note: The Indians also played some games at League Park, but Harvey never appeared there as a big leaguer.) One incident at the Stadium involved Virgil Trucks. The Tigers had visited Cleveland earlier in the season, and Virgil had assaulted a Statler Hotel manager. So when we returned to Cleveland about a month later they were looking for Virgil only he was not with the team for obvious reasons. Furthermore, the uniform packer forgot my shirt Number 25), and so I now had to wear Virgil’s Number 22.
“I had really forgotten the hotel problem when a guy with a subpoena walked out of the stands and went to the bullpen to serve the paper to Number 22 – ME! Hal Newhouser (Author’s note: Tiger Hall of Fame pitcher.) and I finally convinced this guy that Trucks had not made the trip, and I was wearing his shirt.”
GRIFFITH STADIUM – WASHINGTON SENATORS: “This story did not happen in a baseball uniform, but in my Army duds. I was stationed at Camp Rucker in Alabama when ordered to go by train to Fort Meade, Maryland to pick up an AWOL soldier and return him back to Camp Rucker. I was told to treat him a bit different as the soldier had gone AWOL twice before and escaped each time. I left camp with handcuffs and a .45 that I might need to get him back to prison.
“On the train north I read that the Tigers were playing the Senators, and Fort Meade was not far from Washington, D.C. This AWOL guy turned out to be a real baseball fan. First, I told him that I was with the Tigers in 1942 before entering the service, and asked if he would like to see a ballgame? Would he! We went into the Detroit dressing room, and when he realized I really knew all the players, he just about kissed me. I introduced him as my best buddy, and I had just become his favorite ballplayer. I put the cuffs and weapon back in my bag, and never had to use them.
“After the war he came to Detroit, and couldn’t thank me enough for such nice treatment and advice.” (Author’s note: Is it possible that Harvey and baseball together helped a troubled man turn his life around?)
BRIGGS STADIUM – DETROIT TIGERS: “When I last saw Tiger Stadium in May of 1999 I realized it was getting older. I knew it as Briggs Stadium and when I walked out on the field in September 1942 for the first time I thought to myself, ‘This is the dream that came true. How many thousands would love to be in my shoes?’ My thoughts went back to my mom who always got mad when I would sneak away from my chores to play at the local ball field until dark, and…