The Birthday Party
Eddie
was a little man in a big game
Bygone
baseball: The unfamiliar, the
unusual, the dramatic
By
C. Philip Francis
Part
1
PROLOGUE:
Fifty years ago Bill decided to have a birthday party, and everyone was invited to his baseball soiree. Bill was Bill Veeck, the new owner of the St. Louis Browns Baseball Club, and the date was August 19, 1951. St. Louis was a sad and sorry baseball team that was usually found at the bottom of the league standings, and able to win only one pennant in half a century – and that was under wartime conditions. Few bothered to wander into Sportsman’s Park, a baseball stadium located in northwest St. Louis at Dodier Street and Grand Boulevard, but this was party time and Veeck wanted to fill up some of the usual empty seats. He needed a gimmick so Bill dug deep into his bag of surefire tricks. The one he chose became part of baseball lore.
Bill Veeck was a master of promotional stunts, hustler, and a showman. He would do anything for publicity, but was a sound baseball man who developed winners in Cleveland and Chicago. Bill was born in 1914, grew up in a baseball-oriented family, and was the man responsible for planting the ivy that adorns the outfield wall in Chicago’s Wrigley Field. His father was a good friend of the New York Giants’ legendary manager, John McGraw, and often regaled the Veeck family with stories of his beloved ballteam. One was about a hunchbacked batboy for the Giants named Eddie Morrow, and said that he was often tempted to send the little fellow up to the plate just to get a walk. The young Veeck sat at McGraw’s feet where he listened and learned. The same idea was used in a James Thurber short story when a midget named Duke du Monville was sent up to bat.
The American League joined the National League in 1901 to establish the Major Leagues, and with 1951 as the league’s fiftieth anniversary Bill now found a way to celebrate. The Falstaff Brewery, the team’s long time radio sponsor, also became part of the festivities. Owner Veeck chose a Sunday in August when the Detroit Tigers would be in town for a double-header. That summer the Browns were far down in the standings as usual, and the Tigers were battling to stay at .500. A game between the Browns and the Tigers was not much of a gate attraction, but a good time for the Barnum and Bailey of Baseball to get his imagination in overdrive.
One day Veeck told the Falsaff officials that he had “something terrific” in mind during a Tiger doubleheader in a few weeks, and soon the brewery people began the difficult job of selling tickets. Bill contacted a Chicago theatrical booking agency, and hired stage performer 65 pound, 3-foot 7-inch Eddie Gaedel at the standard contract of $100 per day. Eddie quietly entered town, and was given a baseball uniform owned by the small son of Browns vice-president, Bill DeWitt. On the back of Gaedel’s new costume was the number – 1/8, and now the Browns owner was ready to begin his baseball bash.
PARTY TIME:
That August Sunday was a perfect day for baseball, clear and bright. It was no surprise when the St. Louis team lost the first to Detroit. Veeck and his staff had somehow lured l8,369 baseball fans into the stands, the most people to see the Browns at home in many years, and now it was time for Bill’s promotional magic. After the first game ended jugglers and acrobats entertained the crowd, a band paraded around led by Satchel Paige, and baseball clown Max Patkin was there to do his act. After everyone received free birthday cake, ice cream, and a can of beer a 7-foot papier-mâché cake was wheeled out to the pitcher’s box, and it was announced that the manager would be given a “little Brownie”. At that time a little Brownie meant a small camera. The cake was opened, and out jumped Eddie Gaedel in his child’s baseball suit and wearing elf shoes with the front ends curled up. The Falstaff people looked at each other as if saying, “So what”. Unbeknown to most, however, the best was yet to come.
In the night cap the first St. Louis batter was outfielder Frank Saucier, but PA announcer Bernie Ebert bellowed, “Now batting for the Browns, Numberrrrrrr one-eighth, Gay-dell batting for Sauce-ierrr.” By now Gaedel had changed into baseball shoes, and was now the batter of record. St. Louis manager, Zack Taylor, had made a lineup change. The boss ordered Eddie to walk up the plate, take his stance, and would be shot if he even thought of swinging his bantam bat. By now even the beer officials were impressed.
Plate umpire Eddie Hurley quickly called for Taylor as Tiger skipper Red Rolfe ran out yelling that the midget was making a mockery of the game. Manager Taylor was well primed, and immediately showed the umpire that Gaedel in fact did have a bona fide player contract. The ump would do nothing more than tell Eddie to move into the batter’s box.
The Birthday Party
Little
Eddie hustled off the field and into baseball immorality
Bygone
baseball: The unfamiliar, the
unusual, the dramatic
By
C. Philip Francis
Part
2
SUMMARY: On August 19, 1951 Bill Veeck, maverick owner of the usual distressed St. Louis Browns, held a birthday party for his team and a surprisingly large number of fans who accepted the invitation. In an attempt to draw more paying customers into Sportsman’s Park, the promotional prodigy reached down into his bag of baseball tricks, and came up with an idea that became his most enduring stunt – sending a midget up to bat in a regular ball game.
*
THE
PARTY CONTINUES:
Veeck
hired a 26-year, 3-foot 7-inch stage performer from Chicago named Eddie Gaedel,
and was told that he would be sent into a scheduled Browns game as a
pinch-hitter. Eddie had a valid
player contract so plate umpire Ed Hurley had no choice but to allow
the little fellow enter the game. Gaedel
stepped in with his toy bat, and gave his best imitation of Joe DiMaggio at the
plate. Eddie, however, had been told by Veeck to crouch low, and
that a sniper was on the roof ready to shoot if the mini-bat moved off his
shoulder.
Bob
“Sugar” Cain was the Tiger pitcher with Bob Swift behind the plate.
The backstop quickly trotted out to the mound to discuss the best way to
pitch to this batter who had a strike zone less that two inches.
Swift returned to his catching position, and knelt down on his two knees
trying to give the pitcher a target.
Cain
was laughing too hard to even come close to a strike so it was:
Ball one. Ball two.
Ball three. After the next
pitch sailed well over the diminutive batter’s head, Eddie tossed his lumber
aside, and scampered down to first base. Manager
Taylor sent in Jim Delsing to run for Gaedel, and as the two passed on the
infield grass Eddie patted Jim’s rump saying nothing.
Little Eddie shook hands with the first base coach, waved at the crowd
who gave him a standing ovation, and ran off the field and straight into
baseball immortality. He once said,
“I felt like Babe Ruth.” Delsing
made it as far as third, and the Tigers won 6-2 “despite Eddie’s instant
offense.”
The
following day American League president, Will Harridge, voided Gaedel’s
contract, and assured the baseball establishment that no midget would ever play
Major League baseball again. Harridge
attempted to expunge the name of Eddie Gaedel in the official records, but was
unsuccessful and the name Eddie Gaedel remains in the 1996 Tenth Edition of The
Baseball Encyclopedia between Len Gabrielson and Gary Gaetti.
EPILOGUE:
Eddie
Gaedel - The midget: Following his
pitch-hit caper Eddie never had trouble with bookings, and was often hired by
Veeck for additional stunts. After
a bout of drinking in June of 1961 Eddie was mugged on a Chicago street,
staggered home, and died of a heart attack.
The only baseball representatives at the funeral were Mr. and Mrs. Bob
Cain. Bill Veeck was too ill to
attend. The family of Bill DeWitt,
former general manager of the Browns, owned the Gaedel uniform for many years,
and said that his sisters often wore it to costume parties.
It was loaned to the Hall of Fame in 1990.
Bill
Veeck - Owner of the St. Louis Browns: With
his father the president of the Chicago Cubs in the 1920’s, Bill started his
own baseball career at eleven as stock boy and vendor, and eventually became the
team’s treasurer. He was known as
Sport Shirt Bill, and went on to own three Major League teams:
The St. Louis Browns, Cleveland Indians, and Chicago White Sox breaking
attendance records wherever he went. He
usually upset the button-down club owners with innovative proposals that
included bat day, player names on the back of the uniforms, fireworks, and an
exploding scoreboard. Veeck signed
the first black player in the American League, brought up the legendary Satchel
Paige, started Harry Caray singing “Take Me Out to the Ballpark” during the
seventh inning stretch, and once put short pants on his Chicago ballplayers –
not necessarily his most noteworthy scheme.
Bill died in 1986 at the age of 71, and posthumously elected to the Hall
of Fame in 1991.
Ed
Hurley - Umpire behind the plate: Ed
umpired from 1947 through 1965, and died in 1969 at the age of 59.
Bob
Cain - He pitched to Gaedel: Bob
had five years in the big leagues winning 37 games while losing 44, and died in
1997. He and his wife sent
Christmas cards showing a small baseball player crouching down as a ball sails
over his head into the catcher’s mitt. The
message inside reads, “Hope your target in the future is better than mine was
in 1951. Bob and Judy Cain”
Bob
Swift - Cain’s batterymate: The
14-year American League catcher spent 10 years with the Tigers, and was their
interim manager in 1965 and ’66. He
died in 1966.
Jim
Delsing - He pinch-ran for Gaedel: Jim
was in the outfield for ten ML seasons with five teams, and now lives in
Missouri.
Frank
Saucier - Gaedel pinch-hit for him: In
a short baseball career, Frank batted .071 in his 14 at-bats.
He now lives in Amarillo, Texas.
Note:
This famous baseball moment has been re-enacted in Cooperstown.
Mike Veeck, also a baseball nonconformist, portrayed his dad, Bill, while
his young daughter portrayed little Eddie Gaedel. Jim
Delsing was there to play himself. Good
night Bill Veeck and Eddie Gaedel wherever you are.
It was fun while it lasted.