My Uncle Paul
“He was Star Quality.”
-Mrs. Jean Cantwell, niece
Bygone baseball by C. Philip Francis
Introduction: After retiring from many years of elementary teaching my wife and I moved to Branson, Missouri where we met Mrs. Jean Cantwell who also lived in the beautiful Ozark community. It didn’t take long to start a conversation on baseball, and it didn’t take long before she asked, “Did you know that I had an uncle named Paul Derringer who used to play baseball?” I excitedly asked if she would tell us about her Uncle Paul, and the answer was a resounding YES!
Samuel Paul Derringer was born on October 17, 1906 in Springfield, Kentucky where he began baseball career as a high school catcher. One day when his team was having a very bad day Paul walked from his backstop position to the pitcher’s mound, switched gloves, and suddenly found his niche in baseball as a pitcher.
The Red Sox and Indians showed interest in the big 6’ 31/2” righthander, but he was brought up by the St. Louis Cardinals in April of 1931 after helping the Rochester (NY) team of the International League win two pennants. Derringer won 18 while losing 8 games in his outstanding rookie year as the Cards took the National League flag and the Championship. Shortly after the 1933 season began Paul was sent to the Cincinnati Reds for Leo Durocher in a five-player swap. It was not a good year with a record of 7 and 27 although Derringer went on to become one of the better pitchers in the National League, and a part of the Cincinnati throwing machine that included Bucky Walters and Johnny Vander Meer of back-to-back no-hit fame. On May 24, 1935 the tall thrower was the winning pitcher in the first ever major-league night game that was played at Cincy’s Crosley Field as the Reds bested the Philadelphia Phillies.
The tireless twirler had great control, was seldom injured, and was called one of the very best pitchers in baseball by Hall of Famer Durocher. Derringer spent his last three years with the Chicago Cubs, finished his 15-year career in 1945 with a career record of 223 wins and 212 losses, worked for a beer distributor in Tampa (FL), and died in 1987 at the age of 81.
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In her own words Mrs. Jean Cantwell recalls her Uncle Paul: “I remember Uncle Paul as a big, handsome man who was total glamorous even before the term came into use – and I was only six-years old. Even I could see he was taller and far more handsome than the average man, including above-average ballplayers on the Cardinals. He was Star Quality!
“When he walked out of the clubhouse after a game (he was usually last because he dressed so meticulously), his confidant, casual walk exuded a sense of excellence. After waiting until the stadium was empty except for the cluster of autograph seekers, Uncle Paul appeared in a stunning white suit, black shirt, and white tie. Anyone who had not been star-struck became wide-eyed fans. He was charismatic.
“This may have been the night he took us to a unique restaurant with a wishing well in the dining room. He was the center of attention, totally charming everyone in sight. He ordered two steaks with all of the special accompaniments. I remember that his hands were as huge as his appetite, and the waiter’s tip was noticeable, commensurately large. Uncle Paul loved to take everyone out to dinner even in these Depression years.
“Paul Derringer was married to my mother’s sister, Aunt Verna, who was beautiful and glamorous with clothes tasteful and fashionable. Worth Avenue in Palm Beach West was an especially favorite for her to shop. Uncle Paul and Aunt Verna gave me many gifts, but to an eight-year-old girl the topper was a white, squirrel fur coat.
“At least once each winter season Uncle Paul and Aunt Verna lived with us in Logan, Illinois. He was a magnet for all would-be baseball players in the country, and I could see that they idolized him. I guess baseball players didn’t make a lot of money in those days, and with his expensive tastes there wasn’t much left. I knew it was my dad who picked up the tab for one especially big dinner.
“On one of their visits to see us Uncle Paul would sometimes take me to band practice, and wait for me to go home. I loved the warm feel of his reflected glory, and it made me a star. I spent some time with them in a hotel in St. Louis. One afternoon our room was filled with baseball players’ wives. As we sat on the bed, ate snacks, and danced around the room, they laughed and joked with me as if I was one of them. Now, when I realize how young they were, I can understand why. We were all kids together.
“My parents took me out of school early one day to drive to Cincinnati. I did not understand the significance of that particular game for many years. Now I know it was the first night game. The lights were impressive. We drove back home that same night.
“Mother was ill one summer and Aunt Verna invited me to stay with them in a hotel in Cincinnati. Again, I spent a lot of time with the other baseball wives and their children. Chick Hafey’s son was a knockout. (Note: Hall of Famer Chick Hafey was Derringer’s teammate on both the Cardinals and Reds.)
“I didn’t see Uncle Paul much after that until I was a student at Northwestern University, and he was playing in the World Series with the Chicago Cubs. The generous and loving ex-uncle even gave me great tickets in the same box as his current wife who was about three years older than me.
“In my mind, he remains the tall, handsome, charming, elegant, generous, charismatic, and loving Uncle Paul – The Fashion Plate, Big Spender.”
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