The Orange and Black(Sox)

[birdsin89]

continued



September 10 - 12, 1929
St. Louis Browns (30 - 112) at Baltimore Orioles (101 - 41)

I don't want to say anything, but the Browns are historically bad this year. I hope Phil Ball is getting a lot of money for his team, because he's certainly not delivering a good product to the field.

And on our day off, the Giants beat the Braves to eliminate them from the race and move a half game ahead of the idle Robins.

September 10: Lou hits home run number 43. I wonder if he can make 50? It's too late for him to get to Ruth's record of 54 in a season, isn't it? Meanwhile, Lefty Thomas continues his horrible, horrible season, dropping to 3 - 24. Orioles 8, Browns 2 That's what I said, twenty-four losses. Unbelieveable. The Browns are so bad that we don't sell out the stadium, as nobody wants to pay good money to watch us beat a minor league team. Even those who remember when we were that minor league team.

September 11: Noah Reiger and George Watkins hit home runs as Ted Lyons goes the distance for win number 24. Orioles 7, Browns 3 Before it ends we get word that the Senators lose 3 - 2 to the Indians in Washington. Which means...

The Baltimore Orioles are 1929 American League Champions

All 35,000 fans celebrate as though it hasn't happened before. Mr. Howard showed up for today's game in the event it went this way. Susanna and the boys are with me. It's a party all around, but tempered somewhat with a certain sense of inevitability. Not that we knew all along that we were going to be here, just that we've known since June or so. Still, the men are pretty happy with themselves, as you can see by the jumping, pounding, back-slapping and more. Greg wants to go down to the clubhouse and join them. It's a foolish thing to do, but it's also the first thing he's asked of me in a long time, so I take him and Jake, while Susanna stays in the owner's box with Mike.

I was right the first time - it's not a place for a sixteen year old. But it does occur to me that Jake, at seventeen, is old enough that he could conceivably be here as a player right now. Well, if he had any talent whatsoever for baseball, that is.

Oh, and someone who shall remain David Howard has arranged for several bottles of a highly illegal substance in these Prohibition times to be in the clubhouse waiting. Hope he didn't pay much for them, as I end up wearing more than I think anyone gets to drink.

September 12: Lou doesn't get a home run today. Gehringer, Reiger, Watkins, Kress, and even Dolph Camilli do. And Red pitches nine innings of four hit ball, as we pound the Browns and complete the sweep of the season's home games against them in front of the one day early Defender's Day crowd. Orioles 11, Browns 0

It's an off day for the Giants, but the Robins beat the Phillies to pull into a tie. Each team has two more series against other teams sandwiched around a three game series against each other next week. All eyes in the baseball world will be in Brooklyn then.

* * *

The team has done well. The exterior of the new stadium is complete, and they're working on the interior now. And my stocks are up. Actually, everybody's stocks are up.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average, a decent measure of how stocks are doing over all, a week ago hit 381. For comparison's sake, in May of '27, when I talked to William Veeck and bought into the market, the Dow closed that day at 160. I even remember seeing it, back when the team was new and I first had money, and talking to Mr. Durant about it, at 64. So in the past seven years, it's gone up to six times what it was back then. I'm watching a lot of people around me continuing to jump in with everything they have, and why not - it's fools like me who hold back who are losing money. But I just don't know.

It's who I am. I'm a coward when it comes to some things. one of them is money. Neither my father nor my mother ever told me exactly what happened between my uncle Eddie and my father that caused Dad to lose the farm, but it doesn't take any kind of brilliance to know that it had something to do with money. And what I always knew about money once we moved to Baltimore was that we never had quite enough of it, and Dad was killing himself to get it. So now that I am richer than I ever imagined myself being, I don't want to throw it away, even for the chance to get richer still.

In fact, now that I think of it, the Dow has slid some since that peak of 381. I think that I might just get out now, while the getting is good. Of course, I say this as though the idea just occurred to me out of nowhere. The fact is, William Veeck telephoned today, and he suggested it. "Since I got you into it, it's only fair that I tell you that I think it's time to get out," he says. "Or at least get into some really safe blue-chip ones, such as Radio or General Motors." But the thing is, I really don't have all that much invested in the first place, compared to most of the men in my financial situation, for five or six reasons. You could probably name them. William, Jakob, Gregory, Michael, Susanna, and a house at 232 Homewood Terrace.

Daniel Howard says we're fools, and he's probably right. This timidness, as with the fact that my brain just doesn't work the way his or his father's do, is a prime example of why I'll never be rich, at least not the way they define the term. I tell him that at least I can sleep at night, and some of the old Daniel comes back. "Yes, old man, you're sleeping at night. So am I. But my sheets are silk, not flannel."

So I don't know what to do. Therefore, as is often the case when I don't know what to do, I choose to do nothing. I'll leave what I have invested, right where it is, and won't put in any more.

It'll probably blow over soon anyway.

[birdsin89]

September, 1929

We've got another road trip, this one to Cleveland. We'll finish the year next week with our final home games against the Red Sox, and our final three overall are in St. Louis.

September 13 - 15, 1929
Baltimore Orioles (104 - 41) at Cleveland Indians (55 - 90)

September 13: Jacob Farenchick almost returns to his Hard Luck Jake status. He allows four runs - and none of them are earned. We only get five hits, but we get five runs off them. Orioles 5, Indians 4

The Giants beat the Pirates easily, keeping them tied with the Robins. But this eliminated Pittsburgh for the year. The only team left besides the two front-runners is the surprising Chicago team, 7 games behind them.

September 14: Blaeholder does just enough to get his 17th win. Orioles 8, Indians 5

Both Giants and Robins lose, while the Cubs win to climb to within six games.

September 15: Were they even trying? If I were the Indians' manager I think I'd have a few words with my boys. Orioles 14, Indians 3

Giants lose to Pirates. Robins lose to Cubs. Robins are still tied with Giants, while the Cubs have almost zero margin of error, being five games behind with six to play.

* * *

Everybody gets a day off on Monday, Susanna and I use it to plan a vacation we'd like to take some day, and then go to the movies. Twice, actually. You see, the first film we saw was The Great Gabbo, with Erich von Stroheim and Betty Compson.



It's a cheerful story of a ventriloquist and his dummy called Gabbo. All right, I'm lying, it's depressing and just strange. So we leave that theater and attend a later showing of one that can wash the bad taste from our mouths. Gold Diggers of Broadway, with Winnie Lightner and Nick Lucas.



Wonderful songs (and this time I'm not kidding) including the show-stopper "Tiptoe Through The Tulips". It's an all-color and all-sound movie, too. I tell you, it's just like being at a Broadway theater. Literally. As in, I think they stuck a camera in the back of the theater and ran it. They still don't quite have the color thing working right, but it's so much better than the alternative. And vastly better than a dummy named Gabbo.

* * *

September 17 - 19, 1929
Boston Red Sox (86 - 62) at Baltimore Orioles (107 - 41)

September 17: We're on a hot streak to end our year, which I hope will continue right through the World Series. Ted wins number 25, and we take our tenth in a row. Orioles 8, Red Sox 1

In Brooklyn, it wasn't even close, as Pete Donohue wins his eighteenth against Dolly Gray convincingly. Giants 6, Robins 1 The Giants have a one game lead. And the Cubs lost, so they're now six out with five to play, and done for the year.

Across town in the Bronx, the Yankees' manager Miller Huggins reported feeling very badly today and turned the team over to his coach, Art Fletcher. Huggins, I'm told, then went home to rest, but before long he felt so bad that he called an ambulance and was taken to St. Vincent's hospital.

September 18: Charlie and Lou each hit home runs. To his surprise as much as anyone else's, so does Red Ruffing. It's only his second in his major league career. Well, the wind was blowing out to right. Still, he'll take it. Orioles 8, Red Sox 5

Lee Meadows pitches against former Oriole Jim Weeks, and it's a beauty. Weeks allows five hits and zero runs through all nine innings, just a bit better than Meadows' one run on six hits through seven. The league is tied again. Robins 1, Giants 0

September 19: It's a very special day for us. Today is the final regular season home game we will play in Oriole Park. Lockman has been working on something for a while now, and I've mostly stayed out of it. So while I know enough to have approved it, I'm as much in the dark as anyone in the park, mostly.

First of all, the American League President is there, and it only makes sense. Former owner of the Orioles and all that. Lockman himself takes the microphone and addresses the crowd through some hastily-thrown-together speakers, and he begins by apologizing for not being an honored Old Oriole. "But it seems that the two men who I wanted to have here today are otherwise busy. Mr. McGraw and Mr. Robinson send their regards and congratulatory telegrams from Brooklyn, and each desires your support as their teams battle for the National League."

To his credit, he doesn't make too much of the speech. He just tells everyone to stay in their seats until the game is over.

And so they do, even though the game takes ten innings and almost four hours to play. Orioles 7, Red Sox 6 (10) Partly they do because, why not? Mostly, though, because Lockman has managed to make coming to the ball park more fun over the past year. They don't know what's coming, but there have been enough surprises and laughs this year that they trust us. I hate to admit it, because I think the game is enough in itself, but he has a point. And I will never, ever, tell him that.

Then Lockman returns to the microphone, and asks everyone to look under their seats. Every person in the stadium has a sealed envelope under their seat, placed in some way that they didn't notice it before. He tells them that the envelope contains a certificate that says for the record that they were present at the final home regular season game at Oriole Park. I think that's nice, though we've done better.

Then he announces that twenty-five of those envelopes, scattered randomly throughout the park, also contain a number from 1 to 25, and that those people with those numbers should now get up and come down to the Orioles dugout. We all wait a few moments as they do. I'm happy to see a decent selection of men, women and children with a couple of pensioners thrown in too. Lockman has met them at the dugout, and leads them now in a line onto the field, where he has them stand on the first base line between home and first.

Lockman asks the team to come out. Twenty-four players, our main starters, line up right in front of the fans on the field, facing them. Lockman then announces that twenty four fans have won an authentic uniform shirt from "their" player, who takes the shirt off (revealing another uniform shirt underneath - they must have all run off the field, changed, and then come back). Still, the crowd seems to like it, and the 24 seem happy.

But the person who had number 1 got nothing. Lockman goes over to her, a young woman who he asks her name, and she replies "Delores. Delores Summers." Lockman is eating up the crowd by now. "Well Miss Summers, you are our grand prize winner today. You win a uniform shirt, with Mr. Gehrig's number 4 on it, but autographed by the entire team!" To applause, Gehrig hands her a shirt, She smiles, and seems pleased. But Lockman isn't done. "And an authentic baseball, again autographed by the entire team." More applause now, and Gehringer trots up, hands her the ball. "Four box seats to Opening Day next year in...in the Orioles' new stadium!" he says, tripping only over the fact that we haven't named the thing yet. He hands her four tickets, which cannot possibly be for next season. "Four more box seat tickets for the first home game of the 1929 World Series!" The crowd is really cheering now. Heck, I'm cheering just as loudly as any of them - this is turning out to be quite fun. The poor woman doesn't seem to know what to do. "And finally, Miss Delores Summers, you are invited back to Opening Day next year not just to enjoy your seats. But please, work on your arm over the winter, because you will throw out the first pitch of the season!"

All right, he's good. I'll admit it. Quietly.

Much later, when almost everyone has gone home, and I've congratulated him on some good ideas, he asks me a question. Not a promotion question, one with more immediate consequences. "Who won the game in Brooklyn?"

The Giants made Symuleski work for it, scoring three in the top of the ninth, and leaving the tying run on third. But still leaving him there. Robins 5, Giants 4 And now Uncle Robbie's men are in the lead, one game up with three to play. Dale and I shake each other's hand in some pleasure at this - we're as tired of facing the Giants as everyone else is.

A fine, fine day. Lockman has left, and I'm about to go home to join my family for a very late dinner when the teleprinter starts buzzing. A message coming in from the league. YANKEE MANAGER HUGGINS DEAD BLOOD POISONING AGE 49

Damn.

[birdsin89]

September, 1929

One more trip, to St. Louis, before the Series starts. And nobody around baseball cares, including us.

None of us really knew Huggins at all, beyond the man we saw in the newspapers as the manager of the Yankees. In one respect, he had a job very similar to Hughie Jennings. Not when Hughie was here, but when he was with the Tigers - how do you manage the unmanageable? For Hughie it was Ty Cobb, and for Huggins it was Ruth.

But from what I'm hearing, he did it fairly, firmly, and without a lot of nonsense. And Ruth is the most broken up of all the Yankees about this.

All we can do here is send our condolences, and our prayers.

September 20 - 22, 1929
Baltimore Orioles (110 - 41) at St. Louis Browns (33 - 118)

The Browns have to sweep us to tie the 1916 Athletics as the worst team this century. They won't. And yet, Phil Ball has made the biggest profit in the league except for us this year, and so he has no reason at all to improve the team next year. Except, perhaps, for the average attendance of less than 14,000.

September 20: Blaeholder does his job just fine, and Monte Pearson doesn't. And Lou...oh, Lou. Lou is from New York, and knew Huggins as a fan of the team, before being drafted by the Orioles. He tells us that he's going to do something special for the little man today. He does.

BALTIMORE                    ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg

Lou Gehrig (1B)               5  4  0  3  3  5  0  0    .327

Yes. Three home runs. A nice send-off, I hope. Orioles 10, Browns 3

The Giants lose to the Phillies. The Robins are shut out by the Braves. No decision today. Maybe tomorrow.

September 21: Three more home runs, but this time spread out among Jimmie Wilson, George Watkins, and pinch-hitter Dolph Camilli. Orioles 12, Browns 3

The Giants lose. The Robins lose too. There could be a tie after all, depending on tomorrow's results. In the process of losing, though, the Giants' Frankie Frisch collects the 2000th and 2001st base hits of his career. The amazing thing about that is that he's only 31, and could easily challenge Cobb's record of 3,832. The other fun fact about Frisch is that he's a free agent after this season. I wonder if even the Giants can afford him? But if not them, I wonder who could?

September 22: Kelly gives just about everybody a day off, and it shows. Browns 4, Orioles 1 This is the only time this season that the Browns beat us.

But who cares. Here's the news. The Giants clobber the Phillies in New York, 10 - 2. Meanwhile the Robins' Dolly Gray holds the Braves to 8 hits and only one run. Which means that...

The Brooklyn Robins are 1929 National League Champions!

I'm told that the celebration in Brooklyn goes long, long into the night. I can well believe it. I'm reasonably sure that the celebration in the other six National League cities goes long into the night as well.

We'll face the Robins. I'm....satisfied. We'll come home for a couple of days, and then take a train to Brooklyn to start next Thursday. It'll be nice to see the Series from some place other than the Polo Grounds.

* * *

1929 Season Final Updates

1929 Batting             Team    G   AVG    AB    H  2B  3B  HR   BB    K   SB  CS    R  RBI   SLG   OBP
Watkins, George           BAL  152  .307   646  198  40  12  33   48   82    6   2  126  129  .559  .357
Gehrig, Lou               BAL  152  .326   608  198  35   9  47   72   63    4   2  138  165  .645  .396
Kress, Josh               BAL  135  .309   580  179  38  16  15   31   31    9   2  101  122  .507  .338
Michaels, Ralph           BAL  130  .368   554  204  19   5   1   47   44    0   0   95   61  .426  .415
Duffield, Garret          BAL  146  .311   541  168  18   1   0   51   52    5   3   72   56  .348  .380
Gehringer, Charlie        BAL  129  .364   527  192  43   8  17   75   26    4   1  135  106  .573  .442
Wilson, Jimmie            BAL  127  .323   508  164  37   2   8   48   18    4   1   80   77  .451  .382
Jeanes, Tex               BAL   96  .356   435  155  26   4   5   55   31   10   1   94   56  .469  .426
Rieger, Noah              BAL   76  .312   205   64  11   2   5    9   15    0   2   33   30  .459  .333
Williams, Malcolm         BAL   45  .273   172   47  10   0   1   12   17    0   2   19   33  .349  .321
Ruffing, Red              BAL   38  .262   130   34   5   1   1    3   20    0   0   16   23  .338  .272
Waner, Paul               BAL   56  .273   128   35   7   1   0    4    7    0   1   17   20  .344  .299
Lyons, Ted                BAL   38  .187   123   23   2   0   0    2   24    0   0    9   12  .203  .198
Picinich, Val             BAL   31  .243   111   27   5   0   0   12   16    1   0   20    9  .288  .317
Blaeholder, George        BAL   34  .151    93   14   3   0   0    3   38    0   0    7    6  .183  .177
Cooke, Dusty              BAL   48  .273    88   24   5   1   1   12   13    2   1   10   13  .386  .356
Tinsley, Nick             BAL   41  .341    85   29   3   2   2    4    3    1   1   17   12  .494  .378
Camilli, Dolph            BAL   52  .219    64   14   0   0   2   10    8    0   0    5   11  .313  .324
Walker, Bill              BAL   14  .267    45   12   2   0   0    4   10    0   0    7    6  .311  .320
Hallahan, Bill            BAL   21  .182    44    8   0   0   0    1   15    0   0    0    3  .182  .200
Ferenchick, Jacob         BAL   16  .107    28    3   1   0   0    2    8    0   0    3    2  .143  .167
Ferrell, Rick             BAL    7  .130    23    3   1   0   0    2    2    0   0    1    1  .174  .200
Bartell, Dick             BAL   11  .182    22    4   1   0   0    2    1    0   0    5    1  .227  .280
Ragland, Frank            BAL    9  .444     9    4   1   0   0    0    0    0   0    1    1  .556  .444
Pomorski, John            BAL   62  .250     8    2   1   0   0    0    2    0   0    0    2  .375  .250
Hafey, Chick              BAL    3  .286     7    2   2   0   0    0    0    0   0    1    0  .571  .286
Page, Phil                BAL   24  .167     6    1   0   0   0    0    1    0   0    0    0  .167  .167
Whitney, Pinky            BAL    4  .600     5    3   0   0   0    0    1    1   0    1    0  .600  .600
Dailey, Sam               BAL    1  .000     3    0   0   0   0    1    0    0   0    0    0  .000  .250
Kuhel, Joe                BAL    2  .500     2    1   1   0   0    0    0    0   0    2    0 1.000  .500
Child, Harry              BAL   34  .000     1    0   0   0   0    0    1    0   0    0    1  .000  .000

1929 Pitching            Team     IP   ERA    G  GS   W   L  SV    K   BB   R/9
Ruffing, Red              BAL  313.0  3.48   38  38  22   9   0  153   52 11.47
Lyons, Ted                BAL  305.0  3.69   38  38  26   8   0   92   61 11.74
Blaeholder, George        BAL  250.1  3.67   34  34  18   8   0   66   50 11.47
Hallahan, Bill            BAL  124.2  5.56   21  19   9   5   0   57   56 15.23
Walker, Bill              BAL  110.2  4.07   14  14   9   1   0   35   32 13.66
Pomorski, John            BAL   90.2  3.28   62   0  12   2  13   54   17  9.63
Ferenchick, Jacob         BAL   81.1  3.76   16  10   6   4   2   21   18 11.29
Child, Harry              BAL   41.1  3.48   34   0   5   2   4   25   14 11.98
Page, Phil                BAL   36.2  3.19   24   0   2   1   4   21   18 12.76
Ragland, Frank            BAL   24.2  2.92    9   0   0   1   0   16    7 12.04
Dailey, Sam               BAL    9.0  2.00    1   1   1   0   0    7    1  9.00
Planeta, Emil             BAL    2.0  0.00    1   0   1   0   0    1    0  9.00
Wagner, Justin            BAL    2.0  9.00    1   0   0   1   0    1    0 13.50
Pearce, Frank             BAL    2.0  0.00    2   0   1   0   0    0    0  4.50

League Leaders

American League

Batting: Maurice Archdeacon (NYY), .379
Home Runs: Lou Gehrig (BAL), 47
RBIs: Lou Gehrig (BAL), 165

Despite (or because of) missing the last month, Ralph Michaels finishes second in batting with .368. Lou ends up 11 home runs better than Foxx, who led for so much of the year.

Wins: Ted Lyons (BAL), 26
ERA: Lefty Grove (NYY), 2.97
Strikeouts: Frank Bennett (BOS), 153

National League

Batting: Charlie Grimm (PIT), .376
Home Runs: Mel Ott (CHC), 29
RBIs: Bob Meusel (BRO), 115

Wins: Pete Donohue (NYG)/Paul Derringer (PHI), 18
ERA: Pete Donohue (NYG), 2.52
Strikeouts: Charley Root (CIN), 115

Root finishes just one strikeout ahead of former Oriole Johnny Allen.

[birdsin89]

September 26, 1929. Game 1

I'm going to Brooklyn. I've never been to Brooklyn before. But I recognize the people right away. They're Baltimoreans, just with a stranger accent.

Let me tell you what I mean. They, like we, are the "little brother" of other cities. Right across the river from the colossus that is Manhattan, Brooklyn was its own separate city until a hotly contested election in 1897. There are those who still contest that election, but it's done now - but they'll never let it go. They spend their lives in the shadow of the larger one, and after years of being told that their city is inferior, a part of them begins to believe it, and resent it, and resent even more the fact that the big brother doesn't even know how frustrated and angry they are.

As I said, I understand this. We get that a lot in Baltimore.

The train ride up, with Mr. and Mrs. Howard, is fun for Susanna and me. The ladies talk whatever it is that ladies talk. The men talk baseball. And I get to hear from Mr. Howard a most beautiful sentiment.

"You know, Charlie, we're going to be the Giants of the '30s. We're going to win 'em all, and win 'em big. You've done a fine job, Charlie, a d--n fine job. You understand why I had to restrict your expenses on the team, right? 'Course you do. Well, it seems to me that we're going to have a new stadium that will be a license to print money, starting next year. Sure, we'll have the big old loan to pay off, almost two million dollars, but so what, we'll make that back quick. So I want you to go out and spend, spend spend on the best players you can buy, you understand? If you want to pay 'em up to $25,000, don't even ask me, just do it! If you want over that, come ask me first, but as long as it's below a thousand bucks a week, I'll probably allow it. You get that? A thousand bucks a week! Fifty-two thousand a year. Ain't that something? I'll tell you what - why wait? Go out and sign 'em now? The ones on our team, anyway. Ruffing, Kress, they're up for arbitration, right? Sign 'em! Long term, too, I don't want to see anybody signed for fewer than five years. Do it!"

There was more, but really, what more need be said? Finally, after almost ten years, I have an open checkbook, and a great team. It doesn't get any better than that.

Naturally, a man can count on his wife to bring him back to earth. "Charlie, didn't you say a little bit ago that you think money might get tight again? Wouldn't signing people to big contracts for a long time run the risk of trapping you with a huge contract?"

Women just don't understand.

* * *

Manager Wilbert Robinson is starting an old Oriole to beat the current Orioles. Jim Weeks, who went 14 - 10 this year with an ERA of 4.82, will get the start. Weeks was a journeyman when we had him, and when I traded him with Graham Sweeney back in '26, I thought no more of him, and neither did the rest of the league. Noah Reiger, still a friend of his, even told me that he was starting to talk about retirement, as he was right on the edge, doing fine in the minors, but never doing much in the majors. And then, this year, he started working with another pitching coach. Kid Gleason, who apparently was giving Ted Lyons the wrong advice a year or so ago, got a call from his old friend and teammate Robinson to help the kid out. And he won ten of his next fifteen games.

Going against him today? Probably the best pitcher in baseball, Ted Lyons, 26 - 8.

The crowd is there, all 28,000 of them that will fit into Ebbets Field.



It's not bad as fall days go, in the low sixties and clear. And after a nice, understated ceremony with the Commissioner, both celebrating the Series and commemorating Miller Huggins, we start off well. Tex leads off with a single. Michaels follows with his own. Weeks has thrown three pitches and has runners on first and third with nobody out. His next pitch, to Charlie, comes right back to him. An easy out? Would be, except that he throws it past first baseman Ossie Orwoll. Orioles 1, Robins 0 Lou comes up next, and waits two pitches before hitting a ball to the gap in left field that scores Michaels. Kelly for some reason holds Charlie at third, so Lou ends up with only a double. Personally, I thought he could have had a triple. Orioles 2, Robins 0 Kress hits a grounder to Orwoll that's so sharp that the first sacker can simply step on the bag and glare Charlie back to third. But Watkins works the count full, and hits one just inside first base that rolls to the wall. When it's done, he's on third, and Lou and Charlie have scored. Orioles 4, Robins 0 Jimmie Wilson hits weakly enough to first that Watkins can score on the play. Orioles 5, Robins 0 Weeks finally strikes out Duffield to end the inning.

Now we've given Ted Lyons a five-run lead. That's usually enough. And sure enough, after Roy Johnson's leadoff single, he gets two quick outs, each of which advance the runner one base. So when Bob Meusel, who we haven't seen since he left the Yankees after their championship season in 1923, singles, Johnson comes home with the Robins' first World Series run since 1920. Orioles 5, Robins 1 I think it annoyed Ted, though, as we can see him slamming the ball into his glove before pitching. And as usually happens when the pitcher is angry, it's not good. Catcher Bill Dickey singles. Then third baseman Mickey Hager does the same, and Meusel scores. Orioles 5, Robins 2 But Lyons settles enough to get shortstop Marty Karow to ground out, and we're done.

Until the fourth. Second baseman Bernie Friberg gets a one-out single, and Weeks, apparently figuring he needs to do things himself, hits a smash that just escapes a diving Lou Gehrig. It's good for a double, with Uncle Robbie holding Friberg at third, to the great displeasure of the fans in the seats. Next batter Roy Johnson is jawing with Lyons on his way up to the plate, not sure what it's about, but everyone can see the results as Lyons plunks him with his first pitch to load the bases. Kelly hurries out to calm his star hurler down, and he does get Jimmy O'Connell to fly out to Kress in left, but deep enough that Friberg can score. Orioles 5, Robins 3 And that's where we stay.

In the sixth, Weeks makes one mistake. And he makes it to Lou Gehrig. Which means, his mistake becomes a souvenir baseball for somebody in the bleachers in right. Orioles 6, Robins 3 In the seventh, with two on, Garret Duffield bobbles a grounder, and his throw sails past Gehrig, allowing one to score. But that's where things end.

Final Score: Orioles 6, Robins 4

A few more errors than I'd expected, but overall just about what everybody thought was going to happen. I suspect the boys are mentally spending their checks already. Which never, in my experience, ends well.

Baltimore Orioles at Brooklyn Robins
September 26, 1929

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
       Orioles (BAL) 5 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0    6  9  2
        Robins (BRO) 2 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0    4 13  3

BALTIMORE                    ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
Tex Jeanes (CF)               5  1  0  1  0  0  1  0    .356
Ralph Michaels (3B)           5  3  0  1  0  0  1  0    .368
Charlie Gehringer (2B)        5  0  0  1  0  0  2  0    .364
Lou Gehrig (1B)               4  2  0  2  1  2  0  0    .326
Josh Kress (LF)               3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .309
George Watkins (RF)           4  2  0  1  0  2  0  0    .307
Jimmie Wilson (C)             4  0  0  0  0  1  0  0    .323
Garret Duffield (SS)          4  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .311
Ted Lyons (P)                 4  1  0  0  0  0  1  0    .187
TOTALS                       38  9  0  6  1  5  6  0

   2B:  Lou Gehrig, Ralph Michaels, George Watkins
   3B:  George Watkins
   HR:  Lou Gehrig
   HBP:  Josh Kress
   CS:  Tex Jeanes

   DP:  Jimmie Wilson 2, Tex Jeanes 2
   E:  Jimmie Wilson, Garret Duffield

               BALTIMORE   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
               Ted Lyons  9.0 13  0  0  4  3  0 147   3.69
                  TOTALS  9.0 13  0  0  4  3  0 147

BROOKLYN                     ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
Roy Johnson (LF)              4  3  0  1  0  0  0  0    .290
Jimmy O'Connell (CF)          4  1  0  1  0  1  0  1    .321
Ossie Orwoll (1B)             5  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .329
Bob Meusel (RF)               5  2  0  1  0  1  0  0    .337
Bill Dickey (C)               5  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .301
Mickey Hager (3B)             4  1  0  0  0  1  0  0    .296
Marty Karow (SS)              4  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .302
Bernie Friberg (2B)           4  1  0  1  0  0  0  0    .342
Jim Weeks (P)                 2  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .050
 Homer Peel (P)               1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .313
 Art Daney (P)                0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .250
 Leo Taylor (P)               1  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .250
 Herb Brett (P)               0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .200
TOTALS                       39 13  0  4  0  3  0  1

   2B:  Jim Weeks
   3B:  Marty Karow, Bob Meusel
   HBP:  Roy Johnson
   E:  Mickey Hager, Bob Meusel, Jim Weeks

                BROOKLYN   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
               Jim Weeks  6.0  5  0  1  6  4  4 103   4.82
               Art Daney  2.0  3  0  0  0  0  1  28   4.06
              Herb Brett  1.0  1  0  0  0  0  1  26   2.58
                  TOTALS  9.0  9  0  1  6  4  6 157

     WP: Ted Lyons
     LP: Jim Weeks

     Temperature: 61F
     Wind: 3 MPH (out to left)
     Attendance: 28,000
     Time: 2:51

[CatKnight]

Mr. Howard's right of course. Spend now! Heck, do what investors are doing and borrow up to 2/3 the value of each contract to sign everyone you need!

No less than economist Irving Fisher will say on October 21 that prices still have not caught up with their real value and stocks should go much higher. On October 26 he goes on to say stocks have reached a permanent high plateau.

The end of the Roaring Twenties means the beginning the Roaring Thirties!

[birdsin89]

CatKnight: See? At last, somebody else who understands! </David Howard> Good to see you again, and thanks for reading.

* * *

September 27, 1929. Game 2

There's a meeting in the morning with owners from around the leagues, as we're all gathered in New York anyway. Since Mr. Howard is here, he'll vote for our team, but I'm there too. So I get to be among the first in the world to know which cities/owners will get to join the leagues, starting 1931.

The American League will return to Chicago, as expected by absolutely everyone, with a group headed by Frederic McLaughlin and William Veeck Sr. The other new American League city will be Newark, New Jersey, giving the New York metropolitan area four major league teams. Ruppert isn't thrilled to have the almost direct competition, but I'm told some backroom dealing went on such that he'll get an extra income source of some sort, possibly the radio rights for the new team. In the National League we'll see teams in the midwest. Milwaukee is getting a major league team, and the dark horse of the whole proceedings comes through - Alfred Sloan, president and chairman of General Motors, will bring a National League team to Detroit.

Commisioner Kimball wants to announce the winning cities prior to this afternoon's game. I'm not sure, and it's for only one reason - the economy is looking even shakier. I look across the room, and try to determine if I want to bring it up to the Kaiser. Maybe. Quietly. I catch George Durant's eye, and apparently he still knows me well enough to know what I'm thinking at times. And he nods silently at me, and points to his associate Roger Bolton. Bolton comes over to me and we have a very quick, quiet talk about all this. Bolton then returns to Durant, and both approach Kimball. I can't hear their conversation from where I am, but when Kimball again gavels the meeting to order, it's to say that we will not announce the winners until our regular December meetings. I'm...relieved...and I don't quite know why.

* * *

Game two will be on another nice fall day in Brooklyn. Susanna volunteers to go shopping with Mrs. Howard, who of course is from New York and knows the best places to go. That's fine with me, as it means I can go early and talk to a few of my players who I'd like to keep as my players for the next several years.

Such as today's starting pitcher, Red Ruffing. Ruffing won 22 games for us this year, and that was with a bit of a slump early in the season. He also won 22 last year, and has 58 victories against only 19 losses in his career. I won't sign him until we're back in Baltimore officially, but we work out a deal that will keep him here for a long time.

Then I go get a hot dog, and wait for the game.



After a scoreless first inning, we jump to a lead again. It's easy when Vic Sorrell, after carefully pitching around Gehrig and getting him to ground out, continues pitching carefully against Kress and Watkins, and walks both. So he decided to throw strikes. Jimmie Wilson doubled. Orioles 2, Robins 0 Garret Duffield doubled. Orioles 3, Robins 0 Ruffing flied out, and Sorrell issued two more free passes to load 'em up. And that was the end of Vic Sorrell, as Tom Long got Charlie, the ninth batter in the inning, to ground to second.

Ruffing is coasting, showing no difficulties. Up to the sixth, he's handled everything, and gets two quick outs in that frame too. But Ossie Orwoll singles, and our team falls apart briefly. Meusel hits the inning-ending ground ball to Garret Duffield, who boots it. Bill Dickey then hits the inning-ending ground ball to the normally sure-handed Charlie Gehringer, who boots it. So instead of being out of the inning, twice, the bases are loaded when Mickey Hager doubles to right. Orioles 3, Robins 2

But we get out of that, and get to the ninth inning with a one run lead. Marty Karow starts with a single, and is bunted to second by Bernie Friberg. Robinson brings in Leo Taylor to pinch hit for pitcher Art Daney, but Taylor pops up. Ruffing needs one more out, but he's facing Roy Johnson, a bit of a thorn in our sides so far. At least with his mouth, if not with his bat. And sure enough, on a 1 - 2 pitch, Johnson singles to left. Kress gets the ball smoothly, fires to the plate in plenty of time to get the charging Karow...and about eight feet up the line toward first, well beyond the reach of Jimmie Wilson! Robins 3, Orioles 3. Ruffing strikes out O'Connell, but the damage is done.

And the crowd knows it. They'd been getting quieter and quieter as it appeared that their boys were going to go to Baltimore down two games to none. Now they're back, and even when Sam Jones, appearing in his third World Series with his third different team, gives up a double to Gehringer, he gets Lou to ground weakly to first to end the threat.

The tenth starts like the ninth. Ossie Orwoll singles. But this time it's Bob Meusel and Bill Dickey up - dangerous men both. Meusel strides to the plate, to the cheers of the throng, and I tell you I can see his sneer from my seat. He's glaring at Ruffing, almost daring him to do his worst. Which is not wise with Red Ruffing. His first pitch knocks Meusel on his bottom, and just misses him, but also just misses rolling to the backstop. To his credit, Meusel says nothing, just stand calmly, takes his warmup swings, and then points his bat at Ruffing, before bringing it back to his shoulder. We can all see where this is going. Ruffing rears back and fires a perfect fastball...

...and Meusel bunts it to third, moving Orwoll to second. "I knew that by the time I was done with Red, nobody in the world thought I was going to bunt. Almost beat the throw, too," Meusel tells reporters after the game is done.

Next, it's Bill Dickey's turn. No drama here, just a simple ground ball to Charlie, who gets him easily at first, while Orwoll races to third.

So with two outs, and the score tied, in the bottom of the tenth, it's Mickey Hager again. This is the 23 year old's first full season, though he did play in two partial seasons in '28 and '27 with the Yankees. He batted a respectable .296 this year, but he's already had a two run double in this game. Surely he can't do more?

He can. Single to right.

Final score: Robins 4, Orioles 3 (10)

The Robins are ecstatic. Owner McKeever is jumping in the box, the fans are screaming and flooding the field to the point you'd think they just won the whole Series and not just one game. Still, they were down 3 - 0 to a very powerful Orioles team, and came back to win.

We'll just have to take five games to win it instead of four.

Baltimore Orioles at Brooklyn Robins
September 27, 1929

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
       Orioles (BAL) 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  3  6  3
        Robins (BRO) 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 1  4 10  1

BALTIMORE                    ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
Tex Jeanes (CF)               4  1  1  0  0  0  1  0    .356
Ralph Michaels (3B)           4  1  1  0  0  0  0  0    .368
Charlie Gehringer (2B)        5  1  0  0  0  0  1  0    .364
Lou Gehrig (1B)               5  1  0  0  0  0  1  0    .326
Josh Kress (LF)               3  0  1  1  0  0  0  0    .309
George Watkins (RF)           3  0  1  1  0  0  0  0    .307
Jimmie Wilson (C)             4  1  0  1  0  2  0  0    .323
Garret Duffield (SS)          4  1  0  0  0  1  0  0    .311
Red Ruffing (P)               4  0  0  0  0  0  2  0    .262
TOTALS                       36  6  4  3  0  3  5  0

   2B:  Jimmie Wilson, Lou Gehrig, Charlie Gehringer, Garret Duffield
   CS:  Ralph Michaels
   E:  Charlie Gehringer, Garret Duffield, Josh Kress

               BALTIMORE   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
             Red Ruffing  9.2 10  1  0  4  2  4 170   3.48
                  TOTALS  9.2 10  1  0  4  2  4 170

BROOKLYN                     ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
Roy Johnson (LF)              5  1  0  0  0  1  0  0    .290
Jimmy O'Connell (CF)          5  1  0  0  0  0  2  0    .321
Ossie Orwoll (1B)             5  3  0  2  0  0  0  0    .329
Bob Meusel (RF)               4  1  0  1  0  0  1  0    .337
Bill Dickey (C)               4  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .301
Mickey Hager (3B)             5  2  0  0  0  3  0  0    .296
Marty Karow (SS)              3  1  1  1  0  0  0  0    .302
Bernie Friberg (2B)           3  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .342
Vic Sorrell (P)               0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .107
 Tom Long (P)                 1  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .091
 Homer Peel (P)               1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .313
 Ray Boggs (P)                1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .143
 Art Daney (P)                0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .250
 Leo Taylor (P)               1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .250
 Sam Jones (P)                0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .159
TOTALS                       38 10  1  4  0  4  4  0

   2B:  Mickey Hager
   E:  Mickey Hager

                BROOKLYN   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
             Vic Sorrell  1.2  3  4  0  3  3  1  55   4.20
                Tom Long  3.1  1  0  0  0  0  1  43   1.64
               Ray Boggs  3.0  1  0  0  0  0  2  35   3.92
               Art Daney  1.0  0  0  0  0  0  1  13   4.06
               Sam Jones  1.0  1  0  0  0  0  0  20   4.58
                  TOTALS 10.0  6  4  0  3  3  5 166

     WP: Sam Jones
     LP: Red Ruffing

     Temperature: 61F
     Wind: 7 MPH (out to left)
     Attendance: 28,000
     Time: 3:47

[birdsin89]

September 29, 1929. Game 3

The trip back to Baltimore is not a bad one at all. The men know they had a chance to take a commanding lead, and didn't do it. Red is particularly down, though the rest aren't. Perhaps because of that, I'm able to talk him out of about twelve thousand dollars and a no-trade clause, and sign him as soon as we arrive in Baltimore. Red Ruffing gets $39,800 for the next seven years to be an Oriole.

My family is spending money hand over fist, at that. I almost have to buy another train ticket to hold all the clothes Susanna bought on her day with Melba Howard. And it's all that modern stuff, which I don't even like anyway. I'll just console myself with the thought of Red on my team in 1936, and maybe sign Josh Kress and Bill Walker too.

* * *

Today will feature George Blaeholder against another former Oriole who just came on to be really good this year, Luke Symuleski. Symmie was the one I managed to keep down in Macon during that inaugural 1921 season, when I had nothing but boys who should have been in Macon playing in Baltimore. He showed promise over the years, but never quite enough to hold down a regular starting job. His career ERA of 3.41 is quite good, but in the majors he's only been in fifty games, starting twenty-five and has a record of 15 - 13. This year, though, he was 2 - 3 as late as August 10, when Wilbert, for whatever reason, put him in the rotation and told him to do his best. He responded by winning his next two games before losing to the Pirates, and then rattling off five wins in a row to finish the season, including a crucial one on the 19th against the Giants. And now he's here to face one of our youngsters, the 18 - 8 Blaze.

It's Blaeholder's first World Series, and it might make him a bit nervous. Just basing that on the way he leaves the game's first pitch hanging over the middle of the plate for Roy Johnson. On the bright side, it doesn't make it over the fence, but Johnson has a leadoff double. But he'll get over it. And he does...by feeding Jimmy O'Connell a pitch that he turns around and pops into left. Two pitches, Robins 1, Orioles 0 I look around the park that was so loud and boisterous about a minute ago. To say the least, it's not any more. Down in the box seats she won on our "closing day", Delores Summers and her boyfriend are as quiet as the rest of the crowd. Charlie moves over to the mound and chats with George, and I assume he's telling him to calm down and do the job. Apparently not - on the next pitch, O'Connell is off for second, but it's a pitchout and he's out by a country mile. And the crowd is right back on our side.

But they're not happy as the game stretches on with no change in the score. Sure, George settled down, but Symuleski is pitching his heart out too. He allows a leadoff double by Gehrig in the fifth which brings the fans back into action. Josh Kress works the count full, and then Luke makes a mistake. His curve doesn't quite, and Kress hits it hard and far. It doesn't clear the wall. It does come close enough that it takes an odd angle bounce when it comes back into the field. Left fielder Johnson has almost chased it down when it hits the wall, but it bounces back, not to where he'd played the carom, either. When he gets the ball, Gehrig has scored and Kress is nearly at third. Johnson heaves the ball toward the plate, and it arrives on two bounces - too late! Orioles 2, Robins 1 on an inside the park home run! Screaming fans, a very excited ball club, pandemonium!

In the top of the seventh, with the same score, game two hero Mickey Hager comes to bat first. Three pitches later, the ball is over the fence and we're tied. Robins 2, Orioles 2 He only hit nine home runs all year, but he decides to do one now?

Comes the top of the ninth. Blaeholder is done, after eight innings and only two runs, and really only two mistakes. I'm sure he wishes he could have that pitch to Johnson in the first back again, as we all know it was just first time nerves. But the game is where the game is. Johm Pomorski is in, and finishes them off quite efficiently, with a groundout and two strikeouts.

Robinson leaves Symuleski in for the ninth, and I turn to David Howard and tell him that we just won the game. "What do you mean, Charlie?" You see, it seems to me that this is what I remember from when Luke was with us. He'd look good, very good, for a long time. Then Hughie would leave him in, because he had no reason to take him out. And he'd quickly have his one bad inning, and show us why he was a fifth starter at best. Howard looks skeptical. "What if the fifth was his one bad inning?" But for some reason, I'm so sure I offer to bet ten dollars. Then I turn and worry, because if there's anything you should know about me by now, it's that I'm not a gambler at heart.

But this wasn't a gamble. It's a sure thing. Michaels leads off with a single. Charlie singles to center. Gehrig is up now - the American League home run and RBI leader. So he hits a hot smash to first, but Ossie Orwoll makes a truly spectacular play to not only rob him of the hit, but to start the 3 - 6 - 3 double play. Josh Kress is up. He's already driven in two runs, and has a runner at third with two out. This seems familiar. Wasn't it what happened to us two days ago, in game 2?

Yes, and with the same result. A base hit.

Orioles 3, Robins 2

Yes! David Howard, in handing me the double sawbuck, tells me to go sign Kress long term before the next game starts. I know better - something about not going to market when you're hungry comes to mind. But Howard insists, and what can I do?

Brooklyn Robins at Baltimore Orioles
September 29, 1929

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
        Robins (BRO) 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0    2  8  0
       Orioles (BAL) 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1    3  7  0

BROOKLYN                     ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
Roy Johnson (LF)              3  2  1  1  0  0  0  0    .290
Jimmy O'Connell (CF)          3  1  1  0  0  1  0  0    .321
Ossie Orwoll (1B)             4  3  0  0  0  0  0  0    .329
Bob Meusel (RF)               3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .337
Bill Dickey (C)               4  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .301
Mickey Hager (3B)             4  1  0  1  1  1  0  0    .296
Marty Karow (SS)              4  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .302
Bernie Friberg (2B)           4  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .342
Luke Symuleski (P)            3  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .171
TOTALS                       32  8  2  2  1  2  2  0

   2B:  Roy Johnson
   HR:  Mickey Hager
   CS:  Jimmy O'Connell

   DP:  Ossie Orwoll, Marty Karow, Luke Symuleski

                BROOKLYN   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
          Luke Symuleski  8.2  7  0  1  3  3  6 130   3.19
                  TOTALS  8.2  7  0  1  3  3  6 130

BALTIMORE                    ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
Tex Jeanes (CF)               4  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .356
Ralph Michaels (3B)           4  1  0  1  0  0  2  0    .368
Charlie Gehringer (2B)        4  2  0  0  0  0  0  0    .364
Lou Gehrig (1B)               4  1  0  1  0  0  2  0    .326
Josh Kress (LF)               4  2  0  1  1  3  0  0    .309
George Watkins (RF)           3  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .307
Jimmie Wilson (C)             3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .323
Garret Duffield (SS)          3  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .311
George Blaeholder (P)         2  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .151
 Nick Tinsley (P)             1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .341
 John Pomorski (P)            0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .250
TOTALS                       32  7  0  3  1  3  6  0

   2B:  Lou Gehrig, Charlie Gehringer, Garret Duffield
   HR:  Josh Kress
   GDP:  Lou Gehrig

               BALTIMORE   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
       George Blaeholder  8.0  8  2  1  2  2  0 128   3.67
           John Pomorski  1.0  0  0  0  0  0  2  12   3.28
                  TOTALS  9.0  8  2  1  2  2  2 140

     WP: John Pomorski
     LP: Luke Symuleski

     Temperature: 55F
     Wind: Calm
     Attendance: 35,000
     Time: 2:38

[jshaw]

a second team in Detroit, that should be very interesting

[birdsin89]

jshaw: I agree, a second team coming would be interesting... Thanks for checking in!

* * *

September 30, 1929. Game 4

Well, here's what I can do. Josh Kress signs with the Orioles through 1935 for $25,000. And I don't even need Susanna to tell me that this is not the best signing we've ever made. Give me some credit, twice after the game I'd get to a decent deal for a shorter term, and would call Mr. Howard. And twice he told me he wants the long term deal. I don't think Josh even wants that long a term - all he really wanted was a no-trade clause, and I simply don't give those unless you hold a gun to my head. Or if you're my boss, but thankfully Mr. Howard didn't make me do that. Heck, he was willing to pay Kress what he asked for up front, which would have been $32,000 for four years with the no-trade, except he wanted more years.

I'm going to regret this one, I just know it. Somewhere Kiki Cuyler is smiling at me.

* * *

It's getting colder as we get further into the year. We barely get into the fifties today, but it's still bright and sunny out. In other words, a perfect fall day for baseball.

Kelly will go back with Ted Lyons today, and why not? Best pitcher in the league and all that. Uncle Robbie counters with Dolly Gray, a 31 year old who is only in his sixth season in the majors, and with his fourth different team. In other words, somebody who didn't figure to get a start at all.

Both teams are scoreless in the first. In the second a couple of singles and a couple of ground ball outs allows Gray to help himself and drive in Marty Karow. Robins 1, Orioles 0 We don't counter until the fourth, when Josh Kress is up. Kress gets a pitch very similar to the one he got for two runs yesterday. He celebrates his newfound wealth by putting it, I swear, in exactly the same spot on the rail as he did yesterday. And the best part about that is that Roy Johnson misplays it in just the same way. This time, though, he remembers his cutoff man, but Karow's relay throw home is not in time, and for the second day in a row, Josh Kress has an inside the park home run in the World Series! Orioles 1, Robins 1

Neither team does anything worth mentioning until the seventh, when both do. First, Bill Dickey hits a ball back to Ted that just handcuffs him, and by the time he gets the throw to first, even the slow runner Dickey is safe. Well, he's called safe, anyway, though I and 35,025 of my closest friends would disagree. Hager bunts him to second, where he scores on Karow's single. Robins 2, Orioles 1 Then Robinson does something that I don't think anybody was expecting. Let me put it this way - if you're the manager, and your number eight batter is up, with a runner on first and one out, do you let him try to hit, or do you have him bunt, make another out, and bring your pitcher up to bat? Well, Wilbert chooses the latter option, and it works. And then Dolly Gray helps himself again with another single, and I guess there's a reason Uncle Robby is manager and my 35,000 friends and I are not. Robins 3, Orioles 1 Roy Johnson is up next, and after a minor brushback (unless it's you the fastball is coming at), Ted ends the inning.

So Jimmie Wilson starts for us, and hits a weak ground ball to Bernie Friberg. A ball so routine that the first base umpire just makes his turn to prepare to call Wilson out. Which is fine, except that the throw never gets there, as Friberg can't get a grip on it. Which makes it nice when Garret Duffield hits a towering fly to left center which drops just in time for Johnson not to get to it, for Wilson to score, and for Duff to end up at second. Robins 3, Orioles 2 Now, with our pitcher up, does Kelly go to the bullpen and have a better hitter up? No, instead he has Lyons bunt Duffield to third. So, one out, tie run at third. Robinson has Gray walk Tex deliberately, to allow for the double play. Which would be fine, except that Gray then walks Michaels unintentionally to load the bases for Charlie Gehringer. But all Charlie can do is ground to first and run just...fast...enough to beat the return throw on what would have been a 3 - 6 - 3 double play. Instead, Duff scores! Orioles 3, Robins 3 And Lou...flies out.

Eighth inning. O'Connell doubles, goes to third on a ground ball out. Kelly brings the infield in to cut off the run - apparently he's noticed along with the rest of us that this is a much closer game than it should have been. Ted just needs to keep the ball on the ground, and he does - but Charlie has to lay himself out for it, and by the time he does and recovers, there's no play but at first. Robins 4, Orioles 3

We go that way into the bottom of the ninth, three outs from a split in the Series. Duffield walks to lead off, and now Kelly decides that Ted is done for the day, though not without struggle from Ted. Valid struggle, as it happens - he could have grounded out to advance the runner to second just as well as Nick Tinsley does. Now Tex is up. Tex has been pretty quiet in the Series so far. He makes up for it with a blooper that just clears both Karow and Friberg's gloves up the middle, and Duff races to third...and doesn't stop. O'Connell was napping on the blooper, and isn't prepared for Duffield's dash to the plate. He finally looks up and makes an admittedly beautiful throw, but not in time! Orioles 4, Robins 4 Michaels has his chance at heroics, and hits a hard smash to left, unfortunatley right at Roy Johnson. Charlie follows with one that Johnson can't get to, but this time Kelly holds Tex at third, and instead of a game winning double, it leaves runners at second and third. I hear boos in the crowd - I may be making some myself. I think he could have scored. And when Lou takes a mighty swing, and only gets a piece of it, and it's fair and a dribbler back to the pitcher for the third out, the boos grow louder.

[birdsin89]

September 30, 1929. Game 4 continued

In the tenth, 35 year old Joe Judge gets into the game as pinch hitter for Dolly Gray, and misses being a Series hero by about five inches. That's how far foul the ball was the ends up in our right field seats. But on his next pitch from Pomorski, he grounds out, and the rest of the Robins go quietly as well. But we do nothing against Art Daney in the tenth. In the eleventh, Meusel singles, takes second on Dickey's bunt (Wilbert has lots of men bunting at odd times, but this one does make sense), and then stops at third on Sparky Adams' single to left. He looks like he wants to challenge Kress' arm, but decides against it. Still, two on, one out. Gehrig and Gehringer go to the mound to talk to Pomorski, about the need to get the double play ball I presume. They trot back to their positions as Pomorski looks in for the pitch. The runners take their lead...and first base umpire Charles Moran goes up with the thumb! Gehrig has tagged Adams out. Yes, it's true...we've just pulled off the hidden ball trick in the eleventh inning of a World Series game! I've never seen a bigger ovation for what will go into the box score as a simple pickoff play in my life! Is it a surprise that Marty Karow just grounds out weakly to Duff, and we're done with the threat?

But we don't score either. And neither do they in the twelfth. At which point, finally, my two best players do something. Charlie leads off with a single off new pitcher Ray Boggs, and again possibly catching Jimmy O'Connell napping, he doesn't stop and takes second. Boggs is apparently upset with his center fielder, and turns to have a few words with him. I can't get anyone to tell me what they were, even Charlie, who's between the two and can surely hear them. I do see Charlie start laughing, so I guess they were good ones. Boggs turns to face Gehrig, and uncorks a wild one that goes to the backstop. Boggs covers the plate, even though Charlie stops at third. This time he's close enough that I can make out what he's screaming to O'Connell. "You see that one? He could keep running, so I covered. Remember that, Jimmy? The runner can run! That's why they call him the d--n runner!"

And Gehrig singles to center on the next pitch. And we're finally done.

Orioles 5, Robins 4 (12)

Another incredible game, but the upshot is we're up three games to one. Let's meet back tomorrow and finish it off, shall we?

Brooklyn Robins at Baltimore Orioles
September 30, 1929

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
        Robins (BRO) 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0  4 10  1
       Orioles (BAL) 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 1  5 12  1

BROOKLYN                     ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
Roy Johnson (LF)              5  0  1  0  0  0  1  0    .290
Jimmy O'Connell (CF)          4  2  0  1  0  0  0  0    .321
Ossie Orwoll (1B)             4  0  1  0  0  0  1  0    .329
Bob Meusel (RF)               5  1  0  0  0  1  0  0    .337
Bill Dickey (C)               4  2  0  1  0  0  0  0    .301
Mickey Hager (3B)             2  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .296
 Sparky Adams (P)             2  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .299
Marty Karow (SS)              5  2  0  2  0  1  0  0    .302
Bernie Friberg (2B)           4  0  0  0  0  0  2  0    .342
Dolly Gray (P)                3  2  0  0  0  2  1  0    .222
 Joe Judge (P)                1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .289
 Art Daney (P)                0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .250
 Charlie Hollocher (P)        1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .400
 Ray Boggs (P)                0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .143
TOTALS                       40 10  2  4  0  4  5  0

   2B:  Jimmy O'Connell
   CS:  Bill Dickey, Sparky Adams, Dolly Gray
   E:  Bernie Friberg

                BROOKLYN   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
              Dolly Gray  9.0 10  4  1  4  3  0 145   4.98
               Art Daney  2.0  0  1  0  0  0  2  28   4.06
               Ray Boggs  0.0  2  0  0  1  1  0  10   3.92
                  TOTALS 11.0 12  5  1  5  4  2 183

BALTIMORE                    ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
Tex Jeanes (CF)               4  3  2  0  0  1  0  0    .356
Ralph Michaels (3B)           4  1  2  0  0  0  0  0    .368
Charlie Gehringer (2B)        6  3  0  1  0  1  0  0    .364
Lou Gehrig (1B)               6  1  0  0  0  1  0  0    .326
Josh Kress (LF)               5  1  0  1  1  1  1  0    .309
George Watkins (RF)           5  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .307
Jimmie Wilson (C)             5  0  0  1  0  0  0  0    .323
Garret Duffield (SS)          4  2  1  2  0  1  0  0    .311
Ted Lyons (P)                 2  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .187
 Nick Tinsley (P)             1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .341
 John Pomorski (P)            0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .250
 Val Picinich (P)             1  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .243
 Harry Child (P)              0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
TOTALS                       43 12  5  5  1  5  2  0

   2B:  Charlie Gehringer 2, Garret Duffield 2
   HR:  Josh Kress
   CS:  Tex Jeanes
   E:  Garret Duffield

               BALTIMORE   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
               Ted Lyons  9.0  7  2  0  4  4  2 132   3.69
           John Pomorski  2.0  3  0  0  0  0  1  29   3.28
             Harry Child  1.0  0  0  0  0  0  2   9   3.48
                  TOTALS 12.0 10  2  0  4  4  5 170

     WP: Harry Child
     LP: Ray Boggs

     Temperature: 54F
     Wind: Calm
     Attendance: 35,000
     Time: 3:26

[birdsin89]

October 1, 1929. Game 5

And here we go, up three games to one. It rained over night, and got much colder - I doubt it'll get to the fifties today. It's also overcast, and dark, and threatening. I hope this isn't an omen. And I hope it's not tempting fate when the one fan walks around outside the ball park with a sandwich sign that says "Goodbye Oriole Park" on one side and "Last Game of the Year" on the other.

Robinson is running Jim Weeks out again, having given him an extra day of rest by not going yesterday. No pressure on the young man, he just has to win or his team goes home and he gets to watch his former team celebrate a championship on the same field on which he once pitched.

Roy Johnson leads off again, and continues to make his presence felt, taking a 1 - 2 pitch to left for a single. He then tries to follow up on yesterday's end of game action by not slowing down and heading for second. At which point Josh Kress throws him out by about ten feet. I like this! Not as fond of Jimmy O'Connell drawing a walk, and reaching third when Ralph Michaels throws the ground ball past Lou at first, or when Bob Meusel grounds out but allows a run to score. Robins 1, Orioles 0

But it's okay, because in the second we get it back. Watkins singles, and then it's their third baseman, Hager, who tosses the ball hit by Jimmie Wilson past Orwoll at first. Really, except for the uniform differences, it looks just like the play in the top of the first, only with the other team. Duffield then singles to drive in one. This brings up Red, who...hits a simple 4 - 6 - 3 double play ball. At least Wilson scores too. Orioles 2, Robins 1

This lasts for about ten minutes. Red gets Weeks on strikes, but Johnson singles again. He then takes second on O'Connell's ground ball out to Charlie, only because he was running on the pitch - without that, it's another double play. Then Red makes the kind of mistake that kills games - he issues a four pitch pass to Orwoll. Now, instead of being out of the inning, there are two on with two outs, and Bob Meusel hits one just fair down the left field line to drive them both home. Robins 3, Orioles 2 Bill Dickey hits a roller to Lou at first, who charges in...and over-runs the ball!. Red lets out a decidedly ungentlemanly expression of displeasure, and gets Mickey Hager to ground out to short, but the damage is done.

And more of it is done in the fifth, when Johnson yet again singles, and this time is safe when he takes second. O'Connell can't get it out of the infield, but it's enough for an infield single, moving Johnson to third, and Orwoll gets too much under one, lofting it to center, but deep enough for Johnson to score. Robins 4, Orioles 2

The team is just looking flat, now, and I'm not sure why. I look to the dugout, hoping to see Kelly doing what it takes to rally the troops. Instead, he's just sitting there, watching the game. Sure, he cheers in the sixth when Watkins leads off with a single, and Jimmie Wilson follows with his own. After Duff flies out, Kelly moves and puts Paul Waner in to bat for Red. On the second pitch to Waner, Watkins dashes for third and arrives safely! That's a bit more like it, though Kelly looks upset - I wonder if George didn't just do it without a sign from the dugout. Turns out to be moot, though, as Waner pokes one to left, and Watkins scores, but he probably would have scored from second too. Robins 4, Orioles 3 Tex is up next, and hasn't been the best hitter on the team so far. He continues this by hitting a weak grounder back to Weeks, who turns to start the 1 - 6 - 3 double play. But here, Tex's speed serves him well, and he beats the relay throw, giving us two on with two outs. Michaels hits one to Orwoll that he should have easily - except that he doesn't, and by the time he does, everybody is safe and a run has scored! Orioles 4, Robins 4 The crowd is coming back into the game now, finally - I know I am! Even more so when Charlie, who's done almost nothing in the whole Series, tops a little blooper to left just over the head of the shortstop and good for an RBI single! Orioles 5, Robins 4 And that is it for Weeks - Art Daney comes in to get the final out. Since it's Lou, who's possibly doing the worst of all of us, that final out happens easily and quickly. But we have a lead!

Which, again, lasts for about ten minutes. Kelly brings in John Pomorski to pitch now that Ruffing is gone. Roy Johnson, who has been in total control of Red, finally makes an out. Apparently this causes Pomorski to relax, because Jimmy O'Connell hits the next pitch to the deepest part of right center, and by the time Tex has it and relays it back in, the slow-footed O'Connell has an inside the park home run! Robins 5, Orioles 5 You can feel the energy leave the ball park all at once, and I admit even I begin to make plans for my trip to Brooklyn. Orwoll follows with a single, and is bunted to second by Meusel, who doesn't even bluff it this time. And then, on a 3 - 2 pitch, Bill Dickey hits a nice, gentle ball back up the middle, just to the wrong side of Pomorski. It's enough. Robins 6, Orioles 5 Pomorski then makes some amends by throwing a truly beautiful throw to Lou to get the final out.

In the bottom of the seventh, a hit, a walk, and a hit batter load the bases, but Tex taps one weakly back to Daney for the final out. Neither team does anything in the eighth, and other than a Jimmie Wilson walk, we go 1 - 2 - 3 in the ninth.

Final score: Robins 6, Orioles 5

A lackluster effort on the parts of many, and I have to say it may start at the manager's spot. I'm going to keep an eye on this in what I sincerely hope is our one and only game in Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Robins at Baltimore Orioles
October 1, 1929

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
        Robins (BRO) 1 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 0    6 12  2
       Orioles (BAL) 0 2 0 0 0 3 0 0 0    5  9  2

BROOKLYN                     ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
Roy Johnson (LF)              5  3  0  2  0  0  0  0    .290
Jimmy O'Connell (CF)          4  3  1  2  1  1  0  0    .321
Ossie Orwoll (1B)             3  2  1  2  0  1  0  0    .329
Bob Meusel (RF)               4  1  0  0  0  3  1  0    .337
Bill Dickey (C)               3  1  1  0  0  1  1  0    .301
Mickey Hager (3B)             3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .296
 Sparky Adams (P)             1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .299
Marty Karow (SS)              4  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .302
Bernie Friberg (2B)           4  2  0  0  0  0  0  0    .342
Jim Weeks (P)                 3  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .050
 Art Daney (P)                0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .250
 Herb Brett (P)               1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .200
TOTALS                       35 12  3  6  1  6  3  0

   2B:  Bob Meusel, Roy Johnson
   HR:  Jimmy O'Connell
   GDP:  Jim Weeks
   CS:  Bill Dickey, Bernie Friberg

   DP:  Ossie Orwoll, Bernie Friberg, Marty Karow
   E:  Ossie Orwoll, Mickey Hager

                BROOKLYN   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
               Jim Weeks  5.2  8  4  0  5  2  0 128   4.82
               Art Daney  1.1  1  1  0  0  0  0  24   4.06
              Herb Brett  2.0  0  1  0  0  0  0  25   2.58
                  TOTALS  9.0  9  6  0  5  2  0 177

BALTIMORE                    ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
Tex Jeanes (CF)               5  1  0  1  0  0  0  1    .356
Ralph Michaels (3B)           4  1  1  0  0  0  0  0    .368
Charlie Gehringer (2B)        4  1  1  0  0  1  0  1    .364
Lou Gehrig (1B)               3  0  2  0  0  0  0  0    .326
Josh Kress (LF)               3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .309
 Malcolm Williams (P)         2  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .273
George Watkins (RF)           4  2  0  2  0  0  0  1    .307
Jimmie Wilson (C)             4  1  1  2  0  0  0  0    .323
Garret Duffield (SS)          5  1  0  0  0  1  0  0    .311
Red Ruffing (P)               2  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .262
 Paul Waner (P)               1  1  0  0  0  1  0  0    .273
 John Pomorski (P)            0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .250
 Nick Tinsley (P)             0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0    .341
 Harry Child (P)              0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
TOTALS                       37  9  6  5  0  3  0  3

   2B:  Tex Jeanes
   HBP:  George Watkins
   GDP:  Red Ruffing

   DP:  Lou Gehrig, Charlie Gehringer 2
   E:  Lou Gehrig, Ralph Michaels

               BALTIMORE   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
             Red Ruffing  6.0  7  3  0  4  4  2 101   3.48
           John Pomorski  1.0  3  0  1  2  2  0  18   3.28
             Harry Child  2.0  2  0  0  0  0  1  30   3.48
                  TOTALS  9.0 12  3  1  6  6  3 149

     WP: Art Daney
     LP: John Pomorski
     SV: Herb Brett

     Temperature: 47F
     Wind: 2 MPH (out to left)
     Attendance: 35,000
     Time: 3:11

[birdsin89]

October 3, 1929. Game 6

Back to Brooklyn, and a practically manic crowd. They know their backs are against the wall, but, as nearly as I can tell through the Brooklyn accent, they're not really all that concerned. Robins' owner McKeever just says they're thrilled to be back, happy to have beaten the hated Giants, and any wins they get are icing on the cake.

Good. I like facing a team that's just happy to be there. They should be easier to beat. (Unless, the little voice within me says, that team is facing a team that expects to be there and isn't taking their opponents seriously. I hate my little voice.)

Today's matchups are Vic Sorrell again, and George Blaeholder. If the same Sorrell as pitched the other day shows up, and if Blaeholder isn't the one who gave up the leadoff run because of nerves, then we've got this. But who knows?

And as it turns out, this is going to be a pretty quick report. In the bottom of the second, Blaze makes a mistake, and Bill Dickey makes him pay for it by putting it into the bleachers. Robins 1, Orioles 0

In the fourth, we get two consecutive singles, advancing Lou to third, but he doesn't get to come in. We don't dent the scoreboard until the sixth, when Jeanes leads off with a walk, and goes to second on Michaels' single. Charlie hits a nice double play ball to short, but manages to beat the late relay. Lou grounds out to third, and Tex is still on third. Kress follows with a walk, loading the bases, but with two outs. And it looks like out number three when Watkins hits it on the ground to Orwoll at first, but he is so focused on stepping on the bag that he forgets to cleanly pick up the ball. By the time he gets the ball and gets to first, everybody's safe! Orioles 1, Robins 1

Now tied, Blaze proceeds to give up consecutive singles to Bob Meusel and Bill Dickey. Sure, he then gets Mickey Hager to ground into a double play, but in the process Meusel scores. Robins 2, Orioles 1

And that's where we stay. We get runners to first and second with one out in the eighth, but can't get them in. In the ninth, Jeanes draws a two out walk, and gets to second on Michaels' single again. In fact, the return throw from Meusel slipped by the infielders, and Tex got all the way to third. And with Charlie up...nothing. A ground ball to second, and the ball game is over.

Final Score: Robins 2, Orioles 1

You know, losing one with a three games to one lead isn't so bad. Losing two stinks. We're now in a one game winner take all contest. We're not supposed to be here, darn it!

What's worse is what I see in the clubhouse. Almost resignation. "Sometimes you do a darned fine job and still get beat," one of them says. I'm not sure which one, and it's a good thing, or there would be a trade this off season, I don't care who it was.

Sometimes I wish I still drank, though.

Baltimore Orioles at Brooklyn Robins
October 3, 1929

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
       Orioles (BAL) 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0    1  6  1
        Robins (BRO) 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 x    2 10  2

BALTIMORE                    ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
Tex Jeanes (CF)               3  0  2  1  0  0  0  0    .356
Ralph Michaels (3B)           5  2  0  0  0  0  0  0    .368
Charlie Gehringer (2B)        5  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .364
Lou Gehrig (1B)               4  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .326
Josh Kress (LF)               2  1  2  0  0  0  0  0    .309
George Watkins (RF)           4  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .307
Jimmie Wilson (C)             4  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .323
Garret Duffield (SS)          3  0  1  0  0  0  0  0    .311
George Blaeholder (P)         3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .151
 Nick Tinsley (P)             1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .341
TOTALS                       34  6  5  1  0  0  0  0


   DP:  Lou Gehrig, Charlie Gehringer, Garret Duffield
   E:  Josh Kress

               BALTIMORE   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
       George Blaeholder  8.0 10  1  1  2  2  1 138   3.67
                  TOTALS  8.0 10  1  1  2  2  1 138

BROOKLYN                     ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
Roy Johnson (LF)              4  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .290
Jimmy O'Connell (CF)          4  2  0  0  0  0  0  0    .321
Ossie Orwoll (1B)             3  1  1  0  0  0  0  0    .329
Bob Meusel (RF)               4  1  0  1  0  0  1  0    .337
Bill Dickey (C)               4  2  0  1  1  1  0  0    .301
Mickey Hager (3B)             3  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .296
 Sparky Adams (P)             1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .299
Marty Karow (SS)              3  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .302
Bernie Friberg (2B)           3  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .342
Vic Sorrell (P)               3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .107
TOTALS                       32 10  1  2  1  1  1  0

   2B:  Jimmy O'Connell
   HR:  Bill Dickey
   GDP:  Mickey Hager
   CS:  Roy Johnson
   E:  Ossie Orwoll, Bob Meusel

                BROOKLYN   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
             Vic Sorrell  9.0  6  5  0  1  0  0 151   4.20
                  TOTALS  9.0  6  5  0  1  0  0 151

     WP: Vic Sorrell
     LP: George Blaeholder

     Temperature: 51F
     Wind: 2 MPH (in from center)
     Attendance: 28,000
     Time: 3:10

[OldYankFan]

Maybe a pep talk from the GM would help?

[jshaw]

Maybe a pep talk from the GM would help?

oh man, second season in a row that is coming down to 1 game

[birdsin89]

jshaw: Yep...and they have a pretty bad track record in such games so far, too. Thanks for reading!

OldYankFan: Not sure Charlie's a pep talk kind of guy. On the other hand, if the team keeps losing the big games, he might try it. Thanks!

* * *

October 4, 1929. Game 7

So here we are, back in a Game 7 again. We've been here before, back in '25. As I recall, we lost that one.

I'd make a point about how we didn't have Lou then, but let's face it, Lou has not been a factor in this Series. So far he's 6 for 26, with one home run and three RBIs. Yes, the man who has more runs batted in over the past five years than anybody in history (I don't actually know that, but it seems a reasonable guess), who holds the single season record for runs batted in and probably always will (who's going to beat 201 in a season?), and he's got one home run and three runs batted in.

Our best hope is that we've got Ted Lyons going for a third time. Well, that and the fact that Tex leads off with a single, takes second on Bob Meusel's throwing error, and scores on Michaels' base hit. Orioles 1, Robins 0, and we're two batters in. And then, Gehringer, who's also not setting the world on fire so far, hits a routine fly ball out, and Lou grounds to short, forcing Michaels at second. At least Lou beat the throw to first to avoid the double play. Apparently, though, this encouraged him to think of himself as a speed demon, as he tried to steal second two pitches later, and Dickey gunned him down by only about ten feet. A rare heads-down play by a very smart player.

So Ted takes the mound again. He gets Roy Johnson, but Jimmy O'Connell hits one that goes for a double. Ted settles in, and gets Ossie Orwoll to ground out. He then gets Bob Meusel to 0 - 2. Unfortunately, we have to get three strikes to get the out, and this he utterly fails to do. Next pitch, which he could have wasted, he instead puts where Meusel can reach it. When the dust has settled, O'Connell has scored and Meusel is standing on third. Robins 1, Orioles 1 But not for long, as Dickey follows with a single. Robins 2, Orioles 1

In the third, it's the Jimmy O'Connell show again, as he reaches when Charlie bobbles the ball, steals second, takes third on a fly ball out, and scores on Meusel's single. Robins 3, Orioles 1 Do I have to tell you how the crowd reacts? This, if they can win it, will be their first championship after three trips to the Series, having lost to the Red Sox in 1916 and Indians in 1920. I'm just sitting there with Mr. Howard, stunned. How can this happen to a team that won 24 more games during the regular season than they did? Against tougher teams?

Come on, men!

But we go through the fourth, and fifth, and sixth, and nobody scores. Ted has given up three runs, two earned, and is in danger of losing. Finally, Watkins leads us off with a single, which is one of the very few times in the last three games in which we get a leadoff man on. Even better, Jimmie Wilson follows with another single, and Garret Duffield draws a walk to load the bases with nobody out. Now, surely Kelly will trust his bullpen, and bring in, say, Paul Waner to pinch hit for Ted here, right? What do you mean, that's Ted walking up to the plate? Kelly? I gave you a bullpen for a reason, Kelly! A high fly ball, deep to left? Could an Oriole pitcher actually hit a grand slam in the World Series? Maybe someday. Not this time. A fly ball, deep enough for Watkins to score. Robins 3, Orioles 2 But surely Tex can do something with two on and one out? Sure...he can hit a ground ball to Bernie Friberg to get the 4 - 6 - 3 double play.

I think that was the moment I knew.

Still, Ted holds them easily in the seventh. In the eighth, Art Daney comes in for Dolly Gray. Charlie, who's made a few errors himself, reaches on an error by Mickey Hager. Sure, Lou then hits barely a popup to center. Kress singles to center, and Charlie takes third, and Watkins, who seems to be the most reliable player we have in this Series, hits safely to left to score Charlie, and we're tied! Orioles 3, Robins 3

In the eighth, neither does anything. In the ninth, same story. We're taking game seven to extra innings. You know, I very much want us to win, but this is pretty good from a baseball point of view regardless.

In the tenth, each side permits one walk, but nothing more. But in the eleventh, with Tom Long now in to pitch for Robinson's men, Jimmie Wilson gets a one out base hit. After another out, Rick Ferrel comes in to pinch hit for Pomorski. Ferrell has been in a total of 7 games for us this year, and batted a whopping .130 in 23 at bats. So of course, let's send him in instead of, say, Paul Waner. Kelly, why are you doing this to me? But for what it's worth, it works - Ferrell gets a hit. And Tex pops out to end the inning.

O'Connell leads off the eleventh for the home team, with Phil Page doing our pitching. Page pitched 36 1/3 innings this season, to an ERA of 3.19. Not a terrible choice in theory. Let's see how it plays out.

O'Connell gets a single. Ossie Orwoll bunts him to second. Bob Meusel is up. And two pitches later, Bob Meusel is safely on first, the ball is in left field, and O'Connell is trotting home with the winning run. Robins 4, Orioles 3 Kelly is screaming enough obscenities in the dugout, at Page, that I think he's going to earn a fine from the Commissioner. And I am surrounded by more deliriously happy Brooklynites than I would have thought existed in the world. I don't just mean in the stands - I think that, if the ones in the stands weren't so loud, I could have heard the ones outside the park clearly. For that matter, if you told me that stockbrokers in Manhattan heard the eruption of sound, I'd believe you.

The Brooklyn Robins are 1929 World Champions!

Our boys walk slowly off the field, milling through the throng that has come down to help their team celebrate their first World Championship. I make my way down to the clubhouse, having no trouble because nobody in the 28,000 people there are looking at one lone man heading to the loser's side of the field. I come in, looking to make some kind of happy-talk speech, to remind them of how they've won 112 games, were by far the best team in the best league in baseball, how they've won more games over the past five years than any other team. I plan to do this, and then I see them. One of them, John Pomorski, sees me.

And I turn and walk away. This is going to hurt for a while.

Baltimore Orioles at Brooklyn Robins
October 4, 1929

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
       Orioles (BAL) 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0  3 12  1
        Robins (BRO) 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  4  7  3

BALTIMORE                    ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
Tex Jeanes (CF)               6  1  0  1  0  0  0  0    .356
Ralph Michaels (3B)           5  1  0  0  0  1  0  0    .368
Charlie Gehringer (2B)        5  2  0  1  0  0  0  0    .364
Lou Gehrig (1B)               4  0  1  0  0  0  0  0    .326
Josh Kress (LF)               5  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .309
George Watkins (RF)           5  2  0  1  0  1  0  0    .307
Jimmie Wilson (C)             4  3  1  0  0  0  0  1    .323
Garret Duffield (SS)          4  0  1  0  0  0  0  0    .311
Ted Lyons (P)                 2  1  0  0  0  1  0  0    .187
 Nick Tinsley (P)             1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .341
 John Pomorski (P)            0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .250
 Rick Ferrell (P)             1  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .130
 Phil Page (P)                0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .167
TOTALS                       42 12  3  3  0  3  0  1

   2B:  Jimmie Wilson
   GDP:  Tex Jeanes, Josh Kress 2
   CS:  Lou Gehrig
   E:  Charlie Gehringer

               BALTIMORE   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
               Ted Lyons  8.0  5  1  0  3  2  3 114   3.69
           John Pomorski  2.0  0  1  0  0  0  1  30   3.28
               Phil Page  0.1  2  0  0  1  1  0   9   3.19
                  TOTALS 10.1  7  2  0  4  3  4 153

BROOKLYN                     ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
Roy Johnson (LF)              5  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .290
Jimmy O'Connell (CF)          5  2  0  3  0  0  1  1    .321
Ossie Orwoll (1B)             4  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .329
Bob Meusel (RF)               5  3  0  1  0  3  0  0    .337
Bill Dickey (C)               4  1  0  0  0  1  1  0    .301
Mickey Hager (3B)             2  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .296
 Sparky Adams (P)             1  0  1  0  0  0  0  0    .299
Marty Karow (SS)              3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .302
Bernie Friberg (2B)           4  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .342
Dolly Gray (P)                2  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .222
 Homer Peel (P)               1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .313
 Art Daney (P)                0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .250
 Ray Boggs (P)                0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .143
 Leo Taylor (P)               0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0    .250
 Tom Long (P)                 0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .091
TOTALS                       36  7  2  4  0  4  4  1

   2B:  Jimmy O'Connell
   3B:  Bob Meusel

   DP:  Ossie Orwoll 2, Bernie Friberg 3, Marty Karow 3, Dolly Gray
   E:  Bill Dickey, Bob Meusel, Sparky Adams

                BROOKLYN   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
              Dolly Gray  7.0  8  2  0  2  2  0 102   4.98
               Art Daney  2.0  2  0  0  1  0  0  36   4.06
               Ray Boggs  1.0  0  1  0  0  0  0  12   3.92
                Tom Long  1.0  2  0  0  0  0  0  19   1.64
                  TOTALS 11.0 12  3  0  3  2  0 169

     WP: Tom Long
     LP: Phil Page

     Temperature: 40F
     Wind: 7 MPH (in from center)
     Attendance: 28,000
     Time: 3:22