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Tony Lazzeri, Part II

“They didn’t get along. Gehrig thought Ruth was a big-mouth, and Ruth thought Gehrig was cheap. They were both right!” –Tony Lazzeri, teammate of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig

Some of you will remember my post from a couple weeks ago in which I mentioned I was reading the new book on Tony Lazzeri written by one of our regular readers, Larry Baldassaro. I wrote a detailed review of the book, Tony Lazzeri, Yankee Legend and Baseball Pioneer, which I posted on Amazon. It was a great book which I really enjoyed. I mentioned that in my opinion, it’s soon to become the definitive book on Tony Lazzeri.

What follows is a condensed version of my review. For those who would like to read the review in its entirety, here’s a link.

Tony Lazzeri, Yankee Legend and Baseball Pioneer

by Lawrence Baldassaro

reviewed by Gary Livacari

Tony Lazzeri may well be the most overlooked, underappreciated member of the Hall of Fame. The reasons for this are not hard to discover. He played the early part of his career under the long shadows cast by baseball icons Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Later, he was a teammate of Joe DiMaggio. Add to the mix his soft-spoken, unassuming demeanor, his early death at age 42, and it’s not hard to understand why the accomplishments of this outstanding ballplayer have been largely lost over the passage of time.

Author Lawrence Baldassaro is a recognized authority on the history of Italian Americans in the major leagues. In his latest book, Tony Lazzeri, Yankees Legend and Baseball Pioneer, he uncovers the Tony Lazzeri hidden beneath these vast shadows. Baldassero chronicles Lazzeri’s life and career from his humble origins in San Francisco. “Poosh ‘Em Up” Tony emerges from Baldassaro’s skilled pen as not only a great ballplayer, but as a beloved and respected teammate, a natural leader, a mentor and role model for many, and the heart and soul of the great Yankee dynasties of the late 1920s and1930s. Such was the esteem in which he was held by his teammates that Mark Koenig called him the Yankees’ MVP.

Antonio Lazzeri was born on December 6, 1903, the son of Agostino and Giuila Chiesa Lazzeri, immigrants from Genoa, Italy. Young Tony dropped out of school at age 15 and joined his father as a boilermaker. It was here where he acquired the physical strength that complemented his innate athletic ability. Excelling in all sports, by his late teens he was described by his contemporary and future Hall-of-Famer Joe Cronin as “the best athlete in all of San Francisco.” Although at one time considering a career in prizefighting, it was in baseball where Lazzeri turned

heads. He was a skilled natural shortstop, possessing a powerful, accurate arm. The sky appeared to be the limit for Tony Lazzeri, but he faced serious drawbacks: Italian-Americans were not generally welcomed into the major leagues; and, more seriously, he suffered from epilepsy, often referred to as “fits” in the cruel vernacular of the times.

Bay area scouts took notice of this gifted 18-year old; and, in 1922, he was signed by former major leaguer Duffy Lewis, manager of the minor league Pacific Coast League Salt Lake City Bees. After a slow start, there followed a series of minor league stops until he was back with the Bees in 1925. That year he blossomed, turning in one of the greatest seasons in professional sports history. He connected for 60 homers, hit .355, scored 202 runs, and drove in 222.

Following this outburst, any of the sixteen major league teams could have signed him. Surprisingly, there was little initial interest. Was it because of overt anti-Italian bigotry? Was it because of the stigma of epilepsy? Yankee general manager Ed Barrow, listening to the advice of his scouts, took a chance and signed Lazzeri for the 1926 season, hoping he could help tap into New York’s large Italian-American community.

The Yankees reached the 1926 World Series, winning their fourth pennant in six years. One of the most memorable World Series moments occurred in the seventh inning of the decisive seventh game when aging Grover Cleveland Alexander, summoned from the bullpen, struck out the 22-year-old rookie with the bases loaded. This at-bat is often viewed as the pivotal moment of this classic series and is even memorialized on Alexander’s Hall-of-Fame plaque. Few remember that Lazzeri exacted a measure of revenge against Alexander in the 1928 World Series. Facing a nearly identical situation, he responded this time with a bases-loaded double contributing to the Yankees’ sweep of the Cardinals in four games.

Over his 14 years in the majors (1926-1939), he hit .292 with 178 home runs, 1192 RBIs, and a .380 on-base percentage. As a valued member of the Yankees’ famed “Murderers’ Row” from 1926-1937, he averaged 79 runs, 14 home runs, 96 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases, including seven seasons with over 100 RBIs and five seasons batting over .300, with a high of .354 in 1929. In seven World Series over 32 games, he hit .262 with four home runs, 19 RBIs, and a .342 on-base percentage.

Tony Lazzeri was a complete ballplayer, beloved and respected by teammates, fans, and all who knew him. A true baseball pioneer who endured some of the vilest ethnic slurs over his entire career, he opened the door for future Italian American stars. A courageous Tony Lazzeri compiled a Hall-of-Fame career while playing under the specter of epilepsy, never knowing when the next seizure might occur. In Tony Lazzeri, Yankees Legend and Baseball Pioneer, Lawrence Baldassaro has written the book that was long overdue. It’s remarkably well researched and detailed, and holds the reader’s interest from start to finish. In my opinion, it will soon be recognized as the definitive biography of this great Hall-of-Famer ballplayer, Tony Lazzeri. It’s one I highly recommend to all baseball fans.

Gary Livacari