Scroll Down to Read Today’s Essay

Subscribe to Baseball History Comes Alive for automatic updates. As a Free Bonus, you’ll get instant access to my Special Report: Gary’s Handy Dandy World Series Reference Guide!

 “Lucky Lindy and Rajah” Photo Gallery
Click on any image below to see photos in full size and to start Photo Gallery:

“Lucky Lindy”—And Rogers Hornsby—Visit Sportsman’s Park, June 18, 1927

“The noisemaking [on Lindbergh Day] was reminiscent of the celebration here last fall when the Cardinals won the city’s first baseball pennant…” – Unknown St. Louis sportswriter commenting on Charles Lindbergh Day at Sportsman’s Park.

In checking out The National Pastime website recently, I discovered that yesterday, June 18, marked the ninety-fifth anniversary of “Charles Lindbergh Day,” held at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis. In addition to “Lucky Lindy’s” triumphal appearance, there was a lot going on that day, as you’ll soon see!

Lindy Does It!

You’ll recall Charles Lindbergh had completed his historic transatlantic flight aboard The Spirit of St. Louis just three weeks earlier, May 20, 1927. Upon doing so, Lindy immediately became an international hero with celebrity status rivaling the great Bambino himself, Babe Ruth. Lindbergh had flown solo for a harrowing 33.5 hours across the Atlantic from Roosevelt Field on Long Island to Le Bourget Field in Paris. Upon landing, he was literally mobbed by a throng of wildly cheering Parisians, estimated to be over one hundred thousand (see photo below). In their excitement, they forcibly extracted the young aviator from the cockpit of the plane and hoisted him on their shoulders until he was rescued by a force composed of soldiers and police.

After his nine-hour flight from New York to Lambert Field in St. Louis on June 17,  a ticker-tape parade—lined with exuberant confetti-throwing fans along the entire eight-mile route— was held in his honor the next day. Lindy was then escorted into Sportsman’s Park, where he participated in scheduled pre-game festivities honoring the 1926 World Series Champion Cardinals. With Judge Landis and 36,000 excited fans in attendance, all thrilled to be in the presence of a true American hero, Lindy participated in raising the Cards’ World Series banner and assisted National League president John Heydler in passing out the 1926 World Series rings to the victorious Cardinals.

(For a more detailed description of Lindbergh Day at Sportsman’s Park, check out John Thorn’s outstanding article).

Rajah Back as Giants’ Manager

Looking at that day’s events from a purely baseball perspective, another interesting item caught my attention. The game that followed the ceremonies marked the return to St. Louis of Rogers Hornsby, the Redbirds’ former player-manager, who had guided them to a World Series championship just eight months previously. Hornsby now returned to Sportsman’s Park as the manager of the Giants.

I always found it odd that Rajah had gotten the old “pink slip” so soon after guiding the Cardinals to their first World Championship in 1926.  His Game Seven tag out of a sliding Babe Ruth, making an ill-advised attempt to steal second, was the final out of the series. Hornsby always described this as the biggest thrill in his career. Milking this victory for all it was worth, he was still getting managerial offers as late as the 1950s.

Rog was known to be in salary disputes with owner Sam Breadon. “Up-to-here” with Hornsby and his abrasive, tactless personality, Breadon reportedly had already arranged to send Rajah packing to the Giants for Frankie Frisch if contract talks fell through. Later, Breadon confessed he so wanted to part ways with the Cardinal manager that, “Hornsby wanted a three-year deal for $50,000 a year. I was afraid he would call my bluff and take the one-year [compromise] deal I had offered him.”

Ah, Rog…the Guy Owns the Club!

It probably didn’t help his cause that Hornsby had once kicked the Cards’ owner out of the Cardinals clubhouse, ranting at him in front of the players:

”Get the hell out of here…you don’t belong here, the clubhouse belongs to us.”

Although a great ballplayer, arguably one of the best ever with a .358 lifetime batting average, Hornsby had a penchant for wearing out his welcome rather quickly. I always like to recall one of my favorite quotes about him. Cub president William Veeck, Sr, who hired Hornsby to manage the Cubs in 1930, said this upon firing him:

“Hiring Rogers Hornsby to manage the Cubs was the worst mistake I made in all my years in baseball!”

After his unceremonious 1926 dismissal from the Cardinals, there following a quick succession of managerial failures: Giants (1927), Braves (1928), Cubs

(1930-’32), and Browns (1933-’37).  Later he would reappear to again manage the Browns (hired by Bill Veeck, Jr. in 1952), and the Reds (1952-’53). He compiled a rather dismal 14-year managerial career record of 701-812 (.463), with 1926 being his only taste of October baseball.

Ironically, Bill Veeck, Jr. would have the same reaction as his father when Bill hired and then fired Hornsby as the Browns’ manager in 1953, also calling it one of the worse mistakes of his career. The Browns’ players were so relieved to be rid of the abrasive manager that they all pitched in to buy a team trophy to commemorate the occasion! (see photo in gallery above)

A Lot Going On!

So there was a lot going on at Sportsman’s Park on June 18, 1927. Lucky Lindy had his day, and Rogers Hornsby made his first appearance after being sacked as Cardinal manager. Oh yeah, the Cardinals beat the Giants, 6-4.

But let’s not be too hard on the Rajah. After all, he was actually nice to a young kid just starting out on a lifelong love affair with baseball back in 1960. That kid was me! He and my grandfather became friends and would travel together to Arlington Park Race track every day until Hornsby passed away in 1963.

If you’d like to read my cute little story about meeting Rogers Hornsby when I was a kid, (I call it my fifteen minutes of baseball fame!), here’s a link to it: “A Young Kid Meets Rogers Hornsby”

Gary Livacari 

Subscribe to our website, “Baseball History Comes Alive!” with over 1200 fully categorized baseball essays and photo galleries, now closing in on the one million hits mark with 821K hits and over 600 subscribers: www.baseballhistorycomesalive.com

Background Information from article by John Thorn on “Lindbergh Day”