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[Bill Schaefer returns today with another Mystery Player who can also go into our “Forgotten Stars” category. As with the first two entries to this series, the identity of No. Three won’t be too difficult to discover for our “savvy” readers here on Baseball History Comes Alive. Nevertheless, read Bill’s very interesting essay and see how long it takes you to come up with the name. Then check back later today (6:00 CT) for the answer! -GL]
Bill Schaefer’s
Mystery Player No. Three!
That’s RIght!…It’s the well-traveled Bobo Newsom!
He bestrode the baseball firmament like a colossus – both physically at 6’3”, 220 pounds and with a flamboyant, fill-the-room personality. He often spoke in the third person and called everybody by one name because he couldn’t be bothered remembering his teammates’ real names. That name became his nickname.
His pitching career spanned four decades (1929-’53) with nine teams, including all three New York teams. When he was with the Giants, in 1948, he came in from the bullpen to relieve the starting pitcher one afternoon at the Polo Grounds. As he approached the mound, where Giant catcher Walker Cooper was engaged, he said, “Coop, you have a kind face.” The big catcher replied with a smile, “Really?” Our mystery man shot back, “Yeah, the kind I’d like to step on!” But no harm was intended. He thrived on being outrageous and most people took him in stride. In fact, all he really wanted was to be loved by everybody. He was especially kind to rookies, often treating them to dinner and sharing words of wisdom.
Teammate Charlie Gehringer related in an interview:
“He was quite a kidder and would drive guys nuts who weren’t quick with the repartee. He did an incredible “Amos and Andy” imitation and if you weren’t looking at him, you’d swear you were listening to the radio. He drank beer with the best of them, but he was a good pitcher with a great arm and a big heart for the game.”
His career was one of stark contrasts. He lost 20 games in a season three times, but won 20 three years in a row (1938, ’39, and ’40). In ’38, with a 20-16 mark, he had a 5.08 ERA. Only one other pitcher ever won 20 or more games with an ERA over 5.00. In 1940, his best year, he excelled with a record of 21-5, allowing just 2.83 runs per nine innings. Mystery was proud that he kept his career ERA under 4.00 with a 3.98 final number. However, he was one of only two pitchers to ever post 200 wins (211-222) and finish with a below .500 winning percentage. His stint with the hapless St. Louis Browns didn’t help.
Our mysterious guest was also outspoken and could explode in a sudden, bizarre manner. Pitching for the Dodgers in 1943, he was getting thumped by the Pirates and got into it hot and heavy with manager Leo Durocher about how to pitch to Vince DiMaggio. The Lip finally had enough and suspended his hurler for the rest of the season. But the next day the entire Brooklyn ball club, led by Arky Vaughn, threatened to walk out if Durocher didn’t lift the suspension. The fiery skipper relented.
He was selected to four All-Star games and pitched in two World Series. The 1947 Series, when he pitched in relief for the Yankees against the Dodgers, was forgettable at the age of 39. But he was brilliant and heroic in 1940, going 2-1 with three complete games and a scintillating 1.38 ERA, pitching for the Detroit Tigers against the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds won in a seven-game thriller but the real story was Mr. X. He opened with a win and then his beloved father suffered a heart attack and passed away a couple of days later. Louis Norman stayed with the team and proclaimed, “My next start will be dedicated to my dad.” He spun a masterful three-hitter before 55,000 fans at Briggs Stadium, as Detroit, with an 8-0 win, went ahead three games to two in the Series.
With only one day’s rest, he asked for the ball in game seven, opposed by Paul Derringer. The result was a taut 2-1 complete game loss, played in one hour 47 minutes, at Crosley Field. But our hero almost propelled his team to a magnificent underdog triumph. Cincy won 100 games that season compared to 90 for the Tigers.
He left us too soon at the age of 55, in 1962, succumbing to a liver ailment. And if you didn’t guess his famous name in the first paragraph, this should do it: He appeared in the classic poem by Ogden Nash, published in January 1949, in Sport Magazine titled, “Line-Up for Yesterday an ABC of Baseball Immortals.” The only player highlighted who is not in the Hall of Fame. There are those, however, who think he should be.
Bill Schaefer
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SOURCES: Bobo Newsome, baseball reference; SABR, Bobo Newsome by Ralph Berger; Bobo by John Howay; Baseball Fever, Bobo, notes from Sliding Billy; Wikipedia, 1940 World Series; Sport Magazine, Jan. ’49, Ogden Nash.
