Monday, March 21, 2016
Waite Hoyt- The Conclusion
Hoyt was
born just before the turn of the century...that would be from the
19th to the 20th. Although he was born in
Brooklyn, he was signed by the Giants' John McGraw. He made his Major
League debut on July 24, 1918. He was dubbed the “Schoolboy
Wonder”, because he was so young.
He was sent
to the minors, but came back quickly in a Red Sox uniform. Not long
afterwards, he became a New York Yankee, and he remained with them
for ten years. It was during that time that my friend Jim's wife was
born. What a childhood she must have had!
She spent
her days at Yankee Stadium, chatting with the legends. She remembered
being carried around the diamond on the shoulders of another Hall of
Famer, Lefty Gomez. Hoyt also had aspirations in the theatre, and
often worked the vaudeville stage with the likes of Jack Benny,
George Burns, Jimmy Durante, and Joe E. Brown, Jim Niccum's wife's
godfather.
Joe E. Brown
Hoyt even
worked as a mortician during his baseball career. Hence the nickname,
“Merry Mortician”.
In one of
his memoirs, Hoyt recalled that he rarely nursed a sore arm. After a
day game in Philadelphia in 1926, he accompanied Babe Ruth, Joe
Duggan, and Herb Pennock to attend a celebration for Pennock, a
hometown hero in Kennett Square, about 25 miles from Philly. There
were many wonderful booths at the fair. One in particular caught
their attention.
There were
pyramids of papier-mache milk bottles. The object of the exercise was
to knock all of the bottles down with three throws to win a prize.
Naturally, it was no challenge to the Major Leaguers. Then they were
encouraged to back up a little, to throw more curves, to really outdo
each other.
The next
morning, Hoyt's elbow was three times its normal size. After weeks of
rehabilitation, he was able to return to the starting lineup. Manager
Miller Huggins was never informed about the activities at the fair.
Times were
different, in those days, to say the least. Huggins had a phone in
the dugout, and often called the bullpen just to keep the relievers
on their toes. Even team owner Ed Barrow had a phone in his box. On a
hot day, he noticed a player on a bench, apparently taking a snooze.
Barrow roared at the player to sit up straight! “Get your feet on
the ground!”
Not much
chance of that happening today. There is major turmoil over the
admittance of kids in the clubhouses.
After
retiring from baseball, Hoyt went into broadcasting, and was at the
mike for the Cincinnati Reds for 25 years. He was well known for
spinning fine anecdotes during rain delays. (I made reference to this
skill in a previous article about Duke Snider, who also spun a fine
yarn!)
Hoyt died on
August 24, 1984. A true baseball legend.
March 21,
2016.
# posted by James Hurst @ 6:22 PM 
