I've been working on revising the book for the upcoming 5th edition (which will be out on Opening Day). Thought I'd share a few of these EveryCubEver entries with you while I worked...
Billy Herman 1909--1992 (Cubs 1931-1941)
He was named William Jennings Bryan Herman after the famed orator, and this
Billy had an incredible big league career. He was a 10-time All-Star in 15 big
league seasons (and his first two years, the All-Star game hadn’t been invented
yet). He was considered the best hit and run man to ever play the game. His
lifetime batting average was .304. He led the league in hits, doubles, triples,
and sacrifices, but he was even better known for his glove. In his 15 years as
a second baseman he led the league in putouts seven times, not to mention
leading the league in assists, fielding percentage, and range. And he was elected
into baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1975. But sadly, Herman didn’t spend his entire
career with the Cubs. The team somehow traded him to the Dodgers in 1941. Leo
Durocher, the Dodgers manager at the time, tells how this happened in his book Nice Guys Finish Last. He was traded to
the Dodgers at four in the morning. According to Durocher, who got this
information directly from his GM (MacPhail), the trade was made during a night
of drinking. MacPhail was invited to the suite of the Cubs GM Jim Gallagher
when the Cubs were in New York. MacPhail was a well-known drunk, but he figured
out pretty quickly that Gallagher and manager Jimmy Wilson were trying to get
him drunk to talk trade. So, instead of drinking the brandy, MacPhail only
pretended to drink it while he was actually pouring it out in flower pots,
toilet bowls, and wherever else he could. Meanwhile, every time the Cubs poured
MacPhail a drink, they also poured themselves one. Instead of getting him
drunk, they got themselves drunk. By 4 AM MacPhail had acquired the best second
baseman in baseball in exchange for a backup outfielder and a utility
infielder. The deal was put in writing on the back of an envelope. And yes,
MacPhail’s grandson later became the president and general manager of the Cubs:
the infamous Andy MacPhail. Billy
Herman still holds the Cubs record for most hits on Opening Day. He got five in
1936.
