Fifty years ago Sunday, Bill Veeck pulled one of the best–if not the best– gimmick of his career, hiring Eddie Gaedel for a one-time-only appearance as a pinch-hitter for the St. Louis Browns.
The gag was that Gaedel stood just 3 feet 7 inches. He wore uniform number 1/8 and bowed grandly twice as he trotted down the first-base line after a predictable walk.
Batter up
Pottstown, Pa., memorabilia collector Rob Mitchell recently paid more than $577,000 for Black Betsy, the 40-once hickory bat used by Shoeless Joe Jackson of Black Sox infamy, in a recent online auction.
Mitchell said he thinks it’s worth every penny. And then some.
“In my mind,” Mitchell said, “this bat’s worth $5 million.”
Say what?
`It’s a silly stat. I like singles just as much as home runs.’
–Mark McGwire, downplaying his modern record streak of 11 straight hits for homers.
