RHP Rick Sutcliffe tells this story about himself when he pitched for the Cubs in 1987.

Rick Sutcliffe

Harry Caray had suffered a stroke. So his cohort Steve Stone invited guest commentators to share the broadcast with him. On this day at Wrigley Field, comedian Bill Murray, a huge Cubs fan, was in the booth. Sutcliffe met him in the locker room as Bill entertained the players before the game. In the third inning against the Montreal Expos, Sutcliffe singles home a run. The Expos' pitcher is ejected while arguing the safe call at the plate. During the subsequent delay, Murray suddenly tells Stonie on the air, "I betcha a case of beer Sutcliffe steals second." Cognizant of the fact that Rick had never even attempted a SB in his career, Stone readily accepts the bet. As the new pitcher finishes warming up, word spreads among the crowd. So a fan yells, "Hey, Sut. Murray just bet Steve Stone a case of beer you'll steal second!" Sutcliffe decides he's going for it. However, Expos manager Buck Rodgers, who heard the buzz, tells 1B Andres Gallaraga, "Play behind him, he ain't frickin' going anywhere!" As the P stretches, 6'7" Rick heads for second but realizes he's a goner if the pitcher throws to first. However, the pitch goes home. The batter takes it, and Sut slides in ahead of the throw. Sutcliffe: "I look up into the booth and Murray's going crazy and I kind of gave him a little whatever" (wave of acknowledgement).

Bill Murray

On Labor Day, September 6, 1927, the manager of the Toledo Mud Hens of the American Association incited an attack on an umpire and as a result was suspended for an indefinite period. Here's what happened. An umpire curiously named Doll Derr was working first base. The Mud Hens were generally in a foul (fowl?) mood because a losing streak had dropped them out of first place. They had also had run-ins with Derr for several seasons, one of which had led to the manager's suspension for three days. Derr called a Mud Hen out on a close play. The manager ran out to argue and was ejected. The skipper refused to leave the field. Instead, he turned toward the stands and began conducting the fans like a maestro. (This part of the story is not included in every account of the incident; so it might be embellishment.) As a result, some of the crowd came onto the field and went after the umpire, punching and kicking him. Police had to intervene to save the beleaguered arbiter. The manager who incited the mini-riot? None other than Casey Stengel, who had learned umpire-baiting while playing OF for one of the best of all time, John "Mugsy" McGraw of the New York Giants. Casey is pictured at the right while with Brooklyn.

Babe Ruth stories abound to the point where we could fill this space with a new tale each week for several years. Here's two you may not have heard.

• August 20, 1923 at Chicago's Comiskey Park. Babe was playing LF in the ninth inning of a Yankee 16-5 romp. A dog got onto the field in left; so Ruth began having fun with his new playmate. As Earl Sheely came to bat, Babe tossed his glove at the pup, who sped off with Ruth's mitt in his teeth. Since the umpires didn't bother to stop the game to clear the dog from the field, Sheely smacked the next pitch into LF. Ruth ran over and caught the ball barehanded!
  Note: Babe is usually listed in RF on All-Time teams, probably because that's the position he played on the famous 1927 Bronx Bombers. But, in fact, he played more games in LF than any other position.

• Eight days later, the Yankees were in Canada for an exhibition game against the Toronto club of the International League at Maple Leaf Stadium. Acclaimed the largest ball yard in the minor leagues because of its 17,000 capacity, this park was significant because it was here that Babe hit his first professional HR on September 5, 1914, while playing for Providence Grays. He also pitched a one-hitter in that game. The park was located on one of the Toronto Islands in Lake Ontario. Ever the showman, Babe made a bold announcement to the crowd before the game. He vowed to hit a ball off the clock beyond the CF fence. As the fans laughed, Babe grabbed a fungo bat, tossed a ball in the air, and did just what he said he'd do. In the contest that followed, he swatted a HR over the right center field fence into Toronto Bay in his first at-bat. "It was one of the longest hits made at the Toronto ball grounds in several years," according to the New York Times. In his next three at-bats, Babe walked, struck out, and grounded into a forceout. That means he played almost the entire game, if not all nine innings, in the Yankees 8-2 loss.

Mike "King" Kelly

One of the most colorful characters in baseball history was Michael Joseph (King) Kelly, "an intelligent, handsome, mustachioed Irishman from Troy NY." 5'10 1/2" 185 lb "King Kel" could drink any two men under the table, then play great behind the plate the next afternoon. Kelly scored six runs for Boston against Pittsburgh on August 27, 1887. And he stole six bases against Cleveland on May 19, 1890. "Slide, Kelly, slide" became a famous cry at Boston games. He also took advantage of the one-umpire system and the rules of the day. Like many others, he often scored from second base without touching third because the umpire, stationed behind the mound and watching the ball in the OF, could not call what he didn't see. When King was not in the lineup and an opposing batter hit a foul pop in front of his dugout that none of his players could catch, he would jumjp out, shout, "Kelly now catching for Boston" and catch the ball barehanded. No rule said it couldn't be done. On another occasion, he duped Jesse Burkett. With the St. Louis star on 3B with two out , the batter grounded to the SS, but the throw to first was too late. As Burkett approached the plate, Kelly dropped his mitt as if the third out had been made. So Burkett slowed down, only to have King catch the throw from 1B barehanded and tag him out!

"The Freshest Man on Earth" was Arlie Latham. Considered one of the fastest players of his day, he stole 129 bases and scored 163 runs in 1887 with playing 3B for St. Louis. His record is not recognized by MLB because stolen bases were defined differently in that era. He was given his unique nickname because of his upbeat personality. After retiring from baseball, Latham spent 16 years in England where he taught baseball to his friend, King George V. "Wagon Tongue" was Bill Keister. He got the nickname because he rarely stopped talking. Playing for six ML teams from 1896-1903, Wagon Tongue has the dubious distinction of compiling the lowest single season fielding percentage in history: .851 at SS in 1901 for the Baltimore Orioles of the fledgling American League. Lou Szikas was "The Nervous Greek" because of the unusual ritual he went through for every at-bat. Before stepping into the box, he walked between the C and the umpire, rubbed his bat between his legs, and reached into his back pocket to touch a lucky coin. The rite paid off in 1956 when he hit .314 for the Kansas City Athletics. However, he dropped to .245 for KC in '57 and .242 for Detroit in '58. Babe Phelps Babe Phelps set the all-time record for catchers when he hit .367 for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1936. His achievement is particularly noteworthy because he often stayed awake all night to listen to his heartbeat because he feared that, if his heart skipped four beats, he would die. Phelps was called "Blimp" because of his shape.

Arlie Latham (R) next to Wilbert Robinson, both coaches for the New York Giants in 1909. Lou Szikas

Reference: Baseball's Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of the National Pastime's Outrageous Offenders, Lucky Bounces, and Other Oddities, Floyd Conner

Carl Hubbell built his Hall of Fame career around his special pitch, the screwball. Another New York Giant great, Christy Mathewson, had thrown a similar pitch, called a "fadeaway" in his day, albeit from the right side. The screwball or fadeaway breaks the opposite of a curve ball. So it provided a left-handed hurler like Hubbell a delivery that moves away from right handed batters. Interestingly, Hubbell was discouraged from throwing his trademark screwball early in his career. First of all, Hubbell's acquisition by the Giants is an interesting story. Scout Dick Kinsella attended the 1928 Democratic National Convention in Houston as a delegate from Illinois. One afternoon, Kinsella played hooky and attended a Texas League game between the Houston Buffs and Beaumont. The Beaumont P, a tall, slim southpaw, pitched a 1-0 victory in extra innings. Kinsella telephoned Giants manager John McGraw: "This afternoon I saw another Art Nehf." Trusting his scout, McGraw bought Hubbell for $30,000, a record price for a Texas League player. Interestingly, the Giants had owned the rights to Hubbell when he first entered pro ball but had traded him to the Phillies in 1920. Beaumont was a farm club of Detroit. In two spring camps with the Tigers, Carl had pitched only one inning. He had experimented with the screwball, but coach George McBride warned him not to throw it lest he injure his elbow. The stuff Kinsella saw Hubbell throw in Houston was good enough for the Texas League, but he would need something more to succeed in the Big Show. When optioned to Beaumont, Hubbell told his manager that he would not return to Detroit because he didn't think they would give him a chance. If he was not sold to another ML club, he would quit pro ball and work for an oil company. Called up to the Giants almost as soon as they acquired him in 1928, Hubbell decided to trot out his screwball during a game against the Cardinals. With two on, he faced a 3-1 count against Chick Hafey, one of the best right-handed batters in the league. C Shanty Hogan signaled for a fastball. Instead, Hubbell threw the scroogie. It fooled Chick for strike two. Hogan called for another fastball, but Carl fired another fadeaway. Hafey struck out. Hogan told him, "I don't know what that pitch was but keep throwing it." Hubbell kept throwing it for 253 NL victories. He also threw it in the second All Star Game in 1934 at the Polo Grounds when he struck out Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, and Joe Cronin in order. The streak began with two men on when C Gabby Hartnett of the Cubs told Hubbell, "Just throw that 'thing.' It'll get 'em out. It always gets me out."

Carl Hubbell

Reference: Baseball's Hall of Fame: Cooperstown, Where the Legends Live Forever, Lowell Reidenbaugh

Dave Bancroft

Dave Bancroft was known as "Beauty" because of his gorgeous play at SS, where he was considered second only to the great Honus Wagner in the first part of the 20th century. Dave toiled for five years with the Phillies before John McGraw traded for him in June, 1920. Mired in the second division, the Giants were playing before sparse crowds while the New York Yankees, sharing the Polo Grounds until their own stadium was built, packed the stands because of their newly-acquired sensation, Babe Ruth. To get Bancroft, the Giants sent the Phillies aging SS Art Fletcher, a young P named Carl Hubbell, and $100,000 (a monumental sum in those days). Bancroft, known as one of the most intelligent players of the era, was especially adept at stealing opponents' signs. So when he took his position to start his first game with the Giants, C Pancho Snyder summoned him to the mound for a conference. "Maybe I should explain our signs to you," said Snyder. "Why, have they changed?" asked Bancroft. "If not, I know them already." An incident a few seasons later further cemented McGraw's admiration for his Beauty. Bancroft reported to the Polo Grounds with a high fever but insisted on playing. At the end of the game, he collapsed in the clubhouse. The team physician called for an ambulance. "This man has pneumonia." Marveled McGraw: "Imagine. He played nine innings with pneumonia." The Giants didn't win in 1920 (although they did climb to second place by the end of the season). However, they won three straight pennants from 1921 through 1923. McGraw parted with Dave after the '23 season only because Bancroft had an offer to manage the Boston Braves.

Reference: Baseball's Hall of Fame: Cooperstown, Where the Legends Live Forever, Lowell Reidenbaugh

Usually 23 runs is sufficient to win a baseball game. However, it wasn't enough for the Philadelphia Phillies on August 25, 1922. The Chicago Cubs scored 26 to win at Wrigley Field. During the game that took 3:01, a very long time in that era, there were 51 hits, 21 walks, a hit batsman, and 9 errors. The Cubs scored 14 runs in the fourth inning. Amazingly, the same two franchises amassed 45 runs at Wrigley Field on May 17, 1979. This time the Phillies won 23-22 in ten innings. A record 97 total bases were amassed that day. The Phils banged out 24 hits and the Cubs, 26. The visitors hit five HRs, including two by 3B Mike Schmidt. Dave Kingman did Mike one better, belting half of the six HRs by the Cubs. Philly had 7- and 8-run innings, and Chicago 6- and 7-run innings. Three years earlier, April 17, 1976, the Cubs led the Phillies at Wrigley Field 12-1 after three innings and were still ahead 13-4 going into the seventh. Philadelphia ralled to take a 15-13 in the top of the ninth only to have the Cubs send the game into extra innings. The Phils won in ten 18-16. The same Mike Schmidt hit HRs in the fifth, seventh, eighth, and tenth innings, amassing 8 RBIs.

Mike Schmidt