By Woodrow Carroll
I must confess I was fortunate to have a father who was sports-minded. All the major sports were just fine with him for sure, however, similar to most who grew up between the two World Wars, Major League Baseball (MLB) had a hold on him.
For my father, as well as many others, the 1930s were not the best of economic times. The Great Depression was upon our Nation and for many, life was a struggle. Yet, by dint of saving money my father and his brother, both unmarried and unattached, managed to go from the Peoria, Ill. area in 1933 to Washington D.C. by car! The story related by my father was one of frugality with regard to expenses on the way to the District of Columbia, but, fond memories.
The expressed reason, or at least one of the prime reasons, for the journey in 1933 to Washington was to pass the White House. FDR had just been elected president and there was an upbeat mood in the air for many in the country.
The Major League Baseball (MLB) schedule sure worked in their favor. The New York Yankees were in Washington to take on the Senators in a doubleheader. The Yankees were the team of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and were defending 1932 World Series champions. The Yankees defeated the Chicago Cubs, four games to zero, to win the 1932 World Series.
Tickets to the Yankees-Senators doubleheader must have been inexpensive, otherwise one senses my dad and uncle would have passed on the game..Recollections can be hazy. Father talked as though the Senators’ Griffith Stadium was less than half full. Very possible given what the Nation was going through at the time.
My father passed away in 1983. It was not until later in life that he told of the trip to our Nation’s capital, at least in any detail.
Apparently the doubleheader between the Yankees and Senators was high-scoring. As told to me, the teams split with the likes of Ruth and Gehrig doing their part at bat, however, the player who made the strongest impression on my parent was the Senators’ “Goose” Goslin.
Why a nickname such as “Goose”? Well, the rightfully-named Leon Allen Goslin struggled as a fielder. Goslin played mostly left field and often flapped his arms in tracking down anything hit in his direction. Fly balls his way often were an adventure. Nonetheless, Goslin had a terrific arm and threw out more than his share of runners trying to take an extra base.
During Spring training late in his career, Goslin was fooling around with the shot put at a nearby track. He injured his arm and was never the same in cutting down runners.
Timing for my father and his brother was good in 1933, and, real good for Washington. The Senators ended up winning the American League championship that season. For Goslin and his teammates, the World Series did end poorly. Another New York team, called the Giants, defeated the Senators, four games to one in the Fall Classic.
In Yankee Stadium, the House That Ruth Built (1923-2008)! Goslin hit 32 homers. the most by any player never to wear Yankee pinstripes.
Playing for a team such as the Senators probably cost Goslin a degree of recognition. It was not until long after his career ended that Goslin made it to the Hall of Fame when the Veteran’s Committee installed him in 1968, three years prior to his death.