Eamon Straub

Mr. Malone
Baseball Essay
22 September 2019

Tragedies of Baseball

Baseball has a rich history of enjoyment and happiness that few can say they have experienced.
With that though, baseball has not always been a sight of joy. Many instances, it seemed as if
baseball would be spiraling down-hill and it wouldn’t be able to stop. Few of these events
occurred but almost all of them left and impact on the game and the world.
The first event that jeopardized baseball is the inevitable 1919 World Series, where players of the
popular baseball team Chicago White Sox had thrown the game to win money from illegal
gamblers. What led to the players to throw the game which many believed to be the worst act
imaginable was the treatment and cheapness of the owner Charles Cominsky. Cominsky became
very cheap in how he paid his players especially star pitcher, Eddie Cicotte who had won 29
games that year and needed 30 wins for a 10,000-dollar bonus. Cominsky realized that Cicotte
needed one more win for the bonus and told manager Kid Gleason to bench Cicotte for the final
five games. Which resulted in no bonus. Since Cominsky wouldn’t he pay a portion of the bonus
Cicotte would then help the Sox throw the series. The most famous part of the scandal is the star
player of the White Sox who is Shoeless Joe Jackson. Jackson was a phenom for the Sox that
drove crowds from everywhere to watch. What most people don't know is that Jackson not very
intelligent and was in fact illiterate. Because of this, most believe that he had little to no part in
the fix and that his punishment was too harsh. Jackson led the series with a .375 batting average
and 12 base hits which set a World Series record. Shoeless Joe also led every major batting stat
in the series for both teams. With these stats, Major League Baseball has since thought about
relinquishing Jackson’s punishment and putting him in the hall of fame.
With that comes the most notable tragedy in all of baseball history. The retirement of Lou
Gehrig. Lou Gehrig was the First baseman of the New York Yankees from 1923-1939. In this
time span Gehrig was able to accomplish more than anyone could ever think. He was a seven-
time all-star, six-time world series champ, two-time MVP, triple crown winner, and a career
batting average of .340. His most impressive stat was one not many would think as an impressive
stat, but one very few could ever achieve. 2,130 games Gehrig played until he voluntarily took
himself out of the lineup since he believed that he could not contribute to his team anymore.
Before that day arrived, Lou had seen a drastic change in his physical ability which attributed to
the worst stats of his career. He would go on to bat .139 and one RBI in training camp which was
the worst he ever produced. On May 2 of 1939, The New York Yankees were playing the Detroit
Tigers, and before the game Lou Gehrig went up to manager Joe Mccarthy and told him that he
would be benching himself. He would then go on to give the lineup sheet to the umpires and
proceed back to the bench where he cries for the rest of the game. That ended a 14-year career of
never missing a game. Soon after that Gehrig would go to become diagnosed with the disease
known as ALS which was a disease that deteriorated the nervous system while the mind stayed
active. On July 4th, 1939 the Yankees hailed that day Lou Gehrig day where it was just an
enormous ceremony where all players old and new would come together to show how much Lou
Gehrig meant to them. He would then go on to say his famous speech, Fans, for the past two
weeks, you've been reading about a bad break[79] [pause] Today[80] I consider myself the luckiest man on
the face of the[81]earth. I have been in ballparks for 17 years and have never received anything but kindness and
encouragement from your fans.

When you look around, wouldn't you consider it a privilege to associate yourself with such fine-
looking men as are standing in uniform in this ballpark today?[82] Sure, I'm lucky. Who wouldn't consider it
an honor to have known
Jacob Ruppert? Also, the builder of baseball's greatest empire, Ed Barrow? To
have spent six years with that wonderful little fellow, Miller Huggins? Then to have spent the next
nine years with that outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology, the best manager in
baseball today, Joe McCarthy? Sure, I'm lucky.

When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you
a gift – that's something. When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white
coats remember you with trophies – that's something. When you have a wonderful mother-in-law,
who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter – that's something. When you have a
father and a mother who work all their lives so you can have an education and build your body – it's
a blessing. When you have a wife, who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than
you dreamed existed – that's the finest I know.

So, I close in saying that I might have been given a bad break, but I've got an awful lot to live for. –
Thank you.

Lou Gehrig would go on to die on June 2, 1941 due to complications of ALS but even with this
he is still remembered to this day.
Tragedy shapes society and a whole dynasty is shaped by the death of Thurman Munson.
Thurman Munson was a seven-time all-star, two-time world series champion, three gold gloves,
and an MVP. Munson played eleven years as a catcher for the New York Yankees who was
going on to have a hall of fame career. Munson was the first player to be named Captain by the
Yankees since Lou Gehrig was in 1939. The 1970’s was a rough stretch for the Yankees before
Munson had arrived. They hadn't had an appearance in the series in over a decade. Munson led
the Yankees to three straight appearances from 1976-1978, winning the latter of the two.
Thurman Munson would win the 1976 by posting a stat line of .302 BA, 17 home runs, and 105
RBI’s and led all catchers in stolen bases caught. Upon the 1979 season, Munson was growing
homesick and grew a great desire to play for the Cleveland Indians so he could play close to
home. With that he was also considering retirement since the wear and tear of catching was
catching up to him. The Yankees were no help to that season since they were 14 games back of
the first place Baltimore Orioles in the AL East. Munson had taken an interest in flying so that he
could go back and forth from New York and Canton to see his family. Thurman had been flying
for over a year before the events of August 2, 1979 when Thurman clipped a tree with the flaps
and the jet hit a tree stump and burst into flames. From the accident, Munson received a broken
neck and if he had survived, he would have suffered from quadriplegia. Sadly, Munson had died
from asphyxiation due to the superheated air and toxic substances. The day after the crash, news
had reached the Yankees who in respect before the game, all defensive players lined up in their
positions and left the catcher's box empty. The Yankees retired the jersey number right away, the
locker that he used, and a bronzed set of his catcher equipment was donated to the hall of fame.
To this day, the locker position that Munson used was never reassigned. Munson would live on
by his wife and three kids.
Wrapping things up isn't just one single act by a person but by a group of individuals who all did
the same activity. What I'm talking about is the 1990’s. During this time the game's biggest
names were caught in a scandal revolving around the idea of players using steroids. Players such
as Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Roger Clemens, Jose Canseco and Barry Bonds all were being
investigated and beginning in 2003 players had to stand in front of the Grand Jury and testify
stating that they had used the products giving to them from other players and agents. Main
source was listed from players was Barry Bonds himself not even agents or medical staffs. This
era of baseball tainted the image of baseball showing for countless cheaters and having fans
believe that the game relied on science and substances. Even in the early 2000’s players were
still being searched out and found guilty even Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun were suspended
for the use of steroids.
Baseball has always been a game for happiness and love but it’s not always the way the game
goes. Life has different plans and the fans were taken away from some of the best players the
world has ever seen. Tragedy hits every part of life even baseball and these three events all show
that this is even true in the great sport of baseball.