Wednesday, June 15, 1927: New York City
Waiting For The Trade
Apparently I’m the only person who wasn’t aware my name was the subject of trade rumors — the Yankees have been talking with the Red Sox about trading Mark Koenig and me for the Sox’s 23-year-old star shortstop, Buddy Myer.
What a nightmare.
The Sox, at 13–37, are the worst, most dysfunctional team in either league.
Buddy Myer batted .304 for the Senators last season, and is a hellaciously good, and tough, defensive player. For some unexplained reason, the Senators traded him barely a month ago to the Sox, straight up for shortstop Topper Rigney. Why? No one can figure it out.
My pitching pal on the Senators, General Crowder has no idea why Washington gave up Myer. “Rigney is a complete stiff. And Myer’s going to be a star in the majors for a long, long time,” the General told me. “Maybe there will be a second trade that explains it. If not, it was just a spectacularly jacked-off move by us.”
Until this week, I could certainly understand the Yankees wanting to make the trade, though. Koenig is a liability in the field, and he’s a weak bat — not a great combination. If this great Yankee team is subpar at any position, it’s shortstop. Koenig’s also been hurt, after being hit in the leg with a pitch. Lazzeri’s been filling in at short and is now the best shortstop in either league. But Huggins thinks Koenig has potential, that’s why he hasn’t permanently moved Lazzeri to short and put someone else at second, which is what the fans and some of the press have been pleading for Hugg to do.
Most of the fans, much of the press, and more than a few players are thinking we should keep the W*p at short, and trade Koenig for a new second baseman. Others just want to trade Koenig for a better shortstop.
A Koenig for Myer trade, straight up, wouldn’t makes sense to the Red Sox — but if the Yanks added a pitcher to the deal, then it would make sense, even to Boston.
I feel like I’ve probably pitched my way out of that trade by becoming too valuable. I’m 5–1 with a 2.14 era, with most of that coming in the past three weeks.
And then there’s Shocker’s ailing heart — Huggins has got to be worried about Urban holding up over the long season — and both Ruether and Shawkey are long in the tooth, so I’m pretty sure I’ve proven myself to be needed insurance for Huggins, if nothing else.
But have I proven myself to Ed Barrow?
He’s the one who makes the trades. He used to manage the Red Sox, and he loves picking their pockets.
Of course, there’s also the possibility that by pitching well, I’ve actually just pitched myself into a trade, by making myself more appealing to the Sox.
Could that be why I’ve been getting so much work lately? Was I being showcased? Shit.
If the Yankees really want Buddy Myer, I may have just pitched myself off of what could be the greatest team in the history of baseball . . . and onto what could be the worst team in the history of baseball.
Probably no two teams have as much of a trading history as the Red Sox and the Yankees: Ruth, Hoyt, Pennock, Dugan, and Pipgras all came to us from the Sox; and Carl Mays, “Bullet Joe” Bush and Sam Jones, who are no longer on the Yankees, also came from Boston.
As for players who’ve gone the other way, well, as Hoyt is fond of saying:
“Boston is where Yankees go to die.”
- “Bullet Joe” Bush
- Alvin “General” Crowder
- WAITE Hoyt
- Sam Jones
- Carl Mays
- Buddy Myer
- Topper Rigney
- 1927 Yankees
“Dapper Dan”
After major struggles in the minor leagues, Myles finally pieced things together with the help of his manager in Toronto, Dan Howley — who now manages the St. Louis Browns.
This is Dapper Dan Howley’s first year managing in the bigs. He’s got his hands full with the St. Louis — but the Brownies are lucky to have him. He was my manager in the minors for three season.
By the time I got to Dapper Dan, in 1923 when he was managing the Toronto Maple Leafs in the International League, I was in my third year in the minors with a record of 11–21. Not exactly a hot prospect. But I once had been. My first minor league game had been a no-hitter.
