1977 - Jerry Bird's Column: The Tobasco Kid
Jerry Byrd - SPORTS EDITOR
The Tobasco Kid
More than 33 years after his death Norman Elberfeld is still getting support for baseball's Hall of Fame. Gene Rogers of Mansfield thinks Elberfeld deserves a niche in the old - timers' division at Cooperstown and recently sent me three yellowed tattered copies of "Sporting News" World War II vintage detailing the exploits of the fiery little shortstop '
THEY CALLED HIM "The Tobasco Kid" Playing in an era that included John McGraw, Ty Cobb, Willie Keeler, and Napoleon Lajoie, the Kid's reputation as a battler was unmatched. Baseball was a rough game in those days.Even the umpires got into the act. Once when Elberfeld was playing for the old New York Highlanders (who later became the Yankees ) an ump named Time Hurst called him out at the plate. When Elberfeld protested Hurst removed his mask and — using it as a club — knocked the Kid unconscious. He was out at home plate twice on the same play. It was one of the few times that the 5-7 135-pound Elberfeld came out on the short end of a fight.
"I was tough and I guess mean too" he said shortly before his death "But a little guy had to be tough to get by. The only way you could prevent those big fellows from picking on you was to be tougher than they were.
" WHEN YOU SLID into the Kid at second base you limped back to the dugout with skinned-up shins And when he slid into you he came in with razor - sharp spikes high (You knew they were sharp because he sat in front of the dugout before the game filing them) The Kid liked to tell the story about the time a scout picked him over Honus Wagner. Philadelphia sent a former pitcher named Con Lucid to watch Wagner playing with the Paterson NJ team in the Atlantic League But Paterson happened to be playing Elberfeld's Richmond club that day. "The Dutchman is too clumsy" the stout reported "The fellow you want is the little guy Elberfeld who plays for Richmond" So Philadelphia bought the Kid and Louisville later purchased Wagner
THE TOBASCO KID didn't claim that he invented the suicide squeeze but he used it the first time that New York sports writer Sam Crane used the term in print. The Highlanders were in the late innings of a game with 42-game winner Jack Chesbro on the mound. Elberfeld came to the plate with a teammate on third base and manager Clark Griffith came in from the third base coaching box "Bunt the first pitch" he whispered in the Kid's ear "I'm going to send the runner in on it" He did and it worked beautifully The runner crossed the plate standing up while the pitcher caught by surprise held the ball.
When he was playing with New York, Elberfeld thought the Highlanders should have won two pennants (1904 and 1908) : "The other teams didn't beat us" he recalled later "We beat ourselves"
NEW YORK LOST the 1904 pennant on the final day of the season when a spitball by :Chesbro sailed far over catcher Jack Kleinow's head with Boston's Kip Selbach on :third base.
ooking back on his big league career, Elberfeld had only one regret: that he never had a chance to play for McGraw . "John McGraw always liked me" he said."I played his aggressive style of ball" In 1903 it almost happened. McGraw offered Elberfeld $3,000 to play for his Giants That was big money then and the Kid jumped at the opportunity. But the deal was voided as part of a peace agreement between the National and American leagues '
Still The Tobasco Kid — whose formal education did not get past the fourth grade — put four daughters and a son through college From that viewpoint his career was probably more successful than some of the "immortals" residing in Cooperstown
ONE OF THE MOST interesting lines in the "Sporting News" stories came from former teammate Dave Fultz shortly after Elberfeld's death. Fultz, president of a baseball players' "fraternity" that was organized around 1912 and broken up by World War I, was asked if such a group might be formed again "I say unhesitatingly that there is no likelihood of there ever again being any union or fraternity of major league players" he answered "There no longer is any need for it" How do you like them apples Marvin Miller?
The Tobasco Kid
More than 33 years after his death Norman Elberfeld is still getting support for baseball's Hall of Fame. Gene Rogers of Mansfield thinks Elberfeld deserves a niche in the old - timers' division at Cooperstown and recently sent me three yellowed tattered copies of "Sporting News" World War II vintage detailing the exploits of the fiery little shortstop '
THEY CALLED HIM "The Tobasco Kid" Playing in an era that included John McGraw, Ty Cobb, Willie Keeler, and Napoleon Lajoie, the Kid's reputation as a battler was unmatched. Baseball was a rough game in those days.Even the umpires got into the act. Once when Elberfeld was playing for the old New York Highlanders (who later became the Yankees ) an ump named Time Hurst called him out at the plate. When Elberfeld protested Hurst removed his mask and — using it as a club — knocked the Kid unconscious. He was out at home plate twice on the same play. It was one of the few times that the 5-7 135-pound Elberfeld came out on the short end of a fight.
"I was tough and I guess mean too" he said shortly before his death "But a little guy had to be tough to get by. The only way you could prevent those big fellows from picking on you was to be tougher than they were.
" WHEN YOU SLID into the Kid at second base you limped back to the dugout with skinned-up shins And when he slid into you he came in with razor - sharp spikes high (You knew they were sharp because he sat in front of the dugout before the game filing them) The Kid liked to tell the story about the time a scout picked him over Honus Wagner. Philadelphia sent a former pitcher named Con Lucid to watch Wagner playing with the Paterson NJ team in the Atlantic League But Paterson happened to be playing Elberfeld's Richmond club that day. "The Dutchman is too clumsy" the stout reported "The fellow you want is the little guy Elberfeld who plays for Richmond" So Philadelphia bought the Kid and Louisville later purchased Wagner
THE TOBASCO KID didn't claim that he invented the suicide squeeze but he used it the first time that New York sports writer Sam Crane used the term in print. The Highlanders were in the late innings of a game with 42-game winner Jack Chesbro on the mound. Elberfeld came to the plate with a teammate on third base and manager Clark Griffith came in from the third base coaching box "Bunt the first pitch" he whispered in the Kid's ear "I'm going to send the runner in on it" He did and it worked beautifully The runner crossed the plate standing up while the pitcher caught by surprise held the ball.
When he was playing with New York, Elberfeld thought the Highlanders should have won two pennants (1904 and 1908) : "The other teams didn't beat us" he recalled later "We beat ourselves"
NEW YORK LOST the 1904 pennant on the final day of the season when a spitball by :Chesbro sailed far over catcher Jack Kleinow's head with Boston's Kip Selbach on :third base.
ooking back on his big league career, Elberfeld had only one regret: that he never had a chance to play for McGraw . "John McGraw always liked me" he said."I played his aggressive style of ball" In 1903 it almost happened. McGraw offered Elberfeld $3,000 to play for his Giants That was big money then and the Kid jumped at the opportunity. But the deal was voided as part of a peace agreement between the National and American leagues '
Still The Tobasco Kid — whose formal education did not get past the fourth grade — put four daughters and a son through college From that viewpoint his career was probably more successful than some of the "immortals" residing in Cooperstown
ONE OF THE MOST interesting lines in the "Sporting News" stories came from former teammate Dave Fultz shortly after Elberfeld's death. Fultz, president of a baseball players' "fraternity" that was organized around 1912 and broken up by World War I, was asked if such a group might be formed again "I say unhesitatingly that there is no likelihood of there ever again being any union or fraternity of major league players" he answered "There no longer is any need for it" How do you like them apples Marvin Miller?