August 29, 1937 - Chattanooga Daily Times (Chattanooga, Tennessee) - Elberfeld farming photo
Kid Elberfeld stopped his farming chores on Signal Mountain yesterday long enough to recall the greatest on 1920 Little Rock team, the only Pebble club which ever one the Southern Association pennant. The 1937 Pebbles are here today.
KID'S KIND OF TEAM.
"Do I remember that 1920 team! I never could forget it. It was the best team I ever had. Not a great team, but a fighting team. It was "my kind of ball club."
Norman ("Kid") Elberfeld, his chest bronzed, his head shaved, his shins covered with spike scars—paused as he hoed a bean patch on his plot of land near his Signal Mountain home.
He was talking about his title dub at Little Rock that city's only title club in history, so far.
"That was a crazy bunch of galoots. They could do everything," said the 63-year-old Elberfeld, still. fiery and spry after seventeen hard years in the majors and twelve years of man-
aging in the Southern.
"They were the cussingest, fightingest, drinkingest bunk, of ball players ever in this league. Why they had a fight in every park. I bet they cost me $1,500 in fines. That's the way they
won, fighting!
"And drink! The last month of the season, it was a tough, close grind. Four or five clubs were in the race. Every game counted and just as soon as the game was over every day, they would hit the trail for the whisky. So I kept it in my hotel room for them under lock and key until the game was over. That way I would know. where they were.
"Some bunch that was. My kind of club. I had the kind of fellows who always had their heads up. They would come to me and say: `I can hit and run against that guy.' We used the squeeze, but we hit the ball and didn't bunt. It was like Willie Keeler and Hal Chase and I used to do with the Yankees. Shift up there at the plate and hit for the hole, keeping the ball on the ground. Why one day we made eleven runs in one inning. We started off hitting and running and never stopped. We had long-range power, plenty of it, and my men were fast."
BETTER THAN PRESENT PEBS.
The Kid called it a better team than the present Travelers, although he admitted he had seen the 1937 pennant-bound club but one time.
"Our pitching was better. And our fielding was better. We had more long hitters, but the batting averages were no higher than this club's. We had more fight. I am satisfied we could beat this club. Is Doc Prothro a great manager? Any club up on top has a great manager. Pitchers are carrying his club along. You have got to have pitching. Take the clubs which are up there. They have the pitching.
"That's what I really had—pitching. Mose Yellowhorse was the best pitcher I ever saw in this league. And they tell me that when it gets dark and they need a good relief pitcher to throw into the breach up at Pittsburgh, the fans still holler: `We want Yellowhorse!'
"How he could go! Whenever I wanted a guy lowbridged. I would tell Yellowhorse and when the ball plunked the batter in the ribs it sounded like a 'drum beat. He had enough control to nick a batter's ear. He was the kingpin of them all. He was the kind of guy who would come to you on the bench in a tight spot and say: 'Let me go in there.'
"Three pitchers carried us to victory. The other two were Dubber Jonnard and Rube Robinson. They were just about as good. Old Rube would work any time and he was always hard
to beat.
"I remember one day in Atlanta our catchers were all hurt and I had to put myself on the eligibility list and catch. Rube was pitching. A Yankee scout was in the stands. Old Rube threw a ball that came up to the plate like a balloon and they zipped away from the batter like a pea. He kept plunking it in there and they didn't score in seven innings. The Yankee scout sent me a note asking: `Has that fellow got a curve ball?' " The Kid smiled. "I showed him a few curve balls. The
Yanks bought him."
NOTE: There is no record of Rube Robinson playing for the Yankees.
"Do I remember that 1920 team! I never could forget it. It was the best team I ever had. Not a great team, but a fighting team. It was "my kind of ball club."
Norman ("Kid") Elberfeld, his chest bronzed, his head shaved, his shins covered with spike scars—paused as he hoed a bean patch on his plot of land near his Signal Mountain home.
He was talking about his title dub at Little Rock that city's only title club in history, so far.
"That was a crazy bunch of galoots. They could do everything," said the 63-year-old Elberfeld, still. fiery and spry after seventeen hard years in the majors and twelve years of man-
aging in the Southern.
"They were the cussingest, fightingest, drinkingest bunk, of ball players ever in this league. Why they had a fight in every park. I bet they cost me $1,500 in fines. That's the way they
won, fighting!
"And drink! The last month of the season, it was a tough, close grind. Four or five clubs were in the race. Every game counted and just as soon as the game was over every day, they would hit the trail for the whisky. So I kept it in my hotel room for them under lock and key until the game was over. That way I would know. where they were.
"Some bunch that was. My kind of club. I had the kind of fellows who always had their heads up. They would come to me and say: `I can hit and run against that guy.' We used the squeeze, but we hit the ball and didn't bunt. It was like Willie Keeler and Hal Chase and I used to do with the Yankees. Shift up there at the plate and hit for the hole, keeping the ball on the ground. Why one day we made eleven runs in one inning. We started off hitting and running and never stopped. We had long-range power, plenty of it, and my men were fast."
BETTER THAN PRESENT PEBS.
The Kid called it a better team than the present Travelers, although he admitted he had seen the 1937 pennant-bound club but one time.
"Our pitching was better. And our fielding was better. We had more long hitters, but the batting averages were no higher than this club's. We had more fight. I am satisfied we could beat this club. Is Doc Prothro a great manager? Any club up on top has a great manager. Pitchers are carrying his club along. You have got to have pitching. Take the clubs which are up there. They have the pitching.
"That's what I really had—pitching. Mose Yellowhorse was the best pitcher I ever saw in this league. And they tell me that when it gets dark and they need a good relief pitcher to throw into the breach up at Pittsburgh, the fans still holler: `We want Yellowhorse!'
"How he could go! Whenever I wanted a guy lowbridged. I would tell Yellowhorse and when the ball plunked the batter in the ribs it sounded like a 'drum beat. He had enough control to nick a batter's ear. He was the kingpin of them all. He was the kind of guy who would come to you on the bench in a tight spot and say: 'Let me go in there.'
"Three pitchers carried us to victory. The other two were Dubber Jonnard and Rube Robinson. They were just about as good. Old Rube would work any time and he was always hard
to beat.
"I remember one day in Atlanta our catchers were all hurt and I had to put myself on the eligibility list and catch. Rube was pitching. A Yankee scout was in the stands. Old Rube threw a ball that came up to the plate like a balloon and they zipped away from the batter like a pea. He kept plunking it in there and they didn't score in seven innings. The Yankee scout sent me a note asking: `Has that fellow got a curve ball?' " The Kid smiled. "I showed him a few curve balls. The
Yanks bought him."
NOTE: There is no record of Rube Robinson playing for the Yankees.