Monday, May 03, 2010
By Rick Shrum, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/?m=1
Pie Traynor and Vernon Law are distinguished figures in the distinguished history of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They were linchpins of championship teams who were revered inside and outside the clubhouse.
Their lives are chronicled in two interesting biographies.
"Pie Traynor: A Baseball Biography" is about the Hall of Fame third baseman who was later renowned locally for his storytelling and TV ads.Pie Traynor
This is the first biography of Harold Joseph Traynor, who died of emphysema in 1972 at 73. It wasn't an easy endeavor for the authors, for little is known about Mr. Traynor's early years. Even the genesis of his nickname is uncertain, the conclusion being that he enjoyed pie.
Yet Mr. Forr and Mr. Proctor provide more than a slice of Pie, digging diligently to piece together a profile that probably is as factual as it could be.
His accomplishments are indisputable, though. Mr. Traynor played for 17 seasons, all with the Pirates, starting in 1920. He retired with a .320 batting average and 2,416 hits, and helped lead his team to two World Series, in 1925, a triumph against the Washington Senators, and 1927, a four-game sweep by the Yankees.
A converted shortstop, Mr. Traynor overcame an erratic throwing arm to become the most respected third baseman of his era. His skills began to diminish in 1934 due to chronic pain in his right (throwing) shoulder, which ultimately forced him to retire in 1937. He became a player-manager during the 1934 season, and managed until late in 1939, when he resigned under pressure.
Much of that pressure, the authors write, was self-imposed. Mr. Traynor let the job overwhelm him. He worried and smoked incessantly, sulked after defeats and took adversity personally. He blamed himself for the Pirates' late-season collapse in 1938, when the Chicago Cubs swept three games -- including Gabby Hartnett's infamous, last-inning "Homer in the Gloamin' " -- to wrest the National League pennant from them.
Out of baseball for a few years, Mr. Traynor lived in Cincinnati with Eve, his wife of 41 years. (They had no children.) They moved to Pittsburgh in late 1944, when he started hosting a 15-minute sports program, "The Hot Corner," on KQV radio.
That led to his gig as a spokesman for American Heating Co., for which he did commercials on WPXI's "Studio Wrestling." Dressed immaculately, he would look at the camera and bellow, "Who can? Ameri-can. American Heating Company."
Though Mr. Traynor comes off as a favorable figure, Mr. Forr and Mr. Proctor dutifully detail some flaws. The Hall of Famer was stubborn, somewhat cavalier with his money and held grudges, especially against star outfielder Paul Waner, a one-time friend, and -- inexplicably --Dick Groat, a Pirates standout in the 1950s and early '60s.
The authors also examine a theory, espoused by contemporary baseball historians, that Mr. Traynor may have been overrated. His defensive statistics and some offensive numbers appear to be ordinary today.
Their conclusion: for his era, "Pie Traynor was a fantastic player."
In "Kiss It Goodbye: The Mystery, the Mormon and the Moral of the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates" John Moody reflects on the team's run to the World Series title while he was growing up in Bethel Park. But his focus is on Mr. Law, his childhood hero.Vernon Law
Mr. Law is a devout Mormon who grew up in rural Idaho, then grew into one of the best pitchers in the major leagues.
A right-hander known as "The Deacon," he was the Cy Young winner in 1960, when there was one award across the majors instead of one for each league. Mr. Law had a 20-9 record with 18 complete games, then won two World Series games against the New York Yankees.
He wasn't as effective in the series, though, because of an injury that, for nearly a half-century, had been described nebulously as something that occurred as the team celebrated the clinching of its first National League title in 33 years.
The Pirates lost in Milwaukee Sept. 23, but became champs when the second-place St. Louis Cardinals lost to the Chicago Cubs. The revelry turned raucous in the visiting clubhouse.
Mr. Moody, a one-time foreign correspondent for the Associated Press, writes that only Mr. Law and catcher Smoky Burgess, a teetotaler, bowed out. But teammates tried to haul the pitcher into the celebration and, in the tussle, his right ankle was twisted. The pain forced Mr. Law to change his delivery, and his shoulder started throbbing. By the end of the series or during the following spring, he would have a torn rotator cuff that would cause him to struggle for three years.
Despite continuous prodding from Mr. Moody, Mr. Law refused to name names, professing forgiveness. But the author identifies the main culprits as reserve catcher Bob Oldis and broadcaster Bob Prince.
Mr. Oldis twisted the foot, according to a 1965 article by Roy McHugh of the old Pittsburgh Press. And while not specifically blaming Mr. Prince, Mr. Law acknowledges that the Voice of the Pirates "probably was more of an instigator than anyone, as he was in front of me leading the pack on" and that he "could have stopped the whole thing if he'd wanted to."
Mr. Moody, the son of John Moody, a longtime Post-Gazette labor reporter, does an excellent job recounting the 1960 season through the perceptions of a 6-year-old and providing an accurate depiction of grimy, working-class Pittsburgh at that time.
He does commit two errors that will be obvious to a devoted baseball fan. Mr. Moody misspells legendary Pirates broadcaster Rosey Rowswell's name and writes that former Pirates slugger Dale Long hit a major-league record eight consecutive pinch-hit home runs in 1956, when it was actually a homer in eight straight games as a full-time player. Otherwise, the author knocks it out of the yard.
Rick Shrum: rshrum@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1911.
Touching All The Bases
• Mays called the best in praise-filled book
• Books throw good hooks on Pie and the Deacon
• Biography gives Hank Aaron due respect
• Minorities' impact on the game documented
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