Letters to the Editor10/16/1998
Pro baseball has had other Jewish starsEditor:I found your articles on Jewish baseball players (Jewish News, Oct. 9) very interesting and enjoyable reading. I thought I would share with you some other notable points of interest concerning Jewish baseball players. 1. When John J. McGraw was manager of the old New York Giants baseball team, he searched the minor leagues for a "Jewish Babe Ruth." He was anxious to attract Jews to the Polo Grounds. He thought he found the right man playing in El Paso, Texas. The player's name was Andy Cohen. He replaced Rogers Hornsby in 1928 as the Giants' second baseman, but did not become an outstanding attraction, as expected. 2. Not many major-leaguers have hit four or more grand-slam home runs in one season. Sid Gordon was a Jewish star who played for the N.Y. Giants in 1948, and for the Boston Braves in 1950. In 1950 he hit four home runs with the bases full. 3. From 1901 to 1913 a Jewish catcher, Johnny Kling, played with a number of clubs in the National League. He has been ranked as one of the great catchers of all time, and won distinction during the time he played for the Chicago Cubs. 4. Lipman E. Pike, the son of a Brooklyn haberdasher, was born in 1845 and died in 1893. In 1866 he played ball for a team called the Philadelphia Athletics, and received $20 per week for playing. As such he was the first professional baseball player. 5. To the best of my knowledge, only one Jewish player ever won a Major League batting crown. It happened in 1935 while Charles "Buddy" Myer was playing for the Washington Senators. That year he batted .349 and played second base. David Schacter Scottsdale 
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