Bill Matteson
Uptown Chicago History Correspondent
Eddie Waitkus was a born baseball player. He was so good that when he played minor league with a small town in Maine, they called him a Natural. He was born of immigrant Lithuanian parents on Sept. 4th 1919.
He signed with the Chicago Cubs in about the1939/1940 time bracket, playing full time in 1941. Then the war broke out and most able-bodied ball players signed on to serve their country.
Eddie went with the Army and fought many a bloody battle in the Philippines, winning 4 bronze stars.
He returned to the Cubs in 1946 playing 1st base, replacing Phil Caveretta, who moved to left field.
Eddie was a highly educated sportsman and everyone liked him. He could speak five languages and was the poster boy of sportsmanship for the media. Yes, everyone loved him; maybe a little too much.
In 1948 he was traded to the Philles for three players, including Dutch Leonard, a great knuckleballer.
Now the Phillies had been scheduled to play 11 games over the 1949 season.
Arriving in Chicago June 14th, 1949, he registered at one of Uptown's finest hotels, the Edgewater Beach. A lot of out of town sports figures stayed there, while most of Chicago's players stayed at the Sheridan Plaza.
Unbeknownst to Eddie, he was being stalked. He had an admirer.
Ruth Ann Steinhagen was uncontrollably infatuated with Eddie. She registered at the hotel under the name of an old classmate of Eddie's and sent him an urgent message to meet her in her room.
When he walked in, she shot him in the chest with a 22 cal. rifle; she then called the desk and explained what happened. When help arrived, she was cradling Eddie's head in her lap. Eddie almost died several times, but they were successful in removing the bullet, which narrowly missed his heart.
On Aug.19., 1949, just 2 months after being shot, Eddie suited up and played at Shibes Park for Eddie Waitkus Night.
Today, our highly paid athletes get a hang nail or a sprained finger, they sit out the season.
Ruth Ann Steinhagen never went to trial. She spent a long time in a mental institution and died of natural causes last December 2012.
Sometime in 1952, a book was published, written by Bernard Malamud, inspired by these events. Malamud took parts of the Eddie Waitkus story and then borrowed from the life of Shoeless Joe Jackson, a few more baseball role models, including Christy Mathewson, the greatest pitcher of his day and the inventor of the fade-a-away, the present day screwball, a reverse curve, so to speak.
Christy was a role model for all young boys, not ever drinking or smoking and going to church. Christy even became the role model for the Frank Merriwell adventure series with over 800 books, movies, and radio programs
(I like to mention this part about Christy because his family changed their name from Matteson to Mathewson while living in Pennsylvania.)
Bernard Malamud wrote The Natural. Roy Hobbs was molded after all players mentioned.
A lot of good things come out of Uptown, or at least Uptown played a major part in them.
Editor's note: Bill Matteson grew up in Uptown in the forties and fifties. You can read more of his recollections by clicking the link "Bill Matteson" below.
Showing posts with label Chicago Cubs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicago Cubs. Show all posts
July 27, 2013
February 21, 2011
Memories of Baseball in Uptown and a Chicago Cubs Player
Editor's Note: Reader Wally Moy e-mailed this to us. If you have stories to share, e-mail editor(a)compassrose.com.
This blog really brings back memories.
In the late 50's, I lived on the 800 block of Montrose next to Lang Dental labs, where they made false teeth in the basement. The neighborhood kids played fast pitch in the vacant lot next to it, where they would chalk up a strike zone on the brick garage back and would try to throw a tennis ball as fast as we could past the opposing batter.
I played baseball at Clarendon park. I belonged to the Boy's Club little league. Back then, the Chicago Boy's Clubs had a small branch next to the park on Clarendon and Agatite. We played on the field behind the old water pumping station, but I remember the team would hop on the L and travel to play other boy's clubs teams in neighborhoods all over the city.
In the summer, semi-pro softball teams would play at Clarendon on Friday and Saturday nights on the big field next to the Clarendon Field house. It was the only diamond with lights in those days.
Because of our proximity to Wrigley Field, a few Cubs and Bears players and ex-players lived in the neighborhood. Hippo Vaughn, who pitched for the Cubs during the dead ball era, lived across the street. We loved visiting with him after our games. Mrs. Vaughn would serve us cookies and lemonade, and Hippo, long since retired, would regale us with stories of how baseball was played in the old days, and how the Cubs should have beaten the Red Sox in the 1918 World Series.
Reading this blog brings half forgotten memories into sharp detail, as if they happened last week rather than more than 50 years ago.
This blog really brings back memories.
In the late 50's, I lived on the 800 block of Montrose next to Lang Dental labs, where they made false teeth in the basement. The neighborhood kids played fast pitch in the vacant lot next to it, where they would chalk up a strike zone on the brick garage back and would try to throw a tennis ball as fast as we could past the opposing batter.
I played baseball at Clarendon park. I belonged to the Boy's Club little league. Back then, the Chicago Boy's Clubs had a small branch next to the park on Clarendon and Agatite. We played on the field behind the old water pumping station, but I remember the team would hop on the L and travel to play other boy's clubs teams in neighborhoods all over the city.
In the summer, semi-pro softball teams would play at Clarendon on Friday and Saturday nights on the big field next to the Clarendon Field house. It was the only diamond with lights in those days.
Because of our proximity to Wrigley Field, a few Cubs and Bears players and ex-players lived in the neighborhood. Hippo Vaughn, who pitched for the Cubs during the dead ball era, lived across the street. We loved visiting with him after our games. Mrs. Vaughn would serve us cookies and lemonade, and Hippo, long since retired, would regale us with stories of how baseball was played in the old days, and how the Cubs should have beaten the Red Sox in the 1918 World Series.
 |
| James Leslie "Hippo" Vaughn was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs during the 1910s. Image courtesy of Wikipedia. |
Reading this blog brings half forgotten memories into sharp detail, as if they happened last week rather than more than 50 years ago.
May 14, 2009
Memories of Working in the Chicago Cubs Clubhouse, Wrigley Field, Summer of 1954
Editor's Note: The following post is by Joe Ragont, who shared his memories of Uptown with us a few weeks ago. If you have memories of your own you would like to share, write us at blog@compassrose.com. Thanks again for sharing, Joe!
When I was fifteen, I spent the best summer of my young life working in the Chicago Cubs clubhouse.
Each day I arrived, eagerly ready to work on whatever assignments the equipment manager, Yosh, would give me. Yosh began his career as a batboy in the early thirties and faithfully worked year after year in the Cub organization. Although the Cubs didn’t have a good year in
1954, I certainly did. I was in my glory, being around my heroes, spending time in the dugout during the game and even filling the role of batboy when the opportunity presented itself.
I shared my duties with another lad and would get there early and stay late, especially on doubleheader days. We made sure there were fresh uniforms in each player’s locker and their spikes were shined (the shoes were all black back then). Before the game we would run errands for the players, getting them hot dogs and sandwiches, mailing letters, etc. In those days the players paid for their own equipment and food. No big buffets provided by management and no equipment supplied by sporting goods companies.
Each morning, before the park opened, the pitchers would take batting practice. This gave us a chance to go out and shag fly balls in the outfield. Pitchers, for the most part, are pretty poor hitters which is why, I’m sure, they took BP before any fans got there. But for us, it was a great time of playing ball in Wrigley Field.
The clubhouse was a great place to be when the team won. The place rocked with laughter and jokes as everyone celebrated. However, after a loss the scene was much different. Players got dressed quickly, said very little and used an alternative exit, mostly to avoid the press.
Win or lose, I wouldn’t trade that summer for anything. Being with stars like Ernie Banks, Bob Rush, Hank Sauer and manager Stan Hack sure beat stocking shelves at the local A & P.
When I was fifteen, I spent the best summer of my young life working in the Chicago Cubs clubhouse.
Each day I arrived, eagerly ready to work on whatever assignments the equipment manager, Yosh, would give me. Yosh began his career as a batboy in the early thirties and faithfully worked year after year in the Cub organization. Although the Cubs didn’t have a good year in
1954, I certainly did. I was in my glory, being around my heroes, spending time in the dugout during the game and even filling the role of batboy when the opportunity presented itself.
I shared my duties with another lad and would get there early and stay late, especially on doubleheader days. We made sure there were fresh uniforms in each player’s locker and their spikes were shined (the shoes were all black back then). Before the game we would run errands for the players, getting them hot dogs and sandwiches, mailing letters, etc. In those days the players paid for their own equipment and food. No big buffets provided by management and no equipment supplied by sporting goods companies.
Each morning, before the park opened, the pitchers would take batting practice. This gave us a chance to go out and shag fly balls in the outfield. Pitchers, for the most part, are pretty poor hitters which is why, I’m sure, they took BP before any fans got there. But for us, it was a great time of playing ball in Wrigley Field.
The clubhouse was a great place to be when the team won. The place rocked with laughter and jokes as everyone celebrated. However, after a loss the scene was much different. Players got dressed quickly, said very little and used an alternative exit, mostly to avoid the press.
Win or lose, I wouldn’t trade that summer for anything. Being with stars like Ernie Banks, Bob Rush, Hank Sauer and manager Stan Hack sure beat stocking shelves at the local A & P.
August 17, 2008
August 16, 2008
Wrigley Field
An historic view of Wrigley Field, Home Grounds of the Chicago Cubs, available as an art print from: Wrigley Field.
July 30, 2008
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