Remembering Hank Greenberg

[Lowell]

For the first time since 1934 and 1935, the Detroit Tigers are entering consecutive year post-season play. Like today those Tigers were lead by slugging a infielder -- Hank Greenberg. Miguel Cabrera’s great season brought him to my mind.

I went to baseball-reference.com, the mother lode of baseball stats, to see how they compared. One of the interesting analyses done there is to list players of other eras with the most similar stats. Number one for Miguel Cabrera is Hank Greenberg.

As Cabrera is entering his prime and still rising it is not yet fair to compare the two, but how does his triple crown season stats compare Greenberg’s 1940 MVP season? [Cabrera – Greenberg – Greenberg’s best year]
Home Runs: 44 – 41 - 58
RBI’s: 139 – 150 - 183
Average: .330 - .340 - .340
Slugging average: .607 - .670 - .670
Salary [today’s dollars] - $20 million - $900,000 - $1.1 million

But Greenberg’s story is far more compelling.

• He would give up of 4 of his prime years serving his country in World War II. When in 1941 he failed the draft for his flat feet, he insisted on being examined again and was drafted. Later released, along with all others over 28, he volunteered immediately after Pearl Harbor and served in the China-Burma-India Theater until mid season 1945 when he returned to the Tigers to lead them to the World Series championship.

• His 45 months of service was the longest of any major league player.

• He was one the few players to publicly welcome Jackie Robinson to the Major Leagues.

• As a general manager he led the Cleveland Indians 1954 and Chicago White Sox 1960 to the World Series.

• He would endure anti-Semitic abuse. One time in the 1935 World Series it was so vitriolic that the head umpire ordered the Chicago Cubs bench cleared.

• He would famously abstain from playing on Yom Kippur in the midst of a pennant race, applauded by his congregation at Shaary Zedek, and the Tigers still won the pennant.

No wonder he was my mother’s all-time favorite Tiger.


Hank Greenberg’s Detroit Synagogue Shaary Zedek on W. Chicago, now the Clinton Street Greater Bethlehem Temple.

[Oldpuck]

Very nice. Sounds like he was a good man and a great Tiger. Thanks for posting it.

[Kathleen]

The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg is a wonderful look at the man, his life, and his career.

http://www.jewishfilm.org/Catalogue/films/hank.html

Shortly after its release, saw it at the DFT with a very appreciative crowd!!

[Bob S]

For the first time since 1934 and 1935, the Detroit Tigers are entering consecutive year post-season play. Like today those Tigers were lead by slugging a infielder -- Hank Greenberg. Miguel Cabrera’s great season brought him to my mind.

I went to baseball-reference.com, the mother lode of baseball stats, to see how they compared. One of the interesting analyses done there is to list players of other eras with the most similar stats. Number one for Miguel Cabrera is Hank Greenberg.

As Cabrera is entering his prime and still rising it is not yet fair to compare the two, but how does his triple crown season stats compare Greenberg’s 1940 MVP season? [Cabrera – Greenberg – Greenberg’s best year]
Home Runs: 44 – 41 - 58
RBI’s: 139 – 150 - 183
Average: .330 - .340 - .340
Slugging average: .607 - .670 - .670
Salary [today’s dollars] - $20 million - $900,000 - $1.1 million

But Greenberg’s story is far more compelling.

• He would give up of 4 of his prime years serving his country in World War II. When in 1941 he failed the draft for his flat feet, he insisted on being examined again and was drafted. Later released, along with all others over 28, he volunteered immediately after Pearl Harbor and served in the China-Burma-India Theater until mid season 1945 when he returned to the Tigers to lead them to the World Series championship.

• His 45 months of service was the longest of any major league player.

• He was one the few players to publicly welcome Jackie Robinson to the Major Leagues.

• As a general manager he led the Cleveland Indians 1954 and Chicago White Sox 1960 to the World Series.

• He would endure anti-Semitic abuse. One time in the 1935 World Series it was so vitriolic that the head umpire ordered the Chicago Cubs bench cleared.

• He would famously abstain from playing on Yom Kippur in the midst of a pennant race, applauded by his congregation at Shaary Zedek, and the Tigers still won the pennant.

No wonder he was my mother’s all-time favorite Tiger.


Hank Greenberg’s Detroit Synagogue Shaary Zedek on W. Chicago, now the Clinton Street Greater Bethlehem Temple.

Great post. I hate to be nit picking, but the Chicago White Sox didn't win the pennant in 1960, they won it in 1959. The Yanks won in 1960.

[Packman41]

The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg is a wonderful look at the man, his life, and his career.

http://www.jewishfilm.org/Catalogue/films/hank.html

Shortly after its release, saw it at the DFT with a very appreciative crowd!!

That film was screenwritten, directed and produced by Cass Tech [[1965) grad Aviva Kempner.

This was discussed in an earlier thread:
http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...Hank-Greenberg

See my post #7 and jiminnm’s post #22

You can read her wiki bio here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviva_Kempner

[renf]

Arguably, no Detroit professional athlete has had two better years
than Hank Greenberg did in 1937 when he had 183 rbis and 1938 when
he went downtown 58 times. Thanks for the post about Greenberg.

[Gary]

The greatest Tiger of them all in my book.

[Vic_doucette]

Agreed that this is a great film. I watch it every winter when I need a baseball fix. Highly recommended if you are a fan of baseball or of Detroit.

[SMRJim]

After my mom passed away back in '02 we came across an old scrapbook of my dads. It had newspaper and magazine pictures and articles about various sports figures from the 30s and 40s, and one of them was an article about Hank Greenberg [[may have been just a picture, haven't looked at it in several years). I'm pretty sure Greenberg grew up in New York city, and my dad was born and raised there - he loved anything to do with NY. From everything I ever read about Greenberg, he was a great guy.

[p69rrh51]

After my mom passed away back in '02 we came across an old scrapbook of my dads. It had newspaper and magazine pictures and articles about various sports figures from the 30s and 40s, and one of them was an article about Hank Greenberg [[may have been just a picture, haven't looked at it in several years). I'm pretty sure Greenberg grew up in New York city, and my dad was born and raised there - he loved anything to do with NY. From everything I ever read about Greenberg, he was a great guy.

Yes Greenberg was a New Yorker. What I like about him he was not focused on home runs, it was all about rbi's to him. I have always felt the same way. Also if Walter Briggs had not flown off the handle and traded him to the Pirates he and Jackie Robinson may not have met and Robinson would not have received the encouragement from the man who was the original trailblazer in baseball dealing with racial hatred.

[9mile&seneca]

I went to see the movie 10 years ago in Jax Beach. Wonderful film about a super guy. A real man's man.

[wilderness]

from July 1938 United States Trotting Association's Hoof Beats magazine:

"IT'S REALLY GREAT SPORT" Says Bank Greenberg
The Slugging First Baseman of the Detroit Tigers Takes First Ride Behind A Trotter

By Will Gahagan

AS MOST of you know, "Hank" Greenberg is a great ball player. He plays first base for the Detroit Tigers, and with that famous long mitt snares many a throw from the infielders that appears impossible. Also the big first sacker wields a wicked stick and those clouts which he sends out cause great joy to the followers of the crew of "Mickey" Cochrane. As this is being written, "Hank" has no fewer than sixteen home runs to his credit and of course, the season is yet young.

On a recent trip to Boston, I ran across Greenberg in the lobby of the Touraine Hotel. It was early in the morning, and he did not have to report at the ball park until after the noon hour. I was going out to Paul Bowser's Fair Oaks Farm track at Lexington, and "Hank" had told me that he would like to drive a trotter. So why not?

Over the phone, Paul Bowser told me that Dominion Grattan had been worked the day previous. I told him that we were glad to know that, for while the little pacer would no doubt give Mr. Greenberg a fast ride, I did not think "Hank" had a hankering for hoppled pacers, especially if they were inclined to sizzle when turned the right way of the track.

"Well," said Paul, "Red Baker and I want to get Biarritz straightened out. We have converted him to the trot. Do you think Mr. Greenberg could help us out?"

"I cannot think of a better man, for he has given the old horsehide many a ride," said I.
When we arrived at Fair Oaks Farm, Biarritz was all set for work, and after donning a driving suit, and getting instructions, "Hank" mounted the training cart and was on the way. It was the "slow day" for Biarritz, so his new teamster did not attempt to break any records. A couple of slow miles the wrong way of the track and the sort of uneasy look disappeared from Greenberg's face.
Naturally, he was a bit nervous at the start, not knowing just how a trotter, with an amateur up, performs. But seeing that his charge had no murder in his heart, the big league star turned Biarritz the right way of the track, let him tramp a couple of quite glib trips and came in smiling. And at the end of the journey, he uttered the very same words that Paul Revere did at the end of his famous ride. "Whoa boy," he said.

I mentioned this to the owner of Biarritz.

"Yes," he said, "but Hank went the short mile. Did you notice him? He didn't get six inches from the pole at any time. Now with Mr. Revere, he went around by Framingham. And say boys, he surely had a tired horse when he pulled in that night."
I had often wondered how the old horse came out of that trip. There is no evidence that this Revere man was very far advanced as a trainer, and his mount couldn't have been in mid‑summer form that early in the spring. But it seems that Mr. Bowser had read up pretty well on the case.

"Yes, they had a hard time getting him out of the stall the next morning. That was the reason Mr. Revere was so late in getting back to Scolley Square that morning," said Mr. Bowser.

While I was quite well satisfied that our baseball friend had enjoyed his ride, the first behind a trotter, for he registered perfect contentment as he whizzed down the stretch, I asked him how he really liked it.

"Why, I think it is great sport," he said. "I had read a lot about the thrills of driving a trotter and was anxious to try it out. Now I know why it appeals to so many people. You have to take a ride to find that out," he said.
On the way back to Boston, I asked Hank about that home run he hit in Comiskey Park, Chicago—the one which some claim never did come down.
"Yes, it was a long hit, but the wind carried it a bit," he said. "You know, I would like to own a small farm some day and raise a few horses."

We hope he does get into our sport some day, for he is a fine gentleman, as well as a great ball player—this man, Greenberg.

Hank Greenburg and Biarritz cameo.

[wilderness]

FWIW, the writer of the Hank Greenberg horse article, Will Gahagan was one of the three turf scribes [[brothers) reared in Hudson, MI.

Tom Gahagan was the master of the three and in addition, Tom was revered by most of the turf scribes of the time.

One or two of the brothers had early beginnings with the Freep and News.

[Hermod]

Greenberg's problem was that he played at the same time as Lou Gehrig and Jimmy Foxx both first basemen who were arguably better than Greenberg [[at least by most of the "modern" methods of statistical analysis). Had Greenberg come along in the 1960s, he would have had no competition as the "best" first baseman.

During the 1930s, I think you would have to give the nod to Charlie Gehringer as the "best" of the Detroit Tigers since he was a great hitter and a great fielder as well. Gehringer also played a more demanding position [[2B) as opposed to 1B.