To Life!
6-Pointe
Stars
Jews have had an impact on the
grand old past-timeS All-Star Game.
Darning was selected to National League All-Star
squads four times, 1938-41. He singled in his only at-
bat in 1940 and was hitless the following year in
Detroit's Briggs Stadium. (Navin Field was renamed in
1938 and Briggs Stadium became Tiger Stadium in
IRWIN COHEN
1961.)
Special to the Jewish News
Sept. 11, 1941, was a memorable non-All-Star date
for
Jewish fans of the Giants. Four Jews started for the
rch Ward, sports editor of the Chicago Tribune,
Giants
at the Polo Grounds: Danning behind the
trumpeted the idea of the stars from baseball's
plate,
Harry
Feldman pitching, and Sid Gordon made
American and National leagues competing in
his
big-league
debut in the outfield alongside Morrie
an annual All-Star Game.
Arnovich.
The idea morphed into reality at Chicago's
World War II interrupted the careers of Greenberg
Comiskey Park on July 6, 1933, with 45,795 paying
and
Gordon. The latter was named to the All-Star
their way in.
squad
in 1948, but didn't get to play until the follow-
Only two months earlier, at Detroit's Navin Field,
ing
year
in Brooklyn's Ebbets Field. A native of
the Tigers played the Washington Senators and young
Brooklyn,
but a member of the hated Giants, Gordon
Hank Greenberg cracked the starting lineup for the
was
so
popular
it Brooklyn that he was given a new
first time. Greenberg belted his first big league home
Chrysler
automobile
prior to a Giants-Dodgers game
run, helping the Tigers to victory. Covering the con-
at
Ebbets
Field.
To
celebrate,
Gordon hit two home
test for the Washington Postwas gifted sportswriter
runs
against
the
Dodgers.
Shirley Povich — Maury's father.
Hank Greenberg became part owner and general
As the season inched closer to the All-Star Game,
manager
of the Cleveland Indians and Indians third
the Tigers and Senators met again, in Washington,
baseman Al Rosen was one of baseball's top sluggers.
and the Post referred to the Tigers' big rookie first
Rosen played in four consecutive All-Star Games,
baseman as "Hank Goldberg. Fans and writers soon
1952-55. The '54 game was the most memorable, as
knew his correct name. Greenberg hit .301 for the sea-
Rosen
homered twice before 68,751 hometown fans
son, the first of eight consecutive seasons he would top
in
Cleveland's
Municipal Stadium.
.300.
Pitchers
Barry
Latman of Cleveland and Sandy
The Senators' star infielder, Charles "Buddy" Myer,
Koufax
of
Los
Angeles
were selected to the 1961 All-
led the American League in batting in 1935 with a
Star
Game,
but
didn't
see
action. Koufax pitched in
.349 average. He was named to the All-Star Game in
the following three All-Star Games, 1962-64, and was
'35 and 1937, but never got to play. Greenberg also
chosen in 1965 and '66, but didn't play.
rode the All-Star bench in '37, but played first base
Oakland's Ken Holtzman and Kansas City's Richie
two years later and singled in the fourth inning in
Scheinblum
made the 1972 American League team.
Yankee Stadium, not far from his boyhood home in
Holtzman
wasn't
used and Scheinblum was unsuccess-
the Bronx.
ful
in
his
only
at-bat.
Holtzman won 21 games the
Always a team player, Greenberg moved to left field
following
year
and
two
more in the World Series
the following season so the Tigers could get Rudy York
against
the
Mets
and
pitched
a bit in the All-Star
into the lineup. Greenberg was the starting American
Game.
League left fielder in the 1940. He went hitless, and
Holtzman teammate Mike Epstein belted four con-
his military service during World War II made addi-
secutive
home runs over a two-game period that sea-
elli tional All-Star appearances impossible.
son.
The
feat was accomplished a few seasons earlier
New York Giants catcher Harry "The Horse"
7/ 7
by another Jewish player, Art Shamsky, but neither
A
2005
50
was ever named a
Major League All-
Star.
The 1980 game
in Dodger Stadium
marked the return
of a Jewish player as
an All-Star. Steve
Stone was the start-
ing pitcher for the
American League.
He had a 12-3
record at the All-Star
break and finished
23-4 for Baltimore.
Stone and Koufax
were the only Jewish
players ever to win the Cy Young Award.
All-Star Shawn Green achieved baseball history on
May 23, 2002, in Milwaukee. The Los Angeles
Dodger homered four times and singled and doubled
for 19 total bases in a single game. That season, he
batted .285 with 42 home runs and 114 runs batted
m.
I was lucky to cover numerous All-Star Games as a
writer-photographer for national publications. My
favorite was the 1983 All-Star happenings in Chicago's
Comiskey Park; it marked the 50th anniversary of the
first game, held at the same site. Numerous All-Stars
from throughout the 50 years were on hand.
Greenberg, whose uniform number was retired weeks
earlier in ceremonies I covered at 'Tiger Stadium, was
at Comiskey. He chatted at length with Joe DiMaggio
at the rear of the group of stars that I photographed.
The picture was published nationally.
Forty-five of the 88 stars in that picture have since
died, but the memories shared as we arranged that
photo will remain my all-time All-Star highlight. El
Irwin Cohen of Oak Park published the national
Baseball Bulletin from 1975-80, and was a front-
o ce associate of the Detroit Tigers for nine years,
earning a World Series ring in 1984. He has authored
several books on Detroit's Jewish community.