Frank Lane, the legendary Pale Hose general manager, recounted the signing of Aparicio in Bob Vanderberg's Sox: From Lane and Fain to Zisk and Fisk (Chicago Review Press, 1982). "I first heard about Aparicio from a fellow named Eddie Moncada, sports editor of El Mundo, a Caracas [Venezuela] newspaper," recalled Lane. "He told me about this little guy who was a helluva player. I asked Chico Carrasquel [the popular White Sox shortstop--also a Venezuelan] about him and he said the same thing. So I started following him. At that time, any player who received more than $4,000 for signing was a bonus player--he had to be kept for two years by the big league club before he could be sent to the minors to play every day." Though a solid prospect, Aparicio needed minor league seasoning, so Lane shrewdly circumvented the two-year rule. "Acting as vice-president of our Waterloo farm club, I bought Aparicio's contract for $4,000," he said. "Then I gave him a bonus of $6,000 for reporting to Waterloo. See, it was just another way to skin a cat." 

In 1954, Aparicio batted .282 for fifth place Waterloo (66-69). The White Hawks were managed by Walter Millies, who played 246 games for Brooklyn, Washington, and the Philadelphia Phillies from 1934 to 1941. Although Aparicio did not lead the Three-I in any fielding or batting categories, he earned a promotion to the organization's Memphis affiliate.

The White Sox then traded Carrasquel to Cleveland to make room for his younger countryman, and in 1956 Aparicio earned American League Rookie of the Year honors. Aparicio played eighteen seasons (1954 through 1973) in the major leagues. The ten-time all star and nine-time Gold Glove recipient is the career shortstop record holder for games (2,581), double plays (1,553), and assists (8,016).

In 1963, the White Sox traded Aparicio to the Baltimore Orioles. He returned to Chicago's south side in 1968 before spending his final three seasons in Boston. Aparicio's speed more than counterbalanced his average bat. His rookie year he swiped 21 bases. In 1959, he stole 56, a feat not rivaled since the Yankees Snuffy Stirnweiss recorded 55 in 1944. Inexplicably, Aparicio waited until 1984 to receive the call from Cooperstown. 

As a result, Boudreau left the Champaign-Urbana campus and joined the Indians Class B affiliate in Cedar Rapids. He played his first professional game June 14, 1938 in Evansville. The visiting Raiders defeated the hometown Bees 5-1 before a ladies' night crowd of 2,758. Although Boudreau went 1 for 5 at the plate, his fielding at third base drew praise. He batted .290 in sixty games, hitting 3 home runs, 4 triples, and 13 doubles. In August, with the blessing of manager Clarence "Cap" Crossley, he even donned a chest protector and catcher's mask to play a few games behind the plate. Although Boudreau enjoyed a relatively successful year, the Raiders finished Three-I play in sixth place (56-63). Late that season he was called up to Cleveland, appearing in one game as a pinch hitter.

In his 1949 autobiography Player-Manager (Boston: Little, Brown and Company), Boudreau recounted how his college background led to some good-natured ribbing from teammates. Frank Mancuso (brother of big league all-star Gus) used to holler, "Come on, Lou! Hit one for the Fighting Illini!" Boudreau acknowledged the difficulties associated with the transition to Class B ball. "I don't have the confidence I had in college," he said that season. "The old spirit and the fun isn't there. It's not like college ball at all. The lights are confusing and the bugs bother you. We're playing for money and that makes a lot of difference." 

He started the 1939 season with the Buffalo Bisons of the International League, and by mid-season was back in Cleveland. In 1940, his first full season in the majors, he earned a roster spot on the A.L. All-Star team. He ended the season hitting .295 and driving in 101 RBI. In 1942, the twenty-four-year old Boudreau was named the Indians player-manager. Six years later, Boudreau enjoyed one of the most impressive seasons in Major League history. Not only did the Tribe capture their first World Series since 1920 (defeating the Boston Braves in six games) but Boudreau earned 1948 A.L. MVP honors (.355, 18 homers, 106 RBI, 116 runs, and only 9 strikeouts). Though his range was average, he led A.L. shortstops in fielding eight seasons.

Boudreau wrapped up his on-field career playing  86 games for the Boston Braves in 1951-52. He also managed the Red Sox, Kansas City Athletics, and Cubs, though the 1953 Boston club was his last winning season.

The Baseball Writers' Association of America elected Boudreau to the Hall of Fame in 1970. For 29 seasons, Boudreau served as color commentator for the Chicago Cubs, appearing in the booth with WGN legends Jack Quinlan, Jack Brickhouse, and Vince Lloyd. "The Good Kid" passed away on August 10, 2001.

After being cut during a tryout with Terre Haute, some 600 Brown supporters signed a petition threatening to boycott Hottentot games if the roster did not include "Miner Brown." Skipper William Kreig relented, signing the local favorite to a $40-a-month contract. In 1901, Brown won 23 and lost 8 during the inaugural Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League season. The Hottentots ended the campaign in first with a 72-39 record. The Bloomington Bloomers (68-44) and Cedar Rapids Rabbits (67-45) trailed close behind. 

In 1902, Brown won 27 games for Omaha of the Western Association, and the following year he won 9 games for the St. Louis Cardinals. From 1904 to 1912, "Three Finger" won 186 games for the Chicago Cubs (an average of 21 games a season), playing a prominent role in the famed "Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance" era. During that span, the northsiders won four National League pennants and two World Series championships. After a year in Cincinnati, Brown defected to the short-lived Federal League, playing for the St. Louis Terriers, Brooklyn Tip-Tops, and Chicago Wales. For most of the 1914 season, Brown acted as player-manager for the rogue league's dismal St. Louis franchise. In 1916, he finished his playing career on Chicago's north side, appearing in 12 games. 

Brown and the New York Giants Christy Mathewson were the two greatest pitchers of their era. On September 4, 1916, Mathewson defeated Brown in what proved to be the final Major League game for both Cooperstown inductees. As testament to the ruggedness of baseball during the early twentieth century, Brown frequently doubled as relief pitcher, and he led the N.L. four times in saves. He ended his career 239-129 with a 2.81 ERA. He also won five World Series games. 

With his Major League career at an end, Brown returned to the minors, and at the age of 40, he appeared in 30 games for Columbus of the American Association, winning 10 and losing 12. Before the emergence of multimillion-dollar salaries, most big league ballplayers spent the off-season working regular jobs to supplement their often meager pay. Others returned to the minors where their diminishing skills were still enough to earn a paycheck. 

After two years with Columbus, Brown spent much of the 1919 and 1920 seasons as Terre Haute's player-manager, appearing in 46 games and earning a 20-12 record. The Browns (named for their celebrated skipper) struggled under the tutelage of the future hall of famer. Terre Haute ended the 1919 season in fifth place (50-70) and seventh in 1920 (58-77). In the latter season, Brown shared managerial duties with Charles Oberta and Howard Darringer. 

After leaving the Three-I for the second and last time, Brown worked in the oil business while living in Lawrenceville, Illinois. He then returned to Terre Haute and operated a Texaco service station. He died in his adopted hometown on February 14, 1948. The Committee on Baseball Veterans elected Brown to the Baseball Hall of Fame one year after his death. 

Born in 1931, Bunning spent five full seasons and parts of two others in the minors before earning a fulltime roster spot with Detroit. After a year in the Class D Ohio-Indiana League, Bunning spent 1951 with Quad Cities of the Three-I League. The 19-year-old Bunning won his first contest, a 5-0 decision against the Quincy Gems. The last place Tigers (based in Davenport, Iowa) ended the season 56-74. Bunning struggled as well, winning 8 and losing 10, though he finished with a respectable 2.88 ERA. Only two home runs were hit off Bunning, though he later recalled that the Three-I used "a Wilson ball that was kind of dead." The future hall of famer toiled much of the season in relative anonymity. For instance, after holding the Terre Haute Phillies hitless for eight and one-third innings (though he did issue 14 walks), the local Daily Times announced "Singles Spoil No-Hit Bid by Don Bunning." 

Bunning spent the next several years hopping from one minor league affiliate to another, including stops in Williamsport (Pennsylvania), Little Rock, Buffalo, and Charleston (West Virginia). In 1957, he enjoyed a breakout season with Detroit, winning 20 games while completing 14 of his 30 starts. 

After 7 full seasons with the Tigers, Bunning switched leagues and enjoyed three straight 19-win seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies. On Father's Day 1964, Bunning threw a perfect game against the New York Mets. It was the first perfect game in the National League since 1880. In 1967, he won 17 while setting a Major League record with 5 1-0 loses. After spending the 1968 and 1969 seasons with Pittsburgh and Los Angeles, Bunning spent his final two seasons back in Philadelphia. He ended his career 224-184, with a 3.27 ERA. Bunning was the first pitcher since Cy Young to record 100 wins and 1,000 strikeouts in both leagues.

In 1996, the Committee on Baseball Veterans elected Bunning to the Hall of Fame. Since retirement from baseball, he has turned his attention to politics. In 1998, after serving twelve years in the U.S. House of Representatives, Kentucky voters elected the Republican Bunning to the U.S. Senate.

During Faber's two years in the Three Eye, Dubuque limped along with consecutive sixth-place finishes of 64-71 and 60-79. In 1909, Faber appeared in 15 games, going 7-6 with a 1.60 ERA. He played a larger role the following season, winning 18 and losing 19. In 242 innings of work, he recorded 200 strikeouts while earning an ERA of 2.03.

Faber's perfect game of August 18 remains the highlight of the 1910 Three-I season. With the Dubs visiting the Davenport Prodigals, Faber struck out seven and allowed only one ball out of the infield. Not one Davenport batter reached base in professional baseball's first perfect game.

A few notes about Faber's gem: Ray Chapman, the Prodigals third baseman, batted seventh that day (see box score below). Chapman, of course, is the only major leaguer to die as a direct result of being hit by a pitch. On August 16, 1920, he was struck in the temple from a pitch by Carl Mays of the Yankees. He was taken to a hospital, never regained consciousness, and died twelve hours later. In 1911, Chapman finished the Three-I season with a .293 average and 50 stolen bases, while playing every inning of every game. Also of interest is that Davenport catcher Bob Coleman later became the most successful manager in Three Eye history.

In 1911, Faber struggled with arm trouble and found that the crafty spitter compensated for his loss of power. After enjoying success in 1912 and 1913 with Des Moines of the Western League, the Chicago White Sox purchased Faber for $3,500. Although he had yet to pitch an inning of Major League ball, White Sox magnate Charles Comiskey allowed Faber to travel with the New York Giants on a 1913-14 world tour. Faber (a replacement for Christy Mathewson) impressed John McGraw, the famed Giants skipper. Fortunately for the Pale Hose, Comiskey rejected McGraw's offers for the righthander.

In the 1917 World Series, the White Sox, led by former Three Eye manager Clarence "Pants" Rowland, defeated McGraw's Giants in seven games. Faber played no small role in the epic series, winning the second, fifth, and sixth games. He then spent 1918 in the U.S. Navy. Upon his return, Faber struggled to regain his touch, and he passed much of next season on the bench. He did not play in the fixed 1919 World Series against Cincinnati.

Although he was not in on the fix, the notorious scandal left its mark. With the loss of the Black Sox stars, Faber pitched for a demoralized and decimated organization. Between 1914 and 1933, the right hander would pitch 4,088 innings and win 254 games for an organization that rarely broke .500. These lost years likely prevented Faber from reaching the celebrated 300-win plateau. 

After leaving baseball, Faber worked into his eighties for the Cook County Highway Department. His induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame came in 1964, and he died twelve years later.

Box Score for Red Faber's Perfect Game.
August 18, 1910, at Davenport, Iowa.
Dubuque Dubs 3, Davenport Prodigals 0.

Born New Year's Day 1911 in New York City, Greenberg completed one semester of college before joining the Detroit Tigers organization. In 1930, he played one game with Tigers, going hitless in his one at bat. He then spent the rest of the season playing for Hartford of the Eastern League and Raleigh of the Piedmont League. In 1931, Greenberg arrived in Evansville, where he thrived under the tutelage of the Three-I's all-time winningest manager, Bob Coleman. Acting on behalf of the Tigers organization, Coleman had acquired the Evansville franchise three years earlier. 

During his season with Hubs, Greenberg hit .318 with 15 homers and 85 RBI. Playing in 126 games, he led the I-I-I in total bases (261), doubles (41), and strikeouts (79). Although Greenberg found the Three-I to his liking, the Hubs struggled, especially early on. Playing in newly renovated Bosse Field, Evansville finished the first half of the split season in sixth (25-30) and the second half (42-28) a few games within reach of league-leader Quincy (43-25). 

Greenberg recounted his Three-I days in the memoir The Story of My Life (Times Books, 1989). "In Evansville I learned how to drink beer," he remembered. "Prohibition was still in effect in those days and most of the beer was what was called 'near beer.' It was manufactured by whoever was peddling the beer. It was a hot summer, and after the games we'd all go down to a friend's basement and drink beer and talk about the game.

"In that league, some of the cities were seven or eight hours away by bus. Oftentimes I would sit on top of the bus along with the baggage; there were always a couple of fellows up there. We'd sleep or talk. When we traveled inside the bus, most of the time was spent singing the old-time songs, like 'Let Me Call You Sweetheart' and 'Sidewalks of New York.' Looking back on it now, it was a great period of my life." 

In 1932, Greenberg played for Beaumont of the Texas League, batting .290 with 39 home runs and 131 RBI. The following season, he was back with the A.L. Tigers. During the 1937 season he drove in 183 runs, 1 short of Lou Gehrig's still-standing American League record. In 1940, Greenberg led the A.L. in doubles (50), home runs (41), RBI (150), and slugging percentage (.670) en route to his second MVP Award. Unfortunately for Detroit fans, World War II interrupted one of the greatest offensive careers in baseball history. He returned from the Pacific in 1946 to lead the A.L. in home runs (44) and RBI (127). He finished his career with the 1947 Pittsburgh Pirates. 

In 1956, the Baseball Writers' Association of America elected Greenberg to the Hall of Fame. He died in 1986 in Beverly Hills, California. 

When he retired in 1934, Grimes was the last hurler to legally throw the spitball. In 1920, Major League Baseball outlawed the controversial pitch, though 17 practicing spitballers were granted a lifelong exemption from the ban. Grimes, who was only 26 at the time, continued to the use the spitball, though he maintained that "loading up" was only effective in combination with other pitches. Known as a pugnacious ballplayer and manager, his career was marked by profanity laced tirades directed at opposing players and umpires alike. He never backed down from a challenge, subscribing to a style of baseball akin to a rugby match. Old timers recalled that Grimes' version of an intentional pass consisted of four pitches aimed at the batter's head. 

Famed Cardinals executive Branch Rickey convinced Grimes to relocate to Bloomington, a move that both men hoped would prolong his playing days and launch a managerial career. Not everyone, though, greeted the wily pitcher with open arms. An April 1, 1935 article in the Bloomington Pantagraph noted that Decatur manager Johnny Butler initially opposed the reintroduction of the spitball to his league.

Grimes arrived in central Illinois during the height of the Great Depression, and like the nation as a whole, the Three Eye had fallen on hard times. The circuit folded in the middle of the 1932 season, and suspended play the following two years. The 1935 season featured six clubs (the other five were Decatur, Ft. Wayne, Peoria, Springfield, and Terre Haute), and although the league managed to complete a full split season, it was unable to continue operations in 1936. In the first half of 1935, Bob Coleman's Springfield club finished first (36-17), several games ahead of Bloomington (32-19). In the second half, the league's top two teams switched place, with the Bloomers (43-25) besting the Senators (38-28). Grimes played a prominent role in the club's success, winning 10 of his last 15 decisions. The two clubs met in the league's post-season playoff, and although Springfield led the series 4-2, Coleman's refusal to replay a contested game forced the league president to declare Bloomington the winner. 

From the relative obscurity of the Three-I, Grimes returned to the bright spotlight of the big leagues. For two seasons (1937-1938) he managed the Brooklyn Dodgers, concluding his brief tenure with an unimpressive .432 winning percentage (130-171). He struggled under the accumulated weight of shortstop Leo Durocher's disaffection and first base coach Babe Ruth's disinterest. After the disappointment of Brooklyn, Grimes returned to the minors to coach for another decade.

In a July 31, 1967 Sports Illustrated article on the spitball, Grimes revealed several of his trade secrets. "To me, saliva was useless unless mixed with something like slippery elm," he said. "The elm created a film that kept the fingers from actual contact with the ball, much as oil prevents a piston from rubbing against the cylinder. I used to cut the elm bark myself in the winter and keep it in a box so it would dry out." The slippery elm irritated his skin, so on days he pitched Grimes never shaved--hence the nickname "Ol' Stubblebeard." 

In 1985, The Minneapolis Review of Baseball included a John Kerr feature on the retired spitballer. "I was a real bastard when I played," Grimes noted. As a member of the 1932 Cubs, he witnessed Babe Ruth's "called" World Series home run. "I've been listening to that bullshit so long," he complained. "If he'd a done that our pitcher [Three-I veteran Charlie Root] would have had him in the dirt." The article recounted an appearance by Grimes at an area high school banquet. His speech abruptly ended in mid-sentence after he caught notice of a banner that read, "Humble in Victory, Gracious in Defeat." Declared Grimes: "Folks, that's a great motto--when you're playing for free."

In 1964, the Hall of Fame Special Veterans Committee selected Grimes (as well as fellow Three-I alumnus Red Faber) for induction. Ol' Stubblebeard passed away in 1985 at the age of 92. 

Hubbell was born in 1903 in Missouri, though he was raised in Meeker, Oklahoma. He played one season in the short-lived Oklahoma State League before signing with Oklahoma City of the Western League. After the 17-year old finished the 1925 season 17-13, the Detroit organization purchased his contract for $20,000. However, Tigers manager Ty Cobb prohibited Hubbell from throwing his best pitch, the screwball, fearing the youngster would permanently injure his wrist or elbow. After a season in Toronto, the lefthander found himself in Decatur.

On June 7, 1927, Hubbell appeared in his first Three Eye game, a disastrous outing against the first-place Peoria Tractors. He surrendered two home runs in the first inning en route to a 10-2 loss. He also dropped his second start. Fortunately, Hubbell recovered, winning 14 and losing only 5 the remainder of the season. All told, he appeared in 23 games, striking out 76 in 185 innings of work. Notwithstanding his first two starts, Hubbell finished the campaign with an ERA of 2.52. The Commodores, managed by Harold Ireland, ended the season 62-50, fifth place in the eight-team league.

In 1928, Detroit signed away their once-promising prospect to Beaumont, Texas, where manager Claude Robertson tutored Hubbell in the peculiar art of the screwball. His success in Beaumont attracted the further interest of Dick Kinsella, a New York Giants scout. Kinsella lived in Springfield, Illinois, and no doubt had scouted the lefthander the previous season in Three Eye play. Kinsella convinced John McGraw to sign the pitcher, and on August 11, Hubbell won his first Major League contest, a 4-0 shutout against the Phillies. 

Hubbell played his entire career with the Giants, retiring after the 1943 season with 253 wins and 154 loses. There were seasons when his screwball proved virtually unhittable. In 1933, he led the N.L. in wins (23) and ERA (1.66). On July 2, he pitched 18 innings without giving up a walk during a 1-0 victory over the Cardinals. And in the World Series against the Senators, he pitched 20 innings without allowing an earned run. His streak of 24 consecutive wins spanning the 1936 and 1937 seasons remains a Major League record. 

In 1947, the Baseball Writers' Association of America elected Hubbell to Cooperstown. He was killed in an automobile accident on November 21, 1988.

Klein, who quit school to work in an East Chicago steel mill, would strengthen his arms and upper body by heaving 200-pound ingots. "Players talk about double-headers on hot summer days," noted Klein in a 1930 Baseball Magazine article by F. C. Lane. "They should stand an eight hour shift in a steel mill, without even time off for lunch."

Klein was 21 when he played for Evansville of the Three-I. He batted .327 over 14 games, playing both first base and right field. Unfortunately, an ankle injury on August 24 cut short his first professional season. In 1928, Klein played for the Fort Wayne Chiefs of the Class B Central League. There he batted .331 with 26 home runs. In late July, Philadelphia purchased Klein's contract, and he appeared in 64 games, batting an impressive .360. Thus, in less than two years, Klein went from the steel mills of northern Indiana (by way of Evansville and Fort Wayne) to Philadelphia and N.L. stardom. 

In 1929, his first full season in the majors, he hit a league leading 43 home runs. There's little doubt that the short right-field fence of the Phils' Baker Bowl (280.5 feet) contributed to the lefthander's prodigious offensive numbers. Playing most of his career in the City of Brotherly Love, Klein also saw action for the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates. Although he captured the elusive Triple Crown in 1933 (.368, 28 HRs, 120 RBI), fellow Three-I veteran Carl Hubbell received MVP honors. In 1932, Klein led his league in home runs (38) and stolen bases (20), the last player to accomplish this feat.

Klein died in Indianapolis in 1958, and the Committee on Baseball Veterans elected him to the Hall of Fame in 1980. 

Inexplicably, the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League ignored this gifted hometown hitter, and in 1922 the Salt Lake City Bees signed Lazzeri to a $250-a-month contract. That season, the future Yankee great batted a paltry .192 in 78 plate appearances. He spent much of the next season in Peoria of the Three-I. The Tractors, managed by H. F. Breen, finished 71-65. He returned to Salt Lake City near the end of the Pacific Coast League season, appearing in 39 games and batting a much-improved .354. 

He started the next season in Lincoln (Nebraska) of the Western League, and again returned to Utah, this time playing in 85 games and clubbing 16 home runs. In 1925, while appearing in 197 Pacific Coast games, Lazzeri hit 60 home runs, drove in 222, and scored 202 runs These colossal numbers were partly attributable to the PCL's marathon 200-game schedule and the thin air of Utah.

Arriving in the Bronx during an era of Yankee dominance, Lazzeri played second base for five World Series champions. For his career, he hit .292, belted 178 home runs, and drove in 1,191. His finest year was 1929 when he batted .354 and finished second to Al Simmons in MVP balloting. 

After stops with the Cubs, Dodgers, and Giants, Lazzeri spent five seasons in the minors. His career ended in 1943 at Wilkes-Barre of the Eastern League. Three years later, Lazzeri died of injures sustained from an epileptic seizure. In 1991, the Committee on Baseball Veterans elected "Poosh 'Em Up" to the Hall of Fame.

Born in 1871 in Rock Island, Illinois, his nickname derived from his off-season employment at a foundry, though it also described his durability on the mound. In 1898, McGinnity pitched for the semi-pro Peoria Distillers, going 10-3 in 16 games. As a twenty-eight year old rookie with the 1899 Baltimore Orioles, he led the National League in wins (28). In 1900, the N.L. shuttered the Baltimore franchise and McGinnity was sent to Brooklyn, where he won another league-leading 28 games. After returning to Baltimore to play in the newly formed American League, he spent six full seasons with John McGraw's New York Giants. In the 1905 World Series, McGinnity won 2 games as the Giants defeated Connie Mack's Athletics 4 games to 1. In 1903, he pitched 434 innings (a single season record) and won 31. Three times in August, "Iron Man" pitched complete games in both ends of a doubleheader. He ended his Major League career 246-142. 

Beginning in 1909, McGinnity bounced around the minors, including stops in Tacoma (Washington) and Butte (Montana) of the Class B Northwestern League. He began the 1922 season in Danville of the Three-I, winning 1 and losing 6. He then left in mid-season to join the Dubuque Climbers of the newly formed Class D Mississippi Valley League. In two-and-a-half seasons with Dubuque, he went 26-26. In his final year of professional ball, the 54-year-old pitcher appeared in 15 games.

He returned to the Dodgers as a coach, and died on November 14, 1929 in Brooklyn. In 1946 he was elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee.

In 1923, Ruffing signed a contract with Danville of the Three-I League. He appeared in 39 games, winning 12 and losing 16 in 239 innings of work. The Danville Veterans fared no better, finishing in seventh place at 55-81. The following season, Ruffing pitched for Dover of the Eastern Shore League. The 19-year old then signed his first Major League contract.

From 1924 to early 1930, Ruffing plugged away for the lower-division Boston Red Sox. Twice, he led the A.L. in losses (15 in 1928 and 22 in 1929), ending his Red Sox tenure with a lowly 39-96 mark. After a May 1930 trade to the Yankees, the righthander revived his sagging career, winning 231 games, including four straight 20-win seasons. In 1938, his 21-7 record topped the A.L. in wins and winning percentage. He played a leading role on seven pennant winning clubs and won seven of nine World Series games. Despite his lack of speed on the base paths, he was one of the finest hitting pitchers in Major League history. His career .269 average is tenth among hurlers with at least 500 at-bats.

"The big man is a plodder," noted 1933's Who's Who in Major League Base Ball. "He enjoyed few material advantages in his youth and from a start in baseball at the age of 14 gradually improved until he reached the majors. He has no particular likes or dislikes, just takes things as they come and does the best he can. He is rather hard to interview, as he is not loquacious."

He lost three seasons to World War II, and played sparingly upon his return. In 1947, after appearing in 9 games for the Chicago White Sox, the 43-year old Ruffing retired. In his last year of eligibility (1967), Ruffing received the call from Cooperstown. He died February 17, 1986.

At Evansville, Spahn pitched under Bees Manager Bob Coleman, another former big league catcher. Spahn led the Three-I in wins (19, tied with Decatur's John Clay) and ERA (1.83) as he struck out 193 in 212 innings. The Bees captured the league pennant with a record of 80-45. That season, roommate Willard Donovan tutored Spahn in the art of the pickoff, and the future hall of famer's deceptive motion would become the bane of N.L. base runners. 

In 1942, Spahn appeared in 4 games with the Boston Braves (2 starts with no decisions) before spending the bulk of the season for Hartford of the Class A Eastern League. At Hartford, he went 17-13 with a 1.96 ERA. World War II interrupted his career, and he did not pitch for the Braves again until 1946. In March 1945, Spahn saw action at Remagen, Germany with the 276th Engineer Combat Battalion.

Pitching for the Boston-Milwaukee Braves, Spahn won an incredible 342 games from 1947 to 1963, an average of 20 wins a season. He finished his career 363-245 with a 3.09 ERA. His career mark of 5,243.7 innings remains an N.L. record. Spahn was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1973.