Stengel Was the Loser on Biggest Hit of 1943

In 1942, the Boston Braves, managed by Casey Stengel, finished seventh, or next to last, in the National League. Shortly before the 1943 season, Stengel was hit by a car on a Boston street and broke his leg.

According to the book, “Stengel,” by Robert W. Creamer, Stengel received a telegram from Pittsburgh Manager Frankie Frisch. The wire was addressed to the hospital’s psychiatric ward.

It said: “Your attempt at suicide fully understood. Deepest sympathy you didn’t succeed.”

The Braves finished sixth that year, inspiring this paragraph by Dave Egan of the Boston Record: “The man who did the most for baseball in Boston in 1943 was the motorist who ran Stengel down two days before the opening game and kept him away from the Braves for two months.”

Add Stengel: In 1935, when he was managing at Brooklyn, the Dodgers lost a game when pitcher Dutch Leonard, a knuckleballer, gave up a ninth-inning home run.

Stengel asked his catcher, Babe Phelps, “What pitch did you call for?”

“A fastball,” said Phelps.

“Why not his knuckler?”

“His knuckler’s tough to catch.”

Casey stared at him. “If his knuckler’s so tough to catch,” he said, “don’t you think it might be a little tough to hit, too?”

Phelps looked at him blankly.

More Stengel: Warren Spahn, a member of the 1942 Braves, played 23 years later for Stengel on the New York Mets, inspiring this line: “I’m probably the only guy who worked for Stengel before and after he was a genius.”

Trivia time: Who won the Outland Trophy last year as the outstanding interior lineman in college football?

How’s that?: From Pat Haden, who is switching from college football on CBS to pro football on TNT: “Turner Network is committed to quality production. Skip Caray has a minimalist quality, kind of Pat Summerall-like.”

Minimalist? Did he learn that at Oxford?

Highwayman: Infielder Bill Pecota, who has been shuttled between Kansas City and its farm club in Omaha eight times, is nicknamed I-29.

Would-you-believe-it Dept.: When Montreal’s Dennis (Oil Can) Boyd pitched against the New York Mets recently, it was the first time he had faced them since the 1986 World Series when he was pitching for Boston. The only Met to start both games was Darryl Strawberry. The others are gone.

He’s not kidding: From Indiana Coach Bob Knight: “I was standing in the L.A. airport about 15 years ago and saw John Wooden’s book on the rack--”They Call Me Coach.’ I knew then I had my book title--”They Call Me a Lot of Things.’ ”

Intrepid soul: Kevin Franklin, a guard on the Nevada Reno basketball team, explains why he will remain in school but not play for the Wolf Pack: “I want to see what it’s like just to be a student.”

Trivia answer: Mohammed Elenwonibi of Brigham Young.

Quotebook: Brent Musburger, after being hired by ABC-TV: “I can’t wait until I do my first basketball game with Dick Vitale.”