Hal Chase

[Dizzy17]

I always thought that the allegations sorrounding Hal Chase and the 1919 "Black Sox" World Series fix were never fully proven. Since I read the Baseball Almanac article Hal Chase: Prince Hal by K.L. Snow, I now know different. Not only was Chase in on the fix, but he won $40K betting on the games and was then banned for life by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis in 1921. It strikes me as a bit odd that someone as gifted as Chase could throw it all away. I knew that he had thrown games for years before the fix, but why when you have the greatest job this side of Santa Claus? There was no denying his skills with a glove and he had 2158 lifetime hits and a .291 lifetime batting average. I also found it a bit strange that, given the fact that he had Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, George Sisler, and "Sunny Jim" Bottomley to chose from, Babe Ruth, when asked to name his all-team team, named Hal Chase as his starting first baseman. I am curious about one thing. I know the rules regarding banned players and Hall-of-Fame, but did Hal Chase EVER receive any votes for induction into the Hall?

Hal Chase, Highlanders' (Yankees') 1B,
------------------1909-----------------------------------------------1911------------------------------------1909----BB Reference


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------One of Chase's well-known tricks was to leap too late.
----------------1911-----------------------------------------1911----------------Notice the ball sailing past in the top right


------------1911, same as above, enlarged


---Hal Chase, NY Highlanders' 1B, 1911, Hilltop Park--------------1910, Hilltop Park---------------Reds' 1B, 1916-18


-------------------1918, Reds-------------------------------Reds 1B, 1917-18


Source: Reds in Black & White: 100 Years of Cincinnati Reds Images, by Greg Rhodes/Mark Stang, 1999, pp. 35.

Hal Chase, Reds' 1B, 1916-18---BB Reference


Source: Left: Baseball's Golden Age: The Photographs of Charles M. Conlon, edited by Neil McCabe/Constance McCabe, 1992, pp. 153.
----------------------------1917


Source: Baseball's Dream Teams, by Lloyd Johnson, 1990, pp. 31.

---------------------------1915, Federal L., Buffalo Buffeds/Blues----------------[B]New York Highlanders (Yankees) 1B, 1910-11



--------------------------1916-18-----------------------------------------------------------------------------1916-18


In 1941, Sporting News interviewed Hal. He gave a really confounded interview. If I weren't so lazy, I'd print it out. But maybe I can give the link and you all can read it for yourselves. Here is a revealing snip from that interview.

Interesting 1941 quote from Hal Chase: Hal Chase excerpt:
"You know, baseball was good to me, but I'm afraid I wasn't very good to baseball. Most of the grief I had during my career as a player was my own making. At least, if it wasn't of my own making, I could have prevented it, had I acted more wisely." (The Sporting News, September 25, 1941, pp. 6, column 5.)

1941 Sporting News Interview with Hal Chase. (You will have to register with Paper of record, but it is free. Will also have to download Adobe, which is also free.)

Chase interview, Part 1, September 18, 1941, pp. 1

Completion of Chase interview, Part 1, September 18, 1941, pp. 6


Chase interview, Part 2, September 25, 1941, pp. 5

Completion of Chase interview, Part 2, September 25, 1941, pp. 6.

[TRfromBR]

"Gehrig had more power and could run. In time he became a good major league first baseman. But the Prince was also a very fine hitter who played his entire career before the ball was juiced up. He couldn't run, he could fly. And aside from Ty Cobb, he was the best baserunner I ever saw. Fielding, are you kidding? Prince Hal was the greatest fielding first baseman that ever played. He was worth the price of admission just to watch him toe-dance around first base and pick those wild throws out of the dirt."

-Babe Ruth, 1948

What could Chase do on the field? Here are (just a few!) examples, excerpted from the impeccably researched new biography, The Black Prince of Baseball.

-Crossing all the way over to the third base line to gather up a bunt and throw the batter out at first.

-Cuttting in front of the pitcher to field a bunt along the third base line and getting a forceout at third.

-Charging a bunt, grabbing the ball, and tagging the batter on his way to first before throwing to second or third to complete a double play.

-Turning a squeeze play into an unassisted double play by getting to the ball before it hit the ground and allowing his forward motion to get to the runner coming down from third for a tag.

Compelling stuff, csh. I think the thoughts expressed above implying how Ruth chose Chase above others out of fondness for him may have some merit. But, I really think Chase was probably that impressive. Moreover, the rest of Ruth's all-time list was certainly reasonable [too], as I recall.

Ruth's choice seems to reflect how stats cannot tell the whole story, and most especially with a fielding phenomena like Chase.

[rugbyfreak]

Playing a competent second base was pretty impressive also.

He couldn't have played it that much, since he was lefthanded, though I remember reading that he filled in there on the odd occasion.

[csh19792001]

He couldn't have played it that much, since he was lefthanded, though I remember reading that he filled in there on the odd occasion.

Chase playing second base was called both "a revelation" and "The Great Experiment" by both The Sporting News and The New York Times in 1913. When Chase played for the LA Angels in the PCL, he frequently played 2nd- often when it was a necessity.

Frank Chance was managing the 13' Yankees while also trying to recover from a litany of leg/ankle injuries and put together a few more respectable years before turning in. He took over 1st base for a time, with Chase moving over.

The problem was that while Chase's range- at nearly any postion- was nonpareil, the time needed to transfer the ball from his glove to his throwing hand- especially on slow rollers- was too great. Of course, Chase also had to reverse his momemtum to throw to first. His ankle sprain which occured that spring compounded his difficulties. His ankle/foot injuries plagued him beginning early on with increasing regularity. I believe they seriously impinged on his performance in later years.

Only when a wave of injuries overtook the Cincinnati club in 1916- particularly Baldy Louden, whom Chase incidentally got to know well playing as teammates in the Federal League, did Chase ever play an inning of second again in the bigs. All told he played 35 games their total in the majors, always in a pinch, and with very mixed reviews.

Of course, the number of times he played second in barnstorming/exhibition games- which in and of themselves probably outnumbered his ML games, surely exceeded 35 by a wide margin. This is a man who played regularly in Mexico and Canada, and in California- sometimes nearly every day of the year- for many years. This behavior- deemed Chase's "moonlighting"- resulted in frequently absconding to play in games in forlorn parts of the country (often using aliases) for appearance fees, often times during the ML season. This resulted in frequent injunctions and court battles. All told, Hal Chase may have played more professional/semipro baseball during his competitive days than anyone else.

There's a very interesting article in the January 18th, 1913 issue of The Sporting Life where Chase talks about his attitude towards playing second base, if anyone is interested.

[csh19792001]

Hal Chase: Early Years

I wanted to throw out there the idea of sharing biographical information/anecdotes related to Hal Chase, provided there was enough historical interest. I'd like to create a thread dedicated solely to Chase, since he is clearly one of the great enigmas in sports history and (I believe) deserving of his own place here. The man is ensconced in ignominy, hyperbole, mystery, and outright myth.

I've stumbled across some very vivid, bizarre, and unique stories and facts related to his life and his era. I'm not sure that even some of these trials and tribulations have ever been discussed on this board.

I suppose that I'll start from the beginning and move up; hopefully I'll have time to contribute something substantial. Anyone wishing to contribute would be greatly appreciated.

The Mysterious Death of the Chase Baby

Chase met his future wife, Nellie Heffernan at a semi-pro game in Bayonne, NJ in 1905. Chase had been playing Sunday games for extra pocket money. Incidentally, they were not officially married until New Year's Day 1908.

Chase, Nellie, a Highlander trainer (Mike Martin) and Martin's wife Ethel lived together briefly in July of 1907 at a home on Orange Street in Suffern, NY. Martin had been Chase's former roomate his rookie year. The events which ensued that July are quite morbid and utterly perplexing. Chase biographers Dewey and Accocella write:

"Then, on the afternoon of July 22, with Mrs. Monroe (roommate) off visiting relatives in Philadelphia and Chase and Martin on a road trip with the team, Ethel and Nellie were seen building a fire in the Martins' backyard. According to a witness, neighbor Ada Monroe (no relation), the two women were trying to dispose of the remains of what appeared to be a baby's body, but were frustrated in their attempt by a dog that dragged the infant from the flames. It was at that point that Ada Monroe called the police.

The officers who responded to the call discovered that the women had in the meantime given up their attempt to burn the body, and had instead packed it into a cardboard box and tossed it into an outhouse. The initial story given by Ethel and Nellie was that they had placed the infant-identified as a girl of undeterminable age-in the backyard where it had been attacked by a stray dog…

The district attorney ordered the two women held on a technical charge of withholding information. The New York Sun described the two women as looking "astounded" when they were ordered held. Upon arraignment, however, it was noted that they "came up with a more cohesive and persuasive story". Namely, that Mrs. Martin had been in NYC on July 21st to undergo an "unspecified operation", the day before Ada Monroe had looked out her window to see the fire.

$1500 bail was assigned for the two women as a grand jury was impaneled. Chase had to seek out the fiscal help of fellow player and Suffern neighbor Kid Elberfield.The case created a great stir in the NY Press, but ironically, the ultimate deposition of the women received little mention.

The authors explain:

“The grand jury, presumably recognizing the travails of a botched abortion when it heard them, declined to bring an indictment. The coroner filed a birth certificate for the girl, naming himself as the attending physician, but no death certificate survives. Although the NY Sun hinted that a “prominent New York physician” had been involved, neither it nor any other paper in the region followed up.”

Only in 1913, in the wake of an announced (and protracted) divorce proceedings between Nellie and Hal did the case resurface; wire stories reported that “the couple have had two children- the first child died suddenly in the Chase country home.” Which Accocella and Dewey aptly deem "A gruesome garbling of the events of July 1907."

Has anyone read anything else of this incident?

[csh19792001]

1910:
I’m learning that Chase en vivo was very different than the one-dimensional caricature which is painted of him today by almost anyone who makes statements regarding the man and the player. Some more on the enigmatic Black Prince...

A few points on 1910 ordeal:

-Chase became manager of the Yankees at the end of 1910 because the previous manager, George Stallings, had essentially tried to run him off the team. Why? Stallings claimed that Chase (the team captain) had on several occasions absconded under the pretense of oft half-veiled medical maladies. At times, these excuses were legitimate and documented, other times Chase would go to play for semi pro teams in places like Paterson, NJ (which was closer to where his wife and son lived, at the time). Exhibitions for leagues which were both officially outlawed and not by the National Commission were interspersed with his Yankees games.

Stallings was apparently the first to formally levy Chase with the charge of "laying down" or as he claimed, Chase’s "willful indifference" to the outcome of the game.

-Stallings, who was often at odds with both Ban Johnson and Yankees owner Frank Farrell knew he was on his way out at the end of 1910 and threatened to bring Chase before the National Commission for investigation. It can be inferred, also, from reading about his relationship with his teammates that Chase was well liked and respected at the time than the cantankerous Stallings, who seemed to cause more feuds than he squelched.

Ban Johnson, ironically, was in complete support of Chase after the 1910 ordeal. He was quoted on September 23rd:

"Stallings has utterly failed in his accusations against Chase. He tried to besmirch the character of a sterling player. Anybody who knows Hal Chase knows that he is not guilty of the accusations made against him, and I am happy to say that the evidence of New York players given to Vice President Somers this morning showed Stallings up."

At which point, Chase became manager. As far as I know, he was never accused of fixing games, etc. while he was a player-manager.

Incidentally, 1910 was the year that the AL New Yorkers were first referred to as “Yankees” in the press and in the league.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

I know the rules regarding banned players and Hall-of-Fame, but did Hal Chase EVER receive any votes for induction into the Hall?

There was no rules that barred disqualified banned players from appearing on the HoF ballot until the Pete Rose case.

[TRfromBR]

The Mysterious Death of the Chase Baby

Chase met his future wife, Nellie Heffernan at a semi-pro game in Bayonne, NJ in 1905. Chase had been playing Sunday games for extra pocket money. Incidentally, they were not officially married until New Year's Day 1908.

Chase, Nellie, a Highlander trainer (Mike Martin) and Martin's wife Ethel lived together briefly in July of 1907 at a home on Orange Street in Suffern, NY. Martin had been Chase's former roomate his rookie year. The events which ensued that July are quite morbid and utterly perplexing. Chase biographers Dewey and Accocella write:

"Then, on the afternoon of July 22, with Mrs. Monroe (roommate) off visiting relatives in Philadelphia and Chase and Martin on a road trip with the team, Ethel and Nellie were seen building a fire in the Martins' backyard. According to a witness, neighbor Ada Monroe (no relation), the two women were trying to dispose of the remains of what appeared to be a baby's body, but were frustrated in their attempt by a dog that dragged the infant from the flames. It was at that point that Ada Monroe called the police.

The officers who responded to the call discovered that the women had in the meantime given up their attempt to burn the body, and had instead packed it into a cardboard box and tossed it into an outhouse. The initial story given by Ethel and Nellie was that they had placed the infant-identified as a girl of undeterminable age-in the backyard where it had been attacked by a stray dog…

The district attorney ordered the two women held on a technical charge of withholding information. The New York Sun described the two women as looking "astounded" when they were ordered held. Upon arraignment, however, it was noted that they "came up with a more cohesive and persuasive story". Namely, that Mrs. Martin had been in NYC on July 21st to undergo an "unspecified operation", the day before Ada Monroe had looked out her window to see the fire.

$1500 bail was assigned for the two women as a grand jury was impaneled. Chase had to seek out the fiscal help of fellow player and Suffern neighbor Kid Elberfield.The case created a great stir in the NY Press, but ironically, the ultimate deposition of the women received little mention.

The authors explain:

“The grand jury, presumably recognizing the travails of a botched abortion when it heard them, declined to bring an indictment. The coroner filed a birth certificate for the girl, naming himself as the attending physician, but no death certificate survives. Although the NY Sun hinted that a “prominent New York physician” had been involved, neither it nor any other paper in the region followed up.”

Only in 1913, in the wake of an announced (and protracted) divorce proceedings between Nellie and Hal did the case resurface; wire stories reported that “the couple have had two children- the first child died suddenly in the Chase country home.” Which Accocella and Dewey aptly deem "A gruesome garbling of the events of July 1907."

Has anyone read anything else of this incident?

According to Hal Chase: The Defiant Life and Turbulent Times of Baseball's Biggest Crook (which certainly sounds objective), the baby belonged to Ethel Martin, who married Mike Martin on July 3. Evidently, Chase had not yet married Nellie, but were believed to be living together at the Suffern home you identified.

Was that just an early cover, csh, or the author's mistake?

[csh19792001]

Was that just an early cover, csh, or the author's mistake?

You are correct in that it was (almost certainly) Martin's newborn. The press has to sell papers, though, and since Chase was arguably the most famous athlete aside from Mathewson in NY (and seemingly a scapegoat- although often deservedly so) it makes sense that they would use his name. Why the grand jury never persued the case as they should have is still totally puzzling to me. The details are hazy; I may go back and try to check the NY papers.

Later in the book, an entire chapter is dedicated to the arduous divorce (1912) which Chase himself initiated (especially unusual for his time). He claimed infidelity, as did she. Of course, Chase being the gadabout replete with enemies coming out of the woodwork, it was easier for Nellie to recruit character witnesses than it was for Hal. During the trial, which took place at the NYS Supreme Court (how grandiose!), Chase had the gall to dredge up the episode in an attempt to slander/destroy her credibility.

After a protracted, humiliating, and brutal trial involving a litany of muck rakers and mudslingers from both sides, Chase not only lost custody of Harold Jr., he was also banned from ever marrying legally in New York State ever again.

The proposition of the divorce/trial also precipitated what turned out to be a nervous breakdown for Chase. He ended up in a sanitarium in Atlantic City for nearly a month in April/May.

[TRfromBR]

You are correct in that it was (almost certainly) Martin's newborn. The press has to sell papers, though, and since Chase was arguably the most famous athlete aside from Mathewson in NY (and seemingly a scapegoat- although often deservedly so) it makes sense that they would use his name. Why the grand jury never persued the case as they should have is still totally puzzling to me. The details are hazy; I may go back and try to check the NY papers.

Later in the book, an entire chapter is dedicated to the arduous divorce (1912) which Chase himself initiated (especially unusual for his time). He claimed infidelity, as did she. Of course, Chase being the gadabout replete with enemies coming out of the woodwork, it was easier for Nellie to recruit character witnesses than it was for Hal. During the trial, which took place at the NYS Supreme Court (how grandiose!), Chase had the gall to dredge up the episode in an attempt to slander/destroy her credibility.

After a protracted, humiliating, and brutal trial involving a litany of muck rakers and mudslingers from both sides, Chase not only lost custody of Harold Jr., he was also banned from ever marrying legally in New York State ever again.

The proposition of the divorce/trial also precipitated what turned out to be a nervous breakdown for Chase. He ended up in a sanitarium in Atlantic City for nearly a month in April/May.

I wouldn't think it gets much crueler and unfair, csh, than the New York press falsely naming the baby as Chase's. With all this kind of thing swirling around his life, it's amazing he was able to play at all, nevermind at a level many greats thought to be the best they ever saw. The guy must have been absolutely astounding as a ballplayer.

[csh19792001]

Some other points of interest from early in his career:

-In 1909 Chase was the first on the Highlanders to come down with smallpox. He was relegated to what the papers called "an Augusta pesthouse", quarantied and isolated for nearly a month. His only diversion, ironically, was being able to watch Augusta Tourist games from the roof of the hospital (Sally League, Cobb's former team).

-Chase was the first major league baseball player to have a role in a fictional film (1911).

-His card sharp skills were legendary, particularly applied in poker. The entire story is too long to re-type here, but there's a great story relayed by Gabby Street on page 162 of the Acocella book. As was the custom in those days, the Highlanders and Giants almost always played one another in a postseason series to bolster profits. The fraternizing that came with it during these exhibitions was inevitable, and Street befriended Chase. Later, of course, the two teams would share a park after the Polo Grounds was destroyed by fire.

Street's story concerns Chase's incredible penchant for both the ruse and the slight of hand. The game took place in the backroom of McGraw's Herald Square parlor, and involved both Guy Zinn and future Hall of Famer Harry Hooper. During one particular hand Chase was able to fool everyone (except Street, whom Chase tipped off directly beforehand) into taking down a pot of about $2,500, which is at least $50,000 by today's standards. For someone salaried at $5,000 a year, with no union, pension, or genuine job security, that's a sum.

[Brian McKenna]

Martin Baby:

Washington Post 7/27/1907

Paterson, NJ

Martin and Chase women arrested 7/26 and charged with attempting to conceal the death of an infant duaghter of Mrs. Martin.

Tried to cremate the body in a bonfire built in the rear of the Martin house on Monday 7/22.

Women were tending to the fire so much as to attract the attention of neighbor Monroe. Monroe said she saw a dog pull something from the fire. She inspected to find a child then called the police.

Officer Jones found the remains in a pasteboard box.

Initially Mrs. Martin denied the entire incident but broke down before the judge and confessed. She said the baby was still-born after an operation.

Both women were released on bail.

-------------

I tried a bunch of different searches but couldn't find a reference in the NY Times - must have been followed in the other papers. Perhaps in the more tabloid type papers.

From my reading of the Washington Post account it doesn't seem so sinister and thruthfully a problem women have been dealing with since the beginning of time.

[Brian McKenna]

Incidentally, 1910 was the year that the AL New Yorkers were first referred to as “Yankees” in the press and in the league.

We had a discussion about this - with earlier references than 1910 - in the 19th century forum (why there who knows)

http://baseball-fever.com/showthread.php?t=64650

[Bill Burgess]

I have wondered why Ruth chose chase as the greatest 1B of all time. He also chose Ray Schalk, one of the "clean Sox", as his pick for greatest catcher of all time.

One has to understand the context of when Babe chose his team. Babe chose his team in 1931. Bob Shawkey had managed the Yanks for 1930, and Babe was lobbying & stumping for the job in January, 1931.

Babe was trying his damnest to show his Barrow/Ruppert that he knew the intricacies of the old game as well as anyone else alive. He went with Chase, Lajoie, Wagner, J. Collins, Joe Jackson, Cobb, H. Hooper, Schalk, Matty, Plank and Pennock.

A true old school, defensive, running squad. He was trying his best to send a signal to Barrow boy that his instincts/intuition were razor sharp. He thought he was as sharp as Seele, Stallings, Huggins, Gleason, Hanlon, etc. And he didn't want anyone to miss the point.

If he had selected Gehrig, Foxx, Hornsby, or sluggers, he feared everyone would have written him off as a guy who needed sluggers to cover up all the holes in your game. He didn't want to send that particular message. Whoever said Babe wasn't smart, foxy, and cunning?

He was trying to showcase his smarts. He wanted Ruppert/Barrow to remember his early days, and that he knew the old running/defensive game as well as Joe McCarthy. He really believed in himself, as a tactician/strategist. And that is the message he was sending by choosing his all time team, in January, 1931.

[Bill Burgess]

In further explanation as to how/why Babe Ruth put Hal Chase on his all time team.
------------------------
Put yourself in January, 1931. Take away the perception that Chase's bad reputation was as common knowledge as it is today.

Lou Gehrig had only 5 seasons under his belt. At that moment, Bill Terry was looking awful good after his .400 1930 season, and his stellar glove. And Sisler was seen as a god.

So Babe's choices were not seen as out of line. No, not at all. Lajoie/Collins were seen as top of the line. And Babe fully knew that Ed Barrow also chose Lajoie/J.Collins on HIS all time team. And all had Wagner. So, Babe was really sending his message to Barrow, who would do the deciding of the next Yankee skipper. And that was never lost on Babe. So he crafted his team in such a way that Big Ed could never question his judgment, or tactical chops.

Sadly, Babe's strategy path was not in the cards. Big Ed was not open to him as a candidate. In his autobiography, 1951, he so emphasized that Babe was never on the long list in the search. He said so only about 3 times. And I still feel that Big Ed should have been a bigger man than that. I see Ed's point very clearly, but simply disagree with his acumen. That's my prerogative.

And just to prove my point on Chase, below is a list of the prominent BB figures who put Prince Hal on their teams. However, I do disagree with all of them, and would have banned Hal from my ballpark.

Sam Crane April, 1918 (ML player/sports writer)
John Sheridan 1928 (sports writer)
Babe Ruth January, 1931
Walter Johnson 1934
Hugh Fullerton 1935 (sports writer)
Jack Kofoed 1935 (sports writer)
Bill Dinneen 1938
Fred Logan 1938 (clubhouse custodian)
E.A. Batchelor 1939 (sports writer)
William Klem 1939 (umpire)
Zach Wheat 1941
Bill Coughlin 1941
Nick Altrock 1942
Tris Speaker 1944
Frank Graham 1947 (sports writer)
Art Shires 1947
Clark Griffith 1952
Tom Connolly 1953 (umpire)
Bobby Wallace 1954
Nap Lajoie 1956
Casey Stengel 1959
Fred Clarke 1961
Sam Crawford 1961
George McBride 1964
Davey Jones 1964
Jimmie Austin 1964
----------------------------------------
Here is what Ed Barrow wrote in his autobiography in 1952.

"Gehrig was no Hal Chase. Indeed no one but Chase ever was. In agility and quickness of movement, Chase was in a class by himself. As a fielding first baseman he was unmatched and without any doubt whatsoever the greatest who ever lived. But by his crooked actions and the black mark he left on the game he should have adorned, he does not belong in the company of honorable men. Consequently, I have not given him any consideration in my all-time rankings."
----------------------------------------------------------------
Here is Miller Huggins team, chosen in spring, 1929.

First base--Hal Chase, New York Americans
Second base--Eddie Collins, Philadelphia Americans
Third base--Jimmy Collins, Boston Americans
Shortstop--Hans Wagner, Pittsburgh Nationals
Right Field--Babe Ruth, New York Americans
Center Field--Tris Speaker, Boston Americans
Left Field--Ty Cobb, Detroit Americans
Catcher--Roger Bresnahan, New York Nationals
Catcher--Johnny Kling, Chicago Nationals
Pitchers--Rube Waddell, Philadelphia Americans
Walter Johnson, Washington Americans
Christy Mathewson, New York Nationals
Grover C. Alexander, Philadelphia Nationals
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interesting 1941 quote from Hal Chase: Hal Chase excerpt:
You know, baseball was good to me, but I'm afraid I wasn't very good to baseball. Most of the grief I had during my career as a player was my own making. At least, if it wasn't of my own making, I could have prevented it, had I acted more wisely. (The Sporting News, September 25, 1941)