Happy 19-31 day!
1931 Day? which one? That was a fine season, 92-62-2 under manager Walter Johnson, but good enough only for 3rd place. Look at the team, mixing the last seasons of the 1924-1925 champs and the first season of the Wrecking Crew of '33. Sam Rice, at 41, hit .310 with .765 OPS...I'd rather have that Sam Rice in LF than Dickerson. Then the core of the team: Heinie Manush, Joe Cronin, Joe Kuhel, and the tough-as-nails Buddy Myer at 2B. That's the Buddy who kept getting spiked by the Yankees' Ben Chapman, until Myer had had enough. After turning a double play, Myer felt himself lifted into the air as Chapman ran far out of the base-path. Chapman had spiked the heel off of Myer's shoe, so our Buddy Myer kicked Chapman. And kicked Chapman (who was about 30 pounds heavier). And kicked him again, as the dugouts emptied and fans began to climb over the lower-deck railing to get at Chapman and the Yankees.
A great year, but the A's, the last of Connie Mack's power teams, and the Yankees had better records.
