The Pecan Park Eagle

Eddie Gaedel
Sportsmans Park
August 19, 1951

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August 20, 1951 News Article

Veeck Inserts Midget Pinch-Hitter

18,369 Brownie Fans Treated to Gigantic Celebration

ST. LOUIS, Aug. 19 (1951) – (UP). Bill Veeck pulled out every trick in his favorite assortment today – including a midget-sized pinch hitter – to treat 18,369, (the) largest crowd at Sportsmans Park since 1947, to a wild celebration of the 50th anniversary of the American League.

In between games of today’s Browns-Tigers doubleheader, the new Browns owner reached a peak in his campaign to give Brownie fans “a lot of fun” even if they haven’t a good team, yet,

The celebration started with serial bombs exploding, and an eight-piece band, composed of Brownie players, tooting away at home plate.

Meanwhile, a hand-balancer performed at first base, trampoline acrobats jumped nimby around second, and a juggler went through his act at third.

But that wasn’t all. Old-fashioned cars and cycles paraded around the field and coach Max Patkin, an accomplished comedian and contortionist, staged a jitterbug dance.

Then a huge birthday cake was trundled onto the field as the band played “Happy Birthday.”  The midget jumped out of the cake and was introduced to the throng as “the last of the ral Brownies.” The midget, bearing the fraction “1/8” on his Brownie uniform was Eddie Gaedel, 28, of Chicago. Manager Zach Taylor promptly sent hm to home plate as the (pinch-hitting for center fielder Frank Saucier) lead-off man for the second game against the Tigers. Gaedel weighs 50 1/8 pounds.

The Tigers protested but Taylor came up with a perfectly legal contract showing Gaedel to be a full-fledged member of the Browns. The Browns were four men under the player limit and Gaedel had taken one of the vacant spots.

The umpires decided everything was official and ordered Detroit Pitcher Bob Cain to play ball. Cain couldn’t find the midget-sized strike zone and promptly walked Gaedel on four pitches. A pinch runner (Jim Delsing) went in to take his place.

The Browns eventually loaded the bases, but failed to score.

It was a great day. But it would have been even better if the Browns hadn’t lost both games, 5-2 and 6-2.

But Veeck wasn’t downhearted. He’s going to use one of those player vacancies still left to hire a “grandstand manager”  from among the fans.

The grandstand manager will handle decisions that Veeck doesn’t like to handle himself.

~ United Press, Independent Long Beach, August 20, 1951, Page 18.

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The Ballad of Eddie Gaedel
(All verse stanzas are in regular shade type and are sung to the main tune of “Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer.” The two chorus stanzas, shown in bold type, are sung to the chorus tune from “Rudolph” that goes with “Then one foggy Christmas Eve, Santa came to say, etc.”)

by Bill McCurdy, 1999.

Bill Veeck, the Brownie owner,
Wore some very shiny clothes!
And if you saw his sport shirt,
You would even say, “It glows!”

All of the other owners,
Used to laugh and call him names!
They wouldn’t let poor Bill Veeck,
Join in any owner games!

(chorus)
Then one humid summer day,
Bill Veeck had to – fidget!
Got an idea that stirred his soul,
He decided to sign a – midget!

His name was Eddie Gae-del,
He was only three feet tall!
He never played much baseball,
He was always just too small!

(chorus)
Then one day in Sportsman’s Park,
Eddie went to bat!
Took four balls and walked to first,
Then retired – just-like-that!

Oh, how the purists hated,
Adding little Eddie’s name,
To the big book of records,
“Gaedel” bore a blush of shame!

Now when you look up records,
Look up Eddie’s O.B.P.!
It reads a cool One Thousand,
Safe for all eternity.

“Have a Nice Smile, Everybody!” – Eddie Gaedel.

Tags: Eddie Gaedel

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