Flash Gordon Passes it On

Today is the birthday of Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Gordon, born February 18, 1915, in Los Angeles.

After his father, a gold miner, died when Gordon was just four, his mother moved the family up to Portland, Oregon. Gordon flourished there. He played violin in the symphony orchestra and, at the University of Oregon, trained as a gymnast and played both football and baseball.

While he was talented in everything he did, he was especially gifted on the baseball field. He hit .380 and .415 in two consecutive championship years for the college, and earned a place in the Yankee’s organization before graduating.

After a couple of years in the minors, he was considered the top prospect to replace the aging second baseman, Tony Lazzeri. During spring training in 1938, Lazzeri, faced with a younger replacement, did what few major leaguers would do: he took Gordon under his wing and taught him everything he knew.

Gordon took Lazzeri’s spot in the infield the next year. He’d evolve into arguably the best second baseman in the league and a leader in the clubhouse. During his six years with the Yankees and five with the Cleveland Indians, Gordon was a nine-time All-Star, won five World Series, and was elected American League MVP in 1942.

Throughout his career, Gordon did what he could to provide the same kind of mentorship he’d received when he first made it into the league. Like Lazerri had once done for him, Gordon extended a hand to Larry Doby, the first Black player in the American League, who was met with silence in the clubhouse. Doby later recalled one of those early moments.

“When we went out on the field to warm up, to play catch, you know the way we always did, no one asked me to play. I just stood there for minutes. It seemed like a long time,” recalled Doby. “Then Joe Gordon yelled, ‘Hey kid, come on. Throw with me.’ That was it. Joe Gordon was a class guy. He’d been a Yankee and the others looked up to him. So when he reached out to me, it really helped.”

Devers Isn’t Interested in DH

• Bregman will go…where? – OK so on paper, Alex Bregman, the Gold Glove winning third baseman should…probably play third base in Fenway. Right? Well. Rafael Devers, the current third baseman for the Sox isn’t willing to transfer to DH to allow for the move. You think in a town where DHs have been heralded as heroes, he’d be more open to the idea. We’ll see. Maybe Ortiz will have a talk with him.

• Back on the mound – Wondering if they’ll have a chyron for an Ohtani pitch count-down this year. In the meantime.

• Stanton might miss opening day – Yankees slugger and reigning ALCS MVP is dealing with tendonitis in both elbows. Apparently, he’s been dealing with the pain since last season, and hasn’t swung a bat in a month. No timeline on when he’ll be 100% as of yet, Aaron Boone says.

• On the other hand… — Bryson Stott is feeling healthy this year after nursing a bum elbow throughout most of last season. Last year, his batting average dropped from .280 in 2023 to .245. “I think whenever you have that type of injury, as you’re approaching the baseball and thinking about your finish, I think it changes your swing a little bit and you guard against a swing-and-miss”.

• That’s his opinion – Man, Mets/Yankees games this year are going to be great.

Landis Goes Full-Time

• 1922 — Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis resigns from his federal judgeship.
  
  Landis had used his position as judge to protect the American and National League from the Federal League, who sued both under antitrust laws, arguing they’d used monopolistic practices to prevent fair competition. Landis sat on the case for over a year, allowing it to stagnate. During the delay, the Federal League would collapse financially and the American and National Leagues would absorb some of its teams and players. The move earned him the loyalty of both leagues and helped cement him as the commissioner of the game.