And Behind the Plate … Muddy Ruel of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar

Abstract

And Behind the Plate ... Muddy Ruel of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar ROBERT M. JARVIS* On May 27, 1929, Herold D. Ruel “was admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court.”1 The next day, the visiting New York Yankees beat the Washington Senators 12-7. Ruel walked, singled, and drove in two runs for the home team. Ruel expected to practice law when his playing days were over, but he never did. Still, his training did not go to waste. Indeed, in November 1945 it helped him land a job as Happy Chandler’s chief aide. One month ear­ lier, Chandler had become baseball’s second commissioner, succeeding the late Judge Ke­ nesaw M. Landis. Although accounts of Ruel’s baseball ca­ reer are plentiful, his legal career has been all but overlooked. Accordingly, this essay seeks to shed a bit of light on this neglected aspect of Ruel’s life. Playing Career Because Ruel’s career as one ofthe game’s best defensive catchers—as well as the person who dubbed the gear worn by catchers the “tools of ignorance”2 —has been so well-documented, only a brief recap is needed here. Herold Dominic Ruel was born in St. Louis on February 20,1896, and grew up play­ ing baseball on the city’s sandlots, where he acquired the nickname “Muddy.”3 At 17, Ruel joined the semi-pro Wabadas and soon caught the eye of Charley Barrett, the chief scout of the American League’s St. Louis Browns. On November 7, 1914, the Browns signed the diminutive (5' 9") Ruel to a $ 125-a-month con­ tract. Ruel broke into the majors on May 29, 1915, but his first year was not an auspicious one (in nineteen plate appearances he com­ piled a .000 batting average). Thus, after that season, his contract was sold to the minorleague Memphis Chicks. During the next two years, Ruel showed steady improvement, and in August 1917, the Yankees purchased his rights. In June 1918, however, Ruel was forced to leave the team when he was drafted into the army. Ruel was back the following season, and on August 14,1919, he entered the record 2 JOURNAL OF SUPREME COURT HISTORY book, albeit for the wrong reason: while facing the Detroit Tigers, he hit into a triple play in a game the Yankees ended up winning, 5-4. One year later, Ruel was involved in a much more infamous play. On August 16,1920, dur­ ing the fifth inning of a home game against the Cleveland Indians, a pitch thrown by Carl Mays killed shortstop Ray Chapman. The inci­ dent marks the only time a major-league player has died on the field. Following the 1920 season, the Yankees traded Ruel to the Boston Red Sox. Two years later, Ruel was on the move again, this time to the Washington (D.C.) Senators. As matters turned out, Ruel had his best years in Washing­ ton, with the high point coming in 1924: Ruel hit .283 that season and the Senators outlasted the Yankees to capture their first pennant. In the World Series that year, the club faced the powerful New York Giants, who were appearing in their fourth straight fall classic. Although Ruel batted a mere .095, he came up big in Game 7. With one out and the score tied 3-3 in the bottom ofthe 12th inning, Ruel MUDDY RUEL 3 doubled after fouling off the previous pitch. The easy pop-up should have been a routine play for Giants catcher Hank Gowdy, but as he went for the ball he tripped over his mask, giving Ruel renewed life at the plate. Two bat­ ters later, rookie Earl McNeely drove Ruel in with a ball that got past Giants third baseman FredLindstrom, causingthe entire capital to go wild. Remarkably, in the bottom of the eighth inning, a similar play had allowed the Sena­ tors to erase a 3-1 deficit, with Ruel scoring the tying run. In 1925, Ruel helped guide the Senators back to the World Series. Two years later, he was behind the plate at Yankee Stadium when Babe Ruth belted his record-breaking 60th...