The Creation of a Legend

Abstract

Legend: A traditional story sometimes popularly regarded as historical but unauthenticated.1Legends do not spring forth full grown from a vacuum. Typically, legends are based upon elements-oftentimes only barest shreds-of reality. In order to assess legend's legitimacy these bits and pieces of truth must be ferreted out. This process can also provide insight into origin of legend.The present inquiry is an attempt to determine authenticity of legend of Herman Schaefer's called home run, and especially flamboyant behaviors attributed to him immediately preceding and following his amazing hit. goal is to determine validity of legend's alleged events and, if possible, to ascertain their root sources.BackgroundAn often told baseball legend is that of Detroit's Germany Schaefer's pinch-hit walk-off home run. As traditional tale goes, before stepping into batter's box Schaefer boasted to crowd that he was baseball's premier batsman and was going to give a brilliant demonstration of his unmatched hitting ability. most extraordinary version of legend has him publicly declaring that he was going to hit ball into left-field bleachers. Amazingly, Germany proceeded to do that and his spectacular home run won game. legend then details a series of outrageous behaviors exhibited by Schaefer as he rounded bases, concluding with a self-satisfied speech he made to crowd after arriving at home plate. Apart from those shocking acts, Schaefer's climactic homer is all more improbable because he simply was not a home run hitter. In his lengthy major league career, Germany batted more than 3,700 times and homered on only nine occasions, three of those inside-the-park homers.2The first writer to tell many-faceted tale of Schaefer's spectacular homer was former Tigers manager Hugh Jennings. At end of 1925 season Jennings suffered nervous breakdown and retired from baseball. He had been in major league baseball for nearly 35 years and, by his own estimate, had participated in or witnessed more than 5,000 games.3Jennings decided to capitalize on his wealth of baseball experience. He contracted to write a daily newspaper column, Rounding Third, which was syndicated in major newspapers from coast to coast. Atlanta Constitution proudly announced that the greatest series on baseball ever written would begin on Thursday, December 1, 1925.4 Jennings' column recounted important baseball events of past and depicted famous players he knew so well. All told, over a three-month period Jennings penned a total of 80 columns. mental and physical demands on a man in frail health must have been enormous.Launching LegendJennings first described Schaefer's pinch-hit home run in Chapter 28 of Rounding Third. He opened by saying, When we started our last eastern trip in September, 1907, we had a fighting chance for pennant. His description of Schaefer's pinchhit homer in this chapter was succinct:We were playing Chicago in Chicago and Doc White, famous left-hander of White Sox, was pitching. Schaefer was on bench that day, nursing a sore thumb. Late in game we filled bases with two out. I asked Schaefer whether he thought he could pinch bat and he said he would. He stepped to plate, took a firm hold, swung and drove ball into left field bleachers, winning game for us.Jennings devoted all of Chapter 53, Greatest Comedian of Baseball, to Germany Schaefer. In it, he detailed many of madcap stunts that earned Schaefer title The Clown Prince of Baseball. Here Jennings launched legend of Schaefer's pinch-hit home run in its full glory:I have already told you how Schaefer hit a home run off Doc White with bases filled in Chicago ... but circumstances attending home run were omitted in that chapter. …