This cartoon makes me think of Eddie Gaedel of the St. Louis Browns, the shortest player in Major League history. Gaedel made only one plate appearance on August 19, 1951 and was walked with four consecutive balls before being replaced by a pinch-runner at first. Supposedly, before sending him to the plate, Browns owner Bill Veeck had warned Gaedel not to lift the bat from his shoulders. If Gaedel found himself tempted to swing, Veeck warned, he need only remember that Veeck would be standing on the roof of the stadium with a rifle trained right on him.
Great post. I remember seeing pics during my youth of Eddie Gaedel’s only major league at-bat. Seems the baseball commissioner, however, didn’t approve of Sox owner Bill Veeck’s publicity stunt and voided Gaedel’s one-day major league contract. In response, Veeck threatened to request an official ruling on whether Yankees shortstop and reigning MVP Phil Rizzuto was a short ballplayer or a tall midget.
That’s great. Never heard that story before. Thanks, Bill!