FEB2015: THE 143nd ARTICLE FOR BASEBALL GURU
ONEMOREINNING
they served their country
!BASEBALL FATALITIES!
HARRY GLENN:
PLAYED A PORTION OF THE 1915 SEASON AS A CATCHER WITH THE ST. LOUIS CARDINALS. NEAR THE END OF THE SEASON HE WAS DRAFTED. WHLE IN THE ARMY SIGNAL CORPS HE WAS TRAINING TO BECOME AN AVIATION MECHANIC. THIS WAS AT THE ST. PAUL MINNESOTA MILITARY BASE. HE WAS ONE OF 6 TRAINEES TO COME DOWN WITH PNEUMONIA BUT UNFORTUNATLY, THE ONLY ONE TO DIE FROM IT.
ALEX "TOM" BURR:
BURR WAS A MAJOR LEAGUER WHO DIED IN WORLD WAR ONE WHILE SERVING IN THE ARMED FORCES.
IN 1914 HE CAME UP TO THE NEW YORK YANKEES AS A PITCHER. HIS REPUTATION AS A STAR PITCHER AT WILLIAMS COLLEGE PRECEEDED HIM AND GREAT THINGS WERE EXPECTED OF HIM.
THE YANKEE MANAGER THEN WAS FRANK CHANCE. THE CHEMISTRY BETWEEN BOTH MEN WAS DIFFCULT AND HE ENDED UP APPEARING IN JUST ONE GAME. HE PLAYED OUT OF POSITION (CENTER FIELD), MADE NO PLAYS IN THE OUTFIELD, AND NEVER GOT UP TO BAT.
THAT WAS THE TOTAL OF HIS PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL CAREER.
WHEN WAR BROKE OUT HE ENLISTED. WHILE ON A FLIGHT IN CAZAUX FRANCE HE COLLIDED WITH ANOTHER PLANE. HIS PLANE BROKE INTO FLAMES AND CRASHED INTO A LAKE. BURR'S BODY WAS RECOVERED AND RETURNED TO THE STATES. HE WAS ONLY 24 YEARS OLD.
HARRY CHAPMAN:
PLAYED IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES FROM 1912 TO 1916. HE WAS WITH SEVERAL CLUBS INCLUDING THE CHICAGO CUBS, CINCINNATI REDS, ST LOUS TERRIERS AND THE ST. LOUIS BROWNS.
HIS POSITION WAS CATCHING BUT HE ALSO MANAGED TO PLAY SOME SECOND BASE AND SHORTSTOP WHILE WITH THE BROWNS.
IN 1917 HE WAS IN THE MINORS WITH THE ST LOUIS TERRIERS. MID SEASON HE JOINED THE ARMY. HE WAS INJURED A TOTAL OF THREE TIMES. THE LAST RESULTED IN HIS DEATH. HE WAS 30 YEARS OLD.
THERE HAVE BEEN EIGHT BALLPLAYERS WHO WERE IN THE ARMED SERVICES DURING WORLD WAR ONE WHO DIED FROM ILLNESS OR WHILE ON COMBAT DUTY.
ALEX BURR, HARRY CHAPMAN, EDDIE GRANT, RALPH SHARMAN, HARRY GLENN, ROY NEWT HALLIDAY. LARRY CHAPPELL. & BUN TROY. HALIDAY, TROY AND CHAPPELL ARE THE ONLY THREE WE HAVEN'T MENTIONED YET.
NEWT HALLIDAY:
HIS CLAIM TO FAME WAS THAT HE WAS A MAJOR LEAGUER WHO DIIED IN WORLD WAR ONE.
THE PROBLEM WITH THE ABOVE WAS THAT HIS CAREER CONSISTED OF A SMALL PORTION OF ONE GAME. HE STRUCK OUT IN HIS ONLY TIME AT BAT. HE MANAGED THREE PLAYS PLAYING FIRST BASE AND THAT WAS IT.
HE JOINED THE NAVY WHEN AMERICA ENTERED THE FIRST WORLD WAR. AT THE NAVAL STATION IN GREAT LAKES HE CONTRACTED TUBERCULOSIS AND AFTER A LONG PERIOD HE PASSED AWAY.
HALLIDAY WAS 21 AT THE TIME.
BUN TROY:
WHILE SERVING AS A SERGEANT WITH THE BLUE RIDGE DIVISION IN THE U.S. ARMY DURNG WORLD WAR ONE HE WAS MORTALLY WOUNDED DURING THE INFAMOUS MEUSE-ARGONNE OFFENSIVE IN FRANCE.
HE HAD AN EXCELLENT MINOR LEAGUE RECORD OVER A FIVE YEAR PERIOD WINNING CONSECUTIVE 23 GAME SEASONS DURING THE 1912 AND 1913 PERIOD.
HIS DEATH HAPPENED DURING THE ARGONNE FOREST CAMPAIGN. A BULLET HIT HIM IN THE CHEST. HE WAS TAKEN TO THE EVACUATION HOSPITAL AT PETIT MAJOUY WHERE HE LINGERED ON FOR TWO DAYS AND THEN DIED. AT FIRST HE WAS BURIED IN FRANCE AND HE WAS REMOVED BY THE REQUEST OF HIS PARENTS AND SENT TO MONESSEN PENNSYLVAINIA. HE WAS GIVEN A MILITARY FUNERAL. IT WAS HELD IN THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AND OVER A THOUSAND PEOPLE ATTENDED. HIS BODY WAS TAKEN TO THE FIRST RUN CEMETARY IN A CAISSON. HE WAS GIVEN A 21 GUN SALUTE.
LARRY CHAPPELL :
FROM 1913 TO 1917 CHAPPELL PLAYED MAJOR LEAGUE BALL WITH THE CHICAGO WHITE SOX, CLEVELAND INDIANS, AND THE BOSTON BRAVES. FOR HIS CAREER HIS AVERAGE STOOD AT .226 WITH NO HOMERUNS AND 26 RBIs. HE WAS HOWEVER A GOOD OUTFIELDER WHO LATE IN THE GAME WOULD COME IN TO PLAY FOR OTHER PLAYERS FOR DEFENSIVE REASONS.
WHILE SERVING IN A FRENCH WAR CAMP DURING WORLD WAR ONE IN 1918 HE CONTACTED THE SPANISH FLU. HE WAS 28 AT THE TIME AND DIED WITHIN TWO WEEKS.
NEXT MONTH:
WE KNOW ABOUT BERRA BUT HOW ABUT JERRY COLMAN?
