Eddie Gaedel who was the dwarf St.Louis Browns owner Bill Veeck sent to bat was born on this date in 1925. Gaedel was 3 foot 7 and weighted 65 pounds. Veeck was always doing something fun at the ballyard. He thought of this stunt while owning the Browns in 1951. Gaedel walked on 4 pitches. Walked to first base and was replaced by a pinch-runner. The Powers That Be-in baseball of course didn’t look… on this as being funny and banned Gaedel from baseball [not that he was going to play again} Gaedel’s uniform number was 1/8.

Veeck had told Gaedel before the game what he wanted him to do- just take for pitches and walk. Gaedel got it in his head that he wanted to swing at a pitch. Veeck then told Gaedel that he better not- that he’d have a sniper with his gun aimed at him and if he swung at a pitch…. of course Veeck wouldn’t do such a thing. Eddie Gaedel died in 1961.

 One of my favorite baseball books is Bill Veeck’s ‘Veeck As In Wreck” a wonderfully entertaining book. There is a new bio out on Bill Veeck, I will have to read it this summer. In his career in baseball he owned the Indians, Browns, White Sox and then the White Sox again. Bill Veeck died in 1986. Of course after his death he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.