A Previously Unrecorded Brewer Found: Willie LeCompte

by Dennis Pajot

Doing research for an incident between an umpire and the Milwaukee Brewers for my in progress book, I looked up the game story of the September 6, 1903, doubleheader at Athletic Park in Milwaukee.

The game story in the Milwaukee Sentinel of September 7 reads in part:

"LeCompte, a representative from Paducah, Ky, lasted eight innings, through stress of circumstances, and then he went to the bench. The company—such as it was—was too fast for the young man."

According to box scores he went 0 for 3, with no runs, no put outs, no assists, no errors. In the same day's Sentinel was written:

"Mr. LeCompte, who has been visiting friends in the city, leaves for Paducha, Ky, this morning."

I looked up the Milwaukee Journal for some information on the game and found this sentence:

"LeCompte, who during the first game had showed himself to be a wood man and not a ball player, was allowed to remain on the bench [for the second game]." Of the two other Milwaukee newspapers, the Evening Wisconsin wrote: LeCompte "proved altogether too slow for the company...[Manager] Cantillon sent LeCompte home to Paducah last night."

The Milwaukee Daily News said the young man was

"hardly fast enough. He was retired in the eighth and Dunleavy took his place."

This September 6 game was the only game LeCompte played in for the Brewers. Back at my home I looked up LeCompte at Baseball-Reference and found no entry (that has since been changed). I did find a W.O. LeCompte who played in 1904 with Clarksdale and Pine Bluff. At home I have "The All-Time Rosters of the Milwaukee Brewers of the American Association 1902-1952", edited by Rex Hamann. LeCompte is not listed in his roster either.

I contacted Cliff Blau of the SABR Encyclopedia to find if W. O. LeCompte and the LeCompte of Brewer one-day fame were the same man. Cliff did not know, but rightly said he would rather error on the side of caution, and list them as two different players.

Determined to find who Mr. LeCompte might be, I looked at various internet sources for old newspapers which might have information. Knowing he was from (or at least played with Paducah, Kentucky) I started there. In the Paducah Sun coverage of 1903 I found numerous box scores and references to LeCompte as the team's shortstop. Then in two articles I found him talked of as Willie LeCompte.

Willie LeCompte was apparently a very good player. There are a number of articles about his playing abilities. In the June 17, 1903, Peducah Sun it was written:

"There can't anyone in the league touch LeCompte when it comes either to gentility or fast ball playing. He is a star fielder and a hard hitter."

The next day the newspaper commented:

"LeCompte has proven himself a thorough short stop and third baseman and his ball playing is the most admired of any man on the team except Clifford." On September 2 the Sun said of him: "Talking his average in fielding and batting he is undoubtedly the best short stop in the [Kentucky-Illinois-Tennesse] league."

Further searching found W.O. LeCompte had joined the Paducah team in April 1903, having played with the Danville college team the previous season, doing good work. The Peducah management heard of his ability and secured him early in the 1903 season, his first professional season.

One interesting incident occurred in that 1903 season which affected Willie. In June it was reported a warrant was being issued for every player who had played the previous Sunday with the Paducah and Hopkinsville baseball teams. LeCompte was among them. I did not find what happened with this incident.

On or about September 1, Willie LeCompte was sold to the Milwaukee Brewers of the American Association. The September 2 Paducah Sun reported LeCompte

"has not yet gone to join the team, but is waiting on instructions. He received a telegram instructing him to join the team at once, but he wired back that it would be impossible to go into actual work on account of an injured finger, and further asking for terms. LeCompte is waiting for an answer. The deal has been closed and the draft sent ahead for the money to be paid for LeCompte's release."

Willie LeCompte's one game with the Brewers is documented above. As stated that September 6 game was a doubleheader. The Milwaukee Sentinel said in its summary of game two:

"It was a bad day for Paducha, Ky, as the second game showed. Hedges, the boy from 'way down yonder' was put on the firing line by Manager Cantillon and started out badly....[later in the game] his arm gave out and four runs came in. A single and double by the visitors in the next inning, combined with a couple of more errors, convinced Manager Cantillon, that this was no day for Kentucky, so Alonzo went to the clubhouse to talk it over with his friend LeCompte."

Alonzo Hedges had also played for the Paducah Chiefs earlier in the season and had been signed by the Brewers in late June. So perhaps this was how Cantillon found out about the young shortstop Willie LeCompte.

There is another connection between the 1903 Brewers and Paducah. The Evening Wisconsin of September 3 reported first baseman Conner [sic] who also had played with Paducah, would stay with the club. Baseball-Reference and Rex Hamann both show Edward Conners had played 14 games with the 1903 Brewers and hit .166. The newspaper said Conner [sic] was a cousin of the famous Roger Conner. [If the player's name was Conners or Conner, or if he was a relative of Roger is for another research day! Box scores in the Paducah Sun show a Conners playing first base with the Chiefs.]

To round out the story, earlier I wrote that at Baseball-Reference there is a W. O. LeCompte who played for Clarksdale and Pine Bluff in 1904. Showing this is the same LeCompte who played for the Brewers in 1903, I found this in the Paducah Sun of June 27, 1904:

"LeCompte, shortstop for the locals but sold to Milwaukee was tried by Pine Bluff in the Cotton State but did not suit and he is in the Delta League."

[Clarksdale, Mississippi, was in the 1904 Delta League. Clarksdale won the Delta League pennant with a 69 and 30 record.]

So we now know the two LeCompte's of 1903 and 1904 at Baseball-Reference are the same player. (Baseball-Reference has changed their entry, and hopefully by the time you are reading this Cliff Blau has corrected this to one person in the SABR Encyclopedia).

Now, who was Willie LeCompte? Here I cannot be 100 percent certain, but I think I perhaps found him. A search at Family Search.org found a William Ovid Lecompte born in Pleasureville, Kentucky, on December 3, 1880. He died October 13, 1940. His parents were Isaac Newton Lecompte and the former Martha Jane Hill, married in Hills Spring, Shelby County, Kentucky, on January 18, 1872. The only census I could find Willie LeCompte in, was the 1900 census, where he was listed as single, working as a day laborer. In the World War I Draft registrations I found William Ovid LeCompte. He registered in Nashville, Tennessee, with an address of 61 Watauga. LeCompte gave his occupation as salesman with the Remington Arms Company.

I looked for obituaries from 1940 for him, but came up empty. There is no way I can now say for certain this is the same man who played ball with the Brewers, but William O. LeCompte born in Kentucky, being 22 years old in 1903, would fit the bill.

Perhaps the entire mystery of Mr. LeCompte is not solved, but some of it is.

My friends, this is the joy of research. A lot of hours at a personal computer and more sifting through microfilm and ancestry sites at the public library to solve a minor mystery of a guy who played in one minor league game 107 years ago in my home town. And do you know what? It is definitely all worth it.

Dennis Pajot
Milwaukee

A Little Help Needed

I'm cross-posting this with my Packers uniform blog, The Wearing of the Green and Gold, knowing that there is likely some overlap between fans of the Pack and the Brews.

Living in New York, it's tough to watch complete Packer games. And until the NFL makes them available on iTunes, I have to rely on the kindness of Wisconsinites and/or people with a dish.

I've lost my source for high-def copies of the games and am having a hard time finding a new one. If there's anyone out there who can send me DVDs, I'd appreciate it. I would of course reimburse you for all costs.

If you're able to help, please drop me a line. And thanks!

The Perfessor, Big as Life

This 1944 photo of Brewers skipper Casey Stengel is up for auction at MEARS:

This photo, taken by Milwaukee's Grand Photo Studio, was used by the Brews in photo cards sold at the park during the 1944 season. The 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 inch cards had printed autographs and were sold for 25 cents a set through the mail and at the Borchert Field concession stands.

This particular copy of the photo has been altered for print, its background removed with correction fluid, the 1940s version of Photoshop. This is fairly common on surviving photos from the period.

Congratulations Again, Dennis!

BorchertField.com contributor Dennis Pajot was in Atlanta last month for the national convention of The Society for American Baseball Research, where he received this year's Sporting News-SABR Baseball Research Award, which recognizes "outstanding baseball research published in the previous calendar year."

Here he is (right), being presented with his award by Steve Gietschier from Florissant, Mo:

Bravo, Dennis. We continue to be deeply honored to have your work on this site, and look forward to your upcoming book.

"Dinty"

This diminutive Brewer,
inch for inch, pound for pound,
proved to be a "Mighty Mite" for Milwaukee

"Dinty"
Dennis John Gearin
by Paul Tenpenny
(Tencentz@aol.com)
Copyright 2010 Tencentzports
Printed with permission of the Author

Dennis John Gearin, a man after my own heart and well ... height, was born in Providence, Rhode Island on October 15, 1897. The son of an Irish grocery store owner, he had a baseball career that spanned 15 years and had a long tenure in Milwaukee. He was arguably one of the shortest pitchers ever to play the game, at 5'4" tall and weighing in at 148 lbs (later years weighing about 160 lbs).

Gearin seemed to have collected more nicknames than any other player in the history of baseball. Most of them were due to his size and many were not very complimentary.

Denny Gearin got an early start, playing baseball for the Pawtucket Rovers (Pawtucket, RI) in the Colonial league in 1915. In the 27 games played, he pitched 203.2 innings. Unfortunately, the 17 year old pitcher lost 16 of them, while posting zero victories. A rough start for the youngster. His hitting wasn't much better, he tallied only 12 hits in his 69 times at the plate for a .174 batting average. He exhibited some power, hitting 4 doubles and a home run.

He returned to baseball with the Providence Grays of the Eastern League in 1918. In the 5 games he pitched, Gearin won 3 and lost 1 in 37.1 innings pitched. In 184 times at bat, he had 43 hits, for a .234 batting average.

His next year with Providence was more impressive. In the 14 games Gearin appeared in, he won 11 and lost 2 during the 109 innings pitched.

That year, the Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) would also give Denny a look where he went 12-7 in the 19 games he appeared in. He pitched 175 innings with an era of 3.46 for Oakland. His combined ERA for 1919 was a pretty stunning 1.88.

Dennis Gearin - 1920 Milwaukee Brewers
(Chicago Daily News)

"Little Nemo" joined the Milwaukee Brewers in 1920. Otto Borchert purchased his contract for $750 from the Oakland Oaks and brought him to Milwaukee because of his versatility. He could play the outfield and was a good hitter. Top that off of course, with his pitching ability, the left hander had a good fastball and curve ball.

Gearin became an instant hit with the team. Early on opposing teams learned the hard way how good of a hitter he was. Joe McCarthy, manager of the Louisville Colonels walked a batter to face Gearin thinking he was an easy out and was greeted with a base hit by the "midget." He should have known better as Gearin had done the same thing twice before the past week to Jack Hendricks of Indianapolis. He gave the American Association quick notice: Beware, the little Irishman is not an easy out!

Playing in 88 games as an outfielder this first year with Milwaukee, he hit for a .276 batting average while tallying a 7-9 pitching record in 21 games for the 78-88 Brews. His Earned Run Average that year was 3.80.

1920 Milwaukee Brewers-Dennis Gearin -#7

In 1921, "Nemo" Gearin, once again played in the outfield more games than he pitched. His batting average for the "Fighting Eganites" improved to .307 and his pitching record was a solid 14 wins vs. 11 losses for the 81-86 Milwaukee team. Denny Gearin, as a pitcher, had a good fastball and his "slants" kept the opposing hitters off balance.

1921 Milwaukee Brewers-Dennis Gearin-Front row
2nd from left. To his left, Manager Jack Egan.

"Kewpie" was a power house at the plate for the 1922 Milwaukee Brewers, hitting a healthy .350. He pitched in with 11 victories that season as the Brewers finished the season in 5th place at 85-83.

Dennis Gearin - 1922 Milwaukee Brewers
(Author's Collection)

1923 was a memorable year for "Dinty", pitching an impressive 12 victories vs. only 5 defeats for a 3.76 ERA. Early in the season he led the league in victories and had won six in a row. At the plate his batting average was a solid .338 by mid July.

Milwaukee Brewer President Otto Borchert said of Gearin:

"I think our team has one of the greatest players in the league in Kewpie Gearin. He is as good a pitcher as we have in the Association; he can play the outfield and hit the ball for .300 mark or better."

He was definitely being noticed outside of Milwaukee as "Jawn" McGraw, manager of the New York Giants took a chance on the "Dainty" southpaw and purchased him from the Brewers in early August.

Gearin was summoned to Milwaukee by Borchert from Indianapolis where Harry Clark's Brewers were playing.

"Gearin wanted a chance to go to the big leagues. I saw an opportunity for him to get part of the world series money this year and when he agreed to the proposition, I informed John McGraw." said Borchert.

Terms of the deal was $25,000 cash and players to be named later. They would be disclosed after McGraw had a closer look at Gearin during spring training next year, when he would evaluate all of his rookies.

"John" Gearin New York Giants
1923 Original Press Photo
(Author's Collection)

John McGraw broke from his usual preference for big pitchers by acquiring the 5'4", 150 pound Gearin in August of 1923, but felt his record showed he had the needed stamina to make it in the big show.

While with the National League Champion New York Giants, Gearin saw limited action. He got two hits in his 7 times at bat for a .286 batting average. As a pitcher he went 1-1 in the 24 innings pitched with a 3.38 ERA.

His did get a chance to appear in the World Series of 1923 as a pinch runner in the first game, won by the Giants. The New York Giants eventually lost the series to Babe Ruth's Yankees in 6 games.

He did well enough during the 1923 season to get his second look for 1924 with the Giants. McGraw needed a good left hander and thought that Gearin may fill the bill for his team.

Unfortunately for Gearin, his time in the big leagues didn't last. The Giants used him sparingly, 29 innings where he won 1 and lost 2 with a 2.48 ERA. Control seemed to be a problem as he had 16 walks, 30 hits in those innings and gave up 3 home runs.

He played briefly with the Boston Braves before returning to Milwaukee in May of 1924.

His major league totals:

2 wins and 4 losses with an combined era of 2.89.
At bat Gearin hit for a .313 average with 5 hits in 16 at bats with one RBI.

Back with Milwaukee for 1924, "Dinny" went 5-1 with a 2.89 ERA in 53 innings for the 4th place, 83-83 Milwaukee Brewers.

Dennis Gearin - Original Clipping And Autograph
(Author's Collection)

While Otto Borchert's Milwaukee Brewers tanked in 1925, finishing with a 74-94 season (only Columbus doing worse at 61-106), it proved to be a great year for the Irish lefthander. Gearin posted a 20 victory season vs. just 13 defeats.

In 1926, the much improved Milwaukee Brewers finished the year in 3rd place with a 93-71 record. While the "Mighty Mite's" play was off from his 1925 pace, it was another memorable season for the "Gill of the Shamrock," thanks to his performance on Saturday August 21, 1926.

Newspaper Headlines for 1926 No Hitter

Denny Gearin pitched himself a gem of a ball game with a no hitter against the Columbus Senators for his first place Milwaukee Brewers (80-45 at the time).

Going the distance at Milwaukee's Athletic Field, Gearin joined a pretty exclusive club when he bested the "Buckeye State" team 10-0. It was his first start since July 24th, having only pitched some innings in relief in between but he was in control the entire game.

Only 3 reached first base during his no hit victory over the "Bucks," 2 of them on free passes and one by an error. There were very few hard hit balls, only 4 of them making it to the outfield as lazy fly balls easily caught by the Brewer defense. Gearin's control was masterful with a "two foot break" on his curveball. His fastball "smoked up the alley."

He retired the first 14 batters and he set down 10 Senators by strike outs. He retired them in order in 7 of the 9 innings. His every move was cheered on by the crowd. His "dipping shoots" and "breezing fastball" kept the opposition helpless as well as hitless. It was the first Milwaukee no hit game since Joe Hovlik did it 13 years earlier in 1913.

The last no hit game for the American Association was June 18, 1921 by Bob Clark of Columbus against Indianapolis. (Clark was a teammate of Gearin with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1922)

1922 Dennis Gearin and Bob Clark
(Author's Collection)

When he curved a 3rd strike to get the final out in the 9th inning, striking out the side, the crowd gave him probably the finest ovation received by a single player in the history of Milwaukee baseball at the time.

Milwaukee had a solid offensive attack that day with Gearin being responsible for 3 of the runs. Denny proving once again, that he was more than just a good pitcher.

Dennis Gearin - Milwaukee Brewers
(Author's Collection)

In 1927 and 1928, the Brewers could do no better than 3rd place but were competitive, finishing with a 99-69 record in 1927 and 90-78 in 1928. Gearin pitched in with 8 victories in 27 and followed with 7 in 28.

The Milwaukee Brewers fell out of contention for 1929-1930, finishing far below .500 and in 7th place both years. Gearin tallied a combined total of 14 victories over those two seasons.

His last year with Milwaukee was 1931 where he had a 7-7 season.

Dennis Gearin -Signed Team Baseball
(Author's Collection)

His pitching totals while with Milwaukee from 1920-1931 were 115 wins vs. 112 losses. When playing the outfield and batting on a regular basis, Gearin was nearly always a .300 hitter.

As expected, his average dipped when pitching, but he still had an impressive overall batting average of .285 for 13 seasons in double A ball.

Denny "Kewpie-Little Nemo-et al." Gearin

Here is a "short" list of his many AKA's:

Angel
Denny (seemed to be HIS favorite)
Dinny
Dinty
Dainty
Dainty Dinty
Gill of The Shamrock
Hermit and Leading Citizen (Pewaukee's)
John
Kewpie
Left handed redhead
Little Forkhander
Little Nemo
Nemo
Little Irishman
Midget
Midget Southpaw
Mighty Mite
Sawed Off Red Head
Smallest pitcher in captivity
Wee Dinny
Wee Sprig of The Shamrock

Barnstorming - Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig
(Courtesy AA Sports)

Denny Gearin's only appearance against the mighty New York Yankees was in the 1923 World Series as a pinch runner for the National League champion New York Giants.

Many wonder, myself included, how he would have fared, pitching against the likes of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Well, he sort of got a second chance at Babe Ruth when the barnstorming Bustin Babes and Larrupin Lous came to Borchert field on October 28, 1928. As part of Lou Gehrig's team, Denny faced the Bambino in front of 8,000 cheering baseball fans.

Gearin and Ruth went head to head for the first time in the 6th inning. Denny had him swinging and missing twice at his curve balls. Then the grinning Irishman got him to ground out on a slow roller to 2nd. In the 9th, Ruth still had trouble connecting with Gearin's "hooks." After a "skyscraping foul," Ruth, forever the crowd pleaser, took one over the right field fence, bouncing it on a 7th Street roof top, the ball ending up in a backyard near 6th street.

The Bams beat the Gehrigs 5-4 with that blast.

Dennis Gearin -Original Clippings, Signature
(Author's Collection)

While height may have been a factor in his limited time up in the big leagues, his competitiveness and heart were always big enough for Milwaukee. Size didn't stop Denny Gearin from being one of the Milwaukee Brewer giants for 11 years and a definite fan favorite during those roaring 20s. This Kewpie was definitely a prize that was appreciated by the Athletic Park faithful.

Denny passed away in his hometown of Providence, Rhode Island, March 13, 1959.

Milwaukee fans will always look up to you Denny.

Hip Hip, Hooray!

The Brews always had great fans at Borchert Field, but none better than this group of young ladies captured by a Journal photographer at the 1939 home opener:

Truest supporters of the Milwaukee baseball team are these young ladies, who cheered themselves hoarse at the season's opener here Wednesday. They formed a club, the Milwaukee Brewers' Boosters, last October, made the natty outfits you see and ordered their opening day tickets last January so as to be near the Brewer dugout. Left to right are Geraldine Schneider, Janet Constantine, Mildred Wroblewski, Ethel Barber, Mercedes Oelstrom and Henrietta Constantine. (Journal Staff Photo)

The sweaters are great, but I'd kill for one of those hand-painted megaphones.

Big News From Ebbets Field

Big news for all fans of classic baseball - Ebbets Field Flannels, the Seattle-based throwback manufacturer, is expanding their already-impressive product line. In the past, while they have been happy to make any flannel jersey as a custom order, their cap and jacket offerings have been limited to a few select clubs.

No more - now, they will special-manufacture any cap. Lots of good possibilities in the Brews' history for fans of Milwaukee baseball to order.

Ebbets Field will also make any jacket they've ever offered in the past, and even some they haven't. Which means you can have another chance to pick up the Brews' beautiful 1951 jacket.

You can place custom orders on Ebbets Field's website.

In possibly related news, EFF is also seeking investors. Oh, to have a little chunk of liquid cash. I've been a fan of theirs since I first saw a tiny ad in the back pages of the New Yorker.

Brew City's Own Black Sox

Throughout their history, the Brews had a long relationship with their big league colleagues in the Windy City. As the closest Major League city to Milwaukee, the Chicago Clubs had the first opportunity to see the Brewers' talent, even during the periods when no formal arrangement existed between the clubs.

This was true even in the years leading up to the "Black Sox scandal." As anyone who has seen or read Eight Men Out knows, the scandal dates to the 1919 World Series, when eight White Sox players were banned from baseball for their involvement in conspiring with gamblers to throw the Series.

Of the eight regular position players on the White Sox roster during that Series, nearly half had spent time in Borchert Field's home dugout.

Oscar "Happy" Felsch, one of the players banned, was Chicago's starting center fielder. A local Milwaukee boy, Felsch was a member of the 1913 and 1914 pennant-winning Brewer squads. He was the only one of the Eight who ever wore a Brewer uniform.

Catcher Ray Schalk played for the Brews in 1911 and the first half of 1912, before being sold to the White Sox in late July for $10,000. He would return to Milwaukee for a brief managerial stint in 1940, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955.

Outfielder Nemo Leibold had a more circuitous route from Milwaukee to Chicago. He was a Brewer in 1911 and 1912 before moving to the Cleveland Indians, who traded him to the Sox during the 1915 season.

The Brewers also contributed a pair of pitchers to the club:

Dickie Kerr, the "hero of the 1919 World Series", who was not in on the fix and who lashed out at his game-throwing teammates, pitched for the Brewers in 1917 and 1918 before going to the Sox.

Frank Shellenback had a brief stay in Milwaukee in 1917 before heading to the Minneapolis Millers and then Chicago.

In addition to the men who stopped in Milwaukee on their way to the South Side, there were two pitchers on that infamous club who make the journey in reverse, becoming Brewers after the 1919 season.

Dave Danforth was a left-hander who spent all of 1926 and part of 1927 in Milwaukee.

Charlie Robertson, who went on to throw a perfect game for the Sox in 1922, was a Brewer in 1926, 1929 and 1930.

The stain of the 1919 World Series lingers today, its Milwaukee connection almost forgotten. But in charting the history of Milwaukee baseball, we have to take the good with the bad.

Good Godfrey! "A Most Fearsome Man" at the Orchard

By Pete Ehrmann

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Editor's Note: Today our resident boxing expert brings us the story of a very unusual match which took place at the Orchard exactly seventy-nine years ago, on July 31st, 1931.

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George Godfrey

George Godfrey possessed every attribute necessary to become heavyweight champion of the world except the proper skin tone. So even though he beat plenty of other contenders, he never got the chance to fight for the big enchilada himself because after Jack Johnson the people running boxing weren't about to go through that again.

Johnson, the first African-American to win the title, reigned from 1908-'15, and was hated for that, for the ease with which he bowled over the White Hopes sent up against him, plus his very public fondness for fast cars and white women.

John L. Sullivan, the first modern-era heavyweight champ, was a drunken blowhard, but that didn't bother many back when the heavyweight champion of the world was as exalted a figure as the President of the United States. It was considered a sign of Sullivan's true moral character that he refused to risk his title against black Australian Peter Jackson, and when his successors also drew the "color line" against black contenders they were cheered for it as fervently as Tommy Burns was condemned for fighting Johnson and losing to him.

After Jess Willard unhorsed Johnson in 1915, the heavyweight championship of the world was again made off-limits to black fighters for another 22 years.

Shut out of title consideration, they had their own "colored championship," and in the late 1920s it belonged to George Godfrey.

"He was a legendary fighter, a most fearsome man," wrote Larry Gains, another famed black fighter of that time. "With the possible exception of (Jack) Dempsey, he was the best and most destructive heavyweight in the world. He was so powerful that he didn't just beat men, he ruined them. It came to the point where no white man would fight him, unless the handcuffs were on."

The handcuffs were on in 1930 when the 6'4", 230-pound Godfrey was matched with Primo Carnera, the Italian giant being steered to the world title by his mobster handlers in a series of blatantly fixed fights. In the February, 1948 issue of Sport magazine, Jack Sher wrote that Godfrey "had a terrible time losing to Primo. It was almost impossible for this boy to fight badly enough for the huge Italian even to hit him! He finally solved the dilemma by fouling Primo in the fifth round.

"After the fight, several suspicious reporters came into Godfrey's dressing room and began to ask how hard Primo could hit. 'Hit?' the large Negro grinned, 'That fellow couldn't hurt my baby sister.' The reporters began to laugh and then into the room walked several of the gentlefolk" — mobsters — "who were handling Carnera. Godfrey's face changed. 'That white boy sure has some punch,' Big George said quickly. 'I thought the house had fallen in on me a couple times there.'"

Whether Godfrey was the "colored heavyweight champion" when he stepped into the ring at Borchert Field on July 31, 1931 isn't certain. It didn't make any difference, though, because he wasn't wearing boxing gloves. Tired of the runaround he got in boxing, Big George was now a wrestler.

Wrestling was popular in Milwaukee, and the reigning local idol and Godfey's opponent at Borchert Field was Ernst "Ernie" Scharpegge, about 6'4" and 230 pounds, whose losing match against heavyweight champion Gus Sonnenberg a year earlier had sold out the Auditorium.

Ernie Scharpegge

About 1,500 fans were at Borchert Field for what the Wisconsin News called "one of the worst, and yet one of the most exciting, grin and grunt affairs in Milwaukee."

On the eve of the match it sounded like Big George wasn't quite reconciled to his new profession.

"There is nothing that would suit me better than to have one of those big beef artists use the wrestling holds and let me punch him full of holes," he told the Wisconsin News.

But when the match started he managed to refrain from reverting to old habits. After 10 minutes of grappling, Scharpegge won the first fall with a crotch hold and body slam.

When the best two-out-of-three falls match resumed, it was Scharpegge who resorted to fisticuffs after Godfrey got him in a strangle hold, punching George in the stomach and chin. Godfrey retaliated with a right that sent Scharpegge to the mat.

At that point, more than 12 uniformed policemen rushed into the ring and surrounded Godfrey. As the bell rang and the crowd started to boo, "It looked like the start of riot," reported Ronald McIntyre of the Milwaukee Sentinel.

But then Scharpegge and Godfrey shook hands and the match resumed. Within moments, Scharpegge took another swing at Godfrey, and when the referee objected he took a swing at him. The cops rushed back into the ring, and Scharpegge took a few of them on, too.

The result was a win by disqualification for Godfrey ("whose forbearance," wrote "English 'Arry" in the Wisconsin News, "proved that a white heart beats beneath an ebony exterior"), and a column in the Milwaukee Sentinel the next day by Ronald McIntyre blasting promoter Tom Andrews for making the "sad mistake" of pitting a white man against a black man in the ring.

"He might have known that the chances were about 10 to 1 it would end up the way it did -- in a near riot," wrote McIntyre, who oddly blamed Godfrey even though Scharpegge tossed the first punch.

"If Andrews had stopped to consider the possibilities of a Godfrey-Scharpegge match, he might have realized its shortcomings. In the first place, Godfrey cannot wrestle, and in the second place, he cannot get away with the rough tactics Scharpegge might get away with in a match with a Sonnenberg or a McCoy.

"Because he knew little or nothing about wrestling holds, Godfrey had a stranglehold on Scharpegge's Adam's apple most of the time after the first fall. This goaded Ernst into action and he got rough… When the punching started, Godfrey might just as well have quit for he realized that if he started slugging, a race riot might have ensued."

From the Milwaukee Sentinel, August 1, 1931

Since apparently he was going to get belted in the ring no matter what, Godfrey returned to boxing. In 1935, he even won recognition as heavyweight champion by an obscure European outfit called the International Boxing Union.

"Godfrey has had a remarkable career," wrote columnist John Lardner. "Like most negroes who devote their spare time to fisticuffs, he has been a magnificent but erratic fighter. If I had George in his prime, and were sure that he meant business, I would back him to beat the Joe Louis of today. He was bigger, faster and wiser than Louis, and he carried a knockout punch in both hands.

"But George was an employee at heart. When the evening's program called for him to lose by foul, knockout, or decision, he did so. He was satisfied to do so, provided he received his ration of pork chops after the entertainment. George made a bum out of our national pork supply. He also made a bum out of himself."

That was a pretty harsh judgment about a fighter whose race and not his appetite rendered him "an employee at heart." Harsher still was the end for Big George. At age 50, he "died in poverty in his dingy little room" in Los Angeles on August 13, 1947, reported the Associated Press, "with only his large black dog by his side."

People Who Made Borchert Field a Special Place, Part III

by Dennis Pajot

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Editor's Note: This is the third in a series of articles about the behind-the-scenes people at Borchert Field, the people essential to the team's operations but whose contributions have gone largely unsung. Earlier installments are here and here.

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Andrew L. Lehrbaummer wrote a story of his remembrances of Borchert Field for the 1981 Milwaukee Sentinel. Andrew lived up the street at 8th and Locust, and as people parked in front of his house he would ask if he could watch the person's car while that he was in the ball park. After the game little Andrew would get a nickel or a dime. The Borchert Field workers usually allowed the neighborhood kids to came into the park around the 7th or 8th inning, and one Sunday when Andrew went in to watch the last innings, guess who he sat next to? The man recognized him and asked "Aren't you the boy who is supposed to be watching my car?"

Lehrbaummer remembered picking up cushions after games and receiving a handful of peanuts for the service. When a little older he helped in the Refreshment Division, bagging Virginia Goobers in the morning and occasionally hawking them during the game. As a senior in high school, Andrew only had morning classes and could make some money at the ball park in the afternoons. Selling Cherry Blossom, Orange Crush, Green River, cream and white soda (and remember these wooden cases contained glass bottles!) for a dime each, the young man would make 30 cents on each case. However, he supplemented his income by selling the empty cases for 50 or 75 cents to the outfield standees.

Lehrbaummer remembered the other types of vendors at Borchert. The scorecard and cushion sellers made the gbest sales prior to the game. Of course, the beer vendors were popular, beer selling for 20 cents a bottle. But the peanut vendors were the envy of the other sellers. Two of these vendors, Lefty Hummer and Jake Backes, carried 115 bags in the large wicker arm baskets. Some items that disappeared to future generations were Angelus marshmallows and One Eleven or Fatima cigarettes. Borchert Field had refreshment stands where 10-cent hot dogs were sold. Andrew told one hot dog story about Otto Borchert. The Brewer owner would come down from the press box, start to talk, and reach around the counter to take a hot dog from the aluminum container just below the counter. Otto would than dunk the hot dog in the community mustard bowl before enjoying it. (From the Milwaukee Sentinel, April 16, 1981)

Lehrbaummer was another of the unsung heroes of Borchert Field. Hopefully, just like the park itself, we will not forget the people who helped make it an unforgettable place.