Gas House Gang

[glasspoet]

The Gas House Gang was the nickname for the 1934 Cardinals, who some believe as the best Cardinals team ever and some even believe it was one of the best teams ever. It was during the middle of the Great Depression and they were one of the worst paid teams ever, by lawyer owner Branch Rickey. This and the fact that they came to field in dirty uniforms and unkept facial hair, most spitting chewing tobacco--made them favorites with the fans of the day. They were a very close bunch who loved to party and were seen making dares of jumping from hotel balcony to hotel balcony, usually well inebriated. They were led by player manager Frankie Frisch, the Fordham Flash, who was a noted hothead (and one of the best 2ndmans ever). They were also led by Dizzie Dean, who if not for a career ending injury, might be considered one of the greatest pitchers of all time (and his brother Daffy Dean). Dean dropped out from the second grade. He later became one of the most beloved game commentators of all time--with his southern drawl and down-home wordings. Leo, the Lip, Durocher would become a great manager in his own right. 3B Pepper Martin had been a hobo before becoming a ballplayer, and is known for being one of the fastest men to ever have played baseball--which made him a fan favorite. Ripper Collins was a 5'9" slugging firstbaseman, another fan favorite, and Ducky (for the way he ran) Medwick was the last NL player to win a triple crown. They played aggressive baseball and weren't afraid to get their uniforms dirty. Dizzy Dean, maybe one of the most brash ballplayers ever, once deliberately walked the bases loaded just to strike out the next three batters. They were one of the most beloved teams in baseball history!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLj0b3p5xNs