Today's Kansas City Star has a feature on southwest Missouri native "King" Carl Hubbell, the screwball-throwing lefty who was the ace of the New York Giants' pitching staff in the 1930s and 1940s.
Hubbell's name was forever etched in major league baseball lore during the 1933 All Star Game when he struck out five future Hall-of-Famers in succession- Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, and Joe Cronin. The newspaper enjoyed making fun of people at the Powers Museum in Carthage who were not aware of who Hubbell was:
"You know, I don’t think we have anything on Carl Hubbell," says Michele Newton Hansford, curator of the Powers Museum in Carthage. She shouts to a woman by the file cabinet, "Can you look up Carl Hubbell’s file?"
"Hubbard?" she asks back.
"No. Hubbell. Carl Hubbell."
"We don’t have any Hubbell. We have Hubbard."
"OK, well, let me call over to the library and see what they have."
Later in the article, it is mentioned that Hubbell might have been born in Maple Grove. If the author had done further checking, he might have discovered that Hubbell was actually born in the area between Avilla and the original Red Oak, or more than 10 miles east of Carthage.
The Star writer apparently thought it was funny that Carthage reveres Route 66 and Wild Kingdom originator Marlin Perkins, but not Carl Hubbell. The point could have been made without making fun of Carthage.
The story doesn't make fun of Carthage, much. It is more a story of a forgotten ballplayer.
ReplyDeleteAnd, Randy, you hold other feet to the fire for forgetting such incidents and individuals.
Those strikeouts were a Precious Moment in baseball history, yet we are move identified with doeieyed figurines.
You're right. In fact, in the Sept. 9, 2004 Turner Report, I wrote ever even come close to in seven decades.
ReplyDeleteMany baseball reference books list Hubbell's hometown as Carthage. He actually was born near Avilla. The local media misses on opportunities to educate, as well as illustrate current events, when it neglects the rich history of this area."
And you are right on the money about Precious Moments. I do have a bit more respect for the history of Route 66, though.
the collective world of journalism shed a giant tear the day you left to educate young minds randy. how it ever recovered, who knows?
ReplyDeleteWhy didn't Hacker cover this if it was in Carthage.
ReplyDeleteYou mean the greatest journalist EVER to live in Southwest Missouri completely missed a story right under his own nose?
ReplyDeleteSay it isn't so!
He played for New York. I would consider a serious mistake on his part.
ReplyDelete