OBC - Old Baseball Cards

I chose Pete for a few reasons. He was a Pirate for a
year but I would have picked him
regardless....although it doesn't hurt :>}

First he had the talent to be in Cooperstown. As a
rookie in 1941 he hit .343 to become the first rookie
to win the NL batting title. He also led the league
in triples, runs, slugging %, total bases and tied in
doubles. In 1946 he stole home 8 times...according to
Pete the ump who called him out the one time he was
caught whispered "I missed it" so he should have had
9. Leo Durocher called him the best ballplayer he had
with the possible exception of Willie Mays. In 1941
he was rumored to be the next Ty Cobb. A NY
sportswriter wrote " Any manager in the NL would give
up his best player to obtain Pete Reiser."

What happened is reason number two. Pete played the
game at 100% ALL the time. In his 15 1/2 years of
minor, army and major league baseball he was carried
off the field an amazing 11 times. Seven times it was
due to crashing into the then unpadded concrete
outfield walls. In 1942 he tried to chase down Enos
Slaughter's 12th inning fly ball but met the wall
instead... he still managed to get the ball to Pee Wee
Reese before he collapsed. In 1946 after the Dodgers
added some additional seating, Pete thought he had
plenty of room to make a catch...he didn't. He
slammed into the wall and collapsed unconscious with
the ball still in his glove for the second out. The
doctor called for a priest to administer last rites...
Pete survived. From breaking his right arm throwing
and learning to throw lefty "just in case" to ripping
his leg muscles running out a grounder he never
stopped playing baseball.

Reason number three is shared by many in what some
have called the "greatest generation"..no regrets. He
gave 3 of his prime years to the military and ended a
good part of his potential thru injury. Pete was
asked "..do you ever think that if you hadn't played
as hard as you did, there's no telling how great you
might have been...?" Pete answered " Never. It was
my way of playing. If I hadn't played that way I
wouldn't even have been whatever I was. God gave me
those legs and the speed, and when they took me into
the walls that's the way it had to be."

I would encourage everyone to read W.C. Heinz's "The
Rocky Road of Pistol Pete" for the complete inspiring
story of Pete Reiser. Send me an e-mail if you need
help finding a copy.