Drunk History

One of the most popular web series to ever hit YouTube is Drunk History.  Started by the ever-popular Funny or Die group, in each episode, an inebriated narrator struggles to recount an event from history, while actors enact the narrator's anecdotes and also lip sync the dialogue.  The concept proved to be hilarious and generated enough clicks to convince Comedy Central to adapt it into a full-blown television show in 2014 with celebrity narrators and actors.  The leap from web series to TV series has proven to be successful, as Drunk History's fifth season will begin airing sometime later this year.

I know what you're thinking, "what does any of this have to do with baseball cards?"  All in due time, young grasshopper.

First, please allow me to introduce you to the latest addition for my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection binder, Mr. Johnny Hudson:

As you can plainly see, this 1940 Play Ball single has seen some better days.  This 77-year old piece of pasteboard has creases criss-crossing it's surface like a road map of Indiana, heavily rounded and fuzzy corners, and some very mild paper loss.  On the other hand, there are no tears, the printing is still fairly vibrant and clear, and I was able to score this bad boy for just $1.73 on Ebay.  So, despite it's somewhat poor condition, it's kind of hard to turn down a needed card from the World War II era (and an iconic set, at that) when it costs you less than a single, standard pack of Stadium Club.

I'll make that deal every day and twice on Sunday.

All I really knew about Johnny Hudson before I made this purchase was that he was ever-so-briefly a Cub in the 1940's and that he had yet to be represented in my CATRC.  The backs of the 1940 Play Ball set are famous for their detailed write-ups; so, the flipside proved to be quite informative:

This proved to be a great jumping off point in my research on the man that was a "happy thought" for his manager, Leo Durocher.

Johnny Hudson was not a large man (5'10', 160 lbs); but, what he lacked in height, he made up for with his glove.  The diminutive utilityman was a spry, athletic player, who was well-respected across the league for his fielding.  Durocher once said that he never saw a second baseman “get as smart as fast as Johnny…Johnny is a born ball player…he has baseball sense."  That's high praise from an ornery man who rarely gave it out.

On the other side of the baseball, Johnny was never known for his bat (.242 career BA), but he did earn the moniker "Mr. Chips" due to his pinch-hitting ability in tight spots, when the proverbial chips were down.  With that in mind, Hudson was a coveted asset across MLB and was often the subject of trade rumors.  The Dodgers finally acquiesced and dealt Johnny in May of 1941, along with Charlie Gilbert, for baseball's best second baseman, Billy Herman.  All told, the Cubs traded a sure-fire Hall of Famer for a utility infielder and a Quad-A type outfielder.  No matter how you draw it up, it was a terrible trade for the Cubbies; how did this happen?

Alcohol.  That's how it happened.

You see, Herman always had his eyes set on the manager's chair and Herman was miffed that he wasn't being considered.  Brooklyn GM, Larry McPhail, pounced after catching wind of the growing rift between Herman and the Cubs.  McPhail then met with the Chicago brass in a Second City hotel and proceeded to get them liquored up.  Said Leo Durocher, "he had kept emptying his drinks into flowerpots, toilet bowls, and any other handy receptacle. 'And every time they were pouring for me (McPhail), I was pouring for them.'"  By the end of the night, the Cubs management team was so inebriated that they traded their Hall of Fame second baseman for a utility infielder and a third-string outfielder.

Let this be a reminder, baseball fans - drink responsibly.

The man who accompanied Johnny to Chi-Town

Otherwise, you end up doing things you might regret later.  I'm sure that no one reading this can relate, in any way, right?


After the booze-fueled trade to Chicago, Hudson lasted a scant 50 games on the Northside, playing out the string in '41 and posting a miserable .202/.225/.242 line as a reserve.  No amount of glove work can make up for that anemic bat.  That winter, his contract was sold to the Cubs' American Association affiliate, the old Milwaukee Brewers, and he wouldn't make it back out of the bushes for several more years.

Come 1945, the Giants brought Hudson up to serve as infield depth and he played the last 28 games of his Big League career that season.  After a few more years as a player/manager back in the minors, Johnny came back to the Giants and spent the rest of his life, until his death in 1970, as a scout for the organization.  Johnny Hudson was truly a baseball lifer.

Also, for the record, Billy Herman did eventually get his chance to manage with the Pirates and the Red Sox, but never won more than 64 games at the helm.
 

Hudson with the Cubs in 1942, image courtesy of Mears Monthly Auctions.

And so, that's the story on Johnny Hudson and how getting a bit tipsy led to his "Brock for Broglio-esque" trade to Chicago.  Without the proper lubrication, that deal might never go down, Johnny's baseball career continues uninterrupted, and the 1940 Play Ball single which kicked off this post is never needed for my binder.  Never underestimate the power of alcohol and the influence it has on human history.

Selfishly, I'm kind of glad that it all happened, so I had the excuse to track down this super-vintage gem for chump change.  Welcome to the CATRC, "Mr. Chips!"

All in all, this blog post sort of turned out like an episode of Drunk History in reverse:  a sober narrator telling the story of how a couple of drunk idiots affected history.  Perhaps the story behind the Herman for Hudson trade would make a good, traditional episode of the popular Comedy Central program?

At any rate, please take this opportunity to watch noted Cubs fan and beloved Chicago-native, Bob Odenkirk, drunkenly stumble through the tale of Steve Dahl's Disco Demolition.  Thanks for stopping by and make good choices!