BRRRRRRRR!!
The snow is falling and, already a few inches in, it probably won't be stopping any time soon. Then, as if trying to drive a two-wheel drive PT Cruiser through unplowed roads wasn't bad enough, the temperatures will also be decreasing steadily throughout the week. By Wednesday, the daytime high is predicted to be... get this... negative 11 degrees. Wind chill will bring that astonishingly bitter number all the way down to the negative 50's... Holy snowballs, Batman - it's getting so cold that Mr. Freeze might have to put on a sweater!
This arctic blast is going to be torturous for all of the upper Midwest, not just Chicago. Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Detroit, Milwaukee... Jack Frost is coming for us and he's pissed. There's simply nothing we can do except bunker down and ride out the storm. With that in mind, I have some time to blog and I just so happen to have recently received a card in the mail that I've been meaning to show. Coincidentally, the player depicted is also suited up for one of us frigid, Midwestern municipalities, back in the day.
Newt Randall was a long-time star for the Cream City in the minors, but he was also a one-year wonder in the Major Leagues. While his top-tier cameo was split between Chicago and Boston, Randall eventually became a fan-favorite and consistent contributor for Milwaukee's entry in the American Association. All told, the outfielder spent eight years with the early Brew Crew, winning the AA pennant in 1913 and '14 with the club, while also knocking a league record 23-game hitting streak in 1911.
In short, during the years before Big League baseball in the cheese state, Randall was a marquee name.
That said, while his greatest success came in "the good land" and his professional career spanned from 1902-23, the reason that Newt is on my collecting radar is due to that brief call-up with the Chicago National League Ballclub in 1907 - a mere sliver of his baseball life. What can I say? I'm a Cubs fanatic, after all.
Seeing as his time in the Bigs was so brief, it should come as no surprise that Newt has no Big League baseball cards on his ledger. Luckily for me, his star burned brightly enough that he was included as a Brewer in the iconic T206 card set. Even more fortunate, I was able to track down a copy of this rare slip, with a Piedmont back, in my relatively minuscule price range. Sure, the top border is hacked off and there's what appears to be a nibble mark on the upper right corner; although, the surfaces look remarkably clear for a 110 year old slip of paper. Sure, it cost me fifteen bucks, but it's easily the best conditioned tobacco card in my collection.
Now, since this is a Cubs-themed blog and I didn't track down this artifact based on his exploits in Milwaukee, let's take a deeper dive into his time spent 100 miles to the south.
In August of 1906, Cubs manager, Frank Selee, discovered Newt while the latter was playing in the Western League with Denver. His contract was soon purchased from the club and, while he was not promoted in time for Chicago's run to the National League pennant, his services were secured for the next season. While I'm sure the delay was frustrating to Randall, it's fortunate that Selee didn't venture out west sooner in the season; otherwise, he might never have reached the Majors at all.
As it turns out, the outfielder was a bit of a hot head. Earlier in '06, after a dispute over a call, Newt grabbed and held an umpire while a teammate punched the ump in the face. That night, both Randall and his partner in crime were arrested and fined in police court and subsequently suspended for three days. The attacked umpire didn't pursue further disciplinary action for the assault because Randall threatened that if he were to do so, he would send him to the hospital. Sure, baseball was much more rough and tumble in those days; that said, had the Cubs skipper stopped by the ballpark on that day, would he have been so willing to buy that contract?
The only pic I could find of Newt in Cubs duds.
Regardless, the promising minor leaguer was brought to Spring Training the following March, which was then held in New Orleans. He impressed the brass enough to make the club as a starter in the outfield - impressively, he was the only rookie to break camp with the team that year. However, the shine soon wore off, as even in the offensively-challenged Dead Ball Era a .205/.279/.308 slash line was not going to get the job done. After 22 games of action, the World Series bound Cubbies decided to cut bait and quickly consumated what became known as “The Fastest Trade on Record.”
On June 20, the Cubs were scheduled to play the Boston Doves. Right up until game time, Randall’s was slated to be the starting left fielder for the Cubs, while Boston listed Del Howard as their right fielder. However, just before the umpire could declare "play ball," the two managers began a dialogue. Minutes later, Randall and a teammate, Bill Sweeney, were swapped to Boston for Howard. In fact, the deal went down so quickly that Randall and Howard literally exchanged the uniforms off of their backs before taking their new places on the diamond.
Can you imagine that sort of trade happening today? Talk about an impulse buy!
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| No word on where Sweeney got his Boston uniform from that day. |
While Del and his new mates would go on to win their second pennant of three in a row and their first World Series of two consecutive, Randall was relegated to that would finish 47 games out of first place. Batting an anemic .213 along the way, Newt was stunted by injuries to his knee and head that kept him out of action for large chunks of the summer. Unimpressed, Boston sold Randall to Milwaukee that winter and, just like that, his time in the MLB spotlight came to an unceremonious end. Of course, that almost was not the case.
We know that Randall went on to star for nearly a decade with his team in "the good land." Although, he very nearly vacated Milwaukee for a return to the Windy City. In 1914, our hero missed jumping to the newly-formed Federal League by the slimmest of margins. Just one day after signing a contract extension with the Brew Crew, Newt was approached by former Cub, King Cole, with an offer to join the Chicago entry in the third Major League. However, tempting though the offer might have been, Randall stuck to his morals and refused the offer, even after a personal plea to jump from the club's manager, his former teammate, Joe Tinker.
He may of been a hothead, but Newt was certainly good for his word!
Randall could have made a "Whale" of a return to the Majors, like these former Cubs.
Ultimately, Randall kept on keeping on in the bushes and semipro ranks through 1923. Once he finally stepped away from baseball, Newt returned to his hometown of Duluth, MN with his wife and worked as a watchman and driver with the Minnesota Steel Company until his death at the age of 75 in 1955.
And that is the story on former Cub and Brewer, Newt Randall - hair temper, quick trader, near Whale, Steelman and true midwesterner, through and through. I wonder if, with his Minnesotan roots and time spent in Chicago and Milwaukee, he would have been able to handle the Arctic-like temperatures we'll be experiencing this week? We're used to some rough winters out here, especially in the "Land of 10,000 (frozen) Lakes;" but, fifty degrees below zero is an entirely different animal.
That animal, is a Wampa. Heck, Hoth might actually be a comparatively warmer climate.
Anyway, welcome to the Cubs All-Time Roster Collection, Newt Randall. Hopefully the binder doesn't freeze over before I get the chance to add you to it's pages!
Great addition!
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