The longer I’m around baseball, the more I’m fascinated by some of the strange occurrences that happen in the game. I’m going to start with the old-timers and work my way forward. Next week, I’ll do a piece on Kansas City baseball oddities.
Let’s start with Ray Caldwell, who was a generational talent when he first came up in 1910 before a drinking problem derailed his career. After being released by the Red Sox (where he roomed with another party animal named Babe Ruth) the Indians, and their manager Tris Speaker, threw Caldwell a lifeline, signing him in 1919.