Baseball History Help

[Bob Kohm]

So my 9 year old Marcus was playing around with baseball-reference.com and hit me with a question I had no answer for-- why did the Giants trade Rogers Hornsby after having him for only one season (1927)? It was a remarkable season-- he led the league in runs and walks (86 walks to only 38 ks in nearly 700 PAs!), hit .361, led the NL in OPS, etc... yet away he went to the BOston Braves for one year in '28 then on to the Cubs.

Any help? Have to admit he has me pretty damned curious, too. He's also a relentless kid who will drive me nuts until I can give him an answer

[Controller Jacobs]

hornsby bio - page 3
"Unfortunately, personality conflicts with manager John McGraw lead to another trade after only one year, sending Rogers to the hapless Boston Braves."

[Judge Jude]

Hornsby had personality conflicts wherever he went.
tell your kid to look up Dick Allen/Richie Allen.


oh, and he'll love Hornsby's most famous quote

"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring."

[Don Quixote]

Jude has it right. Hornsby irritated everyone around him, and he was irritated by them. The difference between him and almost all of today's players is that he didn't go to the press every time he got into it with someone.

[Judge Jude]

this was a good 2-part series on Hornsby's weird life of infidelity, lawsuits, and gambling problems:

http://baseballhistorian.blogspot.com/2011/11/troubled-life-of-rogers-hornsby-part-i.html

http://baseballhistorian.blogspot.com/2011/12/troubled-life-of-rogers-hornsby-part-ii.html

you might want to sanitize some of it for your young kid, though - up to you

[heyelander]

Jude has it right. Hornsby irritated everyone around him, and he was irritated by them. The difference between him and almost all of today's players is that he didn't go to the press every time he got into it with someone.

My guess is that we don't hear about 98% of what goes on