Hal Chase was a master instigator, bad teammate, and a criminal who nested himself among gamblers who conspired to throw the World Series. He survived in pro baseball because he was a brilliant defensive player. But, eventually his nefarious actions caused his banishment from organized baseball for betting against his own teams.
Cecil Travis spent nearly four years serving in World War II and came back with injured feet after they had froze in the Battle of the Bulge.
Veterans Day is a day to remember and thank those who have sacrificed so much for our country. Some gave their lives. Even those who came back from war have given up much for our country. In the history of baseball, one ballplayer gave up perhaps more than any other with his service to the country. Though he came back alive from World War II, he almost certainly was deprived of baseball immortality.
Here we are back with the second installment in a series called “Greatness Score,” a system I devised to help rate the candidacy of players for the