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Bucketfoot Al: The Baseball Life of Al Simmons
Al Simmons, at top form in the Roaring Twenties, sparked one of baseball's greatest dynasties, the Philadelphia Athletics, to multiple championships, before becoming just another ballplayer. While his achievements demonstrated greatness, he was not an easy man to like--for those competing against him or with him--and he seemed to play to the level of team expectation. Contemporary accounts and other recollections give us a sense of Al Simmons the person and the ballplayer, his connections to people, his teams and his ability to capture the fans' imagination in his halcyon days.
251 pages, Paperback
First published May 27, 2011
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
November 8, 2018
Today Al Simmons if known is known for the fact that he's a permanent choice for the all Polish
all star baseball team. He's part of an outfield that consists of Stan Musial and Carl Yastrzemski as
well. Both of those guys are a bit better known by today's fans than Al Simmons whose best years
were with Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics and their pennant winners of 1929, 1930, and 1931.
Born Alois Szymanski in Milwaukee, Wisconsin he grew up there as a baseball loving kid whose father
disapproved of his playing baseball. When he relented he said "just make sure you're a good one".
He signed with the team he was a fan of as a kid, the Philadelphia Athletics and became part of the
A's renaissance in those years. If it weren't for the fact that the Depression crippled Connie Mack
financially and he had to break the team up by selling off his best players of which Simmons was one
of four who went to the Hall of Fame, the others being Jimmy Foxx, Mickey Cochrane, and Lefty
Grove they might have given the Yankees less dominance in the years to come.
Al anglicized his name to Simmons because he was sick and tired of minor league ballpark announcers constantly screwing up his Polish name's pronunciation. In later years he wished he
had kept it Szymanski because he was proud of his Polish heritage. Looking at pictures of Simmons in Clifford Blue Parker's book he kind of looks like a blue collar type guy who you would
meet at the Polish Hall. Blue collar fans of all kinds liked the earthy Simmons who was a fierce
competitor and liked to have a good time after the game.
Anyone who bats .334 lifetime you know has his ticket punched to Cooperstown. Simmons however
was not happy because he wanted to make 3000 hits. He bemoaned the fact that he missed games
in his youth with minor injuries feeling he should have played through. At 2927 lifetime base
hits he fell 73 short. Maybe if he had gotten 3000 more would know Al Simmons today.
Simmons was sold to the Chicago White Sox after the 1932 season and to Detroit after 1936 for one
season. After that he lost a bit of the pop in his bat and played for a bunch of other teams. He
coached for the A's and Cleveland Indians before retiring and was elected to the Hall Of Fame in
1953.
Just weeks after his mentor Connie Mack died in 1956 at 93 Simmons collapsed and died in his
hometown of Milwaukee of a massive heart attack, he was 54.
The title Bucketfoot Al comes from a rather clumsy batting stance Simmons had where the right handed Simmons extended his foot toward third when he swung. He was a colorful guy and a
great if unknown baseball player for today. But he was one of the best of his era.
all star baseball team. He's part of an outfield that consists of Stan Musial and Carl Yastrzemski as
well. Both of those guys are a bit better known by today's fans than Al Simmons whose best years
were with Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics and their pennant winners of 1929, 1930, and 1931.
Born Alois Szymanski in Milwaukee, Wisconsin he grew up there as a baseball loving kid whose father
disapproved of his playing baseball. When he relented he said "just make sure you're a good one".
He signed with the team he was a fan of as a kid, the Philadelphia Athletics and became part of the
A's renaissance in those years. If it weren't for the fact that the Depression crippled Connie Mack
financially and he had to break the team up by selling off his best players of which Simmons was one
of four who went to the Hall of Fame, the others being Jimmy Foxx, Mickey Cochrane, and Lefty
Grove they might have given the Yankees less dominance in the years to come.
Al anglicized his name to Simmons because he was sick and tired of minor league ballpark announcers constantly screwing up his Polish name's pronunciation. In later years he wished he
had kept it Szymanski because he was proud of his Polish heritage. Looking at pictures of Simmons in Clifford Blue Parker's book he kind of looks like a blue collar type guy who you would
meet at the Polish Hall. Blue collar fans of all kinds liked the earthy Simmons who was a fierce
competitor and liked to have a good time after the game.
Anyone who bats .334 lifetime you know has his ticket punched to Cooperstown. Simmons however
was not happy because he wanted to make 3000 hits. He bemoaned the fact that he missed games
in his youth with minor injuries feeling he should have played through. At 2927 lifetime base
hits he fell 73 short. Maybe if he had gotten 3000 more would know Al Simmons today.
Simmons was sold to the Chicago White Sox after the 1932 season and to Detroit after 1936 for one
season. After that he lost a bit of the pop in his bat and played for a bunch of other teams. He
coached for the A's and Cleveland Indians before retiring and was elected to the Hall Of Fame in
1953.
Just weeks after his mentor Connie Mack died in 1956 at 93 Simmons collapsed and died in his
hometown of Milwaukee of a massive heart attack, he was 54.
The title Bucketfoot Al comes from a rather clumsy batting stance Simmons had where the right handed Simmons extended his foot toward third when he swung. He was a colorful guy and a
great if unknown baseball player for today. But he was one of the best of his era.
Displaying 1 of 1 review