Memories of a Ballplayer: Bill Werber and Baseball in the 1930s

by Bill Werber, C. Paul Rogers

Bill Werber's claim to fame is unique: he is the last living person to have a direct connection to the 1927 Yankees, "Murderers' Row," a team hailed by many as the best of all time. Signed by the Yankees while still a freshman at Duke University, Werber spent two weeks that summer of '27 on the Yankee bench to "gain experience"—and was miserable and lonely, ignored by everyone. After graduating in 1930 Werber was back with the Yankees, but he was soon sent to the minors for seasoning (including a stretch with Casey Stengel). He returned to the big leagues in 1933 and was promptly traded to the Red Sox. A fleet-footed third baseman, Werber also played for the Athletics, Reds, and Giants, leading the league three times in stolen bases and once in runs scored. He was with the Reds when they won the pennant in 1939 and 1940. Werber played with or against some of the most productive hitters of all time, including Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, and Joe DiMaggio. Rich in anecdotes and humor, Memories of a Ballplayer is a clear-eyed memoir of the world of big-league baseball in the 1930s.

Genres: Baseball

250 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2000

Reviews

[Spiros · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bill Werber passed away at the age of 100 about ten days ago; irrationally, I find myself wishing I had picked up this book, which has been sitting on my shelf for a couple of years, a few weeks sooner. Werber was almost certainly the last suriving teammate of Babe Ruth: the Bambino welcomed him onto the Yankees with a post-game golden shower after his first big league game in 1930, when he broke in as a backup shortstop. In this beguiling memoir, written in his 93rd year, Werber recounts his all too short career, which lasted 13 seasons on five clubs, and shares highly entertaining anecdotes of the men he played with, such as Ruth, Gehrig, Grove, Foxx, and Dickey, and those he played against, such as Greenberg, Gehringer, Dizzy Dean, and Ted Williams. He writes with great skill and humility, and one comes away from his account with an increased love of the game. Also, the fact that a player of his calibre played for five different teams, and crossed paths with so many players both as teammates and as opponents, should put paid to the idea that player movement is a recent, post-free agency development; players in the Thirties were moved every bit as much as players are moved today, only then it was at the whim of penurious owners, and not at their own instigation.

[Lee Ballanfant · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptional book written by a player in the 1930's era. An excerpt follows indicating the style of his writing. He is talking about Umpire Bill McGowan who was considered the top umpire of his time.
"He was arrogant, chesty, and sufficient unto himself. he claimed he had never missed a call and, to tell the truth, he was the best of the lot. He hustled and he concentrated hard whether he was behind the plate or working the bases. He was not well liked, but he was well respected."

[Scott Breslove · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting look at baseball, it’s players, and life in the 30s and 40s. Anyone who’s a fan of Americas Pastime should read this at some point.