In 1934, the double whammy of the Great Depression and an extreme drought inflamed by excessive heat spread misery throughout the United States. For some, the antics of pitcher Dizzy Dean provided an amusing diversion from the problems they were facing.
A 30-game winner for the 1934 Cardinals, Dean was an enthusiastic entertainer whose showmanship extended beyond his pitching.
Dean provided his ballpark audiences with comedy routines on the field. One of his most inventive came at the height of a heat wave.
Hell on earth
According to Dean’s biographer Robert Gregory in his book “Diz,” the Midwest in 1934 experienced a brutal summer. “There was no rain for weeks, the Mississippi River had become a stream, Missouri was facing the worst farm crisis in state history and St. Louis was having its highest temperatures since 1871,” Gregory wrote. “For 30 days, it was 100 degrees or hotter.”
On Sunday afternoon, June 24, 1934, the temperature soared to 102 degrees in St. Louis, but 15,000 spectators came out to Sportsman’s Park for a game between the league-leading Giants (39-22) and second-place Cardinals (36-23).
The Giants’ lineup featured future Hall of Famers Bill Terry, Mel Ott and Travis Jackson, ex-Cardinals George Watkins and Gus Mancuso and starting pitcher Freddie Fitzsimmons.
The Cardinals’ Gashouse Gang group included Frankie Frisch, Joe Medwick, Pepper Martin, Rip Collins, Leo Durocher and starting pitcher Tex Carleton.
Taking center stage, though, was Dizzy Dean.
Singing in the rain
Before the game began, Dean decided to thumb his nose at the weather conditions. He “painstakingly collected enough rubbish to build himself a bonfire in front of his dugout,” the New York Daily News reported. The material for the fire consisted of paper wrappers, sticks, old scorecards and other debris Dean found along the edge of the grandstand.
Dean “fanned his little fire, rubbing his knuckles, encouraging and soberly inspecting it from every angle to make sure the wigwam of sticks drew a good draft,” New York Daily News columnist Jimmy Powers noted. “When assured he had a respectable blaze, he procured two Cardinals blankets, garbed himself and coach Mike Gonzalez in their suffocating folds and then stomped the earth, slapping his mouth in a series of yipping Indian war cries.”
According to Robert Gregory, “He had them rolling in the aisles behind the dugout and then he cupped a hand to his ear. What was it? his expression seemed to ask. What was he hearing in the distance? Was it thunder? Was a storm coming? Yes, his nods were suggesting, rain was falling, lots of it, the drought was broken, and now his cap was off, his head was tilted up, his eyes were closed, he was smiling at being splashed by this imaginary summer shower. Now cool and wet enough, he pretended to open an umbrella and tiptoed beneath it to the dugout, vanishing to laughing cheers and whistles.”
The New York Daily News described Dean’s exit this way: “Before the irate umpires could vent their wrath, he withdrew, his hand on his hip, stalking off with the dignity of a Princess Pocahontas.”
Dean’s performance was the highlight for the hometown fans. In the game that followed, the Giants won, 9-7. Boxscore
On with the show
While taking care of business on the hill in 1934 _ Dean was 5-0 in May, 6-1 in June, 6-1 in July, 5-2 in August and 7-1 in September _ Dizzy continued with an array of masterful pantomime performances.
According to Jimmy Powers, Dean will “break an egg and fry an omelet on the sun-steeped dugout roof. In slow motion, he will take an imaginary shave, or serve and consume an entire meal, or shadow box a vicious brawl.”
As Time magazine observed, Dean’s unconventional behavior, “the result of shrewd self-aggrandizement,” is as famed as his pitching prowess.
The Cardinals won the 1934 pennant and advanced to the World Series against the Tigers. After Dean won Game 1 at Detroit, he and his brother, Paul, had breakfast the next morning with Henry Ford.
According to Dean’s biographer, “At Ford’s direction, a siren-blaring police escort hurried them to the park. Dizzy signed lots of autographs on the field, posed for every camera, and then, taking off an Indian blanket, sat down with the band behind home plate, borrowed a tuba, and puffed his way through ‘Wagon Wheels.’ To the musician whose horn he’d taken, Dizzy said, ‘Give me a week at this and I’ll have your job.’ “
After getting conked in the head by a throw from Detroit shortstop Billy Rogell while running the bases in Game 4, Dean reportedly said, “I saw a million stars, moons, dogs, cats, but I didn’t see no Tigers.”
Before Game 7 at Detroit, Dean approached Tigers slugger Hank Greenberg as they headed up a runway to the field. According to Robert Gregory, Dean said, “You boys are too tight. What you got to do is ‘unlax’ a little. But your troubles are going to be over in a couple of hours. Ol’ Diz is pitching.”
Dean pitched a shutout, securing the championship for the Cardinals.