Billy Werber
Billy Werber | |
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Third baseman | |
Born: Berwyn Heights, Maryland, U.S. | June 20, 1908|
Died: January 22, 2009 Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. | (aged 100)|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
June 25, 1930, for the New York Yankees | |
Last MLB appearance | |
September 5, 1942, for the New York Giants | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .271 |
Home runs | 78 |
Runs batted in | 539 |
Teams | |
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Career highlights and awards | |
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William Murray Werber (June 20, 1908 – January 22, 2009) was an American
Biography
A 5'10", 170-pound infielder, Werber was at
In 1934, Werber became the starting third baseman of the Red Sox. He responded with a career-high .321 batting average, including 200 hits; led the American League with 40 stolen bases, and posted double digits in doubles (41), triples (10) and home runs (11). He led the league in stolen bases in 1935 (29) and 1937 (35). Boston traded him to the Philadelphia Athletics for the 1937 season, and he joined the Cincinnati Reds in 1939.
In his first National League season, Werber became the first player ever to bat on television during a game between Cincinnati and the
In an 11-season career, Werber was a .271 hitter with 78 home runs and 539 RBI in 1,295 games. One of the most aggressive baserunners of the 1930s, he stole 215 bases. He was inducted into the
Werber had a very successful business career following his retirement from baseball. He began selling pension plans, and his work ethic and good communication skills yielded results. He ultimately oversaw the operations of the Werber Insurance Agency, started by his father in 1904. He was a top producer until his retirement in the early 1970s. Billy's son, Bill, married the daughter of US Army Adjutant General, Herbert M. Jones.
He retired to Naples, Florida, but lived in a retirement home in Charlotte, North Carolina until the time of his death.
Werber was a vivid storyteller and would often share tales of playing with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig and hunting trips with President Eisenhower and J.W. Marriott, among many others retold in his three authored books: Circling the Bases (1978), Hunting Is for the Birds (1981), and Memories of a Ballplayer (2001).
Prior to his death, Werber said that he no longer watched baseball. One of his stated reasons was that he was dismayed to see Johnny Damon's long hair and beard.[1] In 2008, Werber said, "I don't like the appearance of a lot of the players. The hair's too long. Their beards are too evident. They're a grubby-looking bunch of caterwaulers."[2]
Death
Werber died on January 22, 2009, in Charlotte, North Carolina, at age 100.
At the time of his death, Werber was recognized as the oldest living former player of Major League Baseball. Werber was also the final surviving teammate of Babe Ruth.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball annual runs scored leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual stolen base leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders
- List of centenarians (Major League Baseball players)
- List of centenarians (sportspeople)
Bibliography
- Circling the Bases by Bill Werber (self-published, 1978)
- Hunting Is for the Birds by Bill Werber (self-published, 1981)
- Memories of a Ballplayer: Bill Werber and Baseball in the 1930s by Bill Werber and C. Paul Rogers III (SABR, 2001) ISBN 0-910137-84-6
References
- ^ Gordon Edes (January 20, 2008). "Storied Career". The Boston Globe.
- ^ John Rutherford (July 15, 2008). "Babe's Old Teammate No Fan of 'Grubby" Ball Players". MSNBC. Archived from the original on July 26, 2008.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from ESPN, or Baseball Reference
- Baseball Almanac
- Retrosheet
- 2008 Boston Globe interview
- Ex-Big Leaguer Werber Has Many Stories to Choose From – June 2008 Washington Post interview
- USAToday article on June 20, 2008
- NYTimes obituary
- Billy Werber at Find a Grave