Читать книгу Bad Boys, Bad Times. The Cleveland Indians and Baseball in the Prewar Years, 1937–1941 онлайн

78 страница из 96

Although putting together several impressive seasons, Rollicking Rollie continued with his outrageous conduct. Regardless of this, he repeated as a 1936 All-Star. His on-field talent got the attention of several American League teams in addition to Cy Slapnicka. Talks were held with the Browns at the winter meetings, but nothing solid came to pass. In the meantime, Hemsley continued to solidify his reputation as the wildest man in baseball. According to Dan Daniels, a drunken Rollie boarded a Browns train to Washington with a basket of live frogs. He then entered the sleeping car and threw a frog into each player’s berth. On another occasion he patiently waited for his teammates to turn in for the night, then stole everyone’s shoes and hid them in another compartment.

In spring training of 1937, Rollie added to his long string of outlandish behavior. The Browns were traveling to Laredo, Texas, for an exhibition contest. After the game, the players had a train waiting to take them to San Antonio, where the team was staying. Few were surprised when Rollie vanished, missing the train ride back to camp. He had crossed the border into old Mexico to sample some of the famous local tequila.