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

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Even with all of this history, Slapnicka remained intent on acquiring the biggest headache in all of baseball. Perhaps he thought new manager Oscar Vitt had the right stuff to tame Rollie and convert him into a model citizen. Possibly the general manager believed he could show the catcher a better way. The Indians still had Frankie Pytlak, a good backstop the front office would keep around for insurance. Be that as it may, the Cleveland Indians hadn’t the vaguest idea of what they were truly in for.

Chapter 5

VITT TAKES OVER

On February 19, 1938, Bob Feller arrived in Cleveland to sign his generous contract for the upcoming season. A gala event was planned, including a live radio broadcast from the remarkable new studios of WTAM. A huge investment from NBC Radio enabled construction of a modern building on Superior Avenue downtown to house the state-of-art-facilities. The radio executives from New York were on hand as the public got its first view of the broadcast area and related studios. Approximately 650 guests attended for an evening of cocktails, a swank dinner, and dancing. At 9:00 p.m. a live broadcast of music from New York swept through the new sound system. At the half hour the entertainment switched to a local dance band and several comics who were performing at the nearby Palace Theatre.