Phillip Brooks Douglas (June 17, 1890 – August 1, 1952) was an American

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

player. He was known as "Shufflin' Phil", most likely because of his slow gait from the bullpen to the mound. Douglas originally signed with the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

in 1912, but soon landed with the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

. In 1915, he was traded to the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...

, then to the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

. Douglas' short stints with these and future teams stemmed from their frustrations with his well-documented

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...

, about which a contemporary journalist wrote, "Drinking was not a habit with Douglas—it was a disease." Phil Douglas

His throwing error on a sacrifice bunt in Game 4 of the

1918 World Series The 1918 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1918 season. The 15th edition of the World Series, it matched the American League champion Boston Red Sox against the National League champion Chicago Cubs. The ...

gave the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

a 3–2 victory over the Cubs. In 1919, he was signed by the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

John McGraw John Joseph McGraw (April 7, 1873 – February 25, 1934) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player and manager who was for almost thirty years manager of the New York Giants. He was also the third baseman of the pennant-winning 1890 ...

had some luck in keeping Douglas' drinking under control. In 1920, Douglas had a 14–10 record and a 2.71 ERA. Following the season, the

spitball A spitball is an illegal baseball pitch in which the ball has been altered by the application of a foreign substance such as saliva or petroleum jelly. This technique alters the wind resistance and weight on one side of the ball, causing it to mo ...

was banned but 17 players, including Douglas, were allowed to continue using the pitch. Douglas' best year was in 1921, when he won 15 games in the regular season with an

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

of 2.08. He then won two games in the

1921 World Series The 1921 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1921 season. The 18th edition of the World Series, it matched the National League champion New York Giants and the American League champion New York Yankees. Th ...

to help the Giants win the series. In 1922, he had 11 wins and a league-leading 2.63 ERA, but was suspended after a quarrel with McGraw and fined $100. Shortly after he was suspended and while intoxicated, Douglas sent the following letter to

Les Mann Leslie Mann (November 18, 1892 – January 14, 1962) was an American college football player, professional baseball player; and football and basketball coach. He played outfield in the Major Leagues from 1913 to 1928. He played for the Boston Br ...

of the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

I want to leave here but I want some inducement. I don't want this guy to win the pennant and I feel if I stay here I will win it for him. If you want to send a man over here with the goods, I will leave for home on next train. I will go down to fishing camp and stay there.

The letter found its way to

Kenesaw Mountain Landis Kenesaw Mountain Landis (; November 20, 1866 – November 25, 1944) was an American jurist who served as a United States federal judge from 1905 to 1922 and the first Commissioner of Baseball from 1920 until his death. He is remembered for his h ...

. Landis banned Douglas from baseball for life. On August 1, 1952, Douglas died in

Sequatchie, Tennessee Sequatchie is an unincorporated community in Marion County, Tennessee, United States. Its ZIP code is 37374. The community lies in the southwestern Sequatchie Valley at the base of the Cumberland Plateau. The Little Sequatchie River passes to ...

, and was buried in

Tracy City, Tennessee Tracy City is a town in Grundy County, Tennessee, United States. Incorporated in 1915, the population was 1,481 at the 2010 census. Named after financier Samuel Franklin Tracy, the city developed out of railroad and mining interests after coal wa ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Phil 1890 births 1952 deaths Baseball players from Georgia (U.S. state) Major League Baseball pitchers Chicago White Sox players Cincinnati Reds players Brooklyn Robins players Chicago Cubs players New York Giants (NL) players National League ERA champions Macon Peaches players Des Moines Boosters players Spokane Indians players St. Paul Saints (AA) players People from Cedartown, Georgia Sportspeople from the Atlanta metropolitan area

See also

References

External links