Ossie Bluege for the Hall of Fame!

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 Ossie Bluege for the Hall of Fame!

Some of you will remember my post a couple months ago featuring the forgotten star who happened to be one of the best defensive third basemen the game has ever seen, Ossie Bluege.

I was recently contacted by his daughters Wilor Bluege and Lynn Bluege-Rust. They’re rightly proud of their dad who has been largely overlooked over the passage of time. To help give him some deserved recognition, they wrote an excellent book about his career A Life in Baseball: Ossie Bluege, Grippd by the Game which is now available on Amazon. When I read the manuscript prior to publishing, I was stunned to discover what an outstanding ball player and what an even better human being Ossie Bluege actually was.

They’ve now asked for my help in a campaign to help elect Ossie to the Hall of Fame via the Early Baseball Committee. As daughter Wilor Bluege has written: “The record shows that he not only meets but exceeds the qualifications listed on the Hall of Fame’s website as necessary for consideration and election: the quality of his on-field play and managing, the longevity of his service to baseball, his personal character, and his service to life.”

Ossie spent 51 years in baseball, all with the Senators franchise, as a player (1922-1939), manager (1943-’47), farm director, and later as CFO overseeing the team’s move to Minnesota. The Chicago native hit .272 over his career, with 43 home runs, 848 RBIs, 140 stolen bases, and a .352 on-base percentage. A 1935 All-Star, he was a member of Washington’s three pennant winners and the franchise’s only World Series championship in 1924. The 1925 infield of Ossie Bluege, Roger Peckinpaugh, Bucky Harris, and Joe Judge is considered one of the best all time.

While his offensive numbers might seem modest, Bluege left his mark primarily as one of the best fielding third basemen the game has ever seen, known for making even the most difficult plays look easy. Defensive comparison to Brooks Robinson are not an exaggeration. Babe Ruth once selected Ossie as the third baseman on his All-Star team. Clark Griffith called him “the greatest third baseman of all time.” Offensively, there’s no question that Brooks Robinson was the better power hitter. But their career batting averages are almost the same (with a slight advantage to Bluege .272 – .268), and he holds a significant edge in on-base percentage (.352 – .322), plus a well-earned reputation as a dangerous clutch hitter.

Later as farm director, he was responsible for signing some of the biggest names in Senators’ history, including Harmon Killebrew, Bob Allison, Zoilo Versailes, Jim Kaat, and Tony Oliva.

Comments from his peers and from sportswriters are stunning. Here’s a small sampling:

• “I consider Ossie one of the best, if not the best fielding third basemen in the majors.” -Sportswriter Shirley Povich
• “Bluege is fast on his feet and can go a long way in either direction…No hit is too difficult for him to try to handle. He has a wonderful arm.” -HOFer Billy Evans
• “I can tell you the two greatest infielders who ever played in my time. And there he is [pointing to Bluege]…and I mean the two greatest infielders. Bluege played third base and shortstop at the same time…That’s how much ground he covered. I know. I played against him for 15 years.” Luke Sewell.
• “…If you’re looking for the best fielding third baseman who ever played, his name is Ossie Bluege.” –Pie Traynor (Non-verbatim quote witnessed by Lynn Bluege)
• “Nobody will get Bluege from us. He has a job for life. I got him for $3,500.Today I wouldn’t take $75,000!” – Clarke Griffith, owner Washington Senators
• “Why do you think Washington always had great shortstops like Peckinpaugh and Cronin? It’s because Bluege was playing alongside ‘em and covering half of the regular shortstop territory, as well as third base.” -Washington sportswriter
• “Ballplayers who see him every day know that he is a great artist and that many of the changes he handles with such grace and ease would bowl over many others. We think he is the best third baseman in either league.” -Senators teammate
• “Neither Pie Trayor or Brooks Robinson was the equal of Ossie Bluege,”- Calvin Griffith
• “If you hadn’t been playing third base, I’d have hit over .400!”- Hank Greenberg, speaking to Ossie Bluege

Let’s remember Ossie Bluege, a fine ball player from a by-gone era. Third base is the most under-represented position in the Hall of Fame. Surely there’s a place for possibly the greatest defensive third baseman of all-time. Let’s hope the Early Baseball Committee will honor him with a well-deserved plaque among baseball’s immortals.

Gary Livacari

Photo Credits: All from Google search

Information: Excerpts edited from the Ossie Bluege Wikipedia page; and from  A Life in Baseball: Ossie Bluege, by Wilor Bluege and Lynn Bluege-Rust