You Can Call Him Al

Al Simmons

Aloysius "Al" Simmons is one of those ballplayers who, though a big star in his day, is not much remembered today. After his playing days ended in 1944, he coached with Connie Mack's A's from 1945 to 1949 and the Cleveland Indians in 1950.

In a 1976 article appearing in Esquire, sportswriter Harry Stein came up with five all-time ethnic all-star teams. Simmons was the right fielder on the Polish team.

In 1999, The Sporting News ranked him no. 43 on its list of the 100 greatest players of all time. That same year, he was selected as a nominee on Major League Baseball's all-century team.

"Baseball doesn't owe me a thing," Simmons once said. "It was wonderful to me, and I owe everything I've got to the game. ... No other business or fame could have given me so many happy years."

October

Who is this "bucketfoot" slugger?

I was born to Polish immigrants on May 22, 1902, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with the surname Szymanski.

I changed my name after seeing an ad for a hardware store in the newspaper.

I made my major league debut in left field with the Philadelphia Athletics on April 15, 1924. In all, I played for seven teams during my 20-year career.

But my best years were with Connie Mack's A's. I won consecutive batting titles in 1930 (.381) and 1931 (.390), and the A's won World Series titles in 1929 and 1930.

I had an unorthodox style of hitting. A right-handed hitter, I would stride toward third base (or "step in the bucket") as I prepared to swing. That's how I earned the nickname "Bucketfoot."

Concerning my swing, Mack told me: "My boy, as far as I'm concerned, you can walk to the plate on your hands and swing standing on your head ... as long as you hit safely ... and often!"

Fortunately, I did just that. My career batting average was .334. I had a total of 2,927 hits (most by a right-handed hitter in the A.L. until Al Kaline came along), 307 home runs, and 1,827 runs batted in. I hit .300 and drove in 100 runs in eleven consecutive seasons and hit .329 with 6 homers and 17 RBIs in 19 World Series games.

I was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953.

I died of a heart attack in Milwaukee on May 26, 1956, four days after my 54th birthday.