St. Louis Browns utility infielder, Gene Paulette, was born on May 26, 1891 in Centralia, Illinois. Paulette would appear in ten professional baseball seasons, with two seasons as a "Brownie" in St. Louis. In his time as a Brown he would not register a home run or an RBI, but he would begin relationships that would mark his baseball caree
St. Louis Browns utility infielder, Gene Paulette, was born on May 26, 1891 in Centralia, Illinois. Paulette would appear in ten professional baseball seasons, with two seasons as a "Brownie" in St. Louis. In his time as a Brown he would not register a home run or an RBI, but he would begin relationships that would mark his baseball career forever.
Paulette would begin his career as a 20-year old rookie with the New York Giants. After a few years in the minors with the Mobile Sea Gulls (1912-13), Cleveland Bearcats (1914), and the Nashville Volunteers, the Browns were interested in bringing Paulette back to MLB.
On August 19, 1915, the Browns sent 1B Dick Kauffman, RF Gus Williams, plus two players to be named later to Nashville for Paulette. He would get two hits, and a walk in his five plate appearances in 1915. The following year Paulette would find himself as a backup to the young George Sisler. He would only see action in 12 games, with no runs driven in and a .182 batting average. In June of 1917 the Browns would place in on waivers, where he would be picked up by the Cardinals.
Paulette would play the next three seasons with the Redbirds. While playing in St. Louis, Paulette would get mixed up in the gambling circles and become close acquaintances with two major gamblers. This relationship would pose fatal to his baseball career. He would eventually be traded by the Cardinals to the Phillies, and his rumored gambling ties followed him. This was the era of the infamous Black Sox Scandal, and newly appointed Commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis was investigating anyone associated with gamblers. On March 17, 1921 Paulette was ordered to speak to Landis about accepting gifts from gamblers. Paulette decided to retire from baseball to face prosecution.
On March 21, 1921 Gene Paulette would be the first player in history to receive a lifetime ban from baseball by Commissioner Landis. This occurred before any of the White Sox players were banned for their actions in the 1919 World Series.
Although he was never found guilty of gambling on baseball, Paulette was found guilty of his relationships/friendships with those who did gamble on the game. He would live the rest of his life in Little Rock, Arkansas where he worked in seclusion for the Missouri Pacific Railroad.
HEADLINE
"PITCHING DUEL HAS KENNEDY OUTLASTING TROUT AS BROWNS EDGE TIGERS"
FEATURED GAMES
1951 - In a great a great pitching duel, the Browns would defeat the Detroit Tigers, 3-2, in Detroit's Briggs Stadium. The Browns LHP Bill Kennedy would hold the Tigers to eight hits and just three walks. The Tigers starter, Dizzy Trout, would only giv
HEADLINE
"PITCHING DUEL HAS KENNEDY OUTLASTING TROUT AS BROWNS EDGE TIGERS"
FEATURED GAMES
1951 - In a great a great pitching duel, the Browns would defeat the Detroit Tigers, 3-2, in Detroit's Briggs Stadium. The Browns LHP Bill Kennedy would hold the Tigers to eight hits and just three walks. The Tigers starter, Dizzy Trout, would only give up five hits to the Browns, before being taken out of the game with only two outs left in the ninth inning. In the top of the ninth inning, Browns catcher Matt Batts would hit the game winning home run, which would be his only hit of the game. The other Browns runs were driven in without a recorded hit. RF Ray Coleman hit into a ground ball out, that scored Fred Marsh. LF Don Lenhardt hit a fly ball to the centerfield, scoring Fred Marsh. Leadoff hitter Fred Marsh was on base four times, hitting two doubles and gaining two walks. Kennedy would give up a run in the bottom of the ninth inning, which made Batts' homer in the top of the ninth, the game winner.
BROWNS' ALL-TIME RECORD ON THIS DAY
18 WINS, 31 LOSSES
(.367 winning percentage)
WINS BY DECADE
1902-09: 4-4
1910-19: 4-3
1920-29: 5-6
1930-39: 1-8
1940-49: 3-7
1950-53: 1-3
DOUBLE-HEADERS ON THIS DAY
All five series on this day were against the Cleveland Indians
TRANSACTIONS
NO TRADES MADE ON THIS DAY
DEBUTS
NO TRADES MADE ON THIS DAY
BROWNS' BIRTHDAYS ON THIS DAY
1891 - UTIL Gene Paulette (1915-17)
1894 - RHP Bill Fincher (1916)
The 1952 Browns were led by two different managers that could not be a different in style and personality. It was in the second year of Bill Veeck's ownership of the Browns and he had a plan to make the team successful again. The 1951 Browns team only won 52 games under manager Zach Taylor, and Veeck was convinced a change in leadership w
The 1952 Browns were led by two different managers that could not be a different in style and personality. It was in the second year of Bill Veeck's ownership of the Browns and he had a plan to make the team successful again. The 1951 Browns team only won 52 games under manager Zach Taylor, and Veeck was convinced a change in leadership was needed. He would bring back one of the biggest baseball icons in St. Louis baseball history, Rogers Hornsby.
Hornsby had 11 years of managerial experience to that point, including leading the Browns to a 233-352 record from 1933 to 1937. Hornsby was a brash leader who pushed his players with an old school mentality that was borderline abusive. He led the Browns with what can be described as unreachable expectations that every player could live up to the accomplishment he reached in his playing days. The players of the 1952 team, despised his leadership. After a 22-28 start to the season, Veeck fired Hornsby and promoted one his coaches to the position.
Marty Marion, another St. Louis icon in his own right, had managed the St. Louis Cardinals in 1951 and had joined the Browns as a player-coach prior to the 1952 season. The former 1944 National League MVP, did not fare any better than Hornsby in the win-loss category, but the players enjoyed his style of management. The team would record a 42-62 for the rest of the season, and finish in seventh place with a 64-90 record.