1986 Sportflics Decade Greats: Pee Wee Reese

 

The player: Shortstop Pee Wee Reese was a top Red Sox shortstop prospect in the late 1930s. The team's manager, Joe Cronin, was also the team's shortstop. Wary of Reese's competition, Cronin convinced team ownership to trade Reese, and they eventually sold him to the Dodgers, one of many bad Red Sox trades. Reese came up with the Dodgers in 1940, and played through their first season in Los Angeles in 1958, missing three years fighting in the Pacific in World War II. An outstanding fielder with more power than a typical shortstop from his era, Reese was a ten-time All Star. In 2,166 games he hit .269 with 126 HR, 885 RBI and 232 stolen bases. In 44 World Series games, Reese hit .272 with 2 HR and 16 RBI.

The man: Despite being one of the smallest players in the league, Harold Reese's nickname came from the Pee Wee marble - he was known for his skill in marbles as a child. Despite his numerous playing heroics, Reese is best known today for his friendship with Jackie Robinson. Most notably, he responded to fierce racist heckling from a crowd by putting his arm around Robinson, an action later memorialized in a statue outside the Brooklyn Cyclones' field in Coney Island. (The year and location of the incident are unclear.) After his career, Reese was an announcer for several years and worked for many years for Hillerich & Bradsby, the makers of Louisville Slugger bats. He died in 1999.

My collection: I do not have any playing-days cards of Pee Wee Reese. His last card as an active player was 1958 Topps #375.