By Michael Ceraolo
Walter was, by far, the greatest pitcher I ever saw,
but he could be maddening as a manager and a man
He had enough confidence in me
to name me the interim manager
when he was hospitalized briefly in ’34,
in large part because he saw me giving young players
the benefit of my experience
So I was taken aback when he got rid of me
early in the ’35 season,
saying I was undermining his authority
by giving advice to young players!
I couldn’t let stand the implication
that I had done wrong and so deserved my fate,
so I requested a hearing with Commissioner Landis
The Commissioner determined I had done nothing wrong,
but he upheld management’s right to get rid of a player
for any reason, or no reason at all,
and that was the end of my major league career
