Granillo: The 1930 Cardinals telegram mystery
From SABR member Larry Granillo at Baseball Prospectus on July 18, 2012:
On September 9, 1930, the St. Louis Cardinals, helmed by skipper Gabby Street, found themselves tied for second place, 2.5 games behind the Chicago Cubs. That morning, Street received a telegram that read:
Do not worry, you will lose today, regardless of your pitching choice; you will win the next three.
That afternoon, the Cards lost to the Giants 2-1 before winning the next three. The next day, at the start of St. Louis’ series against the Boston Braves, Street received another telegram:
Everything O.K. You will win two and lose one.
Over the next two days, the Cardinals won two and lost one, just as the telegram predicted. For the remainder of the month, as St. Louis fought its way towards the pennant, the telegrams continued. According to all published reports, the telegrams were never wrong. Cardinals players began to “accept as gospel” the mystery telegrams.
The pennant race went all the way to the final weekend of the year, when St. Louis hosted Pittsburgh for a four-game series while up by three games. Before the series started, Street received his customary telegram.
Read the full article here: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=17690
Originally published: July 18, 2012. Last Updated: July 18, 2012.