George Grantham

“Rarely has there been a baseball player as good as George Grantham whom it was so difficult to settle in one regular position.” — James J. Long, Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph 1

George Grantham, 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds in his prime, was tough and durable. A perennial .300 hitter despite frequent nagging injuries, he had unexpected power and elite speed, often filling box scores with crooked numbers – including the error column. Frequently shuffled about the diamond to hide his weak glove without losing his potent bat, problems fielding grounders earned Grantham an ultimately endearing nickname: “Boots.”

After a splashy start to his career with the Chicago Cubs in the early 1920s, Grantham came to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Together with Pie Traynor, and later the Waner brothers, Paul and Lloyd, he formed the backbone of a Pirates team that won the 1925 World Series and became the final conquest of the indomitable 1927 New York Yankees. Over a 13-year career that also included stints with the Cincinnati Reds and New York Giants, Grantham built an impressive resume.

Grantham is one of only 18 major-leaguers in the modern era to have at least 1,500 hits, 100 home runs, 100 stolen bases, 90 triples, an OPS over .850, and a batting average over .300.2 Eight straight .300+ seasons, and nine straight with an OPS+ over 110, earned him a spot in the top half of the lineup throughout his career. Based on Bill James’ formula for “Similarity Scores,” Baseball-Reference identifies Jackie Robinson as the batter most similar to Grantham.

Grantham turned in single-season performances on both offense and defense that were unmatched for decades. Since his 1923 season, no Cubs rookie has matched Grantham’s combination of 160 hits and 70-plus walks, with only 2015 Rookie of the Year Kris Bryant coming close.3 In 1929, Grantham became the first player since Cap Anson to collect 90 or more RBIs in under 350 at-bats; Ted Williams was the next, in 1950. No Pittsburgh second baseman in the modern era has topped Grantham’s 97 RBIs in 1930,4 and his 18 home runs that year led Pirate keystone sackers until Bill Mazeroski came along. On the flip side, in his rookie season, Grantham set an NL record for most errors by a second baseman that still stands.

Through it all, Grantham was well respected by baseball royalty. Babe Ruth called him the equal of any NL first baseman in 1926,5 and New York Giants manager John McGraw chose Grantham as the majors’ top second baseman for 1930.6 The next year, Leo Durocher named Grantham as the toughest man to double up in the National League.7 Three-time 20-game winner Lon Warneke said Grantham was the toughest hitter he ever faced.8

George Farley Grantham was born May 20, 1900 in Galena, Kansas, a town named for the lead-bearing mineral found nearby. He was the only child born to Benjamin Franklin (Frank) Grantham, a lead prospector from Indiana, and his wife, Anna, who went by Emma.9 Before George was nine, the family moved to the gold-mining town of Goldroad, Arizona.10 There Frank worked as an engineer in an electric plant at one of the local gold or quartz mines.

At the age of 14, George played shortstop and right field for the Rays Consolidated industrial team.11 The next year, Grantham began attending the Northern Arizona Normal School in Flagstaff, where he played football and first base.12 By the end of 1916 he was the shortstop for a club in his new hometown of Kingman, Arizona.13 The following spring, the Kingman nine played an exhibition game against the visiting Chicago Cubs in which Grantham subbed and went hitless in his lone at-bat, against George Zabel.14

In 1917 Grantham excelled in left field and at third base for the Kingmanites, and as a shortstop for the Lovin and Withers industrial team.15 In July, he received an invite from W.W. McCredie, owner of the Pacific Coast League Portland Beavers, to a tryout in California. 16 That same day, Grantham’s father died from tuberculosis.17

Grantham reportedly attended a tryout, but it’s unknown if he got an offer. By the following August he was in the Navy.18 A case of the mumps kept Grantham from being shipped out to France weeks before the fighting ended in World War I. He was discharged ten months later.

A few months after his return home, Grantham signed a contract with the Detroit Tigers.19 Unsure about leaving his mother alone, he waited to report to Tacoma of the Pacific Coast International League until just before the 1920 season. Manager Bobby Vaughn used Grantham at first base, right field, left field, shortstop, third base, and second. Although he hit well below average and was leading the team in strikeouts as of late July, one Kingman newspaper reported in August that Grantham was being called up to Detroit. However, it was a false alarm.20 He finished the year with Tacoma, hitting .225 in 58 games.

After excelling with Tacoma in early 1921, Grantham earned a promotion to Portland. He went 6-for-14 as a switch-hitting pinch hitter, then collected four hits in his debut at shortstop.21 Sore hands were to blame when he made four boots in a game soon after, but they mattered little as he went 4-for-4 in a winning effort;22 a vignette that epitomized Grantham’s career. Nonetheless, he hit a combined .325 for the year.

Grantham opened the 1922 season with the Class-A Western League Omaha Buffalos, where he played third base and blossomed into a power hitter. He also showed daring on the base paths, stealing home on a triple steal in one game and doing so again on a double steal in another game, in front of fellow prospect Heinie Manush.23 In September Grantham was sold to the Chicago Cubs for two players to be named later and $20,000, “the largest cash amount ever paid for a Class-A player” according to the Kansas City Star. 24 Cubs president Bill Veeck Sr. delivered the check personally.25

Grantham debuted at third base for the Cubs on September 20, 1922, in the first game of a doubleheader in Philadelphia. Batting third, he went 1-for-5 with a stolen base. Two days later, he hit an opposite-field, bases-clearing two-out triple off Jimmy Ring, who’d loaded the bases to get to him. Though he was only 4-for-23 (.174) in his introduction to the majors, Grantham displayed “all the earmarks of a good ballplayer.”26

When Cubs manager Bill Killefer anointed Grantham as his second baseman for the 1923 season, he became the youngest regular on the NL’s youngest team.27 Chicago sportswriter Hugh Fullerton warned of growing pains. “It would be one of the miracles of baseball for a fast youngster to make good right off the reel.”28

With six multi-hit games in his first 12, Grantham became an instant sensation. His first career home run on May 9 was also impressive, a seventh-inning, game-tying blast off New York Giants closer Claude Jonnard “against the roof of the right field grandstand” at the Polo Grounds, most likely off the façade at the top.29 Playing in 152 games, Grantham clubbed 36 doubles, hit .281, and stole 43 bases, second only to perennial base-stealing king Max Carey.

In the field, Grantham’s speed allowed him to reach balls other infielders couldn’t, but he also botched some easy chances with the game on the line. A leaping backhanded catch won praise from the Brooklyn Eagle as “the best fielding stunt pulled in Chicago this year.” Yet five days later, his two-out, ninth-inning error on a routine grounder let the tying run score.30 His 55 errors clinched what sabermetrician Bill James later dubbed the “Juan Samuel Triple Crown” – leading the league in errors, caught stealing (28), and strikeouts (92). Grantham remains the only player in the modern era to “win” one.31

Rocky as it may have been, Grantham’s rookie season was a success. Newspapers called him the second coming of former Cub second baseman Johnny Evers. Cubs coach Bobby Wallace, an Evers contemporary, said Grantham was “one of the best prospects that has broken into the majors in the last 10 years.”32 Even Fullerton admitted Grantham was valuable, though “with a lot of glaring faults.”33

In the Cubs’ annual postseason city series with the White Sox, an anxious Grantham made three errors in the first three innings of Game One. In the series finale, he fumbled a ninth-inning grounder to ignite a game-tying rally by the Sox. An inning later he uncorked a wild throw that let in the series-winning run – a crushing end to his rookie campaign.34

Grantham reported early to the Cubs’ 1924 training camp on Catalina Island, determined to improve. He spent hours fielding slow grounders, modified his swing to cut down on strikeouts, and abandoned switch-hitting to focus on hitting from the left side.35

Grantham’s preseason efforts paid off with early-season success and at times prodigious power. On April 17, he homered, scored four runs, and collected five RBIs in the Cubs’ home opener; a feat no Cub has ever duplicated.36 Three days later, “the Arizona flash” as he was now being called, launched the first regular season home run ever hit into the right field bleachers at Redland Field, off Cincinnati ace Dolf Luque.37 On August 8, Grantham hit a rare home run into the right field bleachers at Braves Field. Awestruck Boston right fielder Casey Stengel “gazed in admiration at the heroic blow.”38

Ill-timed fielding gaffes remained a constant in Grantham’s second season. His ninth-inning misplays in three games turned seemingly certain wins for Grover Cleveland Alexander into adventures.39 Grantham afflicted opposing aces as well in 1924, most notably Dazzy Vance of the Brooklyn Robins. On August 23, Vance struck out 15 Cubs to set a NL modern era record – but he couldn’t fan Grantham, whose three hits headlined a Cubs victory. A month later, Grantham crippled the Robins’ pennant hopes with a pair of home runs off Vance in another Cub victory.40 Those performances earned Grantham a long-standing reputation of “owning” Vance.41

Grantham’s .316 batting average was tops on the team in 1924, but he led the NL in strikeouts again. During Chicago’s postseason city series, Grantham gained a measure of vindication for the previous year’s fiasco, with five multiple hit games against one meaningless error.

Three weeks later, Grantham was a Pittsburgh Pirate.

Unhappy with the makeup of his team, Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss had cleared house. He sent first baseman Charlie Grimm, shortstop Rabbit Maranville, and pitcher Wilbur Cooper to Chicago in exchange for Grantham, pitcher Vic Aldridge, and first-base prospect Al Niehaus.42 In Grantham, Pittsburgh had “a fighter from start to finish,” and his speed bolstered the fastest team in the NL.43

Earmarked for the outfield,44 Grantham instead started 1925 subbing at first for an injured Niehaus. He struggled badly out of the gate, going 1-for-20 while the Corsairs, as they were also called in Pittsburgh, set sail for last place. Briefly platooned after Niehaus returned, Grantham hit over .400 in the next eight weeks to win the first base job and help Pittsburgh battle their way back into the pennant race.

Grantham did have fighting in mind on June 15, when a brushback pitch from Giants hurler Jack Scott was followed by one to his ribs. Grantham flung his bat at the knuckleballer, earning himself an early shower and a $50 fine.45 A week later, in a demolition of the St. Louis Cardinals, Grantham went 4-for-4 with a stolen base and a pair of home runs, including a grand slam; a stat line next equaled in 1987, by Bo Jackson.46 By midseason, Grantham’s “peppery” play and timely hitting had won over fans who’d questioned the cost to get him.47 Grantham’s two-run homer in the first game of an August 3 doubleheader at Forbes Field against the Phillies helped vault the Pirates back into first place for good. He finished the season hitting .326, with only 29 strikeouts in 423 plate appearances.

In setting his lineup for the 1925 World Series against the defending World Champion Washington Senators, Pittsburgh manager Bill McKechnie went with his regular first baseman, Grantham, over 17-year veteran first baseman Stuffy McInnis, who had five previous World Series under his belt. Grantham went hitless in the first three games of the Series, then collected a pair of singles in Game Four, off Walter Johnson. However, in Game Five, down three games to one, McKechnie switched to McInnis, whose timely hitting and steadying influence in the field ignited a Pirate comeback that culminated in a muddy Game Seven win over Johnson for the championship.48

Neuritis in his right shoulder left Grantham in pain at the start of spring training in 1926. He also suffered the theft of his timepiece by a Pittsburgh prospect.49 April brought better times, though: he married a former Kingman classmate, and “one of the most popular young women of northern Arizona,” Miss Ruby Gates.50 The couple’s first child, George Jr., arrived less than 10 months later. A daughter, Gloria, was born in 1930.

The season began like a carbon copy of 1925 for Grantham and the Pirates. Platooned at first again, Grantham hit poorly for the first month while the Pirates sank. A hot spell (23-for-56) earned him the first base job as the team’s fortunes rose. Pittsburgh was in and out of first place, until captain Max Carey tried to oust overbearing assistant manager Fred Clarke from the dugout. Clarke prevailed, leading to a suspension for Carey and the release of two co-conspirators. The press dubbed it “the great Pirate mutiny.”51 Its team morale broken, Pittsburgh finished five games back of the pennant-winning Cardinals. McKechnie took the fall for the clubhouse schism and was fired in October, replaced by former Detroit Tigers shortstop Donie Bush.

Grantham started the 1927 season at first base, but when regular second baseman Hal Rhyne got sick in May, Bush passed over 20-year-old Joe Cronin and instead moved Grantham back to second, where he’d last played in 1924. He also installed Grantham at the top of the batting order and put veteran Joe Harris at first. The changes kick-started the Pirate offense, carrying the team to the NL pennant. Grantham ranked near the bottom among NL second basemen in fielding percentage (.953), but hit .305 and had a career low in strikeouts per plate appearance (0.06). In typical Boots fashion, during Pittsburgh’s October 1 pennant-clincher, he tripled to drive in two runs and made two errors.

Pittsburgh entered the 1927 World Series as underdogs to the mighty New York Yankees. In Game One, Grantham was tagged out on a hit-and-run double play by his pinstriped counterpart, second baseman Tony Lazzeri. In the next inning, he juggled a slow roller, leading to three unearned Yankee runs. In Game Four, he singled off sidearm sinkerballer Wilcy Moore in the eighth inning with the game tied 3-3, but was left stranded. Grantham’s hit proved to be the last for a Pirate in a World Series until 1960.

Pittsburgh’s acquisition of slick-fielding infielder Sparky Adams52 bumped Grantham back to first base in 1928. Thanks to a more erect batting stance, he was hitting over .400 on May 27 when he broke a finger on his throwing hand while filling in at third for an injured Traynor.53 He was out for two weeks and struggled for the next two, but then stroked a pair of “well kissed” home runs off former Cub teammate Alexander.54 Grantham’s showing on offense over the next six weeks prompted one Pittsburgh sportswriter to declare that the first baseman should get MVP consideration if the Bucs won the pennant.55 Glory eluded Grantham, as he faded down the stretch while the Pirates finished nine games back of the Cardinals.56

Grantham’s defense was a positive story on July 31, when he saved a wild throw to first from second baseman Adams. That play enabled Adams to extend what was touted at the time as a modern record for most errorless chances by an infielder; a streak that reached 235.57 Grantham’s .986 fielding percentage in 1928 was in line with his .988 career mark at first, well above what he compiled in his career at second base (.949).

Nonetheless, the Pirates drafted slick-fielding veteran first baseman Earl Sheely from the PCL that October, and made Sheely the regular in 1929. Indeed, Grantham’s 1929 season brings to mind Abbott and Costello’s “Who’s on First?” comedy routine. In training camp, Grantham was first put in right field, then moved to left.58 Why? Because, Paul Waner ended his preseason holdout. In his 11th game in left, Grantham threw two Cardinals out at the plate, the second being Frankie Frisch to save the game in the 12th inning.59 Days later, manager Bush shifted Grantham to the keystone sack, where he spent most of the season. On August 17 he turned a hit-and-run line drive catch into a triple play.60

On August 27, Bush moved Grantham back to first base.61 The next day, the skipper resigned, frustrated with the team’s many injuries and a lack of support from fans, press, and management. His replacement, former Pirate coach Jewel Ens, kept Grantham at first, but shortly thereafter leg and shoulder injuries prematurely ended his season.62

Somehow, with all the position changes, and despite missing over 30 games to injury, Grantham’s batting eye in 1929 was sharper than ever. In 458 plate appearances he drew a career-high 93 walks, which fueled career bests in on-base percentage (.454) and OPS (.987). He also walked more than twice as often as he struck out.

Quiet and even-keeled, Grantham was viewed by some as not intense enough. During the offseason, Ens told a Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph sportswriter that there was nothing Grantham couldn’t do when healthy, but he could use more fire in his belly. “Give him the spirit of Pie Traynor and he’d be a world beater.”63

In addition to issuing this challenge, Ens allowed Grantham to play the entire season at one position, second base. (Sheely went back to the PCL in exchange for a younger new first baseman, Gus Suhr.) What’s more, Grantham was in what he called the best condition of his career. This combination, along with an unusually rich offensive environment in the NL, turned 1930 into Grantham’s most productive season. He set career highs in home runs (18), RBIs (99), slugging percentage (.534), triples (14), runs scored (120) and total bases (295).

A left-handed batter since his sophomore season, Grantham returned to switch-hitting at times in 1930. “I make the shift [to hitting left-handed] once in a while for luck,” he told former Giants hurler Al Demaree. “When a southpaw has my number and I know it, I feel that I’ve got nothing to lose.”64

Frustrated with Pirate shortcomings after the 1927 pennant, Pittsburgh newspaper coverage of Grantham heading into the 1931 season turned sharply negative. He was called “unsteady in the field,” “a trifle sleepy at times,” and “not what might be called a star.”65 Lugging a lower than usual batting average into May, he received a birthday gift of a rabbit’s foot and said, “I think I’ll just nail it to my bat.”66 Forbes Field fans began booing Grantham and his fielding deteriorated. At the Polo Grounds on June 21, he committed a career-high four errors but made amends by starting an 11th inning game-winning rally with a lead-off single. That thrill was gone the next day, when his eighth-inning error at Ebbets Field opened the door for a Robins 10th-inning comeback win.

A move to first base in late June steadied Grantham, both on offense and defense, but a ball he couldn’t handle on July 29 attracted lots of attention at the end of the season. Grantham was given an error on a liner hit by New York Giant Bill Terry; had it been ruled a base hit (as Terry’s fans advocated), the NL batting crown would have gone to Terry, whose final average of .3486 finished second to Chick Hafey’s .3488 mark for the Cardinals.67

Grantham hit .305 for the season, but his slugging percentage and extra-base hits were his lowest in years. In an era of limited data, the Pirates and their fans likely missed the fact that Grantham’s Adjusted OPS+ of 130 in 1931 actually exceeded his 1930 figure of 127. On February 4, 1932, the 31-year-old was sold to Cincinnati. Relieved to be out of the cross-hairs in Pittsburgh, Grantham said “I am mighty glad to be traded to the Cincinnati Reds, even if they did finish last.”68 His new manager, Dan Howley, was mighty glad to have him, calling Grantham the hardest-hitting second baseman in the league.69 That was high praise, considering that his competition included illustrious keystone sackers Frisch and Rogers Hornsby.

During spring training, Cincinnati dealt incumbent second baseman Tony Cuccinello to Brooklyn in a six-player trade. In return, the Reds got Grantham’s former Omaha teammate, Babe Herman, and a young mountain of a catcher, Ernie Lombardi. The trade cleared the way for Grantham to play second alongside chatty Leo Durocher at short.

Boots, as his new teammates also called him, sparked a four-run ninth inning rally for a Reds opening day victory. However, he turned an ankle the next day; carried off the field, he missed 11 games.70 Wearing uniform number 1, he hit his first Reds home run on May 1, “New Reds” day at Redland Field.71 Grantham had more four-hit games in 1932 than in any season since 1925, but his eight-year string of hitting .300 was over.

After the season, the last place Reds gave the managerial reins to former Pirates manager Donie Bush. He initially tabbed Grantham as his first baseman for 1933, but diverted him to second once Jim Bottomley was acquired. Grantham played in each of the Reds’ first 40 games in 1933, but did little damage with his bat. Last among NL second basemen in voting for the inaugural All-Star game, he attended anyway, as a spectator.72 Four weeks later, Grantham’s season ended when he broke his ankle sliding into third base at Wrigley Field.73 In 87 games, he hit a career low .204 and had the lowest fielding percentage of any NL second baseman with over 200 chances (.948).

Following the 1933 season, bank director Powel Crosley Jr. bought the Reds from financially strapped Sidney Weil. Crosley hired Larry MacPhail as vice president and general manager. MacPhail kicked off a roster makeover by trading Grantham to the recently crowned World’s Champion New York Giants, for relief pitcher Glenn Spencer.

The Sporting News claimed that the dead ball used by the NL in 1932 and 1933 had “ruined George as a hitter and greatly reduced his value as a player.”74 Giants manager Bill Terry seemed to agree, rarely using Grantham for anything but pinch-hitting. Grantham played his last game for the Giants in the second game of a doubleheader on July 26, 1934, finishing where he’d started 12 years earlier: at third base. His last at-bat came against Dizzy Dean in relief of his brother, Paul. Two days later, Grantham was released.

At age 34, Grantham quickly hooked up with the Southern League’s Nashville Volunteers, playing first base for newly minted manager Lance Richbourg. He racked up 10 RBIs in his first 26 at-bats, hit .321 in 162 at-bats and had the team’s top batting average in their post-season playoff series loss to New Orleans.75

In 1935, Grantham signed with the Seattle Indians of the Pacific Coast League, managed by Dutch Ruether, a former ace for the Reds, Robins, and Senators, and a disgruntled member of the 1927 Yankees rotation.76 Before the season began, Grantham’s mother took ill and died in a Phoenix hospital.77 Following his father’s death 18 years earlier, his mother’s passing marked a sad bookend to Grantham’s career.

New experiences filled Grantham’s brief final season. He played in an exhibition game against the Tokyo Giants, served as acting manager in a game after Ruether was ejected, and was quarantined in San Francisco after getting chicken pox.78 Released by the Indians in late June, Grantham signed on with the Olympia Senators of the semipro Timber League.79 He played a handful of games there before returning home to Phoenix.

Baseball remained an important part of Grantham’s life after his days as a professional were over. He managed and played for the barnstorming Phoenix All-Stars,80 managed Kingman community baseball teams, served as president of a local baseball league, and directed various baseball tournaments.81 He was also briefly a Pirates scout.82

Like many Arizonans, Grantham was an avid golfer and he was very good at it. Swinging right-handed, he competed in offseason amateur tournaments in Arizona as early as 1924.83 Usually the best golfer on his baseball teams, he once beat Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis by more than 20 strokes in a round.84 Grantham won multiple golf tournaments after retiring from baseball, the last at the age of 50.85

Grantham found employment after his baseball career as a salesman, realtor, and manager of a Kingman mine.86 After World War II, he managed the men’s ready-to-wear department at the Central Commercial Company department store in Kingman.87

Grantham returned to prominence in 1949 with reports that Ralph Kiner had broken his Pirates club record of five grand slams.88 Though Grantham may have once held the record, he hit only three during his time with Pittsburgh.

On March 12, 1954, Grantham suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. He died four days later, survived by his wife, Ruby, children George Jr. and Gloria, and granddaughter Linda. In summarizing Grantham’s career, Harry Keck of the Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph closed with a fitting epitaph: “He always was a favorite with the fans.”89

Stories shared by former opponents after Grantham’s death reinforced his tough-as-nails image. All-star catcher Gus Mancuso described Grantham scoring the winning run in an extra-inning game with a home plate collision so violent it left the larger Mancuso seeing stars for minutes.90 Lefty O’Doul, the pitcher turned All-Star outfielder, recalled how opposing pitchers never threw at Grantham. “[He] was a wicked hitter when you ‘woke him up’ with an inside pitch.”91

Grantham’s baseball accomplishments earned him honors both before and after his passing. In 1953, he was selected by the Baseball Writers’ Association as second baseman on their all-time Pirates team. In 1957, Grantham was one of 16 candidates for induction into the inaugural class of the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame.92 Nearly 30 years later, he was inducted into the Northern Arizona University (formerly Northern Arizona Normal School) Sports Hall of Fame.93 In 1999, Grantham received honorable mention in the Arizona Republic’s list of the top 100 Arizona athletes of the 20th century.94

The 21st century brought Grantham newfound fame. In his 2010 novella Blockade Billy, author and self-proclaimed old-school baseball lover Stephen King gave voice to a “funny, sharply observant and casually profane” fictional former coach he named George “Granny” Grantham.95

Acknowledgments

This biography was reviewed by Rory Costello and Rick Zucker, and fact-checked by members of the SABR Bio-Project fact-checking team.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author utilized game accounts and background information on Grantham reported in the Phoenix-area newspapers (specifically the Arizona Republic and Arizona Star) and those in the major league cities he played for, including the Chicago Tribune, Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh Post, Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh Gazette Times, Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati Post and New York Daily News. He also consulted MyHeritage.com, FamilySearch.com, Baseball-Reference.com, Retrosheet.org and Statscrew.com.

Notes

1 James J. Long, “Sports Comment,” Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, December 22, 1929: 20.

2 Of that group, only Grantham and first baseman Jack Fournier are not in the Hall of Fame.

3 Bryant collected 154 hits and 77 walks. Only Ray Grimes of the 1921 Cubs accumulated more hits plus walks as a Chicago rookie than Grantham did (240).

4 Grantham collected a total of 99 RBIs in 1930, two while playing first base.

5 Ruth called it a toss-up between Grantham and the soon-to-be NL doubles and RBI leader, “Sunny” Jim Bottomley. Babe Ruth, “Two Pirates are Honored,” Pittsburgh Press, September 12, 1926: 23.

6 McGraw’s second choice was the Detroit Tigers’ Charlie Gehringer. John J. McGraw, “M’Graw Picks Grantham on All-American,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 16, 1930: 22.

7 Major league baseball did not begin officially compiling how often players grounded into double plays until 1933, near the end of Grantham’s career, so Durocher’s assertion is not easily disproven. Ben Dahlman, “Sees Grantham as a ‘Regular’,” Cincinnati Post, February 8, 1932: 12.

8 Warneke pitched in the NL for his entire career, but he’d also faced a host of top-flight AL hitters in two World Series, and several All-Star games. Grantham was 13-for-34 (.382) lifetime against Warneke. Grantham also hit over .300 against Hall of Fame pitchers Jesse Haines (42-for-108, .389), Grover Cleveland Alexander (19-for-52, .365) and Burleigh Grimes (38-for-120, .317). Walter Stewart, “The Humming Bird Buzzes In,” Memphis Commercial Appeal, January 13, 1955: 46; Pat Robinson, “Graziano Alley Fight Victim, Say Gamblers,” Tulsa World, January 30, 1947: 20.

9 Frank had found enough success working a mining lease to marry the former Annie Wagner, a Galena native, in July 1896. Galena (Kansas) Evening Times, May 22, 1900: 3; “A Big Strike,” Galena Times, July 30, 1893: 2; “Local Happenings,” Galena Times, July 10, 1896: 3.

10 Frank Grantham Voter Registration, Goldroad, Arizona, September 26, 1908

11 “Winkleman Missed Fire by a Hair,” (Phoenix) Arizona Republic, May 26, 1914: 2; R.I. Ezell, “Hayden,” Arizona Republic, June 23, 1914: 7.

12 “Baseball at the N.A.N.S.” (Flagstaff, Arizona) Coconino Sun, March 17, 1916: 4; “Those great sports!,” (Flagstaff) Arizona Sun, March 30, 1989: B2.

13 It’s unclear when the Granthams moved from Goldroad. They’re listed in the 1920 U.S. Census as residing in Kingman. “Kingman Ball Stars Victorious,” Mohave County Miner (Kingman, Arizona), December 23, 1916: 2.

14 Their lineup filled with irregulars; the Cubs triumphed 22-4. “Chicago Cubs Easily Down Kingman Team,” Mohave County Miner, March 31, 1917: 1.

15 “’Spec’ Hansen Again Gets Hit and Kingman Beats Indians,” Mohave County Miner, May 5, 1917: 6; “Chloride Defeats Kingman Team, 7-4, in Very Poor Game,” Mohave County Miner, June 2, 1917: 3; “Arizona Stores Team Runs Away with L. & W. Bunch by Score 9 to 1,” Mohave County Miner, June 9, 1917: 2.

16 Howard Smith, “Grantham Gets Offer to Join Portland Club,” Mohave County Miner, July 28, 1917: 5.

17 Arizona State Board of Health, Original Certificate of Death, dated July 28, 1917, Family Search, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-DHFW-XT2?personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AFLKM-XS4

18 “In the Service of Old Glory,” Mohave County Miner and Our Mineral Wealth, August 17, 1918: 5; “Navy Boxers in Fine Trim, Ready for Large Tournament Which Starts Tomorrow Night,” San Diego Union, August 11, 1918: 32.

19 He was signed by Tiger scout Eddie Herr. “Bugs Think Vernon Has Pennant Edge, Bill Essick Starts Out with Last Season’s Winners,” (Portland) Oregonian, January 21, 1920: 14.

20 “Tiger Batting Averages,” Tacoma Ledger, July 25, 1920: 15; “George Grantham to Report to Detroit,” Mohave Miner and Our Mineral Wealth, August 21, 1920: 2.

21 Grantham was limited to pinch-hitting because of a broken finger. “George Grantham Steps Up to Coast League,” Mohave County Miner and Our Mineral Wealth, July 15, 1921: 1; “Look at Our Tigers Go,” Tacoma Ledger, July 28, 1921: 6.

22 “Beavers Bat Like Demons; Win 2 Games,” Portland Oregon Journal, August 7, 1921: 18.

23 Ralph Wagner, “Omaha Buffaloes Out-Smart Packers and Win Second Game of Series, 5 to 3; Play Today,” Omaha Bee, June 3, 1922: 6; Ralph Wagner, “Denver Wins Initial Game by 6-4 Score,” Omaha Bee, May 22, 1922: 8.

24 Tiger manager Ty Cobb judged the money received for Grantham “more attractive” than, at best, having him as a bench warmer in Detroit; a likely scenario had Omaha owner Barney Burch not made the deal. “Cubs Sign W.L. Infielder,” Kansas City (Missouri) Star, September 3, 1922: 10; Henry P. Edwards, “Down the Sport Trail,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 11, 1923: 5.

25 “George Grantham, Star Omaha Infielder, Cost Cubs $30,000,” Omaha World-Herald, September 16, 1922: 25. Years later, Fred Haney, whom Grantham had replaced at third base for Omaha, claimed that Grantham, Babe Herman and Heinie Manush (and in later versions, minor leaguer Bill Baumgartner as well) came to the Cubs in exchange for Haney moving over to the Tigers. When Grantham was assigned to Omaha, several newspapers mistakenly reported that his contract had been sold to the Cubs at that time. Haney was in fact sold to the Tigers outright. Contemporary accounts don’t identify any connection between Grantham’s transfer and Haney’s. San Angelo (Texas) Standard-Times, March 31, 1940: 15; Al Wolf, “Sportraits,” Los Angeles Times, November 6, 1947: 14.

26 “’George Grantham, Former Burch Rod, Has All the Earmarks of a Good Ball Player,’ Says Chicago Sport Writer,” Omaha World-Herald, September 29, 1922: 19.

27 “Cubs Average 24 Years Old,” (Decatur, Illinois) Herald and Review, April 17, 1923: 10.

28 Hugh Fullerton, “Fullerton Dope Ousts Collins as Best 2D Sacker,” Chicago Tribune, April 6, 1923: 18.

29 William Becker, “Cubs Defeat Giants and Even Series,” Chicago Daily News, May 9, 1923: 26. His next homer was also remarkable, an inside-the-parker off Cincinnati Reds starter Johnny Couch that rattled around the flagpole in center field at Redland Field. “Bunched Blows Give Reds 5-3 Win Over Cubs,” Herald and Review, June 2, 1923: 12.

30 Thomas S. Rice, “Grantham, of the Cubs, is a Youngster Making Good,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, June 17, 1923: 6D; “Costly Bobbles Lose for Bruins,” (Moline, Illinois) Dispatch, June 16, 1923: 14. Grantham also made two late-inning errors during an August 15 comeback win by the Braves, flubs attributed to heavy bandaging on a spiked thumb. Frank Schreiber, “Grantham’s Bobbles Cost Cubs and Alex 3-2 Game,” Chicago Tribune, August 16, 1923: 13.

31 Despite the implication, Samuel never led the NL in more than one of these categories. Across the 104 seasons in which the NL and AL has kept records for all three categories (caught stealing data was not kept in 1901 through 1912, 1914, 1917-1919 and 1926-1927), an NL player has led or tied for the league lead in two of the three categories ten times, with the feat matched 5 times by AL players. Neal Ball of the 1908 New York Highlanders led the AL in strikeouts and errors, and though he trailed AL stolen base leader Patsy Dougherty with 32 thefts versus 47, if his success was low enough he might have matched Grantham’s dubious achievement. Bill James, The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract (New York, Free Press: 2001), 522.

32 Billy Evans, “Kingman Boy Makes Good in Majors During First Year as Cubs’ Second Baseman,” Arizona Republic, September 24, 1923: 5.

33 Hugh Fullerton, “Hugh Fullerton’s Dope on City Series,” Chicago Tribune, September 28, 1923: 19.

34 After the game, a sobbing Grantham was consoled by his manager and teammates as he came to grips with his mistakes. “Grantham Takes Cubs’ Loss Hard,” Muscatine (Iowa) Journal and News-Tribune, October 17, 1923: 9.

35 It’s unclear how many plate appearances Grantham had batting right handed in 1922 or 1923– Baseball-Reference.com does not list Grantham as having any right-handed-batting plate appearances in either season. “Grantham’s Fielding Not So Good, But Slugging Ability Unquestioned,” Pittsburgh Chronicle Telegraph, November 3 or 4, 1924, unknown page, from Grantham’s Hall of Fame file. Irving Vaughan, “Cub Boss Plans Pitching Staff of 9 for Season,” Chicago Tribune, February 28, 1924: 24; “Chicago Fans Hear Good and Bad News,” The Sporting News, April 3, 1924: 1.

36 No other Cub has homered, driven in five and scored four or more during a home opener. In 1925 Hack Wilson did it during the second game of the season at Wrigley Field. “Boston-Detroit Still Leaders in the Majors,” Wausau (Wisconsin) Record-Herald, April 18, 1924: 13.

37 After Grantham’s long home run off the reigning NL wins and ERA leader, he drilled a double and a triple in his next two at-bats. Luque was so unnerved by Grantham’s pounding that he got himself ejected for arguing balls and strikes during the at-bat immediately after Grantham’s triple. Jack Ryder, “Reds Bat Out Victory Over Cubs; Luque Banished by Umpire,” Cincinnati Enquirer, April 21, 1924: 11.

38 Grantham’s Braves Field skyscraper was called the longest ever hit there by the Chicago Tribune. James Crusinberry, “Killefer Shifts Cubs and Trims Braves, 10 to 7,” Chicago Tribune, August 9, 1924: 6.

39On June 25, Grantham misplayed a pop-fly but was not charged an error during a five-run comeback in the ninth inning by the Pirates; on August 26 his inability to field an easy grounder in the ninth inning paved the way for a Giants’ come-from-behind win, and on September 20, after a two-out “easy hopper” escaped his grasp in the ninth inning, the Giants tied a game that the Cubs came back to win. James Crusinberry, “A Little Mistake and a Man with a Funny Name Beats Cubs,” Chicago Tribune, June 26, 1924: 17; Irving Vaughan, “Grantham Boots Away Game to Giants, 11-9,” Chicago Tribune, August 27, 1924: 18; Irving Vaughan, “Cubs Clout Giants to Win in Twelfth, 7 to 3,” Chicago Tribune, September 21, 1924: 25.

40 “Robinson Sees Record He Made in 1892 Fall in St. Louis Game When 12 Runs Batted In,” Omaha Evening World-Herald, October 14, 1924: 14.

41 Over his career, Grantham hit .286 against Vance in 119 at-bats, but his hits seemed to come at the worst time for the future Hall of Famer. See for example, James J. Long, “Sport Comment,” Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, May 15, 1928: 23, and James J. Long, “Sport Comment,” Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, September 19, 1929: 28. Grantham’s perceived mastery over Vance may have led to a George Grantham mitt being worth more than a Dazzy Vance model in a 1932 subscription drive for an Alabama newspaper. “Hey Boys! LOOK,” Huntsville Times, April 12, 1932: 3.

42 Unhappy that Grimm and Maranville were often making merry, including playing music, after losses in the close pennant race, Dreyfus decided he would get rid of “banjo players” as he called them. Harry Keck, “The George Grantham Story,” Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, March 20, 1954: 10.

43 The Pirates opening day roster included four of the senior circuit’s top nine base stealers from 1924. “Grantham’s Fielding Not So Good, But Slugging Ability Unquestioned,” Associated Press, “Pirates Will Have Fast Club in 1925,” Ann Arbor Times News, October 30, 1924: 12.

44 Soon after the trade, Dreyfus told reporters that he expected Grantham to play the outfield. A quintessential team player, Grantham was glad to. The Arizona Republic reported that Grantham would “play any position to which he is assigned,” and that he felt his hitting would improve as a result of having fewer defensive responsibilities. Charles J. Doyle, “Disparity in Skill Just One Angle to Pretentious Trade,” Pittsburgh Gazette-Times, October 29, 1924: 11; “Grantham Favors Pittsburgh to Win 1925 Flag in National,” Arizona Republic, October 30, 1924: 8.

45 Edward F. Balinger, “Bucs Triumph 7-6 Making Four in Row; Three off League Leaders,” Pittsburgh Post, June 16, 1925: 11; “Grantham Draws $50 Fine for Throwing Bat at Jack Scott,” Pittsburgh Post, June 17, 1925: 9.

46 In that game, Grantham joined Pie Traynor in becoming the first pair of Pirates to hit grand slams in the same game. On April 14, 1987, Jackson also went unretired in his trips to the plate, going 4-for-4 with a grand slam, three-run home run, seven RBIs and a stolen base against the Detroit Tigers. “Talk of the Town,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, September 15, 1982: 16.

47 Ralph Davis, “Grantham Popular Here,” Pittsburgh Press, June 19, 1925: 35; Ralph S. Davis, “M’Kechnie’s Judgment in Big Deals is Vindicated to Date,” Pittsburgh Press, July 12, 1925: 16.

48 Starting McInnis over Grantham was suggested to McKechnie by New York Giants manager, John McGraw. Though a fan of Grantham’s (saying in 1924, “I look to see him eventually a great star and a credit to the game,”) McGraw hated the American League perhaps even more. Harold C. Burr, “Big Enough,” Brooklyn Eagle, May 13, 1945: 24; John J. McGraw, “Cubs Real Contenders for Championship in National This Year, Writes McGraw,” Tacoma Ledger, May 28, 1924: 7.

49 Lou Wollen, “Full Pirate Squad Indulges in Its First Workout,” Pittsburgh Press, March 5, 1926: 38; “Brower Returns Stolen Property and May Be Freed,” Pittsburgh Press, March 22, 1926: 23.

50 “Cupid Halts Pennant Campaign When Miss Ruby Gates Weds George Grantham in Chicago,” Arizona Republic, April 27, 1926: 8.

51 John Bennett, Max Carey SABR biography, https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/max-carey/

52 Adams led NL second basemen in fielding percentage, putouts and assists while with the Chicago Cubs in 1925 and had the highest fielding percentage of all NL second baseman with 300 or more chances in 1927.

53 “Broken Finger Will Keep Grantham on Bucs’ Bench,” Altoona (Pennsylvania) Tribune, May 29, 1928: 8.

54 “Pirates Turn and Upset Leading Cardinals, 4-3,” Pittsburgh Press, July 1, 1928: S1.

55 Between June 30 and August 10, Grantham went 53-for-138 (.384). Regis M. Welsh, “Sports of All Sorts,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 13, 1928: 13; Chilly Doyle, “Chilly Sauce,” Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, August 17, 1928: 18.

56 Many years later, a comical yarn circulated about a Grantham at-bat during a hot summer day in Pittsburgh, presumably in 1928. After getting called out on strikes with the bases loaded, Grantham throws his ballcap, complaining to umpire Bill Klem that the pitch was outside. Surprised at Grantham’s reaction, Klem says he’ll let Robins catcher Johnny Gooch decide. As Gooch tossed the ball back to the pitcher, he tells Klem “[a]libi your own lousy decisions.” Gooch and Klem start jawing and Grantham doubles over in laughter. Klem yells at Gooch he’ll be ejected if he says another word, to which Gooch replies “I wish you’d put me out. I’ve been trying to tell Robbie [Brooklyn manager Wilbert Robinson] I’ve got a sore foot all day.” Klem, of course, denies Gooch’s request. Gooch caught only 38 games for Brooklyn, all in 1928 after being traded from the Pirates in June. Four of those games were in Pittsburgh, but Klem was behind the plate only in game one of an August 7, 1928 doubleheader. Grantham didn’t strike out in that game, nor did he come to bat with the bases loaded. Newspaper accounts do not mention an argument between Gooch and Klem. Tommy Holmes, “Bill Klem Tops as N.L. Umpire for 35 Years,” Brooklyn Eagle, December 15, 1940: C3.

57 “Pirate Notes,” Pittsburgh Press, September 1, 1928: 10; John J. Watkins, Sparky Adams SABR Bio, https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/sparky-adams/

58 Initially, Grantham was groomed to play right field; as a backfill for Paul Waner, who was holding out. Once Paul signed, Grantham was shifted to left field. Lou Wollen, “Pirates Ready for Opening of National Campaign,” Pittsburgh Press, April 14, 1929: 50.

59 A stellar catch Grantham made a week later, against the Giants, was over-shadowed when starter Carl Hubbell no-hit the Pirates. James J. Long, “Sport Comment,” Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, May 2, 1929: 20; William J. Chipman, “Giants Southpaw Victimizes Pirates,” Washington Evening Star, May 9, 1929: 37.

60 The Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph claimed Grantham had “[muffed] the chance of a lifetime” by tossing the ball to shortstop Dick Bartell for the third out of the 4-6 triple play, when he could’ve made the ninth unassisted triple play in major league history. “Grantham Robs Self of Chance to Gain Triple-Play Laurels,” Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, August 18, 1929: 25; SABR triple plays database, https://sabr.org/tripleplays

61 Lou Wollen, “Manager Bush Begins Reconstruction of Pirates,” Pittsburgh Press, August 27, 1929: 28.

62 Lou Wollen, “Buccaneer Club is Again Hampered by Injuries,” Pittsburgh Press, September 5, 1929: 32; “Stars to Leave Early,” Pittsburgh Press, September 21, 1929.

63 James J. Long, “Sport Comment,” Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, January 17, 1930: 39.

64 Al Demaree, “Grantham Takes Them Both Ways,” Houston Post-Dispatch, August 11, 1930: 10.

65 James J. Long, “Sport Comment,” Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, February 10, 1931: 23; George E. Phair, “Pirates Strength is Chiefly in Outfield,” Albany (New York) Times-Union, March 30, 1931: 23; Ralph Davis, “Paul Waner’s Bothersome Leg Worries Local Fans,” Pittsburgh Press, April 4, 1931: 9.

66 Edward F. Balinger, “Following the Bucs,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 22, 1931: 22.

67 “Bill Terry Lost Batting Crown on Pirate Ruling,” Pittsburgh Press, October 5, 1931: 29.

68 John W. Keys, “Right in the Mitt,” Chicago News, February 6, 1932: 14.

69 “Baseball,” Cincinnati Enquirer, April 3, 1932: 41.

70 “Negotiations with Chicago Are Broken Off as Cubs Refuse to Give Pitcher Pat Malone,” Cincinnati Enquirer, April 14, 1932: 11.

71 On that day, each new Reds player was introduced to the crowd of 21,000 by Cincinnati’s vice mayor. “Reds Get Rough After Pirates Take Early Lead,” Arizona Star, May 2, 1932: 5.

72 Grantham traveled from Chicago back to Cincinnati by air, with several teammates. Lombardi, who also attended the All-Star game but didn’t play, elected not to fly back with the other Reds, “afraid the plane might sag under his weight,” according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. “McGraw and Mack to Match Wits Fourth Time in All-Star Game,” The Sporting News, June 8, 1933: 3; “Chick Hafey in Full Game; Reds to Open Here Today,” Cincinnati Enquirer, July 7, 1933: 15.

73 The play began with Grantham on first base. When he broke for second on a hit and run, Cubs catcher Gilly Campbell threw offline to second base, prompting Grantham to head over to third. He reached third safely but had to be carried off the field. “Grantham’s Ankle Broken; Reds Lose to Cubs, 2 to 1; Grimm’s Homer Wins Tilt,” Cincinnati Enquirer, August 4, 1933: 13.

74 Daniel M. Daniel, “Dark Horses Ready to Give Regulars Run on Terry’s ‘Standpat’ World’s Champions,” The Sporting News, February 1, 1934: 5.

75 Richbourg had become the Vols skipper on July 28 after his predecessor, Chuck Dressen, left to manage the Cincinnati Reds. “How Vols Look on Paper,” Nashville Tennessean, August 7, 1934: 8; “Glance at Box Score Reveals How Helpless Vol Bats Were,” Nashville Banner, September 25, 1934: 9.

76 Ruether had reportedly been offered a $2,500 bonus if he earned 15 victories for the Yankees in 1927, but once he registered his 13th win, he was held out of games on the orders of Yankee ownership, including the World Series against Grantham and the Pirates. Disgusted, Ruether quit after the season. Charles F. Faber, Dutch Ruether SABR biography, https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/Dutch-Ruether/

77 “Mrs. Grantham Succumbs Here,” Arizona Republic, March 24, 1935: 28.

78The Seattle Times article that mentioned Grantham’s three hits in his return also hailed a “sensational San Francisco youngster,” who’d collected 13 total bases in another PCL game that day: Joe DiMaggio. “Grantham Stars as Indians Win,” Arizona Republic, March 31, 1935: 17; “Shay Halts Oaks but Rally Fails,” Seattle Times, May 2, 1935: 21; “Clubhouse Chatter,” Seattle Times, June 6, 1935: 23.

79 Olympia was managed by former Pirate teammate Ira “Pete” Flagstead. “Seattle Indians Oust Grantham,” Arizona Republic, June 27, 1935: 12; “Mainly About People,” (Olympia, Washington) Olympian, June 28, 1935: 1.

80 The Phoenix All-Stars were a team of then-current and former major leaguers that resided in the Phoenix area. Their 1935 squad included New York Giants center fielder Hank Leiber and Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Earl Grace. “Big Leaguers to Appear in Exhibition,” Arizona Republic, October 9, 1935: 6.

81 “Major League Support Plan is Approved,” Arizona Republic, February 20, 1936: 10; “Kingman Takes Baseball Game,” Arizona Republic, May 4, 1936: 12; George Moore, “Moore About Sports,” Arizona Republic, April 30, 1937: 14; “Tourney Set at Kingman,” Arizona Republic, June 1, 1940: 14; “Legion Juniors Battle Kingman Team Sunday,” Las Vegas Sunday Review Journal, May 30, 1948: 9.

82 The author identified one ballplayer that Grantham signed for the Pirates: San Francisco native, George Deason (spelled Deeson in one news report), a pitcher who rose no higher than Class D. Leo S. Bunner, “George Deeson Seeks Job in Golden Gate Circuit,” San Francisco Chronicle, October 18, 1937: 22.

83 “Second Annual State Tourney Will End Today,” Arizona Republic, December 7, 1924: 14; “Goldwater Winner of Golf Cup,” Arizona Republic, December 6, 1926: 1.

84 “Landis Still Gives Lessons,” Arizona Republic, February 16, 1934: 14.

85 “Nevadans Defeat Needles and Kingman,” Las Vegas Age, March 20, 1936: 7; “Kingman Notes,” Las Vegas Review-Journal, August 15, 1951: 8.

86 “The Hub,” Arizona Republic, November 24, 1935: 15; Havey Boyle, “One 1927 Pirate Left,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 17, 1941: 14; Will Connolly, “Will Connolly Says,” San Francisco Chronicle, May 15, 1941: 20.

87 Greg’s Gossip, Oregonian, July 26, 1946: 23; “Kingman Notes,” Las Vegas Review-Journal, August 1, 1951: 17; Grantham’s death certificate from Hall of Fame file.

88 United Press, “Kiner Smashes Two as Bucs Route Phils,” Erie Times, September 14, 1949: 12.

89 The Cleveland Indians honored Grantham’s passing with a moment of silence prior to their March 19 spring training game. Keck, “The George Grantham Story”; “Batting Around,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 20, 1954: 26.

90 Jake Penland, “In the Press Box,” Columbia (South Carolina) State, June 27, 1954: 13.

91 Prescott Sullivan, “The Low Down,” San Francisco Examiner, June 11, 1958: 36.

92 Grantham was the second Arizona collegian to play in the major leagues. Lum Davenport, a former student at the University of Arizona, debuted with the Chicago White Sox one year earlier.

93 Grantham also received one vote for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1958, the only year he appeared on the ballot. On July 15, 1976, Grantham was saluted at a Pirates game at Three Rivers Stadium. “Arizonan Named All-Time Pirate,” Arizona Star, May 29, 1953: 16; “Hall of Fame to Honor State’s Athletes,” Arizona Republic, January 6, 1957: 7; “Salute to Grantham,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 15, 1976: 13; Paul Sweitzer, “NAU hall of fame…,” Arizona Sun, August 31, 1986: 52.

94 “Arizona’s Top 100 Athletes: Honorable Mention,” Arizona Republic, December 25, 1999: 53.

95 “Sultan of spook tries on a catcher’s mask,” Concord (New Hampshire) Monitor, May 2, 2010: 31.