Sandomir: Hall of Fame to celebrate Moe Berg, a catcher and spy, with new exhibit
From Richard Sandomir at the New York Times on July 30, 2018:
You don’t become the subject of an exhibit at the Baseball Hall of Fame by being a catcher who never played a full season and finished with a career batting average of .243.
You need to have done something unusual.
That catcher, Moe Berg, was a spy (code-name: Remus) during World War II for the Office of Strategic Services, the forerunner of the C.I.A.
If a catcher’s role is to help the pitcher deceive hitters, then the astute, defensive-minded Berg found his métier in baseball. But in spying, he found a true home for his penchant for secrecy, wide-ranging intelligence, talent with languages and ability to blend into his surroundings in a dark suit and dour expression.
Berg’s mysterious life was detailed in Nicholas Dawidoff’s book “The Catcher Was a Spy” (1994), which was adapted into a film with the same title, starring Paul Rudd, and released last month.
In late August, the Hall is expected to open “Moe Berg: Big League Spy,” an exhibition that offers a glimpse at the double life he led.
Read the full article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/30/sports/moe-berg-hall-of-fame.html
- Related link: Read our SABR biography of Moe Berg, by Ralph Berger
Originally published: July 30, 2018. Last Updated: July 30, 2018.