The burly, colorful, but modestly talented slugger took "Bodie" from the California
town in which he once lived, while "Ping" approximated the sound of the ball off
his bat. A fair hitter with a good arm (AL leader in outfield assists with 32 in
1917), Bodie was naturally funny and garrulous. Supposedly Ring Lardner blended elements
of Bodie into the brash ballplayer of his "You Know Me, Al" stories. Asked about
rooming with the gallivanting Babe Ruth, Ping cracked: "I don't room with Ruth; I
room with his suitcase!" When the slowfooted Bodie was out by yards in an attempted
steal, columnist Bugs Baer wrote: "There was larceny in his heart, but his feet were
honest."
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FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
»June 8, 1911:
In the White Sox game against the host Hilltoppers in New York, pitcher Russ Ford hits Sox SS Roy Corhan on the head with a pitch (as noted by Retrosheet). New York manager Hal Chase allows Ping Bodie as a courtesy runner for Corhan, even though Bodie is already in the lineup. In the bottom of the frame, Bodie returns to CF, with Lee Tannehill moving from 1B to SS. Pitcher Doc White finishes at 1B.
»June 18, 1911: Down 13–1 after five 1/2 innings, the Tigers make up a 12-run deficit to stage the biggest comeback in ML history, defeating the visiting Chicago White Sox by a score of 16–15. Ty Cobb chips in with five hits and five RBIs, as the Tigers score five in the 8th and three runs in the 9th. Cobb scores the winner when Sam Crawford hits a drive over the head of CF Ping Bodie for a double. Reliever Ed Walsh takes the loss with Clarence Mitchell pitching the last two innings to win.
»May 8, 1912: The White Sox beat Washington 7–6, snapping Walter Johnson's five-game win streak. Johnson gives up two 2-run home runs, one to Harry Lord in the 1st and another to Ping Bodie in the 5th. A Johnson fastball breaks the arm of 3B Lee Tannehill, an injury that will hamper the infielder's throwing ability, and ends the career of the 10-year veteran. Sox starter Joe Benz leaves with an injury after pitching one 1/3 inning. Ed Walsh pitches the next five 2/3 innings, allowing three runs, and Frank Lange allows the same in his two innings.
»March 8, 1918: The Yankees buy 1B George Burns, 37, from Detroit, then swap him to the A's for another veteran Ping Bodie, 30. Burns will replace Stuffy McInnis, the last of the "$100,000 infield," who went to the Red Sox in January.
»September 8, 1920: On their way to Cleveland, the Yanks play an exhibition game against the Pirates and suffers injuries to starters, Muddy Ruel (split finger) and Ping Bodie (sprained ankle). With Carl Mays skipping the Indians series to avoid any scenes, New York is short handed.
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