Books and articles about Charlie Grimm

Jolly Cholly was an ebullient, fun-loving fellow who frolicked through 20 seasons as a player. He was also a tolerant manager who could coax career-best performances from mediocre players and gave free rein to his stars.

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Grimm was the most skillful first baseman of his era. He won nine fielding titles wearing a small mitt and ranging wide of the bag. He broke in with the Athletics in 1916 and won his first regular job with the 1920 Pirates. In Pittsburgh, he teamed with fellow free spirits Rabbit Maranville and Cotton Tierney, to the despair of owner Barney Dreyfuss. The vaudeville team of Gallagher and Shean had a patter song which Grimm, a lefthanded banjo player, appropriated. Once, Grimm snared a sharp grounder, and instead of simply stepping on first, threw the ball to Cotton, shouting, "Have we got him, Mr. Tierney?" "Absolutely, Mr. Grimm," came the rejoinder as the ball was thrown back to Charlie for the putout. Grimm had a 23-game hitting streak in 1923.

Grimm and Maranville were traded to the Cubs after the 1924 season, and continued their fun-loving ways. In 1932, his eighth year as Chicago's first baseman, Grimm became manager of a Cub team that had responded badly to Rogers Hornsby's stern direction, and captured the pennant with a 14-game September winning streak. They won again in 1935, but in mid-1938 Grimm resigned, saying he couldn't relate to or control his players. Gabby Hartnett stepped in, and the team rallied to the pennant while Grimm called the games from the broadcasting booth.

Grimm gave up sportscasting in 1941 to return as a Cubs coach, and then had what he described as the most fun of his career, managing Milwaukee of the American Association for Bill Veeck. After three successful seasons, Grimm was back at the helm in Wrigley Field. In 1945 his Cubs won another pennant, one which would have to last Cub fans for decades.

After being relieved as manager in 1949, Grimm moved to the front office, but in 1950 he returned to the minors, again leading Milwaukee to win the Little World Series. Braves owner Lou Perini invited him to manage in Boston in 1952, and when Perini shifted the franchise to Milwaukee the next year, the established local hero, Charlie Grimm, went along to manage. He remained for over three seasons, twice finishing second.

Grimm had a final fling leading the Cubs in 1960, but, after 17 games, swapped jobs with broadcaster Lou Boudreau. He stayed with the Cubs in various front office jobs another 15 seasons. After his death, his widow was allowed to scatter his ashes over Wrigley Field. (JK)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » May 3, 1923: Pirates 1B Charlie Grimm starts a 25-game hitting streak that will be stopped by Dick Rudolph, the 1914 Braves hero, who comes off the coaching lines to make four starts for Boston. » May 17, 1923: The Braves Dick Rudolph wins 1–0 over Pittsburgh's Wilbur Cooper in 10 innings. This is the only win of the year for the 35-year-old coach. He stops Charlie Grimm's 25-game hit streak. » October 27, 1924: The Cubs trade P Vic Aldridge, 1B George Grantham, and 1B Al Niehaus to Pittsburgh for 1B Charlie Grimm, SS Rabbit Maranville, and P Wilbur Cooper. Grantham will hit .300 for six seasons with the Bucs, while Grimm will play 11 seasons with Chicago, eventually becoming player-manager. In 1925, Maranville will be named a player-manager as well. Cooper, who has averaged 20 wins a year over the past six seasona, will drop to 12–14 with the Cubs. This past season he picked off seven runners at 3B. » May 28, 1925: The Cubs tally 11 hits and score 12 runs in the 7th inning to break open the game and win 13–3 at Cincinnati. In the 7th, Barney Friberg doubles and triples, Charlie Grimm has a single and double, and Arnie Statz and pitcher Wilbur Cooper each have two singles. » May 17, 1927: Charlie Grimm singles in Hack Wilson with the winning run in the 22nd inning to give the Cubs a 4–3 victory over the Braves at Boston. Braves pitcher Bob Smith goes the distance, while Bob Osborn hurls 14 runless relief innings to win for Chicago. The two teams have now combined for a major-league record 40 innings in their last two games. Smith's 22-inning stint, the 5th longest in history, will not be matched this century. Only Oeschger-Cadore on May 1, 1920 and Coombs-Harris on September 1, 1906, were longer. » August 21, 1929: Cubs 1B Charlie Grimm is sidelined for the rest of the regular season with a hand injury, but he'll be okay for the World Series. » October 12, 1929: At 45, John Quinn (11-9) gets a start against Root. After giving up a home run to Charlie Grimm with a man on in the 3rd, Quinn serves up four straight singles to open the 6th, and in comes Rube Walberg (18-11). The inning ends with the score 7–0. Trailing 8–0 in the 7th, the Athletics, in the greatest rally in World Series history, shake Chicago by scoring 10 runs for a 10–8 victory. The most damaging play is Hack Wilson's misjudgment of a fly from Mule Haas's bat, which goes for a 3-run, inside-the-park home run. » July 27, 1930: Cincinnati hurler Ken Ash throws one pitch in relief against the Chicago Cubs and then is lifted for a pinch hitter. Ash's pitch to Charlie Grimm results in a triple play, and Ash receives credit for the 6-5 victory, his last in the ML. » August 29, 1930: In the Cubs' 2nd successive extra-inning game, Pat Malone beats Burleigh Grimes 9–8 in 13 innings to halt the Cardinals' 9-game win streak. With captain Charlie Grimm out of the lineup with a spike wound, the Cubs sign George Kelly, released a month earlier by Reds. » August 2, 1932: Rogers Hornsby is fired as manager of the Chicago Cubs, and 1B Charlie Grimm is put in charge. » October 23, 1934: P. K. Wrigley buys more shares in the Cubs and replaces William Walker as president. He gives player/manager Charlie Grimm complete control. » September 12, 1935: Charlie Grimm's Cubs continue their hot hitting, trouncing the Dodgers 13–3. Augie Galan has four hits and five RBIs for the 'Grimm Reapers.' » October 4, 1935: AL umpire George Moriarty chases Chicago manager Charlie Grimm and SS Billy Jurges in the 3rd inning. After Chicago ties the game in the bottom of the 9th, Detroit scores an unearned run to win in 11. » October 24, 1935: Judge Landis levies $200 fines on umpire George Moriarty, Cubs manager Charlie Grimm, and Chicago players Woody English, Billy Jurges, and Billy Herman for their conduct in the WS. » July 20, 1938: C Gabby Hartnett replaces Charlie Grimm as manager of the third-place Cubs. » May 5, 1944: Charlie Grimm resigns as manager of the Milwaukee Brewers in the American Association to take over the Cubs. Casey Stengel is named manager in Milwaukee. » May 11, 1944: The Cubs beat the Phillies 5–3 to snap a 13-game losing streak after Charlie Grimm gives a four-leaf clover to starting P Eddie Hanyzewski, who wore it under his cap. The Cubs are now 1-13 on the year. » June 10, 1949: Frank Frisch, who began the season as coach of the Giants, replaces Charlie Grimm as manager of the last-place Cubs. » January 6, 1950: Charlie "Jolly Cholly" Grimm resigns as vice president of the Cubs to sign a 3-year contract, for a record $90,000, to manage Dallas (Texas League). Grimm comments, "these hands were never intended to carry a brief case." » April 11, 1950: The Texas League opener between Dallas and Tulsa is staged in the Cotton Bowl. The Dallas starters taking the field include Ty Cobb, Mickey Cochrane, Tris Speaker, Dizzy Dean, Travis Jackson, Frank Baker, Charlie Gehringer as well as Duffy Lewis and Dallas manager, Charlie Grimm, the two non-Hall of Famers. After Dean throws one pitch, the squad is replaced by the regular Dallas Eagles team. 53,578 fans, the largest paid crowd (since surpassed) in minor-league history, cheer. » May 31, 1952: Charlie Grimm succeeds Tommy Holmes as manager of the Boston Braves. Holmes will sign on with the Dodgers as a pinch hitter, but hit just .111. » June 6, 1952: Bucky Walters succeeds Charlie Grimm as manager of the minor league Milwaukee Brewers after the latter had accepted the Braves job. » September 28, 1959: Cubs manager Bob Scheffing resigns and is replaced by Charlie Grimm, who last managed the Cubs from 1932 to 1949. » May 4, 1960: The Cubs make a trade—with WGN—plucking Lou Boudreau out of the broadcast booth to replace Charlie Grimm (6-11) as manager, Jolly Cholly takes Lou's chair behind the mike. The Cubs win, 5–1, over the Pirates as Dick Ellsworth gains his first ML victory. » January 12, 1961: Charlie Grimm and Verlon Walker (brother of Rube Walker) are named the 6th and 7th members of the Cubs coaching staff. » June 28, 1999: Hack Wilson ups his RBI total for the 1930 season to 191. 69 years after the season, an RBI is added by the commissioner's office, which also gives Babe Ruth six additional walks, raising his career-record total to 2,062. "There is no doubt that Hack Wilson's RBI total should be 191," commissioner Bud Selig said. "I am sensitive to the historical significance that accompanies the correction of such a prestigious record, especially after so many years have passed, but it is important to get it right." The missing RBI came from the 2nd game of a doubleheader between Wilson's Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds on July 28, 1930 where Charlie Grimm was credited with two RBIs in the game and Wilson with none. Ruth's walks total is now 2,062. Ted Williams is second, trailing by 43, and Rickey Henderson of the New York Mets is third, 134 behind Ruth.