Books and articles about Billy Jurges

After attending Richmond Hill High School in Brooklyn, where Phil Rizzuto went a decade later, the fiery Jurges came up to the Chicago Cubs in 1931. His fine defensive skills prompted the Cubs to move Woody English from shortstop to third base, despite Jurges's .201 batting average. Jurges and second baseman Billy Herman, a fellow rookie and former Louisville teammate, became the league's premier double-play combination and teamed in three World Series during the 1930s. Jurges went on to patrol National League infields for 17 seasons, four times leading the league's shortstops in fielding percentage. An adequate hitter, Jurges once rapped nine consecutive hits, one shy of the NL record.

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Jurges's solid, steady career started off with a bang. On July 6, 1932 Violet Valli (dubbed Violet Popovitch Heindel Valli by Cubs player/manager Charlie Grimm) called Jurges on the telephone, then entered his hotel room with a gun to attempt suicide. Jurges intervened and took a bullet in the hand and another through the ribs. This episode may have served as the prototype for The Natural, rather than the shooting of Eddie Waitkus by a crazed female fan in 1949. Although Jurges wound up missing only three weeks of action, the contending Cubs signed ex-Yankee shortstop Mark Koenig, who hit .353 for them. Because the Cubs voted Koenig a one half Series share, they were ridden by the Yankees that year 's World Series, highlighted by'9(((Ruth's "called" home run.

Although Jurges was an unexceptional Red Sox manager for parts of two seasons, 1959-60, his tenure is worth noting. Under Jurges, infielder Pumpsie Green ended the Red Sox' status as the only team in the majors without a black player. (JC/CR)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » July 6, 1932: Cubs SS Bill Jurges is shot twice in his Chicago hotel room by a spurned girlfriend, Violet Popovich Valli. In a scuffle for the gun, Jurges is hit in the shoulder and hand. Jurges fails to prosecute, and Valli will be signed to a 22-week contract to sing in local nightclubs and theaters. She is billed as "Violet (What I Did for Love) Valli -- the Most Talked About Girl in Chicago." » July 22, 1932: Billy Jurges, shot on July 6, returns to the Cubs lineup. » December 6, 1938: In a trade of major names, the Giants send Dick Bartell, Hank Leiber, and Gus Mancuso to the Cubs for Billy Jurges, Frank Demaree, and Ken O'Dea. The trade works best for the Giants as the New York-born Jurges will anchor the infield for seven years; Chicago-born Bartell lasts just a season at Wrigley. » July 15, 1939: A disputed call on a fly ball down the LF foul line at the Polo Grounds touches off a melee in which the Giants Billy Jurges and umpire George Magerkurth spit at each other. Both will be fined $150 and suspended for 10 days. NL President Ford Frick announces that 2-foot screens are to be installed inside all foul poles to prevent future arguments. The Al eventually also adopts the rule. The Giants lose 8-4 to the Reds and will add another eight in a row to take them out of contention. » June 23, 1940: With 52,657 in attendance at the Polo Grounds, the Giants Billy Jurges is hit on the head by a pitch thrown by Bucky Walters of the Reds He leaves the field on a stretcher. A shaken Walters then allows two runs and is lifted. The Giants have a 4–2 lead with two out in the 9th, but the Reds score five runs on six hits to win 7–4. Cincy takes the 2nd game 2–0. Jurges will stay in the hospital six days and the Giants will go 39–61 and tailspin from 2nd place to 6th after his injury. » April 20, 1941: The Dodgers start to wear liners in their caps as a cautious response to the numerous beanball wars of 1940 that hospitalized Joe Medwick, Billy Jurges, and others. The liners are thin enough to be hardly noticeable, but most ML players disdain the protection. » May 31, 1943: Mort Cooper gives up a 7th inning hit to Billy Jurges in stopping the Dodgers on a one-hitter 7–0. Jurges' fly ball loops down the foul line. » May 17, 1945: The Giants score six runs in the 8th to vanquish the Cubs, 8–5. For New York, it is their 12th win in 13 games. Rookie Al Gardella starts at 1B for New York, and his brother Danny Gardella is announced as a pinch hitter in the 8th, but is switched for Billy Jurges. » August 25, 1947: The Cubs Billy Jurges, shifted from coach to active player two days ago, smashes a two run homer in the 10th to give Chicago a 9–7 win over the Giants. Also homering are Bob Scheffing and Andy Pafko for Chicago and Willard Marshall (31) and Bobby Thomson (24) for the Giants. » July 3, 1959: Boston fires manager Pinky Higgins, replacing him tomorrow with Billy Jurges. Coach Rudy York takes over for today's game. » June 10, 1960: The Red Sox fire manager Billy Jurges, who left the team on June eight reportedly because of illness. Del Baker will be the interim manager. Tomorrow, the Sox will hire Pinky Higgins as the regular manager. It'll be Pinky's second tour of duty as Sox skipper.