Books and articles about Al Schacht

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A sore arm limited Schacht to a short ML career, but he was on hand for 25 World Series and 18 All-Star Games in his role as "The Clown Prince of Baseball." After retiring as a player, he was a coach for fifteen years and developed his comic act. At first he teamed with Nick Altrock, a Senators coach and resident clown, reviving many of the routines Altrock had pioneered with Germany Schaefer, his first partner. Eventually, Schacht put on his clown costume, a battered top hat and tattered frock coat, and took to the road. He made his fortune touring America's ballparks with an act that was part pantomime and part anecdotes, always booked for a season's finale wherever the World Series was played. During WWII he toured with the USO, traveling to Europe, Africa, and the Pacific. After his barnstorming days ended, he opened a successful New York restaurant that became a popular meeting place for sports celebrities. (JK)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » November 18, 1934: Al Schacht leaves Washington to join Boston as a coach, breaking up the clown act he had performed with Nick Altrock.