Despite his ignominious year, Hack tied for second on the Cubs in home runs. His replacement Barton also hit 13 roundtrippers. Only three Cubs that year broke double digits in home runs. Who else but Hornsby would end up swatting 16 home runs for the Cubs while also leading them along with Grimm in batting at .331? It must have been galling to the ousted Wilson.

At least Hack didn't lead the league in strikeouts. Small comfort, though.

As for Hornsby, while the bulk of his playing days were over, he still retained his magnificent swing at the plate. Indeed, some 20 years later a 50-something Hornsby would lash out line drives in batting practice during any of his various managing assignments. Young players in their 20s would gape openmouthed at this golden-aged talent. He could still hit with the best of them.

On September 9, the Cubs beat the White Sox at Comiskey Park in a charity game held for the Governor's Unemployment Fund, one of many such events in the early Depression period. Hack, given only an upper-deck seat for the game, complained about how much money he had lost, and especially, Hornsby's playing of a pitcher in the outfield in Cincinnati.

At that game, the Chicago Tribune photographed him sitting next to his wife and waving merrily to the crowd. He seemed oblivious to his humiliation, unable to make the distinction between adoration and notoriety. Hack the "character" was superseding Hack the ballplayer.

In his final Cub days, he vowed a comeback. He continued to sign autographs. He talked baseball with fans and reporters. And as he did, a player from the Des Moines team named Mike Kreevich replaced Hack on the Chicago roster.

Chicago finished in third place, 17 games behind St. Louis, which went on to beat the Philadelphia Athletics in a seven-game World Series.

Beyond Wilson, the postseason analysis centered on the decline in offense. In 1930, the eight National League teams scored a record 7,025 runs. In 1931 scoring dropped by 21 percent, to 5,537. American League scoring declined by 5 percent, from 6,670 in 1930 to 6,354 in 1931. The American League regained its prominence as the league with the most slugging -- the reason being was that its ball was not tweaked as much as the National League's.

» NEXT