BERKOW: The question of the Jewish athlete, the Jewish ballplayer, continued to be raised periodically. In fact, as Greenberg would note, rarely was his name mentioned in print without “Jewish” or “Hebrew ballplayer” accompanying it. In the summer of 1935, Fred Lieb, in The Sporting News, wrote, “As for the New York Jewish fans, they no longer are asking why there are no good Jewish ballplayers. When they took pen in hand in late June or early July, it was to express their indignation that Lou Gehrig, rather than their own Hank Greenberg, was picked as the American League’s All-Star first baseman in the big July 8 game with the All Nationals in Cleveland, and who now appears to have an excellent chance to be named the league’s MVP for 1935. . . .

“Next to Greenberg among the Jewish ballplayers of all time, we must rank Charles Solomon (Buddy) Myer, clever second baseman of the Washington Senators. . . . Myer has been a splendid ballplayer ever since coming into the American League in 1925. He has always been a hard and aggressive player and good hitter. . . .

“There have been some good Jewish players, but the best of them unquestionably was Erskine Mayer. . . . [1915, with the Philadelphia Phillies] was Mayer’s one outstanding season (with a 21–15 won-lost record) but he had at least a half dozen years in the majors. . . .

“Johnny Kling . . . was of part Jewish blood and for many years was placed at the top of the list by Hebrew fans. Were Johnny of full Jewish blood, I would rank him next to Greenberg among the foremost Jewish players of all time. . . . He was a . . . great catcher. . . .

“The Giants have two Jewish lads on their 1935 roster, Phil Weintraub, baseball’s best-dressed pinch hitter, and Hank Danning, a pretty lively catching prospect from Los Angeles. . . . Last season National League pitchers couldn’t get [Weintraub] out. He hit .351 [in thirty-five games]. This year Phil is hitting just half of that. . . .

“While McGraw and [Bill] Terry, his successor, have tried out a whole raft of Jewish players [he mentioned Moe Solomon, Jack Levy, Harry Rosenberg, and Andy Cohen], the Yankees have experimented with only two, Dolly Stark and Jimmie Reese.”

One New York Jewish periodical, in the midst of the interest in Greenberg, recalled “the hysteria that was raised when the Giants brought Andy Cohen here to replace Hornsby [in 1926]. Andy was thoroughly Jewish, too, and when he hit a home run in the opening game of the season, he became the king of the Bronx. At one time his life story was appearing in three different metropolitan gazettes simultaneously.

“But the largest Jewish community in the country demands something more than racial kinship in its ballplayers. Mr. Cohen proved to be just another second baseman, and in due course he went the way of all mediocrity. There was no display of grief, no dolorous protests.”

Greenberg’s fame, meanwhile, was spreading, and this young man from the Bronx was beginning to meet intriguing people beyond baseball.

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