COOPERSTOWN _ Joe Gordon might have been smiling over Cooperstown on Sunday.
A second baseman for the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Indians, Gordon was inducted posthumously into the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a selection by the revamped Veterans Committee. Judy Gordon accepted the honor on behalf of her father, a nine-time All-Star who died in 1978 at age 63.
As Gordon began her speech, dark clouds and a light rain shower covered the Clark Sports Center. Within minutes, though, the sun broke through the clouds.
"He'd insisted against having a funeral, and as such," Gordon said, fighting back tears and pausing for eight seconds, "we consider Cooperstown and the National Baseball Hall of Fame as his final resting place to be honored forever."
Gordon continued to fight her emotions as the estimated 21,000 fans stood for a 25-second ovation.
Joe Gordon earned the 1942 American League MVP award _ beating out Triple-Crown winner Ted Williams _ and won five World Series titles _ four with the Yankees and one with the Indians. He also owns the AL record for homers as a second baseman, with 246.
"I never played against Joe Gordon, but he managed teams that I played against," former New York Yankees shortstop Tony Kubek said during his acceptance speech for the Ford C. Frick Award (broadcast excellence). "What a Renaissance man. ... But Joe Gordon was always used as an example by (former Yankees coach) Frank Crosetti when he got the young infielders around second base and said, This is the way Joe Gordon did it.'"
A 5-foot-10, 180-pound second baseman, Gordon made his debut with the Yankees in 1938. He stayed with them through 1946 but missed the 1944 and 1945 seasons as a member of the Army in World War II.
He returned to baseball in 1946 and hit .210 for the Yankees.
"Upon returning from war, dad got spiked during a 1946 spring-training game, completely severing the tendon on his left hand," Judy Gordon said. "I remember that well. Returning to the Yankee lineup less than one month after surgery, two weeks later he injured his leg. Those injuries had much to do with his lackluster year with the 1946 Yankees, resulting in him being traded to the Cleveland Indians."
The Yankees might have given up on Gordon too soon.
He had a strong rebound year in 1947, when he hit .272 with 29 homers. He followed with one of the finest years of his career in 1948, batting .280 with a career-best 32 homers and 124 RBIs to lead the Indians to their last World Series title.
"My brother Joe and I remember dad was given a case of Wheaties and a case of bubble gum for every home run he hit that year," Judy Gordon said. "As I think back, even our dog seemed more athletic eating Wheaties."
Judy Gordon said her father had many talents off the field, too. He was a cowboy, a ventriloquist and a pilot; he played classical violin; and he was a good golfer, shooting an even-par 72 the week before he died. He also had a way to make the kids laugh.
"We fondly remember him as a comedian," she said. "His facial contortions kept us kids in hysterics when we ate in restaurants while traveling across the country. Our mom would get so embarrassed she would go sit in the car while we ate."
Judy Gordon also said her father was an avid outdoorsman and always had time for his grandchildren.
"Dad loved to hunt and fish," she said. "Grandson Erik always thought his grandpa was always a fly fisherman, never a baseball player. And my kids, Sue and Mike, remember him as just grandpa.
"He was a humble man," she continued. "We never heard our father speak of his illustrious baseball career to family or friends. But always loyal to his fans, he autographed cards and signed baseballs until he died in 1978."
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P.J. Harmer can be reached at pharmer@thedailystar.com or 607-432-1000, ext. 229.
