1934-1936 Diamond Stars: #133 "Bad News" Hale

Sunday, June 20, 2021

#133 "Bad News" Hale - Cleveland Indians

Arvel Ordell Hale

Cleveland Indians

Second Base

Bats: Right Throws: Right Height: 5'10" Weight: 175

Born: August 10, 1908, Hosston, LA

Major League Teams: Cleveland Indians 1931, 1933-1940; Boston Red Sox 1941; New York Giants 1941

Died: June 9, 1980, El Dorado, AR (71)

Odell "Bad News" Hale was an infielder for the Indians throughout the 1930s, hitting .300 or better in four different seasons. He also drove in 101 runs in both 1934 and 1935 and hit 10 home runs or more in four straight seasons between 1933 and 1936. Hale was given his shot as a big league starter by Hall of Fame pitcher Walter Johnson, who managed the Tribe between 1933 and 1935. He was a reliable second baseman his first few seasons and moved to third when the need arose. Hale was also speedy for his era, stealing a career high 15 bases in 1935, but also leading the league in times caught stealing with 13.

On September 7, 1935, Hale took place in the play he's best remembered for as he was able to use his head in starting an Indians' triple play. With runners on first and second, the Red Sox' Joe Cronin (#123) hit a line drive to third that caromed off Hale's head into the glove of shortstop Bill Knickerbocker. Knickerbocker threw to second baseman Roy Hughes who stepped on the bag and relayed the throw to first baseman Hal Trosky (#70) for the 5-6-4-3 triple play. Hale last played in the majors in 1941 and spent part of a season with the Double-A Milwaukee Brewers in the Cubs' system before retiring as a player. In 1,062 career games, he batted .289 with 1,071 hits, 73 home runs and 573 RBIs.

Building the Set

December 16, 2020 from Albion, NY

Within days of officially deciding to collect the Diamond Stars set, I found myself searching for the 1993 extension set consisting of 36 more "what if" cards this time issued by the Chicle Fantasy Company. Individual cards from this set are very prevalent on eBay, but I wanted to buy a complete set to save myself some time and money. Given this is a relatively modern set, I was somewhat surprised at the closing auction prices for previously sold complete sets and I was happy to win my set at a lower price. These cards are gorgeous, and I can tell a lot of hard work and love for the originals went into making this tribute set. What's more, the set's creators were smart enough to start the numbering with card #120, given the 1981 extension set had left off with #120.

As I slowly collect the originals from the 1930s, I'll also highlight each of the cards from these extension sets with their own posts.

Variations Available

1 - 1993 / blue back / no statistics / 1993 copyright

The Card / Indians Team Set

Having never heard of "Bad News" Hale before, I wanted to feature this card solely to learn why he was given that nickname. The card itself is mysterious with ominous looking spectators over Hale's left shoulder and a fan reading a newspaper over his right shoulder. The newspaper's headlines are, "Skeletons Found in Park" and "Yanks Hit Harder - Tribe Loses." The fan holding the newspaper looks to be straight out of central casting for 1930s bad guy. But I found Hale earned the nickname solely on the merit of his clutch hitting being bad news for opposing pitchers. The artist for this card took the liberty of adding the bad news headlines to the newspaper, taking Hale's nickname for its literal meaning. What I thought would be dark and mysterious story around the nickname's origin is actually just a simple story of Hale coming through with timely hits.

The back of the card discusses Hale's move from second to third and his involvement in the unusual 1935 triple play.

1936 Season

This was Steve O'Neil's (#87) first full season as manager of the Indians, and Cleveland finished with a 80-74 record and in fifth place in the American League. Hale had been the subject of offseason trade rumors as both the Red Sox and Yankees tried to pry him away from the Indians. He missed the first few games of the season, but then resumed his status as the club's everyday second baseman, starting 152 of their 157 games at the position. He batted .316 with 14 home runs and 87 RBIs for an Indians team heavy on offense but short on pitching.