That Time a Professional Baseball Player Was Traded for a Turkey

TL;DR

Joe Engel, the legendary baseball scout turned director of baseball operations for the Chattanooga Lookouts, was known for his wacky promotions and antics to attract fans to the ballpark.

Transcript

Professional sports teams have always tried to find unique ways to get fans into the seats. Whether it was the legendary Bill Veeck batting the shortest player in baseball history (Eddie Gaedel at 3 foot 7 inches) or Disco Demolition Night at Comiskey Park in Chicago, sometimes the game plays second fiddle to the crazy promotions. Hardly anyone was... Read More

Key Insights

• 🥺 Joe Engel's scouting skills led to the discovery of several Hall of Fame players, showcasing his talent for talent-spotting.
• 👾 Engel's innovative and quirky promotions made baseball games in Chattanooga unique and attracted a larger turnout of fans.
• ♀️ He even signed a female pitcher who struck out two of the greatest hitters in baseball history, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.
• 🙃 While Engel's attempt to make the Lookouts a publicly-owned team was unsuccessful, it demonstrated his commitment to involving the local community in baseball ownership.
• 💩 Engel's trade of a weak-hitting shortstop for a turkey highlights his sense of humor and willingness to entertain fans and journalists.
• 😤 The spotty records of minor league teams in the early 20th century make it difficult to fully trace the career of players like Johnny Jones.
• 🫒 Engel's legacy as the "Barnum of Baseball" lives on through his innovative promotions and dedication to bringing baseball to the citizens of Chattanooga.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did Joe Engel become a successful baseball scout?

Joe Engel's skills as a scout were recognized when he discovered Hall of Fame players Joe Cronin, Goose Goslin, and Bucky Harris, catching the eye of Washington Senators owner Clark Griffith.

Q: What were some of Joe Engel's crazy promotions to attract fans?

Joe Engel did anything to get people into the ballpark, including having all his players ride elephants, a duck laying an egg on second base, and building a state-of-the-art stadium with his own money.

Q: Who did Joe Engel trade for a turkey?

In 1931, Joe Engel traded Johnny Jones, a weak-hitting shortstop for the Chattanooga Lookouts, to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for a 25 pound turkey.

Q: What happened to Johnny Jones after the trade?

It is unclear what happened to Johnny Jones, as records for minor league teams during that time are spotty, but it is believed he retired without ever playing for the Charlotte Hornets.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Joe Engel, a former mediocre pitcher for the Washington Senators, became a successful baseball scout and discovered Hall of Fame talent.

• He brought baseball and wackiness to the citizens of Chattanooga as the director of baseball operations for the Lookouts for 34 years.

• Engel's crazy promotions included having players ride elephants, a duck laying an egg on second base, and signing a female pitcher who struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.