Remembering `Rollicking Rollie’ Hemsley
They call him “Rollicking Rollie.” Rollick and frolic he did for half his major league career. Not many big-league ballplayers had as much fun or as black eyes to show for it as Ralston Burdett Hemsley.
The native of Syracuse, Ohio, broke in as a catcher with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1928. During the 1931 season, Rollie went from the Smokey City to the Windy City of Chicago in a trade for catcher Earl Grace. There he joined the Cubs, where he was Hall of Famer “Gabby” Hartnett’s understudy.
The 5-foot-10, 170-pound Hemsley was with the pennant-winning Cubs in 1932. After the Yankees swept the “little bears” in four straight to win the World Series, Hemsley was sold to Cincinnati, who in turn dealt him to the St. Louis Browns.