Billy Rogell
Encyclopedia
William George "Billy" Rogell (November 24, 1904 – August 9, 2003) was an American
baseball
player who played 14 years in Major League Baseball
, primarily as a shortstop
for the Detroit Tigers
. He made his major league debut on April 14, 1925 and played his last game August 25, 1940. After his playing career, he spent 36 years as a member of the Detroit City Council
.
, Illinois
, Rogell was originally signed by the Boston Red Sox
prior to the campaign after two seasons in the Southwestern League. The Red Sox quickly tried to convert the switch-hitting
Rogell into solely a right-handed batter, thinking that he would benefit from more appearances from the right side, hence more chances to drive balls off the Green Monster
. “They just screwed me up for a couple years,” Rogell would say later.
He appeared in 58 games for the last-place Red Sox—49 at second base—while hitting .195 in 169 at-bats. He was sent back to the minors
for more grooming during the 1926 season
before being recalled by Boston for .
Rogell, played in 82 games, hitting .266 while splitting time between third and second. The Red Sox again finished in the cellar, losing 100 games for the third year in a row.
During the 1928 season
he appeared in games at short, third, second, as well as all three outfield positions, and the Red Sox released him at the conclusion of the season.
Rogell played for the St. Paul Saints
of the American Association
, batting .336 and driving in 90 runs. Following the season, amid offers from a handful of teams, Rogell signed with the Detroit Tigers
, where he would spend the next ten seasons.
from the Yankees mid-season
and plugged him into the lineup. Koenig, the same age as Rogell but already a household name, had been an integral part of the Yankees’ famed Murderers' Row
lineup in 1927 and was still considered by many as one of the premier shortstops in the American League
. Rogell finished the year with a .167 average in 54 games, splitting his time between short and third.
Though his start in Detroit was unimpressive, by the time the 1931 season
had ended it was clear to the Tigers that they had found their shortstop of the future. Rogell unseated Koenig late in the year and finished the year hitting .303 in 48 games, all at shortstop. Koenig was released after the season ended.
Rogell was the Tigers’ Opening Day
shortstop for the 1932 season
, a position he would hold for the next eight years. A sure-handed fielder, he and Hall of Fame
double-play partner Charlie Gehringer
would give the Tigers one of the best keystone-combinations in baseball history. Marv Owen
, who would man the left side of the Detroit infield with Rogell for five years, said of Rogell’s fielding prowess, “He’s the only player I ever knew who could catch a bad hop… I don’t know how he did it.”
Rogell’s offense continued to show the promise it had with the St. Paul club. He hit .271 with 29 doubles and 88 runs scored during the ’32 campaign, and improved the following year to .295, 44 doubles, 11 triples, and drew 79 walks to post a .381 on-base percentage while playing in every game. The 1933 season
also marked the first time Rogell, Gehringer, Owen, and first baseman Hank Greenberg
appeared in the same lineup.
from the Philadelphia A’s during the winter. With him in place, the Tigers entered the 1934 season
poised to take the American League by storm. Rogell, leading off in front of four future Hall of Famers (Cochrane, Gehringer, Greenberg, as well as Goose Goslin
), had the best season of his career, hitting .296, driving in 100 runs and scoring 114. The infield combined for a major league record 462 runs batted in. The Tigers won the league by seven games and were set to square off against the St. Louis Cardinals
in the World Series
.
Rogell, unbeknownst to the Cardinals or the media, played the series on a broken ankle. Despite the injury he was able to collect eight hits and drive in four runs over the seven game series. He also found his way into one of the most popular plays in World Series history.
was replaced by Hall of Famer Dizzy Dean
as a pinch runner at first base. Pepper Martin
then stepped in and hit a ground ball to Gehringer at second. Gehringer turned and threw to Rogell who forced out Dean at second, and then fired the ball squarely into Dean’s forehead on the relay throw to first. The ball ricocheted off Dean’s head and landed over a hundred feet away in the outfield. Dean, always known for his quick wit and humorous nature, remarked after a visit to the hospital, “The doctors X-rayed my head and found nothing.” Rogell would say of the play later, “If I’d have known his head was there, I would have thrown the ball harder.”
. Again led by their stellar infield, the Tigers won the pennant by three games over the Yankees
and earned a trip to face the Chicago Cubs
for the world championship. Rogell finished with another solid year at the bat, hitting .275 with 88 runs scored while drawing 80 walks. Although he had shown speed in the minors, Rogell rarely had a chance to move on the bases with Detroit. “They didn’t want me to steal,” he would say after retiring. “I had Gehringer and Cochrane and Greenberg hitting behind me.”
Even with American League MVP
Greenberg out for much of the series, the Tigers finished off the Cubs in six games. Rogell had another good showing in the fall classic hitting .292 during the series.
. He did, however, set a Major League record on August 19 of that year when he was walked in 7 consecutive plate appearances (a record tied by three other players since, but never eclipsed). He accomplished the feat over a three-game span. He injured his arm after the season playing handball, and by the close of the 1939 season
he had been replaced by 24-year old Frank Croucher at short. He was traded to the Cubs during the winter for shortstop Dick Bartell
. The deal was described in the papers as being a trade of “one worn-out shortstop for another.”
While Bartell would be a key part of the pennant winning Tiger club, Rogell entered a hornets nest the moment he stepped foot into the Cubs’ spring training camp. Holdovers from the 1935 team still held resentment toward Rogell and his Tiger teammates. Rogell, defending his former mates, got into a posturing match with manager/catcher Gabby Hartnett
, who finally shouted, “You don’t belong here!” Rogell immediately asked for his release which the Cubs refused. He spent the year riding the bench, as the Cubs rode their way into the second division of the National League, and retired at the conclusion of the season. He appeared in only 33 games, collecting just eight hits.
in 1935, ’36, and ’37. He also led the league once in both putouts and assists
, and twice paired with Gehringer to lead the league in double plays. The two played over 1000 games together, making them one of the longest tenured double-play combinations in the history of the game.
A fiery competitor, Rogell provided an intriguing foil to “The Mechanical Man” throughout their careers. Gehringer recalled in his Hall of Fame induction speech, "I wasn't a rabble rouser. I wasn't a big noisemaker in the infield, which a lot of managers think you've got to be or you're not showing. But I don't think it contributes much."
Rogell, however, did not employ Gehringer's ideals when it came to on-field dialogue. On one occasion, after both failing to cover second on a steal attempt, Cochrane charged out from behind the plate shouting at Rogell and Gehringer. From The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract
:
Rogell, astonished, looked at Gehringer to see if he was going to say anything. Gehringer, of course, had nothing to say.
"Goddamn you," yelled Rogell. "Don’t you come charging out here telling me how to play shortstop. You go back there and do the catching, and I’ll play shortstop. If I’m not good enough, you can find someone else." Cochrane went back to his own position.
there. Also the roads and bridges committee.” The road entering Detroit's Metropolitan Airport from the north, Merriman Road, changes its name to William G. Rogell Drive as it enters the airport.
Rogell also used his position to help old ballplayers in the Detroit area. Former Tiger teammate Tommy Bridges
(who came to the Tigers the same year as Rogell), a sober man throughout his career, started to drink while serving in World War II
. After trying to restart his career with Tigers following the war Bridges moved on to the Pacific Coast League
. His drinking became more and more prevalent until he finally collapsed drunk on the mound during a game. He divorced his wife, married a waitress from a bar he often visited, moved back to Detroit, and caught up with some of his old teammates.
Rogell, upset with the condition his former mate was in, lined up for Bridges a sales job in Detroit. Bridges never came to work, but Rogell did not hold any kind of resentment toward Bridges. “It was terrible to see that,” he said. “But nice guys go, too, you know.”
Numerous other former players also turned to Rogell when they had run out of options, and he always worked hard to try to provide them with whatever assistance he could.
Rogell, after leaving the council, spent the rest of his retirement in Detroit. At age 94 he threw out the first pitch at the final game at Tiger Stadium on September 27, 1999, nearly 70 years after he had debuted for the Tigers in the same park.
Billy Rogell died of pneumonia at the age of 98 in the Detroit suburb of Sterling Heights
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player who played 14 years in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
, primarily as a shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
for the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
. He made his major league debut on April 14, 1925 and played his last game August 25, 1940. After his playing career, he spent 36 years as a member of the Detroit City Council
Detroit City Council
The Detroit City Council is the legislative body of Detroit, Michigan, United States. The City Council consists of nine members elected for a four-year term in a single election conducted on an at-large and non-partisan basis...
.
Early career
Born in SpringfieldSpringfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, Rogell was originally signed by the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
prior to the campaign after two seasons in the Southwestern League. The Red Sox quickly tried to convert the switch-hitting
Switch hitter
In baseball, a switch-hitter is a player who bats both right-handed and left-handed.-Baseball:Usually, right-handed batters hit better against left-handed pitchers and vice-versa. Most curveballs break away from batters hitting from the same side as the opposing pitcher. Such pitches are often...
Rogell into solely a right-handed batter, thinking that he would benefit from more appearances from the right side, hence more chances to drive balls off the Green Monster
Green Monster
The Green Monster is a popular nickname for the thirty-seven foot , two-inch high left field wall at Fenway Park, home to the Boston Red Sox baseball team...
. “They just screwed me up for a couple years,” Rogell would say later.
He appeared in 58 games for the last-place Red Sox—49 at second base—while hitting .195 in 169 at-bats. He was sent back to the minors
Minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...
for more grooming during the 1926 season
1926 in baseball
-Champions:*World Series: St. Louis Cardinals over New York Yankees *Negro League World Series: Chicago American Giants over Bacharach Giants -Awards and honors:*League Award**George Burns, Cleveland Indians, 1B**Bob O'Farrell, St...
before being recalled by Boston for .
Rogell, played in 82 games, hitting .266 while splitting time between third and second. The Red Sox again finished in the cellar, losing 100 games for the third year in a row.
During the 1928 season
1928 in baseball
-Champions:*World Series: New York Yankees over St Louis Cardinals -Awards and honors:*League Award** Mickey Cochrane, Philadelphia Athletics, C** Jim Bottomley, St. Louis Cardinals, 1B-Statistical leaders:-American League final standings:...
he appeared in games at short, third, second, as well as all three outfield positions, and the Red Sox released him at the conclusion of the season.
Rogell played for the St. Paul Saints
St. Paul Saints
The St. Paul Saints are a professional baseball team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in the United States. The Saints are a member of the North Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
of the American Association
American Association (20th century)
The American Association was a minor league baseball league at the Triple-A level of baseball in the United States from to and to . Together with the International League, it contested the Junior World Series which determined the championship team in minor league baseball, at least for the...
, batting .336 and driving in 90 runs. Following the season, amid offers from a handful of teams, Rogell signed with the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
, where he would spend the next ten seasons.
Building a contender
Rogell struggled out of the gate and the club acquired shortstop Mark KoenigMark Koenig
Mark Anthony Koenig was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball. He played for 12 seasons from 1925–1936. He was the starting shortstop for the New York Yankees 1927 Murderers' Row team, and was the last surviving member of that legendary team...
from the Yankees mid-season
1930 in baseball
-Champions:*World Series: Philadelphia Athletics over St. Louis Cardinals -Statistical leaders:1Single season record for RBIs-American League final standings:-National League final standings:-Negro National League final standings:...
and plugged him into the lineup. Koenig, the same age as Rogell but already a household name, had been an integral part of the Yankees’ famed Murderers' Row
Murderers' Row
Murderers’ Row was the nickname given to the New York Yankees baseball team of the late 1920s, in particular the first six hitters in the 1927 team lineup: Earle Combs, Mark Koenig, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Bob Meusel and Tony Lazzeri....
lineup in 1927 and was still considered by many as one of the premier shortstops in the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
. Rogell finished the year with a .167 average in 54 games, splitting his time between short and third.
Though his start in Detroit was unimpressive, by the time the 1931 season
1931 in baseball
-Champions:*World Series: St. Louis Cardinals over Philadelphia Athletics -Awards and honors:*MLB Most Valuable Player Award** Lefty Grove, Philadelphia Athletics, P** Frankie Frisch, St...
had ended it was clear to the Tigers that they had found their shortstop of the future. Rogell unseated Koenig late in the year and finished the year hitting .303 in 48 games, all at shortstop. Koenig was released after the season ended.
Rogell was the Tigers’ Opening Day
Opening Day
Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball and most of the minor leagues, this day falls during the first week of April. For baseball fans, Opening Day serves as a symbol of rebirth; writer Thomas Boswell once penned a book...
shortstop for the 1932 season
1932 in baseball
-Champions:*World Series: New York Yankees over Chicago Cubs *Negro League World Series: Pittsburgh Crawfords over Monroe Monarchs -Awards and honors:*MLB Most Valuable Player Award** Jimmie Foxx, Philadelphia Athletics, 1B...
, a position he would hold for the next eight years. A sure-handed fielder, he and Hall of Fame
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of...
double-play partner Charlie Gehringer
Charlie Gehringer
Charles Leonard Gehringer , nicknamed “The Mechanical Man,” was a German-American Major League Baseball second baseman who played 19 seasons for the Detroit Tigers...
would give the Tigers one of the best keystone-combinations in baseball history. Marv Owen
Marv Owen
Marvin James Owen was an American third baseman in Major League Baseball. He played nine seasons in the American League with the Detroit Tigers , Chicago White Sox , and Boston Red Sox ....
, who would man the left side of the Detroit infield with Rogell for five years, said of Rogell’s fielding prowess, “He’s the only player I ever knew who could catch a bad hop… I don’t know how he did it.”
Rogell’s offense continued to show the promise it had with the St. Paul club. He hit .271 with 29 doubles and 88 runs scored during the ’32 campaign, and improved the following year to .295, 44 doubles, 11 triples, and drew 79 walks to post a .381 on-base percentage while playing in every game. The 1933 season
1933 in baseball
-Headline Events of the Year:* First Major League Baseball All-Star Game, July 6 at Comiskey Park: American League, 4-2.* First Negro League Baseball All-Star Game.-Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Giants over Washington Senators...
also marked the first time Rogell, Gehringer, Owen, and first baseman Hank Greenberg
Hank Greenberg
Henry Benjamin "Hank" Greenberg , nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank" or "The Hebrew Hammer," was an American professional baseball player in the 1930s and 1940s. A first baseman primarily for the Detroit Tigers, Greenberg was one of the premier power hitters of his generation...
appeared in the same lineup.
The Tigers break through
The Tigers, perennial second division finishers, acquired catcher/manager Mickey CochraneMickey Cochrane
Gordon Stanley "Mickey" Cochrane was a professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and Detroit Tigers...
from the Philadelphia A’s during the winter. With him in place, the Tigers entered the 1934 season
1934 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: St. Louis Cardinals over Detroit Tigers *All-Star Game, July 10 at Polo Grounds: American League, 9-7-Awards and honors:*Most Valuable Player:**American League: Mickey Cochrane, Detroit Tigers, C...
poised to take the American League by storm. Rogell, leading off in front of four future Hall of Famers (Cochrane, Gehringer, Greenberg, as well as Goose Goslin
Goose Goslin
Leon Allen "Goose" Goslin was a left fielder in Major League Baseball known for his powerful left-handed swing and dependable clutch hitting. He played 18 seasons with the Washington Senators, St. Louis Browns, and Detroit Tigers, from until...
), had the best season of his career, hitting .296, driving in 100 runs and scoring 114. The infield combined for a major league record 462 runs batted in. The Tigers won the league by seven games and were set to square off against the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
in the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
.
Rogell, unbeknownst to the Cardinals or the media, played the series on a broken ankle. Despite the injury he was able to collect eight hits and drive in four runs over the seven game series. He also found his way into one of the most popular plays in World Series history.
The Dizzy Dean Incident
After driving in a run with a single to right in the fourth inning of game four, Spud DavisSpud Davis
Virgil Lawrence "Spud" Davis was an American professional baseball player, coach, scout and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, and Pittsburgh Pirates...
was replaced by Hall of Famer Dizzy Dean
Dizzy Dean
Jay Hanna "Dizzy" Dean was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He was the last National League pitcher to win 30 games in one season. Dean was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953....
as a pinch runner at first base. Pepper Martin
Pepper Martin
Johnny Leonard Roosevelt "Pepper" Martin was an American professional baseball player and minor league manager. He was known as the Wild Horse of the Osage because of his daring, aggressive baserunning abilities. Martin played in Major League Baseball as a third baseman and an outfielder for the St...
then stepped in and hit a ground ball to Gehringer at second. Gehringer turned and threw to Rogell who forced out Dean at second, and then fired the ball squarely into Dean’s forehead on the relay throw to first. The ball ricocheted off Dean’s head and landed over a hundred feet away in the outfield. Dean, always known for his quick wit and humorous nature, remarked after a visit to the hospital, “The doctors X-rayed my head and found nothing.” Rogell would say of the play later, “If I’d have known his head was there, I would have thrown the ball harder.”
World Series Champion
After losing in seven games to the Cardinals, the Tigers returned to the series the following season1935 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Detroit Tigers over Chicago Cubs *All-Star Game, July 8 at Municipal Stadium: American League, 4-1-Other champions:*Negro League Baseball All-Star Game, August 11 at Comiskey Park: West, 11-8...
. Again led by their stellar infield, the Tigers won the pennant by three games over the Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
and earned a trip to face the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
for the world championship. Rogell finished with another solid year at the bat, hitting .275 with 88 runs scored while drawing 80 walks. Although he had shown speed in the minors, Rogell rarely had a chance to move on the bases with Detroit. “They didn’t want me to steal,” he would say after retiring. “I had Gehringer and Cochrane and Greenberg hitting behind me.”
Even with American League MVP
MLB Most Valuable Player Award
The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award is an annual Major League Baseball award, given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers Association of America...
Greenberg out for much of the series, the Tigers finished off the Cubs in six games. Rogell had another good showing in the fall classic hitting .292 during the series.
The end in Detroit and a year in Chicago
Although continuing to post winning records through the rest of the decade, the Tigers could not bring home another pennant. Rogell, after two more solid seasons at the bat, began to slip during the 1938 campaign1938 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Yankees over Chicago Cubs *All-Star Game, July 6 at Crosley Field: National League, 4-1-Awards and honors:*Most Valuable Player**Jimmie Foxx, Boston Red Sox, 1B...
. He did, however, set a Major League record on August 19 of that year when he was walked in 7 consecutive plate appearances (a record tied by three other players since, but never eclipsed). He accomplished the feat over a three-game span. He injured his arm after the season playing handball, and by the close of the 1939 season
1939 in baseball
-Headline Event of the Year:*On May 17, 1939, Princeton University and Columbia University played the first televised baseball game. On August 26, the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers played the first televised Major League Baseball game...
he had been replaced by 24-year old Frank Croucher at short. He was traded to the Cubs during the winter for shortstop Dick Bartell
Dick Bartell
Richard William Bartell , nicknamed "Rowdy Richard," was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball. One of the most ferocious competitors of his era, he won both admirers and critics at each stop during a career which saw him traded every few seasons, often under acrimonious circumstances...
. The deal was described in the papers as being a trade of “one worn-out shortstop for another.”
While Bartell would be a key part of the pennant winning Tiger club, Rogell entered a hornets nest the moment he stepped foot into the Cubs’ spring training camp. Holdovers from the 1935 team still held resentment toward Rogell and his Tiger teammates. Rogell, defending his former mates, got into a posturing match with manager/catcher Gabby Hartnett
Gabby Hartnett
Charles Leo "Gabby" Hartnett was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played almost his entire career in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Chicago Cubs. Until the career of Johnny Bench, Hartnett was considered the greatest catcher in the history of the National League...
, who finally shouted, “You don’t belong here!” Rogell immediately asked for his release which the Cubs refused. He spent the year riding the bench, as the Cubs rode their way into the second division of the National League, and retired at the conclusion of the season. He appeared in only 33 games, collecting just eight hits.
Rogell and Gehringer
Rogell led American League shortstops in fielding percentageFielding percentage
In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball...
in 1935, ’36, and ’37. He also led the league once in both putouts and assists
Assist (baseball)
In baseball, an assist is a defensive statistic, baseball being one of the few sports in which the defensive team controls the ball. An assist is awarded to every defensive player who fields or touches the ball prior to the recording of a putout, even if the contact was unintentional...
, and twice paired with Gehringer to lead the league in double plays. The two played over 1000 games together, making them one of the longest tenured double-play combinations in the history of the game.
A fiery competitor, Rogell provided an intriguing foil to “The Mechanical Man” throughout their careers. Gehringer recalled in his Hall of Fame induction speech, "I wasn't a rabble rouser. I wasn't a big noisemaker in the infield, which a lot of managers think you've got to be or you're not showing. But I don't think it contributes much."
Rogell, however, did not employ Gehringer's ideals when it came to on-field dialogue. On one occasion, after both failing to cover second on a steal attempt, Cochrane charged out from behind the plate shouting at Rogell and Gehringer. From The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract
Bill James
George William “Bill” James is a baseball writer, historian, and statistician whose work has been widely influential. Since 1977, James has written more than two dozen books devoted to baseball history and statistics...
:
Rogell, astonished, looked at Gehringer to see if he was going to say anything. Gehringer, of course, had nothing to say.
"Goddamn you," yelled Rogell. "Don’t you come charging out here telling me how to play shortstop. You go back there and do the catching, and I’ll play shortstop. If I’m not good enough, you can find someone else." Cochrane went back to his own position.
Retirement from Baseball
Rogell spent the bulk of his “retirement” as a member of the Detroit City Council. After a brief stint in the minors as a player and coach, he returned to Detroit and began his civil service career in 1942. He would serve on the council, with a two-year break in the late forties, until 1980, playing a key role on the city’s planning commissions. “I think I did a lot for that city,” he would say after leaving his post. “I was chairman of the committee that built the big airportDetroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport , usually called Detroit Metro Airport, Metro Airport locally, or simply DTW, is a major international airport covering in Romulus, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It is Michigan's busiest airport....
there. Also the roads and bridges committee.” The road entering Detroit's Metropolitan Airport from the north, Merriman Road, changes its name to William G. Rogell Drive as it enters the airport.
Rogell also used his position to help old ballplayers in the Detroit area. Former Tiger teammate Tommy Bridges
Tommy Bridges
Thomas Jefferson Davis Bridges was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career with the Detroit Tigers from 1930 to 1946...
(who came to the Tigers the same year as Rogell), a sober man throughout his career, started to drink while serving in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After trying to restart his career with Tigers following the war Bridges moved on to the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
. His drinking became more and more prevalent until he finally collapsed drunk on the mound during a game. He divorced his wife, married a waitress from a bar he often visited, moved back to Detroit, and caught up with some of his old teammates.
Rogell, upset with the condition his former mate was in, lined up for Bridges a sales job in Detroit. Bridges never came to work, but Rogell did not hold any kind of resentment toward Bridges. “It was terrible to see that,” he said. “But nice guys go, too, you know.”
Numerous other former players also turned to Rogell when they had run out of options, and he always worked hard to try to provide them with whatever assistance he could.
Rogell, after leaving the council, spent the rest of his retirement in Detroit. At age 94 he threw out the first pitch at the final game at Tiger Stadium on September 27, 1999, nearly 70 years after he had debuted for the Tigers in the same park.
Billy Rogell died of pneumonia at the age of 98 in the Detroit suburb of Sterling Heights
Sterling Heights, Michigan
Sterling Heights is a city in Macomb County of the U.S. state of Michigan, and one of Detroit's core suburbs. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 129,699...
.