Feb. 20, 1963 - Joe (Ducky) Medwick (pictured in 1934), who hit .374 one year for St. Louis Cardinal manager Frankie Frisch, declared today that the door to baseball’s Hall of Fame has been shut in his face. “If players are judged on what they did on the field, I should be in,” the 51-year-old Medwick told UPI. Medwick, who had a .324 average for his 17-year career, said he just wasn’t getting the votes. “I can’t put my finger on why,” he said. Medwick said it was possible that the “older sportswriters are gone, and their replacements aren’t familiar with my record. I don’t know why anybody would want to keep me out. I’ve always been cooperative with sportswriters and never unkind to anybody.” Medwick said if he had played for the Giants or Yankees in New York, “I’d probably be in by now.” In the 1937 season, Medwick was a “one-man gang,” getting 237 hits — 54 doubles, 10 triples, and 3 homers good for 154 RBIs, tops in the National League that year. “I’ll stack my 1937 year with anybody’s,” Medwick said. In a 3-year period, Medwick knocked in 414 runs and led the National League each of the 3 seasons. Medwick’s .324 average is higher than that of Zach Wheat and Edd Roush, who recently were voted in the Hall of Fame. Medwick said that although he’s a successful insurance vice president, he longs to return to the game, even as a coach. “I think I can help a club,” he remarked.
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