Scandals and Such VII

	Sign In Sign-Up

Despite Jennings' negative assessment, Chase was picked up for the 1916 season. He found himself in the National League playing for the Cincinatti Reds. Chase signed a three-year contract for $8,333 on April 6, 1916. Gary Herrmann, Reds owner and drinking buddy of American League President Johnson, wanted Chase to jump-start the Reds lineup, as they had finished a disappointing fifth in 1915. On April 16, Chase made an impressive National League debut. He smacked a double his first at bat, stole third, and then home. He had a single later in the game. This performance signalled good things to come and the veteran star, 33 years old, led the National League in hitting with a .339 batting average. As for the rumors about his play, Chase said he was mending his ways. But Reds manager Buck Herzog privately confided that Chase was not easy to control. Christy Mathewson, a future Hall of Fame pitcher from John McGraw's New York Giants, became the Reds new manager after mid-season 1916. The public perception of Chase and Mathewson were of oil and holy water, respectively. Mathewson was an American icon, a man of virtue and a star of which not a bad word was said or written. Chase, on the other hand, was considered the scourge of baseball. He said that he to, respected Mathewson a great deal : "I consider Mathewson the ideal manager. I don't see how any player could have trouble with Matty." Mathewson, though considered a gentleman, could probably have summed up his feelings for Chase in a four letter epithet. The addition of the two stars, one on the field and one commanding in the dugout, couldn't rouse the Reds. They finished the season in a seventh place tie with the St. Louis Browns. The following year Chase¹s batting average tailed off, though he tied for tops on the team with four home runs. A mediocre fourth place finish was Cincinnati's fate this season, as the prospects of competing on a pennant winning team remained elusive for the aging "Prince Hal." The only noteworthy news for the Reds and Chase during 1917 was the addition of pitcher Jimmy Ring to the Reds' roster. It was Ring who was involved in an incident that would damn Chase in the eyes of his manager.