Harry Simmons
Encyclopedia
Harry Simmons was a baseball
executive, writer, and historian. His early interest in baseball derived from the Sunday afternoon games he
attended with his father. After graduating from Morris High School in the Bronx, he worked in several jobs while developing a deep interest in baseball history, rules, and statistics. By the 1930s he was spending a lot of his free time in the New York Public Library
researching old newspapers about the early accounts of matches. At that time, he developed a friendship with Ernest Lanigan
, a baseball historian and Information Director of the International League
.
Simmons worked for the International League
from 1945 until 1966, first in New York then in Montreal
. He then worked in the Baseball Commissioner
's office until his retirement in 1982. He developed the playing schedules for the Majors and various minor leagues
for over 20 years. Well known as a historian and writer, he did much original research into 19th Century baseball. He developed and wrote the weekly feature "So You Think You Know Baseball" which ran in the Saturday Evening Post from 1949 to 1961. His book of the same name was a best-seller. For many years he wrote the entry for baseball in the Encyclopedia Britannica. In 1951, Simmons testified as an expert witness to the Celler Committee hearings on the history of the reserve clause
. At the 1979 baseball winter meeting in Toronto, he was honored as "King of Baseball". In 1990, his contributions to the game were recognized when he received the SABR
Salute. In 2002, he was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
, and in 2007, he was elected to the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
in Israel.
and history. He was the first to compile 19th Century National League
won-lost records for pitchers. The guides of that period had not published this information. He carefully checked each box score of each game listed in the newspapers of that era: Sporting Life
and The Sporting News
. The results were published over several issues of Baseball Magazine.
From 1940 to 1942, Simmons selected the top baseball performer of the day for the popular radio show "Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians." While in the army he continued his research and while at Camp Pickett, Virginia, was able to work at the Library of Congress
in Washington, where he compiled records from 1876, debuts of prominent players, batting records of pitchers, rare fielding gems and items for the Sporting News record book. He contributed original work to the top baseball writers of the day: J. G. Taylor Spink
, Leonard Gettlson, Hy Turkin
, S. C. Thompson
, and Lee Allen
.
In 1951, Simmons was called as an expert witness to testify before a congressional committee on the history of the reserve clause. The Celler House Judiciary committee probed monopoly influences in organized baseball.
In 1968 Simmons contributed a 26,710 word essay on the topic of Baseball which was printed in the Encyclopedia Britannica for many years.
asked him to go to Baltimore to present an award to Sherm Lollar
for leading the league in hitting in 1945 with a .364 average. Simmons hopped on a train and in front of 45,000 fans made the presentation that afternoon. He indicated that he was extremely nervous speaking in front of a crowd that size.
That year, Jackie Robinson
joined the Montreal Royals
, and Simmons became quite involved in handling the press in its hunger for stories about the great player.
Over the years he gained more responsibility in handling player trades, dealing with the press, scheduling the games, the hiring, firing and movement of the umpires, settling disputes among the clubs, handling the financial side of league operations, and staffing the office. During the late 1950s Shaughnessy became frequently ill, and Simmons was essentially running the league by himself.
In 1952, the league office was moved to Shaughnessy's home town of Montreal. Simmons quickly became a popular figure in Montreal baseball circles and gave many speeches to local community groups. He made many close friends among the sports writers and sport
figures in both Montreal and Toronto. He moved his family north in 1954 to settle in the suburb of Cartierville, Quebec. The family retained this residence until 1995.
When the Montreal Royals folded in 1960, the league office moved back to New York City, but Simmons decided to keep his residence in Montreal. He would regularly spend 3 days a week in Montreal until his retirement from the Commissioners office in 1981.
and American League
retirement plans, player service and pension records. He frequently was called upon for advice from the Commissioner and wrote speeches for the many functions attended by Commissioners William Eckert
and Bowie Kuhn
. He acted as a general consultant to club owners and general managers who needed advice.
As Jim Fanning
, former General Manager of the Expos, wrote:
"During Mr. Simmons time as a baseball executive every Major League owner and executive knew him on a first name basis. He not only was a keen advisor to the commissioners he worked for, but was a counsel and advisor to Major League Executives as well. Mr. Simmons was unheralded - his picture never made the cover of The Sporting News - but I had an office next to his when I started the Major League Scouting Bureau, and I witnessed this man's contribution day after day. His contributions were an equal to any who graced the cover of a sports magazine."
answer unless the managers do". He started to compile some of these odd plays which the umpires would ask him about, and in 1949, he submitted "a pack of these nutcrackers" to the Saturday Evening Post under the title "So You Think You Know Baseball". The series
became very popular; one of the solutions brought 7,000 letters of protest to the magazine. Nearly all were actually plays, "though a few were the results of bad dreams". The series ran until 1961, and later was published in Baseball Digest
. In 1962, the series was published in book form and sold 500,000 copies in many editions.
moved from Boston to Milwaukee
, Warren Giles
called on Simmons for some quick schedule changes. The next year found him developing both the
American and National League schedules. He was the major league schedule maker from that date until 1982, when the required travel started to take its toll.
He also completed the schedules for numerous minor leagues, the Canadian Football League
, soccer leagues, and international hockey tournaments.
office on how to go about getting the franchise and recommended the hiring of Jim Fanning
and John McHale
to run the club.
In 1965, he appeared in the CBS Television show To Tell The Truth
and managed to receive no votes when asked, "Will the real Mr. Simmons please stand up".
In 1979, Simmons was awarded the "King of Baseball
" title at the annual Baseball winter meeting held in Toronto. This prestigious award is given annually to an individual who has made a major contribution to Major League baseball. It was generally felt that it was appropriately given to Simmons in Canada.
In 1990, he was awarded the SABR Salute which is given to a member whose research has contributed significantly to baseball knowledge.
He was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002, and in 2007, was elected to the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in Israel.
The collection was donated in 1998 to the CBHF&M by his son, David Simmons, who is a resident of Toronto. It has been called one of baseball's most eclectic, exciting and diverse collections. It will serve as a component of a future library and research facility which has been proposed for the CBHF&M.
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...
executive, writer, and historian. His early interest in baseball derived from the Sunday afternoon games he
attended with his father. After graduating from Morris High School in the Bronx, he worked in several jobs while developing a deep interest in baseball history, rules, and statistics. By the 1930s he was spending a lot of his free time in the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
researching old newspapers about the early accounts of matches. At that time, he developed a friendship with Ernest Lanigan
Ernest Lanigan
Ernest John Lanigan was an American sportswriter and historian on the subject of baseball. He was considered the premier baseball statistician and historian of his day...
, a baseball historian and Information Director of the International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
.
Simmons worked for the International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
from 1945 until 1966, first in New York then in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. He then worked in the Baseball Commissioner
Baseball Commissioner
The Commissioner of Baseball is the chief executive of Major League Baseball and its associated minor leagues. Under the direction of the Commissioner, the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball hires and maintains the sport's umpiring crews, and negotiates marketing, labor, and television contracts...
's office until his retirement in 1982. He developed the playing schedules for the Majors and various minor leagues
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
for over 20 years. Well known as a historian and writer, he did much original research into 19th Century baseball. He developed and wrote the weekly feature "So You Think You Know Baseball" which ran in the Saturday Evening Post from 1949 to 1961. His book of the same name was a best-seller. For many years he wrote the entry for baseball in the Encyclopedia Britannica. In 1951, Simmons testified as an expert witness to the Celler Committee hearings on the history of the reserve clause
Reserve clause
The reserve clause is a term formerly employed in North American professional sports contracts. The reserve clause, contained in all standard player contracts, stated that, upon the contract's expiration the rights to the player were to be retained by the team to which he had been signed...
. At the 1979 baseball winter meeting in Toronto, he was honored as "King of Baseball". In 1990, his contributions to the game were recognized when he received the SABR
Society for American Baseball Research
The Society for American Baseball Research was established in Cooperstown, New York, in August 1971 by Bob Davids of Washington, D.C. The Society's mission is to foster the research and dissemination of the history and record of baseball, while generating interest in the game...
Salute. In 2002, he was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum is a museum located in St. Marys, Ontario, Canada. The museums commemorates great players, teams, and accomplishments of baseball in Canada.-History:...
, and in 2007, he was elected to the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame was opened July 7, 1981, in Netanya, Israel. It honors Jewish athletes and their accomplishments from anywhere around the world....
in Israel.
Historian, author
During the 1930s, Simmons developed a deep interest in baseball statisticsBaseball statistics
Statistics play an important role in summarizing baseball performance and evaluating players in the sport.Since the flow of a baseball game has natural breaks to it, and normally players act individually rather than performing in clusters, the sport lends itself to easy record-keeping and statistics...
and history. He was the first to compile 19th Century National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
won-lost records for pitchers. The guides of that period had not published this information. He carefully checked each box score of each game listed in the newspapers of that era: Sporting Life
Sporting Life (US sports journal)
The Sporting Life is a defunct US newspaper published in Philadelphia, PA, that ran from 1883 to 1917 and from 1922 to 1924.A British paper of the same name ran from 1859 to 1998....
and The Sporting News
The Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
. The results were published over several issues of Baseball Magazine.
From 1940 to 1942, Simmons selected the top baseball performer of the day for the popular radio show "Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians." While in the army he continued his research and while at Camp Pickett, Virginia, was able to work at the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
in Washington, where he compiled records from 1876, debuts of prominent players, batting records of pitchers, rare fielding gems and items for the Sporting News record book. He contributed original work to the top baseball writers of the day: J. G. Taylor Spink
J. G. Taylor Spink
John George Taylor Spink was the publisher of The Sporting News from 1914 to 1962.Born in St. Louis, Missouri, he inherited the newspaper from his father and ran it from April 22, 1914 until his death...
, Leonard Gettlson, Hy Turkin
Hy Turkin
Hy Turkin was a sportswriter best known for co-editing the first baseball encyclopedia.Turkin was born in New York, one of seven children. He joined the staff of the New York Daily News after graduating from Cooper Union in 1936 with a degree in electrical engineering...
, S. C. Thompson
S. C. Thompson
Shirley C. Thompson was best known as the co-editor of the first baseball encyclopedia. He published under the name "S.C. Thompson" and was known to his friends as "Tommy."...
, and Lee Allen
Lee Allen (baseball)
Leland Gaither "Lee" Allen was an American sportswriter and historian on the subject of baseball. He was known for an accessible writing style that made history more interesting, typically focusing on the people in the stories as much as the events. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Allen was the son...
.
In 1951, Simmons was called as an expert witness to testify before a congressional committee on the history of the reserve clause. The Celler House Judiciary committee probed monopoly influences in organized baseball.
In 1968 Simmons contributed a 26,710 word essay on the topic of Baseball which was printed in the Encyclopedia Britannica for many years.
International League (1946 - 1966)
Simmons joined the International League during the 1946 season. On his first day on the job, Frank ShaughnessyFrank Shaughnessy
Francis Joseph "Shag" Shaughnessy was an American athlete and sports executive. Shaughnessy played both baseball and football and was an executive in baseball, football and ice hockey. He was born in the United States and moved to Canada in the 1910s, where he was involved with football and ice...
asked him to go to Baltimore to present an award to Sherm Lollar
Sherm Lollar
John Sherman Lollar was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball for the Cleveland Indians , New York Yankees , St. Louis Browns , and the Chicago White Sox...
for leading the league in hitting in 1945 with a .364 average. Simmons hopped on a train and in front of 45,000 fans made the presentation that afternoon. He indicated that he was extremely nervous speaking in front of a crowd that size.
That year, Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
joined the Montreal Royals
Montreal Royals
The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec, that existed from 1897–1917 and from 1928–60 as a member of the International League and its progenitor, the original Eastern League...
, and Simmons became quite involved in handling the press in its hunger for stories about the great player.
Over the years he gained more responsibility in handling player trades, dealing with the press, scheduling the games, the hiring, firing and movement of the umpires, settling disputes among the clubs, handling the financial side of league operations, and staffing the office. During the late 1950s Shaughnessy became frequently ill, and Simmons was essentially running the league by himself.
In 1952, the league office was moved to Shaughnessy's home town of Montreal. Simmons quickly became a popular figure in Montreal baseball circles and gave many speeches to local community groups. He made many close friends among the sports writers and sport
figures in both Montreal and Toronto. He moved his family north in 1954 to settle in the suburb of Cartierville, Quebec. The family retained this residence until 1995.
When the Montreal Royals folded in 1960, the league office moved back to New York City, but Simmons decided to keep his residence in Montreal. He would regularly spend 3 days a week in Montreal until his retirement from the Commissioners office in 1981.
Commissioner's Office
His official duties in the Commissioner's office included supervision of club player contracts, co-ordination of National LeagueNational League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
and 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...
retirement plans, player service and pension records. He frequently was called upon for advice from the Commissioner and wrote speeches for the many functions attended by Commissioners William Eckert
William Eckert
William Dole "Spike" Eckert was a lieutenant general in the United States Air Force, and later the fourth Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1968.-Before baseball:...
and Bowie Kuhn
Bowie Kuhn
Bowie Kent Kuhn was an American lawyer and sports administrator who served as the fifth Commissioner of Major League Baseball from February 4, , to September 30,...
. He acted as a general consultant to club owners and general managers who needed advice.
As Jim Fanning
Jim Fanning
William James Fanning is a former catcher, manager and front office executive in Major League Baseball...
, former General Manager of the Expos, wrote:
"During Mr. Simmons time as a baseball executive every Major League owner and executive knew him on a first name basis. He not only was a keen advisor to the commissioners he worked for, but was a counsel and advisor to Major League Executives as well. Mr. Simmons was unheralded - his picture never made the cover of The Sporting News - but I had an office next to his when I started the Major League Scouting Bureau, and I witnessed this man's contribution day after day. His contributions were an equal to any who graced the cover of a sports magazine."
"So You Think You Know Baseball"
When Simmons started at the International League, he held conferences for the umpires of the league to discuss the rules and review calls which had been made. He soon realized that some of the umpires were of the opinion that they "don't have to know the rightanswer unless the managers do". He started to compile some of these odd plays which the umpires would ask him about, and in 1949, he submitted "a pack of these nutcrackers" to the Saturday Evening Post under the title "So You Think You Know Baseball". The series
became very popular; one of the solutions brought 7,000 letters of protest to the magazine. Nearly all were actually plays, "though a few were the results of bad dreams". The series ran until 1961, and later was published in Baseball Digest
Baseball Digest
Baseball Digest is a baseball magazine resource, published in Evanston, Illinois by Lakeside Publishing Company. It is the oldest and longest-running baseball magazine in the United States....
. In 1962, the series was published in book form and sold 500,000 copies in many editions.
Scheduling
One of Simmons' tasks at the International League was to develop the league schedule. In March 1953, when the BravesAtlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
moved from Boston to Milwaukee
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
, Warren Giles
Warren Giles
Warren Crandall Giles was a National League executive in Major League Baseball.-Baseball:Giles was elected president of the Moline, Illinois baseball club in the Three-I League in 1919 and began a 50-year career in baseball that saw him rise all the way to the presidency of the National League...
called on Simmons for some quick schedule changes. The next year found him developing both the
American and National League schedules. He was the major league schedule maker from that date until 1982, when the required travel started to take its toll.
He also completed the schedules for numerous minor leagues, the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
, soccer leagues, and international hockey tournaments.
Role in organizing the Montreal Expos
Since Simmons had many friends in the baseball circles in Montreal, and knew everyone of importance in the game, it was only natural that he was called upon for assistance when Montreal was ready for a major league franchise. He directed Gerry Snyder of the mayor'soffice on how to go about getting the franchise and recommended the hiring of Jim Fanning
Jim Fanning
William James Fanning is a former catcher, manager and front office executive in Major League Baseball...
and John McHale
John McHale
John Joseph McHale was an American first baseman and executive in Major League Baseball who served as the general manager of three teams: the Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, and Montreal Expos...
to run the club.
Other functions and accomplishments
For many years, Simmons served on the Major League Rules Committee, where he suggested changes and wrote new rules.In 1965, he appeared in the CBS Television show To Tell The Truth
To Tell the Truth
To Tell the Truth is an American television panel game show created by Bob Stewart and produced by Goodson-Todman Productions that has aired in various forms since 1956 both on networks and in syndication...
and managed to receive no votes when asked, "Will the real Mr. Simmons please stand up".
In 1979, Simmons was awarded the "King of Baseball
King of Baseball
King of Baseball is a ceremonial title awarded by Minor League Baseball to one person each year in recognition of longtime dedication and service to professional baseball.- Background :The title was first awarded in 1951...
" title at the annual Baseball winter meeting held in Toronto. This prestigious award is given annually to an individual who has made a major contribution to Major League baseball. It was generally felt that it was appropriately given to Simmons in Canada.
In 1990, he was awarded the SABR Salute which is given to a member whose research has contributed significantly to baseball knowledge.
He was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002, and in 2007, was elected to the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in Israel.
The Harry Simmons Collection at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
In the more than 50 years that he was involved in baseball, Harry Simmons collected thousands of items related to the development of the game from earliest times. These included his correspondence with people involved in every level of the game; memos, letters, and speeches from the commissioners office from the 1920s to the 1980s; notes and memos from his days as the major league schedule maker, letters from fans of his "So You Think You Know Baseball" series; articles from the International League; a significant collection of baseball memorabilia, and a major collection of baseball publications and books.The collection was donated in 1998 to the CBHF&M by his son, David Simmons, who is a resident of Toronto. It has been called one of baseball's most eclectic, exciting and diverse collections. It will serve as a component of a future library and research facility which has been proposed for the CBHF&M.