WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Old Ballgame: Player for...Turkey?

Episode Date: April 11, 2024

A look at one of the strangest trades in baseball history.

Welcome to the old ball game, where we talk about the past of America's favorite pastime. I'm Tate Christensen. Professional sports teams trade players all the time, and usually the trade is player for player, but there have historically been some strange trades between baseball teams. One of these trades happened in 1930 with Johnny Jones. Johnny Jones was a shortstop for the Chattanooga Lookouts. He was having a bad year. His batting average was suffering and the local press was taunting him relentlessly.

Noticing this, his manager, former major. Major leaguer Joe Engel traded Jones to the Charlotte Hornets for a live 25-pound turkey, who, as Engel said, was having a better year. Engel ended up cooking the turkey for a Southern Baseball Riders Association dinner, but the meat was reportedly tough and dry. Unfortunately, it was not a winner-winner turkey dinner for Engel and the Lookouts. This has been the old ballgame on Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM.