Sports Americana

Some baseball players have great nicknames.

Frankie Frisch had one that sounded like a comic-book superhero: “The Fordham Flash.”

Born on September 9, 1897, Frisch was one of the great players of the 1920s and 1930s. A switch-hitter with speed, power and an aggressive style, he helped the New York Giants win two World Series before being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in the blockbuster deal that sent Rogers Hornsby to New York.

Frisch became a star in St. Louis, winning the 1931 National League MVP and eventually capturing four World Series titles as a player. He finished his career with 2,880 hits and a .316 batting average and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1947.

He wasn’t exactly built for today’s analytics department, either.

Frisch played baseball the old-fashioned way: hit the ball, run like hell, and figure out the details later.

Happy birthday to Frankie Frisch — The Fordham Flash.

A baseball legend from an era when a Hall of Fame career could still begin with a nickname that sounded like a Saturday-morning cartoon character.