[KenRaffensberger16]

A column by Philadelphia Inquirer writer, Frank Fitzpatrick yesterday, Sunday, December 20, 2015
reminds us that we are not too far removed from the era when baseball players needed to find a
second job for the offseason. Willie "Puddinhead" Jones was not above taking a manual labor job,
selling Christmas Trees, during the holiday season, unloading trees from trucks, standing them up
to display them, lifting them, tying them to customers' car roofs etc. .... and Jones salary certainly
exceeded the average major leaguer's by quite a bit. He was a two-time N.L. all-star third baseman
(1950,1951), who had some power (190 home runs lifetime with a season high of 25 HR one year),
and was regarded as the National League's best fielding third baseman early in his career
(unfortunately he was past his prime at age 32 in 1957 when the Gold Glove Award for fielding
excellence was inaugurated). Jones played 15 years in the majors, 1947-1961, the first 13 seasons
with the Phillies and he also played for the Indians and Reds. Jones was posthumously elected to the
Phillies' Wall Of Fame, their team hall of fame, in 1995.