[Germaniac]

He simply was one of a kind

Bobo was given the honor of opening the 1936 season in Washington in front of President Franklin Roosevelt. The Browns owner promised him a suit of clothes if he won. In the third inning his third baseman whipped a ball across the diamond, but Bobo forgot to duck, and the ball caught him on the side of the face. Clutching his head, he staggered in agony while his manager offered to take him out.
"Naw," Newsom said, "Ol' FDR came to see Bobo, and he's gonna see him all the way." He won the game 1-0.
The owner pressed some bills into his hand. Newsom said, "Bobo bought the suit before the game. The bill is on your desk."
Later they found his jaw broken in two places; it had to be wired shut.

Newsom won 33 games in the Pacific Coast league in 1932. The record books show 30, but as Bobo asked, "Who ya gonna believe, the record book or the guy what did it?"

#12 Bobo Newsom