The Giants won the pennant, led by their MVP pitcher Carl Hubbell. Hubbell was a master of the screwball, and threw so many that he bent his arm inside-out permanently (or so they say; I'm not sure if this is physically possible).
        The runner-up for the award was Chuck Klein, who won the Triple Crown.

        Klein's numbers were tremendously inflated by his home park in Philadelphia, the Baker Bowl. He hit .467 with 20 home runs at home, .280 with 8 home runs on the road. This was his last big season; the next year he was traded to the Cubs, and turned into Candy Maldonado. After a couple of years, Klein was traded back to the Phillies, where he spent the next nine seasons as a part time player.
         If you are wondering why I included Bill Terry in this list, it is because he finished fourth in the vote, behind only Hubbell, Klein, and Wally Berger. I assume this was done because
        a) He played for the league champions
        b) He had always been good before
        c) He was also the manager
        Still, I can't justify his high placing in the vote. Terry's teammate, Mel Ott, didn't receive a single vote, despite producing considerably more runs. Terry may have done a fine job as manager, but that isn't what the award is about; it's about the best players. And Terry was a first baseman with 58 RBI.
        After the top four players mentioned above, the highest vote getters were Pepper Martin and Gus Mancuso. Mancuso was durable, played for the champions, and had a good reputation for working with Hubbell. But he scored only 39 runs; Mancuso and Terry may have provided defence and leadership, but it was Mel Ott who put the runs on the board. I believe that Ott was the Giants' best player this year.
        The Veterans Committee is a group of men that has the power to elect old ball players to the Hall Of Fame. For the most part, they have done a terrible job, electing guys who have no business being there. George Kelly, Tommy McCarthy, Lloyd Waner, Rube Marquard and Chick Hafey are just a few examples of inductees who have dragged down the standards of the Hall. Those of you unfamiliar with baseball history will be shocked by how many guys in the Hall Of Fame were no better than Wally Joyner or Tony Pena.
        But if you throw enough darts while blindfolded, you will eventually hit bulls-eye. And they did with Arky Vaughan, one of the most underrated and wonderful players in baseball history. This was Vaughan's second season, and he was already the best player in the league, though he received only two points in the MVP vote.
     Vaughan was one of many outstanding Pirate shortstops, in a list that also includes Honus Wagner, Dick Groat, Gene Alley and Jay Bell. Wagner is the best, but Vaughan was a great player too, though he got little recognition for it. He was elected to the Hall Of Fame in 1985, 33 years after his death.