There was an MVP vote this year, won by Pittsburgh outfielder Paul Waner. Among pitchers, Charlie Root of the Cubs received the most votes, followed by Jesse Haines and Ray Kremer. Root was the Cubs' all-purpose pitcher, leading the league in wins, games, and innings. But I'm not convinced he pitched all that well; his control wasn't very good, and his ERA was high. I find it difficult to believe that Root was better than either of the St. Louis aces, Haines or Pete Alexander.
         Do you know the story of Alexander in the 1926 World Series? He won two games in that Series, and saved another. The save came in Game Seven, when Alexander was brought in with the bases loaded, and struck out Tony Lazzeri. It's a famous moment; you've probably seen a picture of it, maybe even the movie starring Ronald Reagan. Alexander was 39 years old, and was reportedly drunk to such an extent that he wobbled on his way to the mound from the bullpen. He suffered from other ailments, epilepsy in particular. Still, he got the job done, and was the hero of the Series.
         I have to wonder whether Alexander was as dilapidated as the legend says, or if some sportswriters have embellished and exaggerated his condition. Alexander was an alcoholic, no doubt, and was also epileptic... but here we are a year later, in 1927; Alexander is now forty years old, and he is still arguably the best pitcher in the league. His numbers do not strike me as those of a man whose life has completely self-destructed. And he pitched well again in 1928, and again in 1929, when he was 42 years old.
        For some reason, baseball men like to wax poetically about great players who could perform while as drunk as a skunk. I'm suspicious about some of these stories; Paul Waner was often branded as a drunk, though there isn't much evidence of this. Alexander had problems, and his life ended sadly, but while he was playing I think he must have had a greater degree of control over his life than he is given credit for. He was incredibly consistent for twenty years, never had an off-year; this, despite a traumatic tour of duty in WWI in which he suffered shell shock.
        When he was on the mound, I think Alexander was still better than anyone this year. But his teammate Haines pitched almost as well, and worked much harder; I'm giving Haines the nod for the Cy Young Award. This was Haines' best year; he is in the Hall Of Fame, and is arguably the worst pitcher in the Hall. He was a fine pitcher, no doubt, but he was certainly no better than, say, Milt Pappas.
     After Alexander, I'll take Ray Kremer, the Pirates' best pitcher. Dazzy Vance was 36, and in his prime; he may have been the league's best pitcher, and was certainly the nastiest.