Bryan Earle Combs

Background

Earle Bryan Combs was born on May 14, 1899 in Pebworth, Kentucky, United States. He was one of six children of James Combs, a hill farmer, and Nannie Brandenburg.

Education

Sleek and graceful (he was six feet tall and weighed 185 pounds), Combs did not start out seeking to become a professional baseball player. Instead, he trained to be a teacher. He graduated from Berea College and Eastern Kentucky Normal School, and spent two years at Eastern Teachers' College in Richmond.

Career

He began teaching school in a one-room schoolhouse and played ball for a mining company in order to supplement his income. His athletic skill was quickly recognized, and he landed a minor league contract with the Louisville Colonels of the American Association. In 1923, after Combs batted . 380 with the Colonels, the New York Yankees purchased his contract for a reported $50, 000, a huge sum in those days. Yet his career nearly ended as quickly as it had begun. After playing in only a handful of games early in the 1924 season, he suffered a badly broken ankle that could have ended his career. His tenacity brought him back to the lineup in 1925, when he established himself as a bona fide star, playing center field in 150 games and hitting an impressive . 342. Handsome and prematurely gray, Combs was nicknamed "the Kentucky Colonel" by the New York Press because of his soft-spoken and modest politeness. He was always considered the gentleman of the Yankee clubs for which he played, spending his entire major-league career of twelve seasons with the "Bronx Bombers. " Never a power hitter, Combs was overshadowed by Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, but gifted with superb speed, an excellent glove, and a lifetime batting average of . 325, he is considered by baseball historians to be among the greatest leadoff hitters of all time. Legend has it that in spring training in 1925 Combs told Yankee manager Miller Huggins that in Louisville he was known as "the Mail Carrier, " a reference to his terrific speed. The wry Huggins was reported to have replied, "Up here we'll call you 'the Waiter. ' When you get to first base, you just wait there for Ruth or Gehrig, or one of the other fellows, to send you the rest of the way around. " And "wait" is just what Combs did. Although he may have missed out on becoming one of the greatest base stealers in the game (he never had more than 16 steals in one season), he wound up scoring 1, 186 runs in his career. His patience rewarded his team with many victories. Combs's excellent speed served him well in many other ways. Playing between Bob Meusel in left field and Ruth in right, he could reach balls the other two sluggish fielders could not, and so his quickness compensated for a weakness in the defense of the Yankee outfield. Combs had only an average throwing arm, but his release was quick and his instincts were excellent. He seldom missed a cutoff man and knew where the runners were going. A righthanded thrower, Combs batted left and was able to beat out many ground balls for hits. In eight seasons he hit 30 or more doubles, and three times he led the American League in triples. In 1927 he hit 23 triples, the following season he hit 21, and in 1930 he hit 22 triples, which established Combs as a great triples hitter. Combs's best season was in 1927 with the legendary "Murderers' Row" team, which many historians of the game consider the greatest club ever to take the field. That season, Combs not only led the league in triples, but also in hits (231) and at-bats (648). In addition, he scored 137 runs and batted . 356. Combs had great seasons with the 1929 Yankees when he hit . 345, and in 1930 when his average was . 344. For eight straight years he scored well over 100 runs, and in 1932 he scored 143 times. Also notable are the statistics for his four World Series, including a 1932 World Series batting average of . 375 and a career . 350 World Series batting average. When the Yankees started wearing numbers on their uniforms in 1928, Combs, because he was leadoff hitter, was given the number "1". In 1934, Combs fractured his skull when he crashed into the outfield wall in St. Louis while chasing a fly ball. He was carried off the field unconscious and placed on the hospital's critical list, and doctors feared for his life. Combs declared from his hospital bed, "You'll see, I'm made of tough stuff. They said I was through in 1924 when I broke my ankle. I fooled them once and I believe I will do it again. " He spent two months in the hospital and was back in a Yankee uniform for the 1935 season. His comeback was short-lived, for Combs broke his collarbone before midseason. He remained on the job as a full-time coach; his first assignment was to train his replacement, a rookie from San Francisco named Joe DiMaggio. Ed Barrow, then general manager of the Yankees, wrote Combs, "If this boy does as well as you, I'll be satisfied. " After leaving his coaching job in New York City, Combs coached in St. Louis, Philadelphia, and Boston; served on the Board of Regents at Eastern Kentucky University; and was Kentucky's banking commissioner. Combs died in Richmond, after a long illness. Once discussing the famed 1927 team, Hall of Fame catcher Bill Dickey said, "The only one I could guarantee as a full-fledged gentleman was Earle Combs. "

Achievements

• Combs was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1970.

Views

Quotations: "When I heard I'd been named, it was like a bullet shot between my eyes. It was the last thing I expected. I thought the Hall of Fame was for superstars, not just average players like I was. "

Connections

Combs married Ruth McCollum on October 16, 1922; they had three children.

Father:

James Combs

He was a hill farmer

Mother:

Nannie Brandenburg

Spouse:

Ruth McCollum