In a newpaper heading that would simply be unheard of today, "The Sporting News ran a headline in 1923, “Dick Kinsella [Giants scout] Finds That $100,000 Jew.”
The press gave him the nickname “The Rabbi of Swat,” and “the Jewish Babe Ruth" just like they referred to Josh Gibson as "The Black Babe Ruth" Nobody ever heard of a German, Irish or English Babe Ruth but such was the prejudice of the day. One must defer to the mind set of the general public at the time, a mind set that was twenty five years from the likes of Branch Rickey hiring the first African American to be admitted into the major league line up. The large Jewish population that had been pouring into Ellis Island during the first two decades of the century, just as the Irish and Italians of twenty - thirty years before, had created a hatred and prejudice based on the fear of anybody who was different from them and it would take many more years for immigrants to mesh into the public sans such prejudice. But Mose Solomon was already considered a minor league legend and unlike Jimmy Reese who changed his name to avoid the prevailing public attitudes, Mose made no such effort. In 1921 he earned a spot in Vancouver in the Pacific Coast League. He hit .313 his first season in organized ball. On the day that he left for the big leagues in 1923, he was batting .421 leading the league in runs, hits, and double. He broke the standing minor league home run record of 1895. But in 1923, The New York Giants wanted a big hitter. Remember, they had faced Babe Ruth during the 1922 World Series and wanted a similar power home run hitter. They called up Solomon and compared him to Ruth but it was the sports writers that dubbed Mose "The Rabbi of Swat." But McGraw didn't play him in the field. Today, we cannot even imagine why but one might guess he feared reprisals from fans and other teams. In his big-league stint that consisted of only two games, Solomon's fielding average was .833. and his batting average was .375 (three for eight) Those two games included one double and one RBI. His career major league slugging average is .500. Thus, Mose suffered the same fate as the many great African American players of the time, ostrasized from what may have been a stellar major league career, relegated to years spent in the bush leagues, just another bi-line in history of a career that might have been.
This bat is a lasting testament to the career that wasn't and the prejudice that prevailed in the States, remnants that still exist today. It is a ghost of what might have been. And this incredibly historic bat speaks for itself. Records indicate that Mose was a left handed hitter and this bat has a hand scored hitting surface on the underside of barrel (beneath the barrel stamp) the entire length of hitting area. This would have been a trait of a left handed hitter that practised the usual habit of approachig the plate with the center label up from the left side. The bat has a beautiful finish like a fine piece of furniture so it was definately well cared for and cherished for its ability to send the baseball to the far flung recesses of the field. There are deep ball and lace marks , most of which are within this scored area. The bat remains uncracked and aside from some very minor grain separation on the very back of the barrel, this bat, with its deep dark finish and well defined factory stamps, is a thing to behold. This writer could wax poetic on the sheer beauty of this club but the pictures can do a better job of that than any mere mortal.
Searching Baseball Reference under the name Solomon, he was the only player with that last name during the era of this bat in both the major and minor leagues. That, combined with the left handed hitter traits leaves no doubt as to whose war club this once belonged to. His major league career was brief (as mentioned above) playing with the National League Champion New York Giants in 1923. His minor league career lasted 9 seasons, most of which was out east in towns like Albany where he played from 1926-28. He came up with Vancouver of the PCL in 1921-22. Other minor league teams included Toledo, Canton, Hartford, Tacoma and Waterbury. With few Jewish ball players in the rosters at that time, his nick name as the "Rabbi of Swat" is a testament to his heritage. This is the only Mose Solomon bat that MEARS has ever examined or even heard of.
Title: 1921-29 Mose Solomon "Rabbi of Swat" New York Giants H&B Louisville Slugger Professional Model Game Used Bat
Player: Mose Solomon
Block/Script Name: Block Letter last name
Label Period: 1921-30
Year/s Used: 1921-29
Mfg: H&B Louisville Slugger
Model Number: Pre Model Number
Length: 34.75"
Weight: 35.9 ounces
Side Writing: No
Vault Marks: No
Game Use: Heavy
Ball Marks: Heavy, with deep stitch marks esp. on the bottom of bat (left handed hitter) in which the entire length of hitting surface is hand scored.
Swelling: Yes
Grain Separation: Light on back of barrel
Cleat Marks: Yes, several on the front of the barrel
Rack Marks: No
Nails/Screws: No
Pine Tar: No
Handle Tape: No
Handle Crack: No
Barrel Crack: No
Dents/Gouges: No
Autographed: No
Uniform Number: N/A
Knob Markings: None
Barrel Markings: None
Finish: Ash
Provenance: No Provenance
Factory Records: N/A, Matches known examples
Player Traits: N/A
MEARS Hologram #311123
Grade: A8.5 with 5 base points 3 use points and 1 point for left handed hitter scored barrel. Minus .5 for the light grain separation of back of barrel.
MEARS Bat Trade Index: No other example ever seen or examined by MEARS
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