Hal Schumacher - the Prince of the New York Giants

Book excerpt: Hal Schumacher, or Prince Hal as he was commonly referred to by the scribes of the day, played with the New York Giants during some of their very best years, and played along side some of the best players the game has known - Mel Ott, Bill Terry, and his pitching partner Carl Hubbell to name but a few, all of whom are in the baseball Hall of Fame. Although Hal was proud of his accomplishments as a pitcher, he kept that pride to himself. And although willing to give interviews to baseball writers of the day, he tended to keep them short and rarely placed himself on the same pedestals that other players did. The New York Giants of the 1930s played in 3 World Series contests: 1933, 1936, and 1937, the latter two against the great Yankees teams of the day, and Schumacher was an integral part of those series. He also was chosen to play in the very first All Star game in 1933. His newspaper nickname of Prince Hal was chosen as the perfect complement to King Carl Hubbell, one of the greatest pitchers of the time, and a teammate of Schumacher during most of his playing days. Many have referred to them as one of the best righty-lefty combination to have ever taken the mound during their peak years. This biography of Hal Schumacher takes us year by year through the life of Prince Hal, gives us a history both before and following his playing days, and is most valuable to the reader because it gives us some insight into a quality baseball pitcher and a quality human being.