There was a lot written in recent years about Josh Gibson and Babe Ruth, with whom Gibson was compared (he was often referred to as "the black Babe Ruth"). However, Gibson probably was more like Foxx. Both were right-handed hitters; Foxx also was a catcher for awhile; both were famous for tape-measure home runs, and both played in the shadow of Ruth.

Interestingly, Foxx originally had wanted to pitch or play third base, but when he signed with the Philadelphia Athletics he put his future in the hands of manager Connie Mack, who turned the 17-year-old Foxx into a catcher. "Double XX" had a 10-game tryout with the A's in 1925 and had six hits in nine at bats. He played several games for Philadelpha in 1926 and 1927, but it wasn't until 1928 that he became an A's regular, playing many of his games at third base. However, Mack decided that from then on Foxx would be his first baseman.

For the next several seasons Foxx terrorized American League pitchers. Twice he hit 50 or more home runs on his way to a lifetime total of 534. He led the league in home runs four times and twice had the highest batting average, .356 in 1933 and .349 in 1938, by which time Foxx had been sold to the Boston Red Sox for $150,000 when Mack went on one of his infamous budget-cutting binges.

Foxx was an imposing physical specimen, who intimidated pitchers by cutting off most of his sleeves to reveal his bulging muscles (something imitated years later by Cincinnati slugger Ted Kluszewski). New York Yankee pitcher Lefty Gomez, who, like Foxx, was later inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, contributed to the "Double XX" legend with some memorable quotes.

When asked how to pitch to Foxx, Gomez replied, "I'd rather not throw the ball at all."

About Foxx's physique, Gomez said, "He has muscles in his hair." Gomez also said, "Foxx has muscles on his muscles."

In 1937, Foxx hit a ball off Gomez that went into the upper deck at Yankee Stadium. Someone asked Gomez how far it went, and the pitcher said, "I don't know, but I do know it took somebody 45 minutes to go up there and get it back."

Many years later, Gomez said, "When Neil Armstrong first set foot on the moon, he and all the space scientists were puzzled by an unidentifiable white object. I knew immediately what it was. It was a home run ball hit off me in 1937 by Jimmie Foxx."

In 1939, Foxx finally had his chance to pitch, going one inning for the Red Sox, allowing no hits or runs and striking out one batter. In 1945, finishing his career with the Philadelphia Blue Jays (as the Phillilies were called for a couple of seasons during World War II), Foxx pitched some more, making nine appearances, allowing only 13 hits in 22-2/3 innings. He won a game, suffered no losses, and had a 1.52 earned run average.

Like many players of his era, Foxx got old before his time. At 34, his hitting tanked to .226, which was 99 points below his lifetime average. Some blamed alcoholism, some blamed a sinus condition.

According to Wikipedia, the on-line encyclopedia, Foxx also managed the Fort Wayne Daisies of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. No year is mentioned, but I'd guess it was 1943 or '44. Supposedly the character Tom Hanks played in "A League of Their Own" was based on Foxx, which, in retrospect, seems plausible, though when I was in the theater watching the film I thought Hanks was playing Hack Wilson. (That's because, in my ignorance, I was unaware Foxx had briefly played for the Chicago Cubs in the 1940s.)

Foxx was 59 when he died in Miami, apparently choking to death on a bone. It was a tragic end for a player who might have been baseball's best right-handed hitter.