Nov. 10, 2020 | , DOD News
Harold Henry "Pee Wee" Reese, born July 23, 1918 at Ekron, Kentucky, was nicknamed Pee Wee because as a kid growing up, he earned the runner-up spot in a "Louisville Courier-Journal" newspaper-sponsored pee-wee marbles competition.
Although his nickname wasn't related to his stature, he was somewhat short, at 5 feet, 9 inches, a height that prevented him from earning a spot on the duPont Manual High School baseball team in Louisville, Kentucky.
Thinking that he didn't have a career in baseball, he worked as a cable splicer for the Louisville telephone company. For recreation, he played amateur baseball for the Louisville Colonels, a local church team. That's how he acquired his second nickname, "the little colonel."
A Boston Red Socks scout noticed Reese's performance, picked him up, but then traded him to the Brooklyn Dodgers on July 18, 1939. The trade is considered the best ever made in baseball, for a receiving team, in this case the Dodgers.
Reese's game debut with the Dodgers was April 23, 1940. He played until 1942. In 1943, he enlisted in the Navy.
In 1943, Reese was stationed at Norfolk Naval Air Station, Virginia, where he regularly played baseball. In 1944, he was sent to Hawaii and played for the Aiea Hospital team.
Then, he joined the Third Fleet team for the Navy's Pacific tour and was then assigned to Guam where he was shortstop and assistant coach for the 3rd Marine Division baseball team.
In 1946, following his honorable discharge from the Navy, Reese returned to the Dodgers, where he played until 1958. In his final baseball year of 1958, the Brooklyn Dodgers became the Los Angeles Dodgers.
As the team's shortstop, Reese led the National League in walks, 104 in 1947; runs 132 in 1949; and stolen bases, 30 in 1952. Defensively, he led the league four times in putouts, twice in double plays and once each in fielding percentage and assists.
His other statistics: batting average, .269; hits, 2,170; home runs, 126; runs batted in, 885. Reese was a 10-time All Star in 1942 and 1946 to 1954; and, he was a member of the World Series champion team in 1955 as a player and 1959, as team coach.
Although Reese is considered one of baseball's greats, he's probably more well known for his personal friendship of teammate Jackie Robinson.
In 2005, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg helped unveil a monument in Brooklyn, depicting Hall of Famers Reese and Robinson with Reese's arm around Robinson.
It was designed to commemorate a moment that was said to have occurred in Cincinnati, Ohio, on May 13, 1947, during Robinson's inaugural season, which saw him break the color barrier to become the first African-American major leaguer.
Eye witnesses said Robinson was booed by Cincinnati fans because of his race. In a show of support, Reese temporarily left his position at shortstop and walked over to Robinson at first base and put his arm around the rookie, silencing the crowd.
In the 1960s, Reese became a baseball game announcer for CBS and then NBC.
In 1984, he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
Reese died on Aug. 14, 1999 at his Louisville home.
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