Babe Phelps: Adventures with Roommates
Ernest “Babe” Phelps was a catcher for Washington, the Cubs, Dodgers and Pirates from 1931-1942.
As we sat on the front porch of his lifetime home in Odenton, Maryland, one day in 1991, he described some of his adventures in a facet of big league baseball that no longer exists – road roommates - Norman L. Macht
Babe Phelps first Spring Training: Rooming with Pee Wee Reese
He began his first spring training after being obtained by the Brooklyn Dodgers in January 1935.
On the trip north, I roomed with Pee Wee Reese. We got into Nashville about midnight, went to bed, and there was Pee Wee shoving furniture around. I said, “What are you doing?”
He said, “Babe, I have nightmares every so often. I’m putting these chairs here so I won’t fall out the window.”
I said, “Now ain’t this something? I’m sleeping with somebody that might have a nightmare.” Next thing you know, in the wee hours of the morning, I hear, “Babe, come get me. Come get me” I looked.
He wasn’t in his bed. I run into the bathroom. He’s not in the bathroom. I come back and sit down and here he is under the bed.
I said, “What are you doing there?”
He said, “I don’t know. Get me out of here.”
I got him straightened out.
Rooming with Tom Zachary
Later I roomed with Tom Zachary [the pitcher who gave up Babe Ruth’s sixtieth home run in 1927], We went to bed one night. He turned the lights out. I heard something go kerplunk, kerplunk. I said, “Tom, you hear that?”
He said, “Yeah.”
“What was it?”
“My pocketbook.”
“Your pocketbook? What did you do with it?
He said, “I don’t know. If somebody comes in to rob me, if I don’t know where it is, how is he going to know where it is?”
One of Babe Phelps’ roommates, Tom Zachary
Then to top it off, I had [pitcher] Max Butcher. I told the manager, Leo Durocher, if I’m going to be the regular catcher, I’m going to need my rest.
I cannot room with Butcher because he’s up all hours of the night. When I’m ready to go to bed, if we played a day game, he’s been drinking since the game until 11, 11:30 at night.
Then he’s getting ready to go out and eat and coming in at 2 or 3 in the morning.
So they put him in with somebody else.
From then on I roomed by myself!
