266 - Benny Kauff: "An Apparent Injustice Has Been Done" Hooks & Runs podcast

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266 - Benny Kauff: "An Apparent Injustice Has Been Done"

9d ago 50:39

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Ohio native Benny Kauff made his Major League debut in 1912. He jumped to the Federal League in 1914 where he emerged to stand among that circuit's best hitters. After the Federal League folded, Kauff signed with John McGraw's New York Giants and claimed the team's center field position.

Kauff held that spot until a New York grand jury indicted him for grand larceny (car theft) after the 1919 season. Kauff, also burdened with gambling accusations, played just 55 games for New York in 1920 then was traded in early July to a minor league team. In May, 1921, a New York jury acquitted Kauff of the grand larceny charge, but the baseball never lifted Kauff's suspension during his life.

Kauff's is a wild tale about baseball, Tammany Hall justice, city life during the dead ball era, and a ballplayer that just maybe got a raw deal.

Sources: ( ) Gary Joseph Cieradkowski, "Benny Kauff: Stealing Bases and Automobiles," Cieradkowski at https://studiogaryc.com/2018/08/03/benny-kauff-stealing-bases-and-automobiles/ (last accessed October 11, 2025); (2) David Jones, "Benny Kauff," Society for American Baseball Research at https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/benny-kauff/ (last accessed October 11, 2025); (3) Dozens of newspapers articles accessed via newspapers.com and (4) Statistics were available via Baseball Reference, https://www.baseball-reference.com/.

Errata: Benny Kauff suffered from diphtheria in March 2021, not Kennesaw Mountain Landis.

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This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2025.

Chapters

1. Introduction (00:00:00)

2. Introducing Benny Kauff, Ohio roots, going pro (00:01:48)

3. Benny Kauff jumps to the Federal League (00:05:04)

4. Benny Kauff signs with the New York Giants after the Federal League folds (00:06:38)

5. 1919: gambling allegations and Kauff's grand larceny arrest (00:08:32)

6. The New York Giants, Benny Kauff and the troubled 1920 season (00:11:49)

7. July 2, 1920: Giants trade Benny Kauff to the minors (00:14:03)

8. The Black Sox Scandal, Hal Chase, Heinie Zimmerman, and the 1920-21 off-season (00:18:00)

9. The State vs. Benny Kauff (00:23:35)

10. Benny Kauff seeks reinstatement (00:33:38)

11. Benny Kauff's further legal troubles (00:38:42)

12. Benny Kauff makes one final run at reinstatement, and aftermath (00:41:47)

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