December 26th, 2016 at 6:00 am 
by Harold Uhlman When I was a youngster playing Little League and Babe Ruth League baseball in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, I absolutely loved playing defense. I almost prayed each batter would hit the ball to me. The baseball was never really at risk when I was at the plate but in the field, it had no escape. Just to brag a bit, I was fast, knew how to back up bases, learned where opponents were going to hit the ball and on what plane. I was an all-star left fielder who never got to play elsewhere because I could go “get ‘em.”
I think part of my love of fielding, besides the fact I was successful in the field, came from hearing Vin describe Duke scaling the walls at Ebbets Field or climbing the vines at Wrigley Field or hearing him describe the “Reading Rifle” taking caroms off the right field wall. I remember him describing Pee Wee and Jackie ranging wide and making double plays and his description of Gil Hodges at first base with hands “as soft as silk”. Oh yes, and Campy blocking balls in the dirt before blocking balls in the dirt was cool.
Besides all of that there was one other player that Vin frequently raved about for his glove work and who was a little-known Dodger surrounded by All-Stars and Hall of Fame players. Just hearing Vin make his calls, in the pre-television days, caused me to want to play third base like Billy Cox who was that little-known Dodger.
Billy Cox was born in Newport, Pennsylvania and attended high school in Newport. Following graduation from high school he played with Harrisburg of the Interstate League and achieved All-Star status as a shortstop.
In 1941 Cox led the Interstate League in batting, hits, doubles and total bases for Harrisburg. He had a 22-game hitting streak, hit .368 and set a league record for most assists as a shortstop. He was called up to the Pittsburgh in September and hit .270 in 10 games with the Pirates.
Billy “Hoss” Cox.
(AP photo)
That was all the professional baseball he would play until the spring of 1946, with one exception. In February of 1942 he had entered the military service and spent four years with the 814th Signal Corps. The one exception was an exhibition game on May 28, 1942 between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Harrisburg Senators of the Inter-State League. Billy Cox was given a special dispensation to play with the Pirates on that day and registered four runs in their 14-5 win.
For the next four years, he served his country seeing action in North Africa, Europe and Guadalcanal. Dealing with the sands of North Africa and the swamps and mud of Europe, along with contracting Malaria, his weight fell to 132 pounds on his 5’9” frame. He health never really fully recovered following the war.
Intent on resuming his baseball career, the 26-year-old Cox never complained: “I lost a good part of my career,” he told The Sporting News on May 2, 1946, “but I’m not kicking. I went through four years of the war, and came out whole, so I guess I am lucky.”
He returned to active duty as a MLB player with the Pirates in 1946 and played two seasons with them, as a shortstop, hitting a combined .280. In December of 1947 he was traded to the Dodgers, along with right-hander Preacher Roe, in a deal that sent Dodger favorite Dixie Walker to Pittsburgh. Initially disenchanted with the trade, Dodger fans soon came to believe it was one of the greatest trades ever made by Branch Rickey.
When he joined the Dodgers, Cox had no position to play as the Dodgers already had Pee Wee Reese at shortstop and that was not about to change. Assigned to third base by manager Leo Durocher, and to a position he had never played, Cox quickly took over and played defense at the hot corner like no other third baseman at that time.
Cox later acknowledged that he didn’t know anything about playing third base: “They just expected me to play it by ear.” That must have been quite the ear.
Walter O’Malley, then president of the Dodgers, said, “We regard Cox as the greatest glove man Brooklyn ever had.” That was not just the greatest third baseman but the greatest, “glove man.”
His most productive year offensively with the Dodgers was 1953. During the regular season, he hit .291 in 100 games played and followed that up with a .304 average in the World Series against the Yankees and had a team leading six runs batted in.
He played seven years with the Dodgers before finishing his career with 53 games in Baltimore in 1955. Unfortunately, his trade to the Orioles meant he missed the Dodgers 1955 World Series victory over the New York Yankees.
During those seven years with the Dodgers Billy Cox and his war-ravaged body only once was able to play more than 119 games in a season. However, each and every time he played his glove was on display.
His teammate Duke Snider – on a Montreal Expo broadcast – commented on Billy Cox and his glove following Cox’s death in 1978 at the age of 58. “If there was ever a better third baseman I’d like to have seen him. The thing I remember about Billy was that little three-fingered glove he used. They called it the ‘playmaker.’ There would be a ball that looked like it was by him and somehow, he’d come up with it. Then he’d seem to look at it for a minute before throwing the runner out.”
Former Dodger manager, Chuck Dressen, agreed with Duke Snider: “It’s almost as if he’s counting the stitches. But he never seems to get in trouble because he has such quick hands.”
Billy Cox was nicknamed, “Horse”, because of his long and perhaps somewhat appearing sad face. However, this was not a sad man, but one who loved the game and his teammates and one whose teammates and opponents marveled at his glove work.
A story is told about the iconic Casey Stengel who had observed third baseman at work from 1910 until 1975. You might say Casey knew something about third basemen. During a spring training game one year Stengel in his gruff voice shouted out to Baltimore third baseman Brooks Robinson: “You’re the second greatest third baseman of all time!”
Puzzled at the out of the blue comment Robinson naturally asked who was the best ever to play the position. Stengel replied: “Number three over there in Brooklyn. He was the best of all time.” Number three happened to be Billy Cox.
Casey Stengel also said when Cox was taking the Professor and his Yankees to school with his glove: “He’s not a third baseman. He’s a blankety-blank acrobat.”
George Kell, a third baseman with the Boston Red Sox supported Stengel’s assessment of Cox: “I never dreamed third base could be played with such artistry until I saw Cox in that series.”
Billy Cox was always in the game and loved it when his buddy from his Pittsburgh days was pitching. He would remind Preacher Roe: “Let ‘em hit it to Ole Hoss, Preach. I’ll snip if for you.”
Although he never received the accolades that other third basemen of his era did, many consider Billy Cox one of the best defensive third basemen to ever play the game.
(AP photo)
As already mentioned, Cox had a habit of delaying his throw to first base. He did have a cannon for an arm and invariably got the out but it still drove shortstop Pee Wee Reese crazy and he would literally implore his third base partner to get rid of the ball.
True to character, Cox would glance at Reese, smile and say: “Ole Hoss has got ‘em.”
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Although I never saw Billy actually play, I have had many who did tell me that he was one of the best to ever play the position. Great read. Thanks.
Thanks for another great story. A “nit,” Preacher Roe was a LH pitcher. I read that Dodgers decided to trade Dixie Walker due to his attitude about playing and in the same clubhouse as Jackie Robinson. Walker was still a fine hitter at age 36, but in the long run adding Roe and Cox was a terrific deal for Dodgers.
I knew Preacher was a lefty. Took it from an article and didn’t pick it up. Thanks.
Preacher was the Dodger my Dad knew best although he didn’t follow much baseball before TV days.
When Cox was coming up he and Ralph Kiner were considered to be the two best players coming to the Pirates. The war just took much out of his body and too many years off his career to let him even closely approach HOF territory. They do that with the bat.
I love stories about characters in baseball, and Billy was a character.
I always enjoy your stories, thanks for taking the time to share with us. Have a great New Year.
I’m actually amazed how rarely we hear about Billy Cox. I think he’s one of the best non hall of famers I could ever remember while growing up a Dodger fan, when the team played here in Brooklyn.
I remember he was always being complemented by his opponent broadcasters like Mel Allen and Russ Hodges, along with our own Red Barber, Connie Desmond and Vin Scully.
Carl Furillo, Gil Hodges and Billy Cox belong right next to those in the HoF.
Cox and Furillo very fine ball players, in particular Furillo, but it is a shame that Gil Hodges is not in the HOF. Can only imagine what his stats would have been if he had been playing ball in 1944 and 1945 rather than in WWII.
I get up in Newport, Pennsylvania, as did my dad, who grew up with Billy Cox. My dad still tells stories of hearing the crack of the bat when Billy would hit the ball clean out of the field. They’d have to chase the ball down 5th Street to get it back. Later, after Billy passed, my dad coached at the Billy Cox Athletic Field off 2nd Street in Newport, and just about every kid from my generation played there. Most kids across both generations were taught in school and coached by Billy’s wife, Anne. I recall one day in 2nd grade, she closed her instruction booklet and stood before the class for a whole afternoon telling us stories about Billy and about his fight to do what he loved doing. She preached to us that day that Billy paved the way for us small-town kids. He showed us that nothing should ever stop us from going out there and showing the world what we are made of. Thank you for paying homage to a man who was a hero to us growing up.
Outstanding! Thank you for sharing this. Man, I miss old school baseball.
Thank you for reading the article and sharing your connection to Billy.
I too miss old school baseball and will never forget Billy and his Dodger teammates.
Correction: My father didn’t “grow up” with Billy. He was in 3rd Grade when Billy went to the Major League.
Billy brought all of the Brooklyn Dodgers to Newport one summer in the mid-1950s to play a pick-up game with the local sandlot team. My father clarified that Duke Snider, the Dodger homerun king, hit one down to 5th Street during that game.
My dad later played in a Newport softball league and Billy played shortstop for another team within the league.
I’m sorry I didn’t get that quite right the first time around.
Even a better story. Playing softball with Billy Cox is a great memory. Thanks again.
My father was the first baseman for the Newport High School team when Billy was the shortstop. He told stories about how Billy would “fire” that ball and it would “snap” in Dad’s glove, practically pushing him off the bag. I was a teenager when Billy died. The funeral was in the church my family (and of course his) went to. A few of the Dodgers were in attendance paying their respects. Newport mourned one of her favorite sons that day.
I learned to play baseball on the field that would one day be named after Billy Cox and used the glove my dad wore in high school to learn to catch. That 3 fingered glove swallowed my little hand until I got a glove of my own. My father died 19 years ago, this article has brought back many fond memories and stirred my emotions – thank you.
Thank you for sharing those great memories.
I feel fortunate to have lived in Brooklyn at this time and having seen the entire club play. There will never again be such a team and such a fan base. And Stengle was correct–Billy Cox was greater than Brooks Robinson. The great plays Brooks made were routine to Billy Cox. That entire team should be in The Hall of Fame. That Furillo, Hodges, and Cox are not there shows how pitiful the process is, or how ignorant of the game and its history the electors are. The Duke almost missed the honor.
I was always a Brooklyn Dodger fan. Billy Cox was, is & always will be the best third baseman I ever saw. Brooks, was great, I agree with that however Billy was so much better then Brooks. Billy Cox, Gil Hodges & Carl furillo, all belong in the Hall of Fame. The 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers was the best Dodger team I ever saw.
I lived 6 blocks away from Ebbets Field on Bedford avenue during the 1940’s and 1950’s and still cant believe the Brooklyn Dodgers moved. I remember how excited we all were in 1947 when Jackie Robinson was signed. He remains the most exciting athlete I have ever seen. I also remember Billy Cox being the best third baseman I have ever seen till this day. I wonder why no sports “experts” remember that. I never hear his name mentioned. I feel so lucky to be “old” and could see the all time greats Dimaggio, Williams, Musial and the Boys of Summer play. How lucky I am. David A.Nachamie M.D.
Thank you for your comments, Dr. Dave!
We are blessed to have several veteran (old) Dodger fans who frequent this site, including a couple who still live in and around the Brooklyn area.
Don’t be a stranger. You are definitely among friends here and are always welcome.
Thanks again.
I’ve been a Dodger fan since 1962 and quickly learned the history of the team. The Brooklyn Dodgers teams, fans, and the borough of Brooklyn always fascinated me. I’m traveling to New York soon and I know I’m going to have a special feeling being in Brooklyn. I’ve collected baseball cards of the Boys of Summer and my other favorite Brooklyn Dodger players and my 1952 Topps Billy Cox card is one of my favorites.
Make sure you visit the Jackie Robinson Museum when you are in New York. It is an absolute MUST for every baseball fan, especially Dodgers fans.