Ted McGrew

{{Short description|American baseball player, manager, umpire, and scout}}

Harry Hancock "Ted" McGrew (June 24, 1880 – June 29, 1969) was an American professional baseball player, manager, umpire and scout. After a minor league playing and managing career, he umpired in Major League Baseball (MLB) in 1930, 1931, 1933 and 1934. Later in his life, McGrew scouted for several MLB teams and was credited with discovering Pee Wee Reese and Alvin Dark.

Biography

McGrew was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on June 24, 1880.{{cite web|title=Ted McGrew Minor League Statistics and History|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=mcgrew001har|publisher=Sports Reference, LLC|accessdate=May 25, 2013}} He was a minor league infielder (playing in his native Midwest) and manager before beginning his umpiring career.{{cite web|title=Umpire is to be Retired|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-A8_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=i04MAAAAIBAJ&pg=4375,1849092&dq=ted+mcgrew+umpire&hl=en|publisher=The Border Cities Star|accessdate=May 25, 2013}}{{cite news|title=Stories of the Diamond|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5oBGAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Ui8NAAAAIBAJ&pg=4854,1190815&dq=ted+mcgrew+umpire&hl=en|accessdate=May 25, 2013|newspaper=The Newburgh Telegram|date=June 29, 1912}} By 1929, McGrew was umpiring in the American Association and calling exhibition games for the Pittsburgh Pirates.{{cite news|title=Pirates to Quit Frisco|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=SCcbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LksEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2267,3021702&dq=ted+mcgrew+umpire&hl=en|accessdate=May 25, 2013|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press|date=March 24, 1929}} He spent 1930 and 1931 umpiring in the National League. He umpired in the International League in 1932.{{cite news|title=McGrew Umpire in International Loop|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19320112&id=BMAaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UksEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5690,3510121|accessdate=May 25, 2013|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press|date=January 12, 1932}} McGrew returned to the majors in 1933 and was behind the plate when Dizzy Dean set a National League single-game strikeout record.{{cite news|last=Carroll|first=Dink|title=Playing the Field|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=H4MtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dpkFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4220,3561597&dq=ted+mcgrew+umpire&hl=en|accessdate=May 25, 2013|newspaper=The Montreal Gazette|date=September 27, 1950}} McGrew requested voluntary retirement in December of that year.

In his later life, McGrew was a longtime major league scout. While with the Brooklyn Dodgers, he was responsible for the signing of Pee Wee Reese.{{cite news|last=Levy|first=Sam|title=McGrew's Job|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qQIaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gCMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1516,2251508&dq=ted+mcgrew+umpire&hl=en|accessdate=May 25, 2013|newspaper=The Milwaukee Journal|date=September 21, 1941}} He also signed Claude Osteen,{{cite news|last=Bavasi|first=Buzzie|title=The Real Secret of Trading|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1079913/8/index.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140606221907/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1079913/8/index.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 6, 2014|accessdate=May 25, 2013|newspaper=Sports Illustrated|date=June 5, 1967}} who became a three-time All-Star with the Dodgers. McGrew was hired as the chief scout for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1943.{{cite web|last=Weatherby|first=Charlie|title=SABR Baseball Biography Project: Bill Killefer|url=http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/5ae1b077|publisher=Society for American Baseball Research|accessdate=May 25, 2013}} He later scouted for the Boston Braves, where he signed Alvin Dark in 1946.{{cite web|title=Alvin Dark|url=http://www.lasportshall.com/inductees/football/alvin-dark/?back=inductee|publisher=Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame|accessdate=May 25, 2013}} He was hired as chief scout for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1949; he supervised a scouting corps that included Lloyd Waner, Babe Herman and Pie Traynor.{{cite news|title=McGrew Heads Pirate Scouts|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=11wbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QE0EAAAAIBAJ&pg=3351,2559732&dq=ted+mcgrew+umpire&hl=en|accessdate=May 25, 2013|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press|date=April 21, 1949}} He joined the scouting staff of the Boston Red Sox the next year.{{cite news|title=Scout for Bosox|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Aho_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=cE8MAAAAIBAJ&pg=4442,3546159&dq=ted+mcgrew+umpire&hl=en|accessdate=May 25, 2013|newspaper=The Windsor Daily Star|date=October 26, 1950}}

While McGrew was a scout, Brooklyn player Babe Dahlgren became surrounded by rumors of marijuana use which may have led to a series of trades involving Dahlgren. The rumors began with manager Joe McCarthy of the Yankees, who traded Dahlgren to Brooklyn in 1940. Before the 1943 season, Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey traded Dahlgren to Philadelphia. McGrew was present at a meeting where Rickey said he had traded Dahlgren due to marijuana use. McGrew was hired as the chief scout in Philadelphia later that year, and Philadelphia sent Dahlgren to Pittsburgh two months later.{{cite news|last=Chass|first=Murray|title=Rumors of Drug Use Have Damaged for Decades|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/sports/baseball/18chass.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0|accessdate=May 25, 2013|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 18, 2007}}

McGrew died in Bedford, Virginia, on June 29, 1969.{{cite news|title=Deaths Elsewhere: Ted McGrew|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19690630&id=nNBOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=CQIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1676,6128718|accessdate=May 25, 2013|newspaper=Toledo Blade|date=June 30, 1969}}