For the last few days I have been hanging out with George Altman, best remembered in American baseball circles for his years with the Chicago Cubs, talking baseball. A lot of baseball.
That’s because Altman had a unique career. He not only played in the majors with the Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets for nine seasons, he played eight seasons in Japan and before he even came onto our radar screens, he played one season with the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro Leagues. Throw in college baseball at Tennesee A&I, winter league ball in Panama and Cuba, and Army ball, plus the usual high school and elementary school appearances and Altman almost surely played in more baseball leagues than anyone in history.
While Don Newcombe and Larry Doby also both played in the Negro Leagues, the majors and Japan, neither George nor I can think of any other player who ever competed in those three leagues, plus played college ball.
It’s doubtful any man had as diverse a baseball career as Altman, who is now 78 and living in O’Fallon, Mo. What a career it was. Heck, besides the two years of baseball at Tennessee A&I, which became Tennessee State, Altman, who is 6-foot-4, played basketball for legendary coach John McClendon with the Tigers.
His sole year with the legendary Monarchs was 1955, the final year the Negro Leagues existed as a full-fledged circuit, its demise attributable to the integration of the majors (way too late for many greats). Altman, primarily an outfielder, but later in his career a first baseman, played for the Monarchs under Buck O’Neil, the conscience and oral historian of the Negro Leagues who also became the first Major League African-American coach with the Cubs. One of Altman’s teammates with Kansas City was the marvelous Satchel Paige, still throwing well at 49.
Over the next couple of years, his career at risk because he was getting old for a rookie, Altman played in Class B, in the service, and in 1959 tore up the Cubs training camp to make an unexpected debut with the big club. In Chicago, Altman played with Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Ron Santo and in 1961 and 1962 made the National League All-Star team.
In one of those games he played the outfield with Hank Aaron and Willie Mays, subbing for Roberto Clemente. Other great memories include hitting two home runs in a game off Sandy Koufax at a time when Koufax’s fastball seemed untouchable to anyone not living in heaven, and making a no-hitter-saving leaping catch for Don Cardwell.
Altman played under the bizarro Cubs rotating college of coaches in Chicago, Casey Stengel in New York and Leo Durocher back with the Cubs. Stengel was fun–when you could understand him–Altman noted, even if in his dotate he fell asleep in the dugout during games sometimes. Durocher was just mean, Altman thought, and he chose AAA Tacoma over the Cubs at one point (stopping at another level of the game) and ultimately the Lotte Orions in Tokyo to escape The Lip.
Japan was a treat for Altman, where he made friends, took a Berlitz course to learn the language–and can still speak some of it–made a half-dozen all-star teams, clubbed more than 200 home runs, and finished with a Japan League .309 average.
If everything had gone well and a solid offer had come his way, Altman would have remained in the United States instead of embarking for Japan. He might be more famous now. He might have made more money, or not. Playing in Japan was the journey of a lifetime, filled with great experiences and Altman’s success, playing until he was 42, enabled him to walk away from the sport thoroughly satisfied.
And what did he do next? Altman spent 13 years as a commodities trader, buying a seat on the Chicago Board of Trade. It was almost like taking up another sport. For the man who at heart was always supremely competitive, the hectic, loud, chaotic new career was just as challenging as baseball.
Asked whether it was harder to hit the curveball or make a living as a commodities trader, Altman chuckled. Six of one, half dozen of the other, he said. Wouldn’t you know it, even after he retired from baseball, Altman found a new league to play in.