The New Yorker and Baseball Cartoons, 1943-1945

Here is a study of baseball cartoons in the New Yorker from 1943-1945. This will give us some insight into how frequently the New Yorker deals with baseball and it will also allow us to determine if New Yorker cartoons are ever funny. Thanks to Hayford Peirce, whose work I am partially borrowing. And yes, I do have very random blog topics.

In 1943, out of 777 cartoons, there were absolutely 0 concerning baseball. There were a number of boxing cartoons, but fewer cartoons about other sports than in the past few years.

In 1944, out of 829 cartoons, there were 6 about baseball and a number of boxing cartoons:

#105. February 12th. Museum scene. Lots of small boys looking at an abstract, apparently female nude sculpture that also might be interpreted as an arm and hand holding a ball. Flustered lady looking at a guide book says: "No. 33. The - er - Baseball Player."

I don’t get it. He doesn’t really look like a baseball player, but he could be sort of seen as one in the right light. I guess it’s about how you will come up with any excuse to avoid showing small children nudity. But it’s not funny.

#256. Catcher standing behind batter at plate and saying to ump: "I can't crouch down. That's why I'm still in baseball."

A catcher doesn’t stand, he crouches. I guess this is a wartime joke that baseball catchers are no longer able to bend down, because if they could bend down, they’d be fighting in the war. Kinda amusing, maybe makes you smile.

#382. A Pacific island village. 8 GIs are clustered around a thatched-roof hut listening to a large radio set. One native to another: "I'm rooting for the St. Louis Browns. I understand they have never won a pennant."

It’s funny. The Browns never win and the joke is that even people living on remote islands know about this. Imagine a similarly themed joke about the Clippers or Bengals or someone’s objectionable odour.

#429. White-smocked peanut vendor in stands with 5-Cents sign on his cap to potential customer: "Be right back. I'm up next."

Another war joke. The joke is that ushers are doubling as players. I prefer the counter-intuitive joke of #256. Mildly amusing

#502. Ump and a cluster of players looking into (apparently) crowded double-deck stands. "We've only got eight. Anybody here ever play second base?"

See above. I think this maybe the worst of the three similarly-themed joke.

#558. Batter to ump signalling a strike. "I beg to differ."

I do not get it. Is it funny because he’s polite and not cursing? Is this some joke concerning phrasing of the 1940’s? I’d be pretty amused if I saw a real-life example of a player saying, “I beg to differ” in an argument, but in a cartoon it doesn’t work.

In 1945, out of 792 cartoons, 4 concerned baseball:

#290. One elderly coach to another as they look at a dugout full of apparently older players: "Pop! Pop! Everybody's Pop! What this team needs is a complete new set of nicknames."

A commentary on the lack of uniqueness of nicknames in general, particularly among this set of aged players. This could be a mediocre In the Bleachers and nobody would be the wiser.

#379. An imposing wall with "Eingang" and an arrow on it, as well as an imposing swastika on top of the wall, apparently the exterior of a large stadium in Germany. A uniformed soldier with a baseball glove on one hand is peering over the top of the wall and pointing down to an elderly pedestrian at a baseball lying at the foot of the wall.

Soldiers are playing baseball. We get it. Can you blame them? I can’t.

#384. Three GIs lying in grass beside a German bunker listening to a radio. One solider is making entries on an inning by inning scoreboard on the wall of the bunker. "Dodgers" is the name of one of the teams.

Is this a joke on dodging bombs and shrapnel? Why is Dodgers so significant here? Otherwise I’d assume it’s just a simple, bad joke about GIs listening to baseball in the middle of war.

#399. Grandparents (?) in store with a 3- or 4-year old boy. The matronly lady is holding a baseball bat as if ready to swing it.

Not funny. I do not get it. Help me.

So, in conclusion, New Yorker cartoons deserve their reputation as not-that-funny and often inexplicable.