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36 J. Sup. Ct. Hist. 1 (2011)
And Behind the Plate: Muddy Ruel of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar

handle is hein.journals/jspcth36 and id is 3 raw text is: And Behind the Plate ... Muddy Ruel of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar ROBERT M. JARVIS* On May 27, 1929, Herold D. Ruel was admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court.' The next day, the visiting New York Yankees beat the Washington Senators 12-7. Ruel walked, singled, and drove in two runs for the home team. Ruel expected to practice law when his playing days were over, but he never did. Still, his training did not go to waste. Indeed, in November 1945 it helped him land a job as Happy Chandler's chief aide. One month ear- lier, Chandler had become baseball's second commissioner, succeeding the late Judge Ke- nesaw M. Landis. Although accounts of Ruel's baseball ca- reer are plentiful, his legal career has been all but overlooked. Accordingly, this essay seeks to shed a bit of light on this neglected aspect of Ruel's life. Playing Career Because Ruel's career as one of the game's best defensive catchers-as well as the person who dubbed the gear worn by catchers the tools of ignorance2 -has been so well-documented, only a brief recap is needed here. Herold Dominic Ruel was born in St. Louis on February 20, 1896, and grew up play- ing baseball on the city's sandlots, where he acquired the nickname Muddy.3 At 17, Ruel joined the semi-pro Wabadas and soon caught the eye of Charley Barrett, the chief scout of the American League's St. Louis Browns. On November 7, 1914, the Browns signed the diminutive (5' 9) Ruel to a $125-a-month con- tract. Ruel broke into the majors on May 29, 1915, but his first year was not an auspicious one (in nineteen plate appearances he com- piled a .000 batting average). Thus, after that season, his contract was sold to the minor- league Memphis Chicks. During the next two years, Ruel showed steady improvement, and in August 1917, the Yankees purchased his rights. In June 1918, however, Ruel was forced to leave the team when he was drafted into the army. Ruel was back the following season, and on August 14, 1919, he entered the record

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