 Fourth Week in May
On May 29, 1972, former Major Leaguer Morris "Moe" Berg died at the age of 70. The "good-field, no-hit" Berg, who wore the catcher's mask pictured here, batted only .243 with six home runs during a 15-year playing career, but gained much greater fame for other roles and occupations that he filled. The multi-talented Berg earned distinction as an attorney, linguist, mathematician, and most curiously, as an American spy. During a 1934 baseball tour of Japan, Berg secretly photographed important Japanese military installations and then turned them over to the U.S. State Department. Eight years later, the U.S. military used Berg's photographs in making the first attack on the Japanese mainland during World War II. After Berg's playing days came to an end, he went to work for the Office of Strategic Services, the predecessor to the CIA, and embarked on a series of dangerous missions throughout Germany in an effort to determine the country's nuclear potential.
One of the most intelligent men to ever play in the Major Leagues, Berg spoke and read 12 different languages, including both Latin and Sanskrit.
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