The man seen in this publicity still is the remarkable Johnny Price, the greatest baseball trick artist who ever lived. His repertoire of stunts must be seen to be believed. Fortunately, he starred in a 1947 MGM short called Diamond Demon, so you can watch him shag flies clinging upside down off the back of an unmanned Jeep, throw three baseballs simultaneously and accurately and hit while hanging by his ankles. (The pool cue poke gag in the photo can be seen at 2:32.)
The greatest trickster of them all
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A career minor leaguer, Price had a brief stint with the Indians in 1946 when Bill Veeck decided he would make a fun attraction. In the seven games in which he saw action, the Indians were outscored 50-12, a sure indication of his status as a novelty. But, he did hit .231. A lot of players have done less in trials of similar size; and, of course, none of them - or anybody else - was as entertaining with a ball, bat and glove.
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