Pepper Martin

Johnny Leonard Roosevelt "Pepper" Martin (February 29, 1904 – March 5, 1965) was an American professional baseball player and minor league manager. He was known as the Wild Horse of the Osage because of his daring, aggressive baserunning abilities. Martin played in Major League Baseball as a third baseman and an outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals during the 1930s and early 1940s. He was best known for his heroics during the 1931 World Series, in which he was the catalyst in a Cardinals\' upset victory over the Philadelphia Athletics.\n', '

Martin was an integral member of the Cardinals\' teams of the 1930s that became known as the Gashouse Gang for their roguish behavior and practical jokes. Martin was even referred to as the inspiration for the pre-game warmup routine of "pepper."[circular reference] Early in his career, he was labeled by some contemporary press reports as the nex…