Louis Boudreau, nicknamed "Old Shufflefoot", "Handsome Lou", and "the Good Kid", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 15 seasons, primarily as a shortstop on the Cleveland Indians, and managed four teams for 15 seasons including 10 seasons as a player-manager. He was also a radio announcer for the Chicago Cubs and in college was a dual-sport athlete in baseball and basketball, earning All-American honors in basketball for the University of Illinois.
Boudreau with the Boston Red Sox in 1953
Boudreau with the Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team, circa 1937
Cubs broadcasters, July 13, 1965 – Vince Lloyd and Lou Boudreau
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the position was assigned to defensive specialists who were typically poor at batting and were often placed at the bottom of the batting order. Today, shortstops are often able to hit well and many are placed at the top of the lineup. In the numbering system used by scorers to record defensive plays, the shortstop is assigned the number 6.
Cardinals great Ozzie Smith
Yankees former shortstop Derek Jeter getting ready to field his position in 2007
Omar Vizquel played more games at shortstop than any other player in MLB history.