Heine Meine

Henry William "Heine" Meine (May 1, 1896 – March 18, 1968), sometimes "Heinie" Meine, was an American professional baseball player. Meine was a right-handed pitcher who played for the St. Louis Browns in 1922 and for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1929 to 1934. He was given the nickname "The Count of Luxemburg" on account of his operating a speakeasy/tavern in the Luxemburg section of St. Louis. He led the National League in wins and innings pitched in 1931 and compiled a 66–50 record in seven seasons of Major League Baseball.

Spitball years Born to parents of German descent and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Meine served in the United States Army during World War I. Some referred to him as a "junk man" or a "junkballer."

St. Louis Browns and minor leagues In 1922, Meine was sold to the St. Louis Browns but he appeared in only one game for the club, pitching four innings in relief. Despite the 17-win season, Meine quit baseball after the 1926 season. He recalled, "It didn't look like I was going up, and I just retired. I had other income and didn't have to play baseball." He was known through his career "The Count of Luxemburg," because he lived and operated his tavern in the unincorporated area south of St. Louis that was known as Luxemburg. In 1930, with Prohibition still in effect, one newspaper account reported that Meine owned "a soft drink parlor" in St. Louis. St. Louis sportswriter Bob Broeg noted that Meine's tavern was known for its "gemütlichkeit." He left the team in mid-August due to illness, and was "placed on the voluntary retired list." In December 1930, it was determined that his tonsils had caused his illness, and he had them removed. Having been placed on the retired list, Meine was required to apply to Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis seeking reinstatement.

Comeback in 1931 at age 34 Returning to baseball sans tonsils, Meine had the best year of his career in 1931. Having never won more than seven games in a season for the Pirates, Meine compiled a 19–13 record for the 1931 Pirates. He won his 19th game on September 23, 1931, pitching 13 innings in a 3–2 win over the Phillies. His 1931 performance led the National League in wins (19), innings pitched (284), and batters faced (1,202), and ranked fourth in earned run average (2.98). The game may have inspired Kevin King's 2007 fictional account of a Negro leagues team defeating a team of major league all-stars. In King's account, Negro leagues star Mule Suttles tries to recall the list of major league all-stars who played in the game: "Heinie Manush, Heinie Meine, Heinie Schuble. They had Heinies coming out of the hiney, and we kicked their hineys."

Holdout season of 1932 In 1932, Meine was a holdout, refusing to accept the contract terms offered by the Pirates and declining to report to spring training in Paso Robles, California, with the rest of the team. Meine's holdout continued into May, making him the last player continuing to hold out for better contract terms. On May 16, 1932, The Pittsburgh Press referred to Meine as the "obstinate Pittsburgh holdout" and reported that the Pirates were trying to strike a deal to send Meine to the Brooklyn Dodgers. Meine ultimately reached terms with the Pirates in late May. After his holdout, Grantland Rice reported that Meine was being paid $11,500 for the year. Rice wrote a column praising Meine:

Meine was the hardest working pitcher in the National League last season. He hurled 22 complete games, worked 284 innings, won 19 games against 13 lost, and yielded an earned run average of 2.98. And all of this he did with a fifth place club.

When he led the Pirates to a 2–1 victory over Brooklyn in June 1932, The New York Times opened its game coverage as follows: "Heine Meine came to Ebbets Field with the Pirates yesterday and gave 18,000 fans an exhibition of his very best pitching by holding the Carey clan to five hits in seven innings." Meine compiled a 12–9 record and a 3.86 ERA in 1932. The New York Times referred to Meine as the "ace of the Pirates' pitching staff" and reported that his contract was for five figures and was for one year. He opened the season with a record of 5–0 to lead the National League in late May. When the Pirates honored Honus Wagner with a tribute day in May 1933, Meine pitched a 2–1 victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers. After a mid-season slump, Meine began to turn things around in late July. After pitching three shutout innings in relief to help the Pirates come from behind against the Giants, The Pittsburgh Press reported: "Just when all hope was being lost for him, Heinie Meine came back yesterday to confound the critics with a brilliant bit of relief pitching. The Duke of Luxembourg throttled the Giants ..." Meine finished the 1933 season with a 15–8 record and a 3.65 ERA,

Meine returned to the Pirates in 1934 for his final year in Major League Baseball. He was the Pirates' starter in the season opener, but allowed seven runs in a 7–1 loss to the Cardinals at St. Louis. Used increasingly in relief, Meine appeared in 26 games, 14 as a starter. He compiled a 7–6 record and a 4.32 ERA. His final major league appearance came in a 9–4 loss to the Dodgers on September 18, 1934, at Ebbets Field. Meine pitched one-third of an inning in relief and gave up four earned runs.

For his career, he compiled a 66–50 record in 165 appearances, with a 3.95 ERA and 199 strikeouts.

After retiring from baseball, Meine returned to his tavern business. He also operated a baseball school at 153 Lemay Ferry Road south of St. Louis. He constructed a building with locker facilities for 50 to 60 boys. He hired former major league players, including Marty McManus, Vern Stephens, Phil Todt, and Monty Stratton, to work at the school and advertised his courses in The Sporting News. Meine also helped develop the Lemay Baseball Association in St. Louis, building a field next to his tavern and maintaining it himself.

Meine's hobbies in his later years included hunting, fishing and bowling.