Mutt & Jeff by Bud Fisher for April 07, 2011

Must be during World War II - All of the other players on the team got drafted and the only players who were left were those who were too old or too young or too infirm to serve in the armed services.

That’s right. A 4-F was a draft deferment used for men who had medical disabilities. The service men liked to call them flat feet, because many times a man got a deferment based on a problem in their feet that prohibited them from marching.

And the salaries! Wow! Today’s pitchers get that much for one pitch!

Hows that comparable to salaries now? I’m not sure how much the average person worked in 40s.

Ed Barrows was the legendary Baseball manager, if this is the 40s our two heros here will playing for the NY Yankees.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Barrow

Wasn’t there a guy wth only one arm who played in the Majors during WWII?

There’s a guy with one arm pitching for the majors now.

What exactly is Mutt twirling in panel 4? It’s not long enough to be a cane, or thick enough to be a bat; is he training to become a Majorette?

A cigarette holder, a la FDR ? ? ?

Median US income 1940 to 1945 $2000 to $2400 ($25,000 to $30,000 in 2011 dollars)

2 grand for a 5 month season wasn’t bad money, 6 grand would buy a new house, fully furnished, with a new car in the garage.

Pete gray played for the ST. Louis Browns (now the Baltimore Orioles. He had only one arm.

…Sherlock , is it an extended cigarette holder of some kind , which at that time ( Well , maybe more when the strip started than the 1940s . ) rather symbolized a ” dandy ” ?????????