McNair was called Boob after the Rube Goldberg cartoon character Boob McNutt. A utility infielder on the 1930 and 1931 pennant-winning A’s, he became Philadelphia’s regular shortstop in 1932, hitting 18 HR and a league-high 47 doubles. He led AL shortstops in errors and double plays in 1934, and, after his power dropped off, Connie Mack sold him to the Red Sox in 1935. McNair was Boston’s second baseman in 1937 and the White Sox third baseman in 1939, when he hit a career-high .324 with a 20-game hitting streak.
