The "New York Sun" reported that the benching was due to Pipp's struggles against left-handed pitchers, as southpaw George Mogridge was the scheduled starting pitcher for the Senators on June 2. Other sources suggest Yankee manager Miller Huggins may have actually benched Pipp and other veterans in order to "shake up" the slumping lineup. According to another story, supported by Gehrig's wife, Pipp was not at the game on June 2 because he was gambling on horse racing at a race track. His son Tom denied this rumor, stating that his father never bet on horses. When interviewed by "Sports Illustrated", Pipp's own children disagreed on the reason for their father's benching, believing it was either due to Pipp being beaned, or struggling. One of his sons, Thomas, believed that Pipp told Huggins to play Gehrig in his place, as he knew that Gehrig had a future with the Yankees, while he likely did not. According to a popular legend, Pipp asked to sit due to a headache. The story was confirmed by Wally's son Thomas Pipp and Bill Weber.