Bill James NL 1920-1929 All Decade Team

[Old Sweater]

NATIONAL LEAGUE 1920 - 1929

First Team Second Team Third Team

C - Bob O'Farrell Gabby Hartnett Bubble Hargrave
1B - George Kelly Jim Bottomley Jack Fournier
2B - Rogers Hornsby Frankie Frisch George Grantham
3B - Pie Traynor Andy High Jimmy Johnston
SS - Dave Bancroft Travis Jackson Rabbit Maranville
LF - Zack Wheat Kiki Cuyler Irish Meusel
CF - Ed Roush Max Carey Hack Wilson
RF - Ross Youngs Cy Williams Curt Walker
P - Grover Cleveland Alexander Dolph Luque Jesse Haines
P - Burleigh Grimes Dazzy Vance Bill Sherdel
P - Eppa Rixey Wilbur Cooper Lee Meadows

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

Win shares is the name of the metric Bill James describes in his 2002 book Win Shares.

It considers statistics for baseball players, in the context of their team and in a sabermetric way, and assigns a single number to each player for his contributions for the year. All pitching, hitting and defensive contributions by the player are taken into account. Statistics are adjusted for park, league and era.

A win share represents one-third of a team win, by definition.[1] If a team wins 80 games in a season, then its players will share 240 win shares. The formula for calculating win shares is complicated; it takes up pages 16–100 in the book. The general approach is to take the team's win shares (i.e., 3 times its number of wins), then divide them between offense and defense.

On a team with equal offensive and defensive prowess, hitters receive 48% of the win shares and those win shares are allocated among the hitters based on runs created. An estimation is then made to decide what amount of the defensive credit goes to pitchers and what amount goes to fielders. Pitching contributions typically receive 35% (or 36%) of the win shares, defensive contributions receive 17% (or 16%) of the win shares. The pitching contributions are allocated among the pitchers based on runs prevented, the pitchers' analogue to runs created. Fielding contributions are allocated among the fielders based on a number of assumptions and a selection of traditional defensive statistics.[2]

In Major League Baseball, based on a 162-game schedule, a typical All-Star might amass 20 win shares in a season. More than 30 win shares (i.e. the player is directly responsible for 10 wins by his team) is indicative of MVP-level performance, and 40+ win shares represents an exceptional, historic season. For pitchers, Win Shares levels are typically lower—in fact, they often come close to mirroring actual wins.

Win shares differs from other sabermetric player rating metrics such as Total player rating and VORP in that it is based on total team wins, not runs above average.

[Old Sweater]

First Team, Catcher, Bob O'Farrell



http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/2234/200pxbobo27farrell.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_O%27Farrell

Robert Arthur "Bob" O'Farrell (October 19, 1896 – February 20, 1988) was an American professional baseball player and manager.[1] He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for 21 seasons with the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Giants.[1] O'Farrell also played for the Cincinnati Reds, albeit briefly. He was considered as one of the greatest defensive catchers of his generation.

Baseball career

O'Farrell was born in Waukegan, Illinois where he grew up a Chicago White Sox fan. He signed with the Cubs in 1915 after playing an exhibition game for his local semi-professional team.[3] His first manager was former catcher, Roger Bresnahan, who helped O'Farrell develop his catching skills.[4] After a season on the bench, O'Farrell was sent to Three-I League where he spent two years before returning to the Cubs for the 1918 season.[5] He served as backup catcher working behind Bill Killefer as the Cubs went on to claim the 1918 National League pennant before losing to the Boston Red Sox in the 1918 World Series.[6] O'Farrell went hitless in three at bats during the series.[7]

In 1920 O'Farrell caught the majority of the Cubs' games and posting a .248 batting average as, Killefer was injured during the season.[1] He began the 1921 season as backup catcher until August when, Killefer was named the Cubs new manager.[8][9] O'Farrell had a breakout season in 1922 when he hit for a .322 average along with 4 home runs, 60 runs batted in and a .439 on base percentage.[1] He also became one of the best defensive catchers in baseball, leading National League catchers in games caught, putouts, assists, baserunners caught stealing and in caught stealing percentage.[10] He became skillful at framing pitches by moving his catcher's mitt towards the strike zone after having caught a pitch, in an effort to influence the umpire to call a strike.[11] O'Farrell had an even better year offensively in 1923, producing career-highs in home runs (12), runs batted in (80), stolen bases (10) along with a .319 batting average.[1]

In July 1924, O'Farrell suffered a fractured skull when a foul ball broke his catcher's mask.[12] He had asked a club house attendant to bring him a newer mask however, not wanting to delay the game, decided to continue to play with the older mask when he was struck in the head.[12] He missed most of the season, and lost his job when future Baseball Hall of Famer Gabby Hartnett played well in his absence.[13] The Cubs decided to keep Hartnett as their starting catcher and traded O'Farrell to the St. Louis Cardinals at the start of the 1925 season for Mike Gonzalez and Howard Freigau.

O'Farrell experienced the highlight of his career in 1926 when he hit for a .293 average with a career-high 30 doubles, 7 home runs and 68 runs batted in as he helped the Cardinals clinch the National League pennant.[1][14] He also led National League catchers in games caught and in putouts.[15] In the 1926 World Series against the New York Yankees, O'Farrell produced a .301 batting average but, is remembered for throwing out Babe Ruth trying to steal second base for the last out of the seven-game series as the Cardinals claimed their first-ever world championship.[16][17] In November, he was voted the winner of the 1926 National League Most Valuable Player Award with 79 out of the possible 80 votes.[18][19] He was the first catcher to win a Most Valuable Player Award.

In December 1926, the Cardinals traded their manager Rogers Hornsby to the New York Giants for Frankie Frisch and Jimmy Ring while O'Farrell was named player-manager.[20] He led the Cardinals to a second place finish, behind the Pittsburgh Pirates even though the Cardinals won three more games than the previous season.[21] He only played in 61 games that season because of a sore arm.[21] The owner of the Cardinals at that time, Sam Breadon was unhappy that the Cardinals didn't win the pennant, and that O'Farrell was leaving his pitchers in too long during games.[22] He was given a $5,000 bonus to step down and replaced by Bill McKechnie.[23] O'Farrell was traded to the New York Giants for George Harper in May 1928.[24] The trade caught many observers by surprise as, it left the Cardinals without an experienced catcher while the Giants had a surplus of catchers.[25]

O'Farrell played as a part-time catcher for the Giants, sharing catching duties with Shanty Hogan during John McGraw's final four years as manager of the club.[26] He hit for a .306 batting average in 1929 and followed that with a .301 average in 1930.[1] By the 1931 season, the 34 year old O'Farrell was past his prime as his batting average dipped to .224.[1] In October 1932, O'Farrell was traded back to the St. Louis Cardinals for catcher Gus Mancuso as part of new Giants manager Bill Terry's rebuilding campaign.[27] He spent one season serving as backup catcher to Jimmie Wilson before being traded to the Cincinnati Reds in January 1934.[1]

The General Manager of the Reds, Larry MacPhail, named O'Farrel as the team's player-manager.[28] By July, the Reds had fallen to last place in the National League standings and, on July 27, O'Farrell requested his unconditional release from the team.[29] It was later reported that after the Reds had lost nine consecutive games, O'Farrell was engaged in a conversation with MacPhail when he quipped, "Well, you can't win 'em all." A supposedly infuriated MacPhail hired Charlie Dressen as the new Reds manager the following day.[30] In August, he returned to the Chicago Cubs where he worked as a backup catcher to Gabby Hartnett.[31] O'Farrell was released by the Cubs at the end of the year and signed to play with the Cardinals for the 1935 season. He appeared in only 14 games for the Cardinals, playing his final major league game on September 23 at the age of 38, and was released by the Cardinals in December 1935.[1][32] O'Farrell played two more seasons in the minor leagues with the Rochester Red Wings.[5] In 1938 he managed the Bloomington Bloomers before retiring from professional baseball at the age of 41.

Career statistics
Batting average .273
Hits 1120
RBI 549
Teams

Chicago Cubs (1915-1925, 1934)
St. Louis Cardinals (1925-1928, 1933, 1935)
New York Giants (1928-1932)
Cincinnati Reds (1934)

Career highlights and awards

1926 National League Most Valuable Player

[Old Sweater]

First Team, First Baseman, George Kelly



http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/2388/200pxgeorgekelly.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Kelly_%28baseball%29

George Lange Kelly (September 10, 1895 - October 13, 1984), nicknamed "High Pockets," was a Major League Baseball first baseman.

Kelly entered the majors briefly in the mid-1910s, beginning in 1915 with the New York Giants, but he wasn't a regular in their line-up until 1920, when he had a league-leading 94 RBIs. In 1921, Kelly began a string of successful years individually and with his team. Kelly drove in 100 or more runs for four consecutive seasons and batted .300 or higher six consecutive seasons. The Giants appeared in the World Series in 1921, 1922, 1923, and 1924, and won in 1921 and 1922.

Kelly was traded to the Cincinnati Reds prior to the 1927 season for Edd Roush. His production declined somewhat in Cincinnati, to the point where he spent part of 1930 and all of 1931 with the minor-league Minneapolis Millers. Kelly retired after the 1932 season as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Kelly shares the National League record with seven home runs in six consecutive games, set in 1924.

Kelly was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 1973. He was elected by the Veteran's Committee, which included two of his former teammates, Frankie Frisch and Bill Terry. Charges of cronyism would lead to the Veteran's Committee having its powers reduced in subsequent years. Kelly has been called "the worst player in the Hall of Fame" by baseball historian Bill James.

Career statistics
Batting average .297
Home runs 148
Runs batted in 1020
Teams

New York Giants (1915-1917, 1917-1926)
Pittsburgh Pirates (1917)
Cincinnati Reds (1927-1930)
Chicago Cubs (1930)
Brooklyn Dodgers (1932)

Career highlights and awards

2x World Series champion: (1921, 1922)
National League pennant: 1923, 1924
National League home run champion: 1921
National League RBI champion: 1920, 1924

HOF, 1973, Veterans Committee

I find it ironic that Bill James calls George Kelly the worst player in the HOF, and he is on one of his first team All Decade Teams. I've seen some worse stats since I have been posting these bio's.

[Old Sweater]

First Team, Second Baseman, Rogers Hornsby



http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/2057/200pxrogershornsby.jpg

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

Rogers Hornsby, Sr. (April 27, 1896 – January 5, 1963) was an American Major League Baseball infielder, manager, and coach. Nicknamed "The Rajah", he played 23 seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals (1915–1926, 1933), New York Giants (1927), Boston Braves (1928), Chicago Cubs (1929–1932), and St. Louis Browns (1933–1937). Hornsby accumulated 2,930 hits, 301 home runs, and a .358 batting average during his career, was named the National League's Most Valuable Player (MVP) two times, and was a member of one World Series championship team.

Hornsby's major league career started when the St. Louis Cardinals signed him in 1915. He remained with the Cardinals until 1926, and he won a World Series with the team that year. After the season, he was traded to the New York Giants. He spent one season with them before getting traded to the Boston Braves, and he spent one season with the Braves before getting traded to the Chicago Cubs. He played with the Cubs until they released him in 1932. He then re-signed with the Cardinals in 1933, but he was claimed off waivers by the St. Louis Browns during the season. He remained with the Browns until his final season in 1937. Hornsby managed each of these teams all or part of the time that he played for them, and he also managed the Browns and the Cincinnati Reds in the 1950s after his career had ended.

Hornsby was one of the best batters ever to play major league baseball. His career batting average of .358 is second only to Ty Cobb in major league history. He also won two Triple Crowns, and he batted .400 or more three times during his career. He is the only player to hit 40 home runs and bat .400 in the same year (1922). His batting average for the 1924 season was .424, a mark that no player since has matched. He was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1942.

Early life

Hornsby was born in Winters, Texas, the last of Ed and Mary Hornsby's six children.[1] His first name Rogers was his mother's maiden name.[1] When Hornsby was two, his father died of unknown circumstances.[1] Four years later, the surviving Hornsbys moved to Fort Worth, Texas, so Hornsby's brothers could get jobs in the meat packing industry to support the family.[2]

Hornsby started playing baseball at a very young age; he once said, "I can't remember anything that happened before I had a baseball in my hand."[2] He took a job with Swift and Company team as a messenger boy when he was ten years old, and he also served as a substitute infielder on their baseball team.[3] By the age of 15, Hornsby was already playing for several semipro teams.[4] He also played baseball for North Side High School until tenth grade, when he dropped out to take a full-time job at the Swift and Company Plant.[5] While he was in high school, Hornsby also played alongside famous college football player Bo McMillin on the football team.

Minor league career

In 1914, Hornsby had his older brother Everett, a minor league baseball player for many years, arrange for him to get a tryout with the Texas League's Dallas Steers. He made the team, but he never played in any of their games and was released after only two weeks.[6] Following his dismissal, he signed with the Hugo Scouts of the Class D Texas-Oklahoma League as their shortstop for 75 dollars a month. The Scouts folded a third of the way through the season, however, and Hornsby's contract was sold to the Denison Champions of the same league for $125.[6] With both teams in 1914, Hornsby batted .232 and committed 45 errors in 113 games.

In 1915, the Denison team changed its name to the Denison Railroaders and joined the Western Association. They also raised Hornsby's salary to 90 dollars a month.[6] Hornsby's average improved that season to .277 in 119 games, but he made 58 errors. However, only four Western Association players managed to bat over .300. Also, his contributions helped the Railroaders to win the Western Association pennant.[7] Following the season, a writer from The Sporting News wrote that Hornsby was one of fewer than a dozen Western Association players to show any major league potential.

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/387/150pxrhornsby.jpg

^^^ Rogers Hornsby with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1917.

St. Louis Cardinals 1915-1919

During spring training in 1915, the St. Louis Cardinals noticed Hornsby while they were playing an exhibition series against the Railroaders. The Cardinals had been struggling with finances, partly because of competition from the St. Louis Browns of the American League and the St. Louis Terriers of the Federal League. Because of this, Cardinals' manager Miller Huggins told the Cardinals' only scout, Bob Connery, to look for minor leaguers that might help the team to fill the club's roster. For this reason, the Cardinals purchased Hornsby's contract from Denison in September and added him to their major league roster, despite the fact that his only professional baseball experience was in Class D.[8] Hornsby's first game came on September 10, when he relieved Art Butler at shortstop in a 7-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.[9] He started a game for the first time on September 13, and he got his first hit the next day against Rube Marquard of the Brooklyn Robins.[10] Hornsby finished the season with a .246 average in 57 at-bats, while the Cardinals finished in sixth place in the National League (NL).

Hornsby had been used as a shortstop in 1915, but the Cardinals picked up Roy Corhan from the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League to play at shortstop in 1916. However, Hornsby had a great performance in spring training, and a shoulder injury to Corhan and poor hitting by Art Butler, the other shortstop candidate, led to Hornsby being the starting shortstop on Opening Day.[11] He had both runs batted in (RBI) in the Cardinals' 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates that day.[12] On May 14, he hit his first major league home run against Jeff Pfeffer of Brooklyn.[12] Although he had started the year at shortstop, he played a game at every infield position before finally settling in at third base for much of the second half of the year.[13] Late in the season, he missed eleven games with a sprained ankle.[14] He finished 1916 with a .313 average, fourth in the National League, and he was one short of the league lead in triples with 15.

Corhan returned to San Francisco in 1917, and Butler was released, so Hornsby returned to the shortstop position.[14] He was called away from the team on May 29 because his brother, William Hornsby, had been shot in a saloon. Rogers attended the funeral on June 1 and returned to the Cardinals on June 3.[15] With new stability in his defensive assignment that year, he did even better behind the plate: his .327 batting average was second in the league, and he led the league in triples (17), total bases (253), and slugging percentage (.484).

Many baseball players were drafted to fight in World War I in 1918, but Hornsby was given deferment status by the government because he was supporting his family.[16] During the offseason, Miller Huggins, unhappy with the Cardinals' management, left the team to manage the New York Yankees. Because of this, he was replaced by Jack Hendricks, who had managed the Indianapolis Indians to a pennant in the American Association the previous year.[17] However, Hornsby lacked confidence in Hendricks's ability to run the Cardinals, and the two men developed animosity towards each other.[18] Under Hendricks, his batting average dipped to .281.[19] He was still among the league leaders in triples and slugging percentage, but following the year, he announced that he would never play under Hendricks again. Hendricks was subsequently fired after the season and replaced by Branch Rickey, who was also the president of the Cardinals at that time.[19] Hornsby's status changed to Class 1 during the year (meaning he would have to find a war-essential job), but the end of the war meant that Hornsby did not miss any playing time as a result of military service.[19] During the year, on June 17, Hornsby hit a St. Louis citizen named Frank G. Rowe with his Buick when Rowe stepped out in front of traffic to cross an intersection. Rowe sued Hornsby for 15 thousand dollars, but Hornsby eventually managed to settle for a smaller, undisclosed amount, and the case was dismissed.[20] On September 23, he married Sarah Martin in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[21]

In 1919, Rickey tried converting Hornsby into a second baseman in spring training bcause of the Cardinals' acquisition of shortstop Doc Lavan, but Hornsby wound up playing at third base for most of the year.[22] He started off slow behind the plate, but his average began improving by June.[23] By the end of the year, his average of .318 was second highest in the league, and he also finished second in total bases and runs batted in.

1920-1926

In 1920, Rickey succeeded in moving Hornsby to second base, and he remained there for the rest of his career.[24] He started the year with a fourteen game hitting streak.[25] On June 4, he had two triples and two RBI as the Cardinals defeated the Chicago Cubs 5-1.[26] The game was significant because it ended Hall of Famer Grover Cleveland Alexander's eleven game winning streak.[25] After the game, Alexander said of Hornsby, "Hornsby is the greatest hitter I've ever had to face. I've tried to fool him every way possible, but it just cannot be done. Personally, I don't think a more skillful man ever stepped up to the plate."[25] Hornsby finished the season with the first of seven batting titles by hitting .370, and he also led the league in on-base percentage (.431), slugging percentage (.559), hits (218), total bases (329), doubles (44), and RBI (94). During the offseason, his son Rogers Hornsby, Jr., was born.[27]

The new live-ball era reached the NL in 1921, and it helped Hornsby, along with other hitters, hit for increased power. He hit .397 in 1921, and his 21 home runs were second in the league, and more than twice his total in any previous season. He also led the league in on-base percentage (.458), slugging percentage (.639), runs (131), RBI (126), doubles (44), and triples (18). The Cardinals had a Rogers Hornsby Day on September 30 before a home game against Pittsburgh, and they presented Hornsby with multiple awards before the game. The Cardinals beat the Pirates 12-4 that day as Hornsby homered and had two doubles.[28]

Prior to the 1922 season, Hornsby sought a three-year contract for 25,000 dollars per season. After negotiating with management, he settled for a three-year, 18,500 dollar contract, which still made him the highest-paid player in league history.[29] He then became the only player in history to hit over 40 home runs and bat over .400 in the same season.[30] On August 5, he set a new National League record when he hit his 28th home run off of Jimmy Ring of the Philadelphia Phillies.[31][32] From August 13 through September 19, he had a 33 game hitting streak.[33] He finished the year with a new record of 42 home runs, and he also set NL records in hits (250) and slugging percentage (.722). He won the first of his two triple crowns that year, and he led the league in batting average (.401), RBI (152), on-base percentage (.459), doubles (46), and runs scored (141). His 450 total bases was the highest mark for any National League player during the 20th century. On defense, Hornsby led the league in putouts, double plays, and fielding percentage.

On June 12, 1923, Hornsby divorced his wife because he had been having an affair with another woman named Jeanette Pennington Hine. They were married on February 28, 1924.[34] On May 8, he suffered an injury to his left knee in a game against the Phillies when he turned to make a throw.[35] He returned ten days later, but the injury still lingered, and he was removed from a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 26 to be examined by Robert Hyland, the Cardnals' physician.[35] Hyland had Hornsby's knee placed in a cast for two weeks, after which he returned to the Cardinals.[35] During a game in August, Hornsby threw up his hands in disgust in response to a sign flashed by Rickey. After the game, he and Rickey got in a fight in the clubhouse, but teammates quickly broke it up. Hornsby missed several games late in the year with injuries that the Cardinals (and Hyland) did not believe to be serious, though, and he was fined 500 dollars and suspended for the last five games of the year.[36] However, Hornsby still won his fourth consecutive National League batting title by batting .384. He also repeated as the leader in on-base percentage (.459) and slugging percentage (.627).

Hornsby raised his average to .424 in 1924, which is the sixth highest batting average in a single season in MLB history (and the 20th century NL record). He also led the league with 89 walks, producing a .507 on-base percentage. His slugging percentage of .696 again led the league, as did his 121 runs scored, 227 hits, and 43 doubles. He also managed to hit 25 home runs that season. That year, the National League reintroduced its Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. Although Hornsby was expected to win the award, it went to Dazzy Vance instead. It turned out that Cincinnati voter Jack Ryder had left Hornsby's name off his ballot altogether, because he believed Hornsby was an MVP to himself, but not to his team.[37] In 1962, the Baseball Writers Association of America finally made up for Ryder's decision by presenting Hornsby with an award retroactively recognizing him as the 1924 MVP.[38]

In 1925, Sam Breadon, the owner of the Cardinals, began looking to replace Rickey as the manager. He offered Hornsby the job at first, but Hornsby declined. Then, when Hornsby found out that Rickey planned to sell his stock in the Cardinals if he was replaced as field manager, Hornsby agreed to take the job as long as Breadon would help him purchase the stock. Breadon agreed, and Hornsby became the Cardinals' manager.[39] Hornsby finished the year with his second Triple Crown, when he combined a .403 batting average with 39 home runs and 143 RBI. He bested teammate Jim Bottomley in the batting title race by nearly forty points.[40] This year, he managed to win the MVP Award, receiving 73 out of 80 possible votes.[41] His .756 slugging percentage set an NL record.[42] Meanwhile, the Cardinals finished in fourth place.[43] During the year, his wife Jeanette had a son, Billy.[44]

1926 was an off-year for Hornsby offensively, as he hit only .317 with 11 home runs. Nonetheless, St. Louis won its first-ever National League pennant. The Cardinals defeated the New York Yankees in a seven-game World Series, with Hornsby tagging out Babe Ruth on a stolen base attempt to end the Series and give St. Louis its first world championship.[45] Following the season, Hornsby was due for a new contract, and he demanded a three-year, 50,000 dollar contract. However, Cardinals owner Sam Breadon was only willing to give Hornsby a one-year contract for the 50,000 he wanted. When Hornsby refused to budge, the Cardinals traded him to the New York Giants for Frankie Frisch and Jimmy Ring on December 20, 1926.[46] The trade was postponed for a little while, however, because National League president John Heydler that Hornsby could not play with the Giants while he held stock in the Cardinals. Hornsby wanted 105 dollars per share of his stock, which was more than Cardinals owner Sam Breadon wanted to give him. Finally, though, shortly before 1927 started, Hornsby was able to sell his shares at 105 dollars each, enabling him to become a Giant.

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/6136/150pxrogershornsbyswing.jpg

^^^ Rogers Hornsby (pictured on a 1922 baseball card) takes a swing.

New York Giants
[edit] 1927

Hornsby enjoyed a better season in 1927, as he hit .361 and led the league in runs scored (133), walks (86), and on-base percentage (.448). He managed the Giants part of the year as well, due to health problems with John McGraw, the actual manager of the Giants.[48] His performance helped guide the Giants to a 92-62 record during the season, which was good enough for third place in the National League. However, Hornsby's gambling problems (among other things) annoyed Charles Stoneham, the owner of the Giants. As a result, in the offseason he was traded to the Boston Braves for Jimmy Welsh and Shanty Hogan.

Boston Braves 1928

With the Braves in 1928, Hornsby was again the league's most productive hitter, winning his seventh batting title with a .387 average, and also leading the league in on-base percentage (.498), slugging percentage (.632), and walks (107). One month into the season, manager Jack Slattery resigned, and the Braves hired Hornsby to be his replacement.[50] The Braves did not do very well, however, as they finished in seventh place in the NL. The Braves were struggling off the field with financial matters, too, and on November 7 they traded Hornsby to the Chicago Cubs for 200,000 dollars and five players.

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/360/115px1929r315hornsby.png

^^^ Rogers Hornsby during his tenure with the Chicago Cubs. (Note: Hornsby's first name is misspelled on the front of the card.)

Chicago Cubs 1929-1932

Hornsby hit .380 in 1929 for Chicago while recording 39 home runs and leading the league with a .679 slugging percentage and 156 runs scored. The .380 batting average set a Cubs team record.[52] He also collected another Most Valuable Player award, and the Cubs won the National League pennant. However, they lost the World Series to the Philadelphia Athletics in five games, and Hornsby batted just .238 with one RBI.[53] He also set a World Series record for strikeouts, with eight.

In 1930, Hornsby was batting .325 with two home runs by May 30. However, in the first game of a doubleheader against the Cardinals, Hornsby broke his ankle while advancing to third base.[55] He did not return until August 19, and he was used mostly as a pinch-hitter for the rest of the season. However, he was named the team's manager when Joe McCarthy was fired with four games to go in the season.[56] Hornsby finished the year with a .308 batting average and two home runs.

On April 24, 1931, Hornsby hit three home runs and drove in eight in a 10-6 victory over Pittburgh.[57] Hornsby played in 44 of the first 48 games, but after slumping he only played himself about half the time for the rest of the year.[58] In 100 games, he still had 90 RBI and hit 37 doubles, with a batting average of .331. He also led the league in on-base percentage (.421) for the ninth time in his career. However, 1931 was his last year as a full-time player. Meanwhile, Hornsby's Cubs finished 84-70, 17 games back of the pennant-winning Cardinals, and four games back of the Giants.

In 1932, Hornsby's feet were bothering him,[59] and he did not play his first game until May 29.[60] Hornsby played right field from May 29 to June 10, appeared in two games as a pinch hitter, played third base from July 14 through July 18, and played one last game as a Cub when he pinch-hit on July 31.[60] On August 2, although the Cubs were in second place, Hornsby was released, and Charlie Grimm replaced him as manager.[61] The release occurred because William Veeck, Sr., who was running the team, was not happy with the way Hornsby was managing the Cubs.[61] In 19 games, Hornsby had batted .224 with one home run and seven RBI. Although the Cubs made the World Series that year, the players voted not to give Hornsby any of the World Series money.

St. Louis Cardinals and Browns 1933-1937

Hornsby did not play again for the rest of 1932, but the Cardinals signed him on October 24 for the 1933 season. That year, he began operating a baseball school in Hot Springs, Texas, that he would run from 1933 to 1942 and 1948 to 1951 with various associates.[63] Hornsby would be used only as a player, though; the Cardinals did not want him as a manager.[61] He played regularly at second base from April 25 through May 5, but he was used mostly as a pinch hitter with the Cardinals. On July 22, he had his final National League hit in a 9-5 loss to the Braves.[64] Through July 23, Hornsby was batting .325 with two home runs and 21 RBI. However, the Cardinals chose to place him on waivers.[65]

Hornsby went unclaimed by any National League team, but he was claimed by the last place St. Louis Browns on July 26. He was claimed because Phil Ball, owner of the Browns, wanted him to replace Bill Killefer, who had just resigned, as manager.[66] Hornsby appeared in 11 games for the Browns. He had three hits, including a home run, in nine at-bats. However, the Browns finished in last place in the American League.

In 1934, Hornsby started only two games, one at third base, and the other in right field. In all of his other appearances, he was a pinch hitter.[67] However, he batted .304 with one home run and 11 RBIs. The Browns improved on their previous season, but they finished in sixth place. Hornsby started four of the ten games he played in 1935. From April 16 through April 21, he started at first base, and he started at third base on May 22.[68] He finished the year with five hits and a .208 average. Meanwhile, the Browns slipped to seventh place.

In 1936, Hornsby only appeared in two games with the team. On May 31, his pinch-hit single in the ninth inning gave the Browns an 11-10 win over the Detroit Tigers.[69] In his other appearance on June 9, he played first base in a 5-3 win over the Yankees.[70] Meanwhile, the Browns again finished in seventh place. In 1937, Hornsby played in 20 games. On April 21, in his first game of the year, Hornsby hit the final home run of his career in a 15-10 victory over the Chicago White Sox.[71] On July 5, he had the final hit of his career in a 15-4 loss in the second game of a doubleheader with the Cleveland Indians.[72] In his next game on July 20, he appeared in his final game in a 5-4 loss to the Yankees. Afterwards, on July 21, 1937, Hornsby was released by the Browns, who were in last place at the time of his release. An incident with Browns' owner Donald Barnes also had to do with his release.[73] On July 15, Hornsby won 35,000 dollars from betting on a horse race.[73] When he tried to use 4,000 dollars of this money to pay off a debt to Barnes, Barnes refused it, since it had come from a bookmaker.[73] Hornsby protested to Barnes, "The money is as good as the money you take from people in the loan-shark business. It's better than taking interest from widows and orphans."[73] That made his release five days later an easy decision for Barnes.[73] Hornsby finished the 1937 season with a .321 batting average and 11 hits in twenty games.

Later baseball career

Following his release from the Browns, Hornsby was unable to retire because his gambling had lost him much of his money over the years.[73] He signed as a player-coach with the Baltimore Orioles of the International League in 1938 before leaving them to manage (and play for) the Chattanooga Lookouts of the Southern Association for the rest of the season. Hornsby then returned to the Orioles to manage them for 1939, but he did not return to the club following the season.[74] Halfway through 1940, he signed to manage the Oklahoma City Indians of the Texas League. He led them from last place to the Texas League playoffs, where they fell to the Houston Buffaloes in four games. Hornsby began 1941 managing the Indians once again, but he resigned in the middle of the season. In November, he became the general and field manager of the Fort Worth Cats, also of the Texas league.[75] Fort Worth fininshed in third place and made the playoffs in 1942, but they were eliminated in the first round by the Shreveport Sports.[76]

Hornsby went unsigned by any team in 1943, but he signed as a player-manager with the Vera Cruz Blues of La Liga Mexicana in Mexico in 1944. After hitting a game-winning grand slam for the second win of a series in March, he resigned when the team owner complained that the win would diminish the crowd for the third game of the series.[77] Following his release, he did some commentary for radio station WTMV, assisted the Cleveland Indians in spring training in 1947,[78] and became a TV announcer for Chicago Cubs games in 1949.[79]

Hornsby did not become a manager or coach again until 1950, when he was hired to manage the Texas League's Beaumont Roughnecks. Beaumont won the pennant, but they were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the San Antonio Missions.[80] The next year, in 1951, Hornsby managed the Seattle Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League. Under Hornsby's leadership, the Rainiers won the pennant.[81]

In 1952, Hornsby was again hired to manage the St. Louis Browns. He was not well received by the players, however. On June 9, he was fired due to a disagreement with Bill Veeck, owner of the Browns, over an incident against the New York Yankees the day before. During the game, a fan prevented Gil McDougald of the Yankees from catching a fly ball, and the umpire ruled that it was fan interference. Hornsby did not initially argue the call, and a few minutes later Veeck forced him to do it (when it was already too late to do anything about it). This led to Hornsby and the Browns parting ways. The Browns players were so happy about Hornsby's firing that they gave Veeck an engraved trophy to thank him.[82]

A little over a month later, on July 26, Hornsby was hired to replace Luke Sewell as manager of the Cincinnati Reds. After two mediocre seasons with the club, the Reds announced that Hornsby would not return for 1954.[83] He finished his MLB managerial career with a record of 701-812.[84] Following his dismissal, Hornsby worked as a coach for the Chicago Cubs from 1958 to 1960 before becoming a scout and third base coach for the New York Mets in 1962.[85][86] In 1963, Hornsby died of a heart attack. He was buried in the Hornsby family cemetery in Hornsby Bend, Texas.

Legacy as a player

Hornsby is known as one of the greatest hitters of all-time. His lifetime batting average of .358 is only exceeded by Ty Cobb's career mark of .367. He won seven batting titles in total, a feat tied or exceeded by only five players (Ty Cobb (11), Tony Gwynn (8), Honus Wagner (8), Rod Carew (7), and Stan Musial (7)). Hornsby led the National League in slugging percentage nine times, a record that still stands. He also hit more home runs, drove in more runs, and had a higher batting average than any other National League player during the 1920s, which makes him one of four players in baseball history (along with Honus Wagner, Ted Williams, and Albert Pujols) to win a "decade" triple crown.[89] He hit a career total of 301 home runs and was the first National League player to hit 300.[90] His 264 homers as a second baseman was a major league record for that position until Joe Morgan surpassed him in 1984.[91] Hornsby was also a very consistent hitter whether he was playing at home or on the road. His lifetime home batting average was .359, and his lifetime away batting average was .358. Ted Williams said that Hornsby was the greatest hitter for power and average in baseball,[92] and Frankie Frisch said of him, "He's the only guy I know who could hit .350 in the dark."[90] Hornsby also holds second-place on the unofficial major league record list of "consecutive games with two or more hits" with 13 games,[93] first-place honors going to Count Campau's 15 game streak.[94] Hornsby is the only right-handed batter in history to hit over .400 three times[95] and is considered to be the greatest right-handed hitter in history.[96] He led the National League in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and total bases every year from 1920 to 1925.

Hornsby was also renowned for his speed. Hall of Fame player and manager Al Lopez said in the Chicago American in 1963, "He was one of the speediest men we ever had in baseball."[96] Pie Traynor said that Hornsby would have beaten Mickey Mantle to first base from the right hand batter's box.[96] Hornsby did not try to steal very often but used his speed to take extra bases. Between 1916 and 1927 Hornsby had 30 inside-the-park home runs, and he led the league with 17 triples in 1917 and 18 triples in 1921; he had 20 triples in 1920.

However, Hornsby was often hard to get along with. He usually left a team because he annoyed the team's owner. Most of the players he managed did not like him, although some (like Woody English and Clint Courtney) did.[98] Hornsby never played cards, but he did bet frequently on horse races, and he lost more than he won.[99] His gambling was often a factor in his dismissal from a team.[73] However, he never went to movies (because he was convinced that would harm a batter's eyesight), and he never smoked or drank.

Hornsby was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1942. In 1999, Hornsby was ranked ninth on The Sporting News list of Baseball's Greatest Players.[101] Later that year, he was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.[102] In 2001, writer Bill James ranked him as the 22nd greatest player in baseball history.[103] Hornsby has also been recognized on the St. Louis Walk of Fame.

Personal life

On September 23, 1918, Hornsby married Sarah Elizabeth Martin, whom he had known since he played for the Denison Railroaders.[105] They had a son, Rogers Hornsby, Jr., on November 15, 1920.[27] However, during 1922, he began seeing Jeanette Pennington Hine, who was married to an automobile-supply salesman named John Hine.[106] They each divorced their spouses in 1923 and were married on February 28, 1924.[34] As a result of the divorce, Sarah Hornsby took custody of Rogers Jr.

Rogers and Jeanette had a son, Billy, on June 2, 1925.[44] (Billy would play baseball for several years in the minor leagues, but he never reached the majors.)[107] However, they became estranged in December 1944.[108] After they became estranged, Hornsby began seeing a woman named Bernadette Harris, whom he called his "personal good friend and secretary," in 1945.[109] They began living together in 1948, and they lived together until Harris committed suicide by jumping out of a third-story window on September 7, 1953. The suicide was attributed to depression.[110]

Following Jeanette's death on June 1, 1956, Hornsby married Marjorie Bernice Frederick Porter on January 27, 1957.[111] They remained together until Hornsby's death in 1963.

Career statistics
Batting average .358
Hits 2,930
Home runs 301
Runs batted in 1584
Teams

As Player

St. Louis Cardinals (1915–1926, 1933)
New York Giants (1927)
Boston Braves (1928)
Chicago Cubs (1929–1932)
St. Louis Browns (1933–1937)

As Manager

St. Louis Cardinals (1925–1926)
New York Giants (1927)
Boston Braves (1928)
Chicago Cubs (1930–1932)
St. Louis Browns (1933–1937, 1952)
Cincinnati Reds (1952–1953)

Career highlights and awards

World Series champion (1926)
2× NL MVP (1925, 1929)
2× Triple Crown winner
Major League Baseball All-Century Team

HOF, 1942, BBWAA 78.1%

---------- Post added at 05:13 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:49 AM ----------


After they became estranged, Hornsby began seeing a woman named Bernadette Harris, whom he called his "personal good friend and secretary," in 1945.[109] They began living together in 1948, and they lived together until Harris committed suicide by jumping out of a third-story window on September 7, 1953. The suicide was attributed to depression.[110]


Must have been tougher to get along with then I thought.:)

[Old Sweater]

First Team, Third Baseman, Pie Traynor



http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/4091/200pxpietraynorgoudeyca.jpg

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

Harold Joseph "Pie" Traynor (November 11, 1898 - March 16, 1972) was an American professional baseball player.[1] He played his entire Major League Baseball career as a third baseman with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1920–37).[1] He batted and threw right-handed.[1] Following the Second World War, Traynor was often cited as the greatest third baseman in major league baseball history.[2][3][4] He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1948.

Playing career

Traynor was born in Framingham, Massachusetts to parents who had emigrated from Canada.[6] He received his nickname as a child in Somerville, Massachusetts because he frequented a grocery store and often asked for pie. The store owner called him "Pie Face", which was later shortened to Pie by his friends.[2] Traynor began his playing career in 1920 as a shortstop for the Portsmouth Truckers of the Virginia League.[7] He was asked by a Boston Braves scout to work out with the team at Braves Field but, the scout forgot to tell the Braves manager George Stallings.[8] Stallings proceeded to run Traynor off the field, telling him not to return.[8] Traynor made his major league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates at the age of 21 on September 15, 1920, appearing in 17 games that season.[1] He appeared in 10 games for the Pirates in 1921, but spent the majority of the season playing for the Birmingham Barons.[7] He posted a .336 batting average in 131 games for the Barons, but his defense was still a problem as he committed 64 errors as a shortstop.[6][7]

Traynor became the Pirates regular third baseman in 1922, hitting for a .282 batting average with 81 runs batted in.[1] Following the advice of Rogers Hornsby, he began using a heavier bat and blossomed into one of the National League's best hitters in 1923 when, he hit above .300 for the first time with a .338 batting average along with 12 home runs and 101 runs batted in.[1][6] With tutoring provided by team-mate Rabbit Maranville, his defense also began to improve, leading National League third basemen in putouts and assists.[6][9] In 1925, Traynor posted a .320 average with six home runs, 106 runs batted in and led the league in fielding percentage as the Pirates won the National League pennant by eight and a half games over the New York Giants.[1][10] In the 1925 World Series, he hit .347 including a home run off future Hall of Fame pitcher Walter Johnson as the Pirates defeated the Washington Senators in a seven-game series.[11][12] Traynor ended the season eighth in Most Valuable Player Award balloting.[13] His 41 double plays in 1925, set a National League record for third basemen that stood for 25 years.[6]

The Pirates won the pennant again in 1927 with Traynor hitting .342 with five home runs and 106 runs batted in, but they would lose to the New York Yankees in the 1927 World Series.[1][14] In November of that year, members of the Baseball Writers Association of America selected him as the third baseman for the 1927 all-star major league team.[15] Traynor hit .337 and produced a career-high 124 runs batted in during the 1928 season despite hitting only 3 home runs and, finished in sixth place in the National League Most Valuable Player Award balloting.[1] He continued to be a cornerstone for the Pirates, posting a .356 batting average in 1929, followed by a career-high .366 average in 1930.[1] In 1933 Major League Baseball held its inaugural All-Star Game and, Traynor was selected as a reserve player for the National League team.[16][17] Traynor's last full season was in 1934 when he hit over .300 for the ninth time in ten seasons, and was named as the starting third baseman for the National League in the 1934 All-Star Game.[1][18] During the 1934 season, his throwing arm was injured in a play at home plate and his defense began to suffer as a result.[6] Traynor played his final game on August 14, 1937.

Career statistics

In a 17 year major league career, Traynor played in 1941 games, accumulating 2,416 hits in 7,559 at bats for a .320 career batting average along with 58 home runs, 1,273 runs batted in and an on base percentage of .362.[1] He retired with a .946 fielding percentage.[1] Traynor was not a home run hitter - he reached a high of 12 in 1923 - but had high numbers of doubles and triples, hitting 371 doubles and 164 triples lifetime and leading the league in triples in 1923, with 19.[1] He hit over .300 ten times and, had over 100 runs batted in (RBI) in a season seven times.[1] Among major league third basemen, his seven seasons with more than 100 runs batted in is second only to the nine seasons by Mike Schmidt.[19] Chipper Jones is the only other third baseman in history to match Traynor's five consecutive seasons with more than 100 runs batted in.[6] He had 208 hits in 1923, and was the last Pirate infielder with 200 or more hits until shortstop Jack Wilson, who had 201 hits in 2004. He struck out only 278 times in his career.[1]

Traynor was considered the best fielding third baseman of his era, leading the National League in fielding percentage once, assists and double plays three times and putouts seven times.[20] His 2,289 putouts ranks him fifth all-time among third basemen.[21] His 1,863 games played at third base was a major league record that would stand until 1960 when it was surpassed by Eddie Yost.[22] Traynor is also the only Major League Baseball player ever to steal home plate in an All-Star Game.[6] Traynor finished in the top ten in voting for the National League's Most Valuable Player Award six times during his career.

Managing career

Traynor became the Pirates player-manager during the 1934 season. He retired as an active player after the 1937 season, but continued on as the Pirates manager.[23] He almost won another pennant as a manager in 1938, as the Pirates led the National League for most of the season before faltering to the Chicago Cubs in the famous "Homer in the Gloamin'" game at Wrigley Field.[24] The loss of the pennant devastated Traynor.[6] He seemed to lose confidence in his team and, after a sixth place finish in 1939, he resigned after five seasons as the manager of the Pirates.

Post-retirement and legacy

After spending time as a scout for the Pirates, Traynor eventually took a job as a sports director for a Pittsburgh radio station in 1944.[6] His radio broadcasts became popular with Pittsburgh sports fans and, he remained at the job for 21 years.[6] In 1948, Traynor was selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, being the first third baseman to be chosen by the Baseball Writers Association of America.[5] In 1969, as part of the observance of the centennial of professional baseball, Traynor was named the third baseman on Major League Baseball's all-time team.[6] In 1971, he threw out the first pitch of Game 3 of the 1971 World Series at Three Rivers Stadium.[6]

Traynor's reputation as possibly the greatest third baseman of all time has been diminished in recent years, with the modern-era careers of third basemen such as Eddie Mathews, Brooks Robinson, Mike Schmidt and George Brett moving to the forefront in the memories of baseball fans. Baseball historian Bill James ranked Traynor only 15th all-time among third baseman in his Historical Baseball Abstract.[3] One notable difference between modern players and players from Traynor's era, was the difference in baseball gloves.[25] While modern players use webbed gloves, players during Traynor's era used gloves whose primary function was protection of the hands.[25] Instead of using his glove to backhand balls hit to his right, Traynor often snared them with his bare throwing hand.

He died at age 72 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, not long after the Pirates moved into Three Rivers Stadium and retired his uniform number 20.[26][27] In 1999, he ranked number 70 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.

Career statistics
Batting average .320
Hits 2,416
Runs batted in 1,273
Teams

As player

Pittsburgh Pirates (1920–1937)

As manager

Pittsburgh Pirates (1934–1939)

Career highlights and awards

2× All-Star selection (1933, 1934)
World Series champion (1925)
Pittsburgh Pirates #20 retired

HOF, 1948, BBWAA 76.9%, Fifth ballot

http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/9292/pietraynor.jpg

[Old Sweater]

First Team, Shortstop, Dave Bancroft



http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/5602/bancroft.jpg

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

David James "Beauty" Bancroft (April 20, 1891 – October 9, 1972) was an American baseball player who played Major League Baseball from 1915 to 1930. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Bancroft was born in Sioux City, Iowa. He broke into the major leagues in 1915 with the Philadelphia Phillies. Bancroft played shortstop for the Phillies until 1920 when he was traded to the New York Giants. He played for the Giants until 1924, when he was traded to the Boston Braves. Bancroft was a player-manager for the Braves for three seasons from 1925 until 1927. He then when he went to play for the Brooklyn Robins in 1928 and 1929. He ended his career in 1930 back with the Giants.

Following his majors career, Bancroft managed from 1948 through 1950 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League for the Chicago Colleens (1948) and South Bend Blue Sox (1949–1950).

Bancroft was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971 by the Veterans' Committee. Bancroft is still considered to be among the top fielders in baseball history.

Career statistics
Batting average .279
Hits 2004
Runs batted in 591
Teams

As Player

Philadelphia Phillies (1915-1920)
New York Giants (1920-1923, 1930)
Boston Braves (1924-1927)
Brooklyn Robins (1928-1929)

As Manager

Boston Braves (1924-1927)

Career highlights and awards

World Series Champion: 1921, 1922
National League pennant: 1915, 1923
5 seasons with a .300+ batting average
3 seasons with 100+ runs scored
Managerial record: 249-363

HOF, 1971, Veterans Committee

[Old Sweater]

First Team, Left Fielder, Zack Wheat



http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/6207/200pxzachwheat1911.jpg

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

Zachariah Davis "Zack" Wheat (May 23, 1888 – March 11, 1972), nicknamed "Buck",[1] was an American Major League Baseball left fielder. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1959.

A consistent hitter throughout his 19-year career, he still holds many Dodger franchise records. His brother McKinley "Mack" Wheat also played in the major leagues, and the two were teammates in Brooklyn for five seasons.

Career

Born in Hamilton, Missouri, Wheat began his professional baseball career in 1906 for Enterprise in the Kansas League, followed by Wichita in 1907, Shreveport Pirates of the Texas League in 1908, and finally, to round out his minor league career, he played for the Mobile Seas Gulls of the Southern Association in 1909.[3] It was during that 1909 season that the Brooklyn Superbas of the National League purchased Wheat for $1200,[3] and he made his Major League debut in September.[2] He batted with a corkscrew type of swing, and held his hands down near the end of the bat, unlike most hitters during his time, a time noted as the "Dead Ball Era". Even with his consistent high levels of hitting, he was also noted for his graceful and stylish defense.

Wheat played his first full season in 1910. He played every game for the Superbas that season as the regular left fielder, leading the league in games played.[2] He batted .284 that season, the second-lowest average of his career, which led the team, and was among the league leaders in hits,
doubles, and triples.[4] It was in 1911 that his reputation as a slugger began to take hold. Along with hitting .287, he finished eighth in the league with 13 triples, and slugged five home runs. In an era when players rarely hit double-digit home runs for a season, five was enough for people to take notice.[4]

Wheat continued his steady and consistent climb up the batting charts in 1912, hitting .305, and finished the season among the league leaders in home runs and slugging percentage.[1] Over the next four seasons, he continued to be among the leaders of many offensive categories; such as home runs, batting average, slugging, hits, doubles, triples, and RBIs. It was during the 1912 season that Wheat married Daisy Kerr Forsman, and she became his default agent, encouraging him to hold out for a better contract each season. Players in his day signed one-year contracts before every season. Each time he held out, he received more money, the club not wanting to lose one of its best players and the team's most popular player.[4] This tactic of threatening to hold out served him well during throughout his career, including during the World War I era, when he raised and sold mules to the United States Army as pack animals. He claimed that he did so well, that he didn't need to play during the summer. The team, fearing that they migh lose a great player during the prime of his career, would succumb to his demands every year.

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/3808/200pxzackwheat.jpg

^^^ Zack Wheat baseball card, 1911 Gold Borders (T205)

In 1916, he topped off the string of seasons with a finish in the top ten in all the above categories, topping the league in total bases and slugging.[1] He also had a career-high hitting streak, which reached 29 games.[4] The Brooklyn Robins won the National League pennant that season. In the World Series, they faced the Boston Red Sox, which had the formidable pitching rotation of Ernie Shore, Dutch Leonard, Carl Mays, and Babe Ruth. The Red Sox won the series four games to one, holding the Robins to a .200 batting average, and Wheat to a paltry .211

During the 1917 and 1918 seasons, Wheat hit well, but missed many games due to injuries. He had tiny feet, size 5, and this is believed to be the cause of the many nagging ankle injuries that caused to miss many games in his career.[4] He did, however, lead the league in batting average for the first and only time in his career with a .335 batting average, his highest average up to that point. Interestingly, for a player known as a slugger, and consistently in the top ten in most offensive categories including home runs, he hit zero that season, and just one the season prior.[1]

Starting in 1919, Wheat returned to the league slugging leaders once again, as the baseball began to become livelier, proved by the offensive output by the likes of Ruth, and Rogers Hornsby. The Robins made their second World Series appearance in 1920, this time facing off against the Cleveland Indians. The Robins lost this series as well, 5 games to 2, although Wheat's hitting greatly improved this time around, batting .333.[6] Wheat's statistics climbed during this new live era of baseball, reaching double-digit home runs for the first time with 14 in 1921, and again three more times in the next four years. Wheat hit .320 or higher every season from 1920 through 1925, topping out with .375 in consecutive seasons. He failed to lead the league in hitting those two seasons, not getting enough at bats in 1923 to qualify, and Hornsby topped the league with .384,[7] and in 1924, his .375 finished a distant second to Hornsby's .424.[8]

A subtle, but longstanding friction existed between Wheat and his manager, future Hall of Famer Wilbert Robinson. The friction reportedly stemmed from Robinson's belief that Wheat seemed to pursue the manager's job behind his back.[4] When owner Charles Ebbets died in 1925, new team president Ed McKeever re-assigned Robinson into the front office and named Wheat as player-manager. Newspapers confirm that he managed the Dodgers for two weeks.[4] McKeever caught pneumonia at Ebbets' funeral, and died soon afterward, and Robinson quickly returned to the managers position. As it turned out, Wheat never again managed in the majors, much to his disappointment. To add insult to injury, Wheat's 1925 managerial stint never made it into the official records. In 1931, Steve McKeever, Ed's brother, hired Wheat as a coach, leading to widespread speculation that Zack was being groomed for the manager's spot, threatening Robinson's job for a second time in seven years, and he treated his former star as coldly as ever.[4]

Wheat was signed by the Philadelphia Athletics after his release from Brooklyn in 1927. After the season, he was released again; this time he signed and played for the minor league Minneapolis Millers of the American Association. He played very little that season due to a heel injury, and retired from playing for good following the season.[3] He still holds the Dodger franchise records for hits, doubles, triples and total bases.

Post-career

After Wheat retired from baseball, he moved back to his 160-acre (0.65 km2) farm in Polo, Missouri, until the Great Depression forced him to sell it in 1932.[4] He moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where he operated a bowling alley[4] and later became a police officer.[3] It was during his duties as an officer in 1936, that he was chasing a fleeing felon in his vehicle, when he crashed and nearly died. Wheat spent five months in hospital after the accident, and after he was discharged, he moved his family to Sunrise Beach, Missouri, a resort town on the Lake of the Ozarks, to recuperate. It was here that he opened a 46-acre (190,000 m2) hunting and fishing resort.

Wheat was first voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1957, but could not be inducted, due to the fact that he had not been officially retired for the required 30 years. In 1959, the committee unanimously elected him.[4] In 1981, Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig included him in their book The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time. In 2006, the stretch of Route 13 that runs through Caldwell County, Missouri was named the Zach Wheat Memorial Highway.

Career statistics
Batting average .317
Hits 2,884
Home runs 132
Runs Batted In 1,248
Teams

Brooklyn Superbas / Dodgers / Robins (1909–1926)
Philadelphia Athletics (1927)

Career highlights and awards

Led NL in batting average in 1918 with .335

HOF, 1959, Veterans Committee

[Old Sweater]

First Team, Center Fielder, Edd Roush



http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/6854/eddroushbaseball.jpg

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

Edd J. Roush (May 8, 1893 - March 21, 1988) was a Major League Baseball player who was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. He played the majority of his career in center field.

Roush made his major league debut on August 20, 1913 for the Chicago White Sox. He switched to the fledgling Federal League in 1914 and spent two seasons with the Indianapolis Hoosiers, who became the Newark Pepper in 1915. In 1916, he split the season between the New York Giants and the Cincinnati Reds.

With the Reds from 1917 to 1926, the left-handed hitting Roush never batted below .321, and was an instrumental part of the team's World Series championship in 1919. He won the National League batting title in 1917 and 1919. His best career year in batting average was 1921, when he batted .352. He also led the leagues in Slugging average (.455) in 1918, in Doubles (41) in 1923, and in Triples (21) in 1924. He was renowned as having the best arm of any outfielder in his era. He held out most of the 1922 season over a salary dispute[1] that continued into spring 1923.[2]

Roush played for the New York Giants again from 1927 until 1929 and rejoined the Cincinnati Reds for a single season in 1931 before retiring. He sat out the 1930 season over a salary dispute.[1]

Roush finished his 18-year career with a .323 lifetime average, 268 stolen bases and 182 triples. He never struck out more than 25 times in a season and had 30 inside-the-park home runs.

Roush, who used a massive 48-ounce Louisville Slugger (the heaviest bat used in baseball), claims that he never broke a bat in his big league career.

In addition to Roush's selection into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 (chosen with Bill McKechnie), he is also a member of the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame, being inducted in 1960. Considered the greatest player in Reds' history at the time, he was invited to throw out the first ball at the last game at Crosley Field on June 24, 1970. Joe Morgan called Roush "the best of us all".

He died at the age of 94, still insisting that even if the White Sox had played the 1919 World Series on the level, the Reds would have won.

At the time of his death on March 21, 1988 in Bradenton, Florida, Edd Roush was the last surviving Federal League participant.

In 1981, Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig included him in their book The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time.

Career statistics
Batting average .323
Home runs 68
Runs batted in 981
Runs scored 1099
Teams

Chicago White Sox (1913)
Indianapolis Hoosiers (1914)
Newark Pepper (1915)
New York Giants (1916, 1927-1929)
Cincinnati Reds (1916-1926, 1931)

Career highlights and awards

World Series champion: 1919
National League batting champion: 1917, 1919
National League doubles leader: 1923

HOF, 1962, Veterans Committee

[Old Sweater]

First Team, Right Fielder, Ross Youngs



http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/1787/200pxrossyoungs.jpg

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

Ross Middlebrook Youngs (April 10, 1897 - October 22, 1927) was a Major League Baseball outfielder best known for his superb defense and consistent hitting.

Born in Shiner, Texas and educated at Texas Military Institute, Youngs made his major league debut in 1917 with the New York Giants and played his first full season in 1918, placing 6th in the league with a .302 batting average. Youngs batted .300 or higher in every season until 1925, and higher than .350 twice, scored 100 or more runs three times, and posted a career high 102 RBI in 1921 and 10 home runs in 1924. The Giants went to the World Series four consecutive years (1921–1924) and won twice (1921, 1922).

Youngs's career was abruptly cut short in 1926 when he was diagnosed with the kidney disorder which at the time was called Bright's disease. He played in 95 games that season and died the following year, on October 22, 1927, at the age of 30. Nevertheless, Youngs posted impressive numbers over his abbreviated ten year career, including 812 runs, 42 home runs, 592 RBI, 153 stolen bases and a .322 career batting average and .399 career on base percentage.

Youngs was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.

In 1981, Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig included him in their book The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time. They explained what they called "the Smoky Joe Wood Syndrome," where a player of truly exceptional talent but a career curtailed by injury or illness should still - in spite of not owning career statistics that would quantitatively rank him with the all-time greats - be included on their list of the 100 greatest players.

Career statistics
Batting average .322
Runs batted in 592
Runs scored 812
Stolen bases 153
Teams

New York Giants (1917-1926)

Career highlights and awards

2x World Series champion (1921,1922)
National League pennant: 1923, 1924
9 .300+ seasons (including 8 in a row)

HOF, 1972, Veterans Committee

---------- Post added at 02:32 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:30 AM ----------


In 1981, Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig included him in their book The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time. They explained what they called "the Smoky Joe Wood Syndrome," where a player of truly exceptional talent but a career curtailed by injury or illness should still - in spite of not owning career statistics that would quantitatively rank him with the all-time greats - be included on their list of the 100 greatest players.

Lot easier decision IMO, for Ritter & Honig then the Veterans Committee.

[Old Sweater]

First Team, Pitcher, Grover Cleveland Alexander



http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/3812/200pxgcalexanderretouch.jpg

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

Grover Cleveland Alexander (February 26, 1887 – November 4, 1950), nicknamed "Old Pete", was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and St. Louis Cardinals and was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1938.

Career

Alexander was born in Elba, Nebraska,[2] one of thirteen children. He played semi-pro ball in his youth, signing his first professional contract at age 20 in 1907 for $50 per month. In 1909 he played for the Galesburg (IL) Boosters in the Class D Illinois-Missouri League and went 15-8 that year. He had a good season, but his career was almost ended when he was struck by a thrown ball while baserunning.[2] Although this ended his 1909 season, he would recover by 1910 to become a star pitcher again, finishing with a 29-11 record for the Syracuse Stars in the Class B New York State League, before being sold to the Philadelphia Phillies for $750.[3]

Alexander made his Philadelphia debut during the pre-season 1911 City Series, pitching five-innings of no-hit, no-run baseball against the Athletics. He would make his official Major League debut on April 15, 1911.[4] He would be joined on the Phillies that year by catcher Bill Killefer, who went on to become Alexander's favorite receiver, catching 250 of his games.[5][6]

In his rookie year, Alexander led the league with 28 wins (a modern-day rookie record), 31 complete games, 367 innings pitched, and seven shutouts, while finishing second in strikeouts and fourth in ERA.[2] From 1912 to 1920, Alexander led the league in ERA five times (1915, 1916, 1917, 1919, and 1920), wins five times (1914–17, 1920), innings six times (1912, 1914–17, 1920), strikeouts six times (1912, 1914–1917, 1920), complete games five times (1914–1917, 1920), and shutouts five times (1915, 1916 [a single-season record 16], 1917, 1919).[2] He won pitching's Triple Crown in 1915, 1916, and 1920.[2] In 1915, he was instrumental in leading the Phillies to their first pennant,[2] and he also pitched a record four one-hitters. Although Alexander would pitch for 10 more seasons, he would only lead the national league one more time (shutouts in 1923) in a major statistical category.

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/4064/220pxgroverclevelandale.jpg

^^^ Alexander pitching for the Phillies

After the 1917 season, the Phillies sold Alexander to the Cubs, ostensibly fearful that he would be lost to the army in World War I, but as Phillies owner William Baker admitted later, "I needed the money". Sure enough Alexander was drafted,[citation needed] and spent most of the 1918 season in France as a sergeant with the 342nd Field Artillery. While there he suffered from shell shock, partial hearing loss, and increasingly worse seizures. Always a drinker, Alexander hit the bottle particularly hard after the war. He still gave Chicago several successful years, however, and grabbed another pitching triple crown in 1920. Finally tiring of his increasing drunkenness and insubordination, the Cubs sold him to the Cardinals in the middle of the 1926 season for the waiver price.[2] Then-Cubs manager, Joe McCarthy, said that the reason for the sale was, "The Cubs finished last last year and if they finish last again, I'd rather it be without [Alexander]."

The Cardinals won the National League pennant that year and met the New York Yankees in the World Series, where Alexander had arguably his finest moment. He pitched complete game victories in Games 2 and 6. According to teammate Bob O'Farrell in The Glory of Their Times, after the game six victory, Alexander managed to get drunk throughout the night and was still feeling the effects when he was sent out to pitch.[7] Alexander came to the game in the seventh inning of Game 7, after starter Jesse Haines developed a blister, with the Cardinals ahead 3–2, the bases loaded and two outs. Facing Yankee slugger Tony Lazzeri, Alexander struck him out and then held the Yankees scoreless for two more innings to preserve the win and give St. Louis the championship. He had one last 20-win season for the Cardinals in 1927, but his continued drinking finally did him in. He left major league baseball after a brief return to the Phillies in 1930, and pitched for the House of David until 1938.

Alexander attended game three of the 1950 World Series at Yankee Stadium where he saw the Phillies lose to the Yankees.[8] He died less than a month later on November 4, 1950 in St. Paul, Nebraska at the age of 63.

Milestones

Alexander's 90 shutouts are a National League record and his 373 wins are tied with Christy Mathewson for first in the National League record book. He is also third all time in wins, tenth in innings pitched (5190), second in shutouts, and eighth in hits allowed (4868). At the time of Alexander's final victory, in August 1929, the news media reported that he had broken Mathewson's career victories record of 372. In the 1940s, Mathewson was discovered to have qualified for an additional victory (May 21, 1902) and his total was officially upped to 373 and into a tie with Alexander.

In 1915, he won his first World Series game, for the Philadelphia Phillies. It would be 62 years before the Phillies won another postseason game, a record for futility that has yet to be equaled.

In 1999, he ranked number 12 on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was a nominee for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.

Alexander was elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame in 1938, the 3rd year of the Hall. Alexander was the only player elected that year.

Names / nicknames

Alexander was born during the first term of U.S. President Grover Cleveland.

Newspapers often mentioned his full name when writing about him, in addition to just "Grover". He was also sometimes called "Alec", and on occasions when he succeeded in grand fashion (as with the 1926 World Series), they would call him "Alexander the Great".

The origin of the nickname "Old Pete" is something of a mystery. It is uncertain how frequently Alexander was publicly called by that nickname during his playing days. On his 1940 Playball baseball card he was referred to as "Ol' Pete." In The World Series and Highlights of Baseball, by Lamont Buchanan, published in 1951, the year after Alexander died, on pp. 106–107 the author refers to "Pete Alexander" and "Ol' Pete" in a matter-of-fact way, suggesting the nickname was well-known. When he won his 373rd game on August 10, 1929, one newspaper had called him "old Pete", indicating that the nickname was in public circulation. (The Scrapbook History of Baseball, by Deutsch, Cohen, Johnson and Neft, Bobbs-Merrill, 1975, p. 131).

His nickname among old family friends in Nebraska was "Dode." (see "Grover Alexander and Bride Visit Home Folks," St. Paul Phonograph, St. Paul, Neb., April 24, 1919)

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/9913/170pxernieshoregrovercl.jpg

^^^ Ernie Shore and Alexander during the 1915 World Series

Quotes

"Grover Cleveland Alexander wasn't drunk out there on the mound, the way people thought. He was an epileptic. Old Pete would fall down with a seizure between innings, then go back and pitch another shutout." -Ty Cobb ("Cobb", by Al Stump)

Legacy

Alexander was the subject of the 1952 biographical film The Winning Team, in which he was played by Ronald Reagan. Baseball commentator Bill James called the film "an awful movie, a Reader's Digest movie, reducing the events of Alexander's life to a cliché." Nevertheless, Alexander has the distinction of being the namesake of one President of the United States and having been portrayed on film by an actor who later became President. At Warner Bros.' insistence, the word "epilepsy" was not mentioned in the film.

The block-letter "P" from the 1915 season uniforms was retired by the Phillies in 2001 to honor Alexander's Phillies career.

Career statistics
Win-Loss record 373–208
Earned run average 2.56
Strikeouts 2198
Teams

Philadelphia Phillies (1911–1917)
Chicago Cubs (1918–1926)
St. Louis Cardinals (1926–1929)
Philadelphia Phillies (1930)

Career highlights and awards

Notable Achievements

373 career wins (3rd all-time)
2.56 career ERA (48th all-time)
1.121 career whip (32nd all time)
Won 20 games or more 9 times, won 30 games or more 3 times.
Pitched 90 shutouts (2nd all time)
Won NL Pitcher's Triple Crown in 1915, 1916, and 1920
World Series champion (1926)
National League pennants (1915), (1918)


HOF, 1938, BBWAA 80.92%

[Old Sweater]

First Team, Pitcher, Burleigh Grimes



http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/3714/200pxburleighgrimesgoud.jpg

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

Burleigh Arland Grimes (August 18, 1893 – December 6, 1985) was an American professional baseball player, and the last pitcher officially permitted to throw the spitball. He was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1954. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964.

Career

Nicknamed "Ol' Stubblebeard", Grimes was born in Emerald, Wisconsin. Burleigh made his professional debut in 1913, in Ottumwa, Iowa, for the Ottumwa Packers in the Central Association. He made his major league debut on September 10, 1916, for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and in 1920, when the spitball was banned, he was named as one of the 17 established pitchers who would be allowed to continue to throw the pitch. The 26-year-old Grimes made the most of this advantage, and over the course of his 19-year career, won 270 games and pitched in four World Series. At the time of his retirement, he was the last of the 17 spitballers left in the league.

Grimes played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1916 - 1917), the Brooklyn Dodgers (1918-1926), the New York Giants (1927), the Pirates again (1928-1929), the Boston Braves (1930), the St. Louis Cardinals (the rest of 1930 and 1931), the Chicago Cubs (1932 and part of 1933), the Cardinals again (the rest of 1933 and part of 1934), the Pirates again (1934), and the New York Yankees (the last part of 1934).

According to Baseball Digest, the Phillies were able to hit him because they knew when he was throwing the spitter. The Dodgers were mystified about this; first they thought the relative newcomer of a catcher, Hank DeBerry, was unwittingly giving away his signals to the pitcher, so they substituted veteran Zack Taylor, to no avail. They suggested that a spy with binoculars was concealed in the scoreboard in old Baker Bowl in Philadelphia, reading the signals from a distance, but the Phils hit Grimes just as well in Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. A batboy solved the mystery by pointing out that Burleigh's cap was too tight. It sounded silly, but he was right. The tighter cap would wiggle when Grimes flexed his facial muscles to prepare the spitter. He got a cap a half-size larger and the Phillies were on their own after that.[citation needed]

Grimes was the manager of the Dodgers in 1937-38, compiling a two-year record of 131-171 (.434), with his teams finishing sixth and seventh respectively in the National League. He then remained in baseball for many years as a minor league manager and a scout. He managed the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League from 1942 to 1944, and again in 1952 and 1953, winning the pennant in 1943.

Personality

Grimes acquired a lasting field reputation for his temperament. He is listed in the Baseball Hall of Shame series for having thrown a ball at the batter in the on-deck circle.[1] His friends and supporters note that he was consistently a kind man when off the diamond. Others claim he showed a greedy attitude to many people who 'got on his bad side.' He would speak mainly only to his best friend Ivy Olson in the dugout, and would pitch only to a man named Mathias Schroeder before games. Schroeder's identity was not well known among many Dodger players, as many say he was just 'a nice guy from the neighborhood.'
[edit] Later life

Besides his election to the Hall of Fame in 1964, in 1981 Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig included Grimes in their book The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time.

Grimes died in Clear Lake, Wisconsin, at age of 92.

Career statistics
Win-Loss record 270-212
Earned run average 3.53
Strikeouts 1512
Teams

As Player

Pittsburgh Pirates (1916-1917)
Brooklyn Robins (1918-1926)
New York Giants (1927)
Pittsburgh Pirates (1928-1929)
Boston Braves (1930)
St. Louis Cardinals (1930-1931)
Chicago Cubs (1932-1933)
St. Louis Cardinals (1933-1934)
New York Yankees (1934)
Pittsburgh Pirates (1934)

As Manager

Brooklyn Dodgers (1937-1938)

Career highlights and awards

World Series champion: 1931
National League pennant: 1920, 1930, 1932
National League wins champion: 1921, 1928
National League strikeout champion: 1921
3-time National League innings pitched leader
4-time National League complete game leader
5 20-win seasons

HOF,1964, Veterans Committee

[Old Sweater]

First Team, Pitcher, Eppa Rixey



http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/7963/200pxepparixeybaseball.jpg

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

Eppa Rixey (May 3, 1891 - February 28, 1963), nicknamed "Jephtha", was an American left-handed pitcher who played 21 seasons for the Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnati Reds in Major League Baseball from 1912 to 1933. Rixey was best known as the National League's leader in career victories for a left-hander with 266 wins until Warren Spahn surpassed his total in 1959.

Rixey attended the University of Virginia where he was a star pitcher. He was discovered by umpire Cy Rigler, who convinced him to sign directly with the Phillies, bypassing minor league baseball entirely. His time with the Phillies was marked by inconsistency. He won 22 games in 1916, but also led the league in losses twice. In 1915, the Phillies played in the World Series, and Rixey lost in only appearance. After being traded to the Reds prior to the 1921 season, he won 20 or more games in a season three times, including a league-leading 25 in 1922, and posted eight consecutive winning seasons. His skills were declining by the 1929 season, when his record was 10-13 with a 4.16 earned run average. He pitched another four seasons before retiring after the 1933 season.

An intellectual who taught high school Latin during the off-season, earning the nickname "Jephtha" for his southern drawl. Rixey was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1963 but died a month after his election.

Early life

Rixey was born on May 3, 1891 in Culpeper, Virginia, and at the age of ten, his father, a banker, moved his family to Charlottesville, Virginia.[1] His uncles were John Franklin Rixey a former congressman and Presley Marion Rixey the former Surgeon General of the United States Navy.[2] He attended the University of Virginia, where he played basketball and baseball; his brother Bill also played baseball for the University.[1][3] During the off-season, umpire Cy Rigler worked as an assistant coach for the University. He recognized Rixey's talent and tried to sign him to the Philadelphia Phillies.[1] Rixey originally declined, saying he wanted to be a chemist, but Rigler insisted, even offering a substantial portion of the bonus he receives for signing a player.[1] With his family in financial trouble, Rixey accepted the deal. The National League, upon hearing of the deal, created a rule that prohibits umpires from signing players.[1] Neither Rixey nor Rigler received any signing bonus.[1] His brother Bill Rixey also played baseball for the University of Virginia.

Baseball career

Philadelphia Phillies

Rixey joined the Phillies for the 1912 season without playing a single game of minor league baseball.[4] His time with the Phillies was marked by inconsistency. He went 10-10 in his first year, with a 2.50 earned run average (ERA) and 10 complete games in 23 games pitched.[5] He had a three hit shutout against the Chicago Cubs on July 18.[6] Rixey was on the losing end of a no-hitter by Jeff Tesreau on September 6.[3] After the season, the Chicago Cubs under new manager Johnny Evers offered an "huge sum" to the Phillies for Rixey, but manager Red Dooin declined the offer.[7] Prior to the 1913 season, Rixey notified the Phillies of his desire to finish his studies at the University of Virginia and graduate in June, however, after some negotiation, he decided to sign a contract re-joined the team shortly after the season began.[8][8] That season, he appeared in 35 games, started 23 of them, winning nine games, and had a 3.12 earned run average. In 1914, his record worsened to 2-11, and his earned run average increased to 4.37.[5] Rixey's record improved to 11–12 in 1915, and lowered his earned run average to 2.39 as the Phillies won the National League pennant and played the Boston Red Sox in the 1915 World Series. During Game 5 of the series, Rixey replaced starter Erskine Mayer for the final six innings of the game. He allowed three runs in the final two innings and lost 5-4.[5]

Rixey went 22-10 in 1916 with a 1.85 ERA and a career high of 134 strikeouts.[5] On June 29, Rixey pitched a four hit shutout against the New York Giants, facing the minimum 27 batters, because of three double plays, and a player caught stealing.[9] In 1917, depsite having a low 2.27 earned run average, Rixey led the league in pitching losses with 22.[5] He also handled 108 chances without a single error.[5] Rixey hated losing and was known for destroying the team locker room, or disappear for days at a time after a loss.[1] He missed the 1918 season to serve in the Chemical Warfare Division of the United States army during the war effort.[1] He struggled upon returning to baseball, going 6-12 with a 3.97 earned run average in 1919, and again leading the league in losses with 22 in 1920.[5] Prior to the 1920 season, rumours circulated that his former manager, Pat Moran, now with the Cincinnati Reds, was interested in traded for Rixey. The relationship between Rixey and manager Gavvy Cravath was never good, and Cravath had let known his desire to trade him, however he stayed with the Phillies that season, working on his delivery with former pitcher Jesse Tannehill who Rixey admitted helped with his pitching delivery.[10][11] On November 22, 1920, Rixey was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for Jimmy Ring and Greasy Neale. His record during his eight seasons with the Phillies was 87 wins and 103 losses.

http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/62/250pxrixeymayer.jpg

^^^ Rixey on the left with Erskine Mayer in the background.

Cincinnati Reds

Rixey was traded prior to the 1921 season to the Reds for Jimmy Ring and Greasy Neale.[5] In his first season with the Reds, he won 19 games, and set a Major League record by allowing just one home run in 301 innings pitched.[1] In three of the next four seasons, he had 20 or more victories each season, with a league-leading total of 25 in 1922.[5] He also lead the league in innings pitched and hits allowed in 1922 and shutouts with four in 1924.[5] In 1926 he had 14 wins, followed by seasons of 12, 19 and 10 wins.[5] Rixey's production began to decline in 1930, when he went 9-13 with a 5.10 ERA, and pitched fewer than 200 innings for the first time since 1919. Beginning in 1931 season through the 1933 season, Rixey played very little, and was used almost exclusively against the Pittsburgh Pirates.[13] For the 1933 season, he was the only Reds pitcher with a winning record with a 6-3 win-loss record as the Reds finished last in the division with a 58-94 record.[14] He retired prior to the 1934 season stating "the manager wasn't giving me enough work".[13] Rixey completed his major league career with 266 wins, 251 losses, and a 3.15 ERA. He appeared in 692 games and completed 290, and had 20 wins and 14 saves as a relief pitcher.

http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/6325/200pxepparixeygoudeycar.jpg

^^^ Eppa Rixey 1933 Goudey card.

Legacy

Originally Rixey had trouble controlling his speed, but eventually became one of the most feared pitchers in baseball according to reporters.[14] Rixey was considered a pitcher with an "peculiar motion", who rarely walked a batter.[13] Throughout his long career, the 210-pound Rixey charmed teammates and fans with his dry wit and big Southern drawl. His nonsensical nickname "Jephtha" seemed to capture his roots and amiable personality.[12] Some writers thought "Jephtha" was a part of Rixey's real name, but it was likely invented by a Philadelphia sportswriter.[12] Rob Neyer called Rixey the fourth best pitcher in Reds history behind Bucky Walters, Paul Derringer and teammate Dolf Luque.

His 266 career victories was the record for most wins by a left-handed pitcher in the National League until Warren Spahn broke it in 1959, however his 251 losses are an all-time record for left-handed pitchers.[1] He also held the longevity record for most seasons pitched by a National League left-hander until Steve Carlton broke it in 1986.[12] As time passed, support for Rixey to be inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame grew. He was also inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1958.[4] In 1960, Rixey finished third in the balloting behind former teammate Edd Roush and Sam Rice (who was later inducted the same year as Rixey).[16] Upon his election to the Hall of Fame on January 27, 1963, he was quoted as saying "They're really scraping the bottom of the barrel, aren't they?"

Personal life

He was married to Dorothy Meyers of Cincinnati, Ohio and had two children, Eppa Rixey III and Ann Rixey Sikes.[12] After his retirement from baseball, worked for his father-in-law's successful insurance company in Cincinnati, eventually becoming president of the company.[12][17] He died of a heart attack on February 28, 1963, one month after his election to the Hall of Fame, becoming the first player to die between election and induction to the Hall of Fame.[1] He is interred at Greenlawn Cemetery in Milford, Ohio.[5]

When Rixey started playing, he was considered an "anomaly". He came from a well-off family and was college-educated, something that was rare during his era. He wrote poetry, and took graduate school classes in chemistry, mathematics and Latin.[1] During the off-season, he was a Latin teacher at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia.[1] He was also considered among the best golfers among athletes during the time period.[4] He was the subject of hazing in his first few years in the Majors. Eventually he teamed up with other college graduates, Joe Oeschger and Stan Baumgartner and the hazing lessed to a degree.

Career statistics
Win–loss record 266–251
Earned run average 3.15
Strikeouts 1,350
Shutouts 37
Teams

Philadelphia Phillies (1912–1920)
Cincinnati Reds (1921–1933)

Career highlights and awards

Led NL in wins in 1922 with 25
Led NL in innings pitched in 1922 with 313.3
Led NL in shutouts in 1924 with 4
Held NL record for a victories by a left-handed pitcher at the time of his retirement (266).
Was on NL-pennant winning team in 1915, with the Phillies

HOF, 1963, Veterans Committee

[Old Sweater]

Second Team, Catcher, Gabby Hartnett



http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/2595/200pxgabbyhartnettgoude.jpg

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

Charles Leo "Gabby" Hartnett (December 20, 1900 - December 20, 1972) was an American professional baseball player and manager.[1] He played almost his entire career in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Chicago Cubs. Until the career of Johnny Bench, Hartnett was considered the greatest catcher in the history of the National League.[2][3] A six-time All-Star known for his powerful hitting, superb defensive abilities and strong throwing arm, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955.

Baseball career

Hartnett was born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island as the oldest of 14 children.[2] He grew up in the nearby small town of Millville, Massachusetts, where he played baseball in the Blackstone Valley League.[5] He began his professional baseball career at the age of 20 with the Worcester Boosters of the Eastern League in 1921.[6] New York Giants manager, John McGraw, sent scout Jesse Burkett to appraise Hartnett's talent as a player.[7] Burkett reported back to McGraw that Hartnett's hands were too small for a major league catcher.[7] The Giants' loss would prove to be the Chicago Cubs' gain.

Hartnett joined the Cubs in 1922, serving as a backup catcher to Bob O'Farrell.[1] He was given his ironic nickname of "Gabby" as a rookie due to his shy, reticient nature.[8] When O'Farrell was injured during the 1924 season, Hartnett took over, posting a .299 batting average along with 16 home runs and 67 runs batted in.[1] After the retirement of catcher Bill Killefer, Hartnett became the favorite catcher of Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher, Grover Cleveland Alexander and, caught Alexander's 300th career win on September 20, 1924.[9] Hartnett played well enough during O'Farrell's absence that, the Cubs decided to keep him as their starting catcher, trading O'Farrell to the St. Louis Cardinals in May 1925.[10][11]

Hartnett hit 24 home runs in 1925, setting a single-season home run record for catchers and, finished second overall in the National League behind the 39 home runs hit by Rogers Hornsby.[12][13] Although he led National League catchers in errors, he also led in range factor and in putouts, while his strong throwing arm helped him lead the league in assists, and in caught stealing percentage.[14] Leo Durocher, who played against Hartnett and was a National League manager during Johnny Bench's career, stated that the two catchers had similarly strong throwing arms.[15] During the major league baseball winter meetings in December 1925, it was rumored that Hartnett might be traded to the New York Giants for catcher Frank Snyder and Irish Meusel however, Cubs president Bill Veeck, Sr., squelched the rumors saying that Hartnett would not be traded for anybody.[16]

Hartnett proved himself an excellent backstop through the 1920s; although he was often injured.[5] In 1929, a mysterious arm ailment limited him to one game behind the plate and 24 games as a pinch hitter as the Cubs won the National League pennant.[5] Hartnett struck out in all three of his at bats in the 1929 World Series against the Philadelphia Athletics.[8][17] He rebounded with his best season in 1930, hitting for a .339 batting average with career highs of 122 runs batted in, a .630 slugging percentage and 37 home runs, breaking his own single-season home run record for catchers.[1][12] He led all National League catchers in putouts, assists, fielding percentage and in baserunners caught stealing.[18]

During an exhibition game against the Chicago White Sox on September 9, 1931, Hartnett was photographed while signing an autograph for gangster, Al Capone.[19] After the photograph was published in newspapers across the United States, Hartnett received a telegram from Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis instructing him not to have his photograph taken with Capone in the future.[19] Hartnett replied with a telegram to the Commissioner whimsically stating, "OK, but if you don't want me to have my picture taken with Al Capone, you tell him."

In 1932, Hartnett guided the Cubs' pitching staff to the lowest team earned run average in the league, as the Cubs clinched the National League pennant by 4 games over the Pittsburgh Pirates.[20] Hartnett was the Cubs' catcher on October 1, in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series against the New York Yankees when, Babe Ruth hit his infamous Called Shot.[15] Although he hit for a .313 batting average with 1 home run, the Yankees went on to win the series in a four-game sweep.[21]

In 1933, Hartnett was selected to be a reserve catcher for the National League team in the inaugural Major League Baseball All-Star Game held on July 6, 1933.[22] It would mark the first of six consecutive All-Star game selections for Hartnett.[1] At the mid-season point of the 1934 season, Hartnett was hitting for a .336 batting average with 13 home runs to earn the starting catcher's role for the National League team in the 1934 All-Star Game.[23][24] Hartnett was calling the pitches for Carl Hubbell in the 1934 All-Star Game when he set a record by striking out Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, and Joe Cronin in succession.[15]

Hartnett had another impressive season in 1935 when he produced a .344 batting average, third highest in the league and, led the league's catchers in assists, double plays, and fielding percentage.[1][25] He also led the Cubs pitching staff to the lowest earned run average in the league as they won the National League pennant by 4 games over the St. Louis Cardinals.[26] For his performance, Hartnett was named the recipient of the 1935 National League Most Valuable Player Award.[27] The Cubs would eventually lose to the Detroit Tigers led by Mickey Cochrane in the 1935 World Series.[28]

In the 1937 All-Star Game, pitcher Dizzy Dean kept shaking off Hartnett's signs for a curve ball resulting in a hit by Joe DiMaggio, a home run by Lou Gehrig and finally, a line drive off the bat of Earl Averill that struck Dean on his toe.[29] Dean had been one of the preeminent pitchers in the National League until the injury to his toe eventually led to the end of his baseball playing career.[15] Hartnett ended the 1937 season with a career-high .354 batting average and, finished second to Joe Medwick in voting for the National League Most Valuable Player Award.[1][30] His .354 batting average in 1937 was the highest batting average by a major league catcher for 60 years until 1997 when, Mike Piazza posted a .362 average.

Homer in the Gloamin'

On July 20, 1938, Cubs owner Philip K. Wrigley named the 37 year old Hartnett as the team's player-manager, replacing Charlie Grimm.[33] When Hartnett took over as manager, the Cubs had been in third place, six games behind the first place Pittsburgh Pirates led by Pie Traynor.[34] By September 27, with one week left in the season, the Cubs had battled back to within a game and a half game of the Pirates in the National League standings as the two teams met for a crucial three-game series.[34] The Cubs won the first game of the series with a 2 to 1 victory by Cubs pitcher Dizzy Dean, cutting the Pirates' lead to a half game and, setting the stage for one of baseball's most memorable moments.[35]

On September 28, 1938, the two teams met for the second game of the series where, Hartnett experienced the highlight of his career. With darkness descending on the lightless Wrigley Field and the score tied at 5 runs apiece, the umpires ruled that the ninth inning would be the last to be played. The entire game would have to be replayed the following day if the score remained tied. Hartnett came to bat with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning. With a count of 0 balls and 2 strikes, Hartnett connected on a Mace Brown pitch, launching the ball into the darkness, before it eventually landed in the left-center field bleachers. The stadium erupted into pandemonium as players and fans stormed the field to escort Hartnett around the bases.[36] Hartnett's walk-off home run became immortalized as the Homer in the Gloamin'.[35]

The Cubs were now in first place, culminating an impressive 19-3-1 record in September, and the pennant would be clinched three days later.[34] Hartnett once again led the Cubs pitching staff to the lowest earned run average in the league and, led National League catchers with a .995 fielding percentage.[37][38] Unfortunately, the Cubs were swept in the 1938 World Series by the New York Yankees, their fourth Series loss in ten years.[39]

Hartnett felt the strain of managing a team during the 1939 season as, he faced player discontent over the pampering of Dizzy Dean while, pitcher Larry French went over his head to complain to owner Philip Wrigley about his lack of pitching assignments.[40] French felt he was being punished for requesting to have Gus Mancuso as his catcher.[40] In addition, Hartnett was forced to catch more games due to the lack of hitting from the other Cubs catchers.[40] On August 28, 1939, he broke Ray Schalk's Major League record of 1,727 career games as a catcher.[41]

After two disappointing seasons, Hartnett was dismissed by the Cubs on November 13, 1940, after 19 years with the club.[42] On December 3, he signed a contract with the New York Giants to be a player-coach.[43] Hartnett hit for a .300 average in 64 games as a backup catcher to Harry Danning in the 1941 season.[1] He played his final game on September 24, 1941, retiring as a player at the age of 40.

Career statistics

In a 20 year major league career, Hartnett played in 1,990 games, accumulating 1,912 hits in 6,432 at bats for a .297 career batting average along with a .489 slugging percentage, 236 home runs, 1,179 runs batted in and an on base percentage of .370.[1] He retired with a .984 career fielding percentage.[1] Hartnett caught 100 or more games for a league record 12 times, including a record eight seasons in a row.[44] He led the National League in putouts four times and in assists and fielding percentage six times.[1] He led the league seven times in double plays and, set a National league record with 163 career double plays.[45] Hartnett set a since-broken major league record for catchers of 452 consecutive chances without committing an error.[46]

At the time of his retirement, his 236 home runs, 1179 runs batted in, 1912 hits, and 396 doubles were all records for catchers.[12] He also finished among the National League's top ten in slugging percentage seven times in his career.[1] A six-time All-Star, Hartnett was the recipient of one Most Valuable Player Award and played on four pennant-winning teams.[1] Hartnett's .370 career on base percentage was higher than the .342 posted by Johnny Bench or, the .348 posted by Yogi Berra.[47][48] His bat and catcher's mask were the first artifacts sent to the newly constructed Baseball Hall of Fame in 1938.[5]
[edit] Post-playing career and retirement

Afterwards, he managed in the minor leagues for five seasons, retiring to Lincolnwood, Illinois in 1946.[49] On January 26, 1955, Hartnett was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame along with Joe DiMaggio, Ted Lyons and Dazzy Vance.[50] In 1981, Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig included Hartnett in their book The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time. In 1999, he was named as a finalist to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.[51]

In his last job in the majors Hartnett worked as a coach and scout for the Kansas City Athletics for two years in the mid-1960s. Gabby Hartnett died of cirrhosis in Park Ridge, Illinois on his 72nd birthday, and is interred in All Saints Cemetery in Des Plaines, Illinois.

Career statistics
Batting average .297
Home runs 236
Runs batted in 1,179
Teams

As player

Chicago Cubs (1922–1940)
New York Giants (1941)

As manager

Chicago Cubs (1938–1940)

Career highlights and awards

6× All-Star selection (1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938)
1935 NL MVP

HOF, 1955, BBWAA 77.69% 11th ballot

[Old Sweater]

Second Team, First Baseman, Jim Bottomley> think Mickey said he had a bat(souvenir?) of this guy.



http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/1556/150pxjimbottomleygoudey.jpg

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

James Leroy Bottomley (April 23, 1900 – December 11, 1959) was born in Oglesby, Illinois and grew up in Nokomis, Illinois. Nicknamed "Sunny Jim" because of his cheerful disposition, he was a left-handed Major League Baseball player. He also served as player-manager for the St. Louis Browns in 1937.

As a first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals (1922–1932), Cincinnati Reds (1933–1935) and St. Louis Browns (1936–1937), Bottomley was noted for his upbeat demeanor and ability to drive in runs. He had over 100 RBIs in each season from 1924 to 1929.

Bottomley's best season came in 1928, when he hit .325 with 31 home runs and 136 RBIs. He also became the second Major League player in history to join the 20–20–20 club. That year, he won the National League Most Valuable Player award and led the Cardinals to the World Series, where they lost to the New York Yankees. He was the first player to win an MVP award after beginning his career in his team's farm system.

He set the Major League record for RBIs in a single game, with 12, on September 16, 1924 (since tied by Mark Whiten). Bottomley also holds the single-season record for most unassisted double plays by a first baseman, with eight. "Sunny" is also known as the only man to be sued for hitting a home run when a fan was hit by the ball when he wasn't looking.

After his career ended, Bottomley moved to near Bourbon, Missouri, where he raised Hereford cattle. He spent the last years of his life in nearby Sullivan, Missouri, where he and his wife Betty were eventually laid to rest in the I.O.O.F. Cemetery. The city park in Sullivan is named for him.

A museum in Nokomis, Illinois, is dedicated to Bottomley and the Hall of Famers Ray Schalk and Red Ruffing.

Bottomly was the second player in baseball history to hit 20 or more doubles, triples, and home runs in one season (Frank Schulte being the first) and the first of two players (Lou Gehrig being the other) to collect 150 or more doubles, triples, and home runs in a career. He is the only player to achieve both.

"Sunny Jim" Bottomley was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame posthumously in 1974.

Career statistics
Batting average .310
Home runs 219
Runs batted in 1,422
Teams

As player

St. Louis Cardinals (1922–1932)
Cincinnati Reds (1933–1935)
St. Louis Browns (1936–1937)

As manager

St. Louis Browns (1937)

Career highlights and awards

2× World Series champion (1926, 1931)
1928 NL MVP

HOF, 1974, Veterans Committee

[Old Sweater]

second Team, Second Baseman, Frankie Frisch



http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/5941/200pxfrankiefrischgoude.jpg

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

Francis "Frankie" Frisch (September 9, 1898 [1] – March 12, 1973), nicknamed the Fordham Flash, or The Old Flash, was a German-American Major League Baseball player of the early twentieth century.[2]

Frisch was a switch-hitter who threw right-handed. Born in the Bronx, New York City, he attended Fordham Preparatory School, graduating in 1916.[3] He went on to Fordham University where he continued to star in four sports: Baseball, Football, Basketball and Track. There, given his speed, he earned the nickname "The Fordham Flash."

New York Giants

In 1919, Frisch left Fordham [5] to signed with the New York Giants of the National League, moving directly to the majors without playing in the minor leagues. He made an immediate impact, finishing third in the NL in stolen bases and seventh in RBI in 1920, his first full season. Manager John McGraw was so impressed by Frisch that he soon named him team captain, giving him advice in baserunning and hitting. The Giants played Frisch at both third base and second base early in his career, but by 1923 he was installed as the team's full-time second baseman.

Frisch batted over .300 in his last six seasons with New York. He was also an expert fielder and a skilled baserunner. In 1921, he led the National League with 48 steals, in 1923 in hits, and in 1924 in runs. With Frisch adding his fiery competitiveness to the team, the Giants won the World Series in 1921 and 1922, winning the NL pennant the following two seasons as well.
[edit] St. Louis Cardinals

After the 1926 season, Frisch was traded - with pitcher Jimmy Ring - to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for star Rogers Hornsby. After an August 1926 loss in which Frisch had missed a sign, costing the Giants a run, McGraw had loudly berated Frisch in front of the team; Frisch responded by leaving the team, and his previously close relationship with McGraw virtually ended.

Playing second base for the Cardinals, Frisch appeared in four more World Series (1928, 1930–31, 1934), bringing his career total to eight. He was the driving force of the "Gashouse Gang", the nickname for the Cardinals clubs of the early 1930s, which were built around him to reflect his no-holds-barred approach. The Cardinals had won only one pennant before Frisch joined the team; the Giants would win the pennant only once in Frisch's nine seasons as the Cards' regular second baseman.

Frisch played eleven seasons with the Cardinals. In 1931, he was voted the Most Valuable Player in the National League after batting .311 with 10 home runs and 114 RBI. The 1931 Cardinals also triumphed in the World Series, defeating Connie Mack's defending two-time champion Philadelphia Athletics in seven games.

Frisch became player-manager of the Cardinals in 1933, and was named to the NL's first three All-Star teams from 1933-35. In 1934, he managed the Cardinals to another seven-game World Series victory - this time over the Detroit Tigers.

Frisch finished his playing career in 1937. His career statistics totaled a .316 batting average, still the highest ever for a switch hitter, with 2880 hits, 1532 runs, 105 home runs and 1244 RBI. He also stole 419 bases in his nineteen playing seasons. His hit total stood as the record for switch-hitters until Pete Rose surpassed it in 1977.

Frankie Frisch was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1947. After no players had been selected by the writers in the previous two years (the only elections since 1942), the rules were revised to limit eligibility to those players who had retired after 1921; Frisch was among the first four players to benefit from the more reasonable field of candidates.

Post-baseball career

After retirement, he continued to manage the Cardinals, but was never able to capture another pennant. Frisch also had managerial stints with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1940–46) and the Chicago Cubs (1949–51), but without the success he had in St. Louis. Frisch's career ledger as a manager shows a 1138-1078 mark including the pennant in 1934.

For several years in the 1950s, he worked as a radio play-by-play announcer and coach for the Giants. His broadcasting trademark was worrying about pitchers walking batters: "Oh, those bases on balls!" A heart attack in 1956 forced him to curtail his activities. After his heart attack in September 1956, Phil Rizzuto (recently released by Yankees as a player) filled in for him on N.Y. Giant post-game TV shows.

A number of years after Frisch left the playing field as a manager, he became a member of the Hall of Fame's Committee on Baseball Veterans, which is responsible for electing players to the Hall of Fame who had not been elected during their initial period of eligibility by the Baseball Writers; he later became chairman of the committee. In the years just prior to his death, a number of Frisch's Giants and Cardinals teammates were elected to the Hall; some notable writers, chiefly among them Bill James, have criticized these selections - including Jesse Haines, Dave Bancroft, Chick Hafey, Rube Marquard, Ross Youngs and George Kelly - which include some of the most widely questioned honorees in the Hall's history. Critics have complained that many of these selectees had accomplishments which were less outstanding than those of other players who were bypassed, and were only selected because of Frisch's influence.

Frisch died in Wilmington, Delaware from injuries suffered from a car accident near Elkton, Maryland one month earlier. He was 74 years old. Frisch had been returning to Rhode Island from the meeting of the Veterans' Committee in Florida when he lost control of his car. Frisch died in the same manner as other N.Y. Giant Hall of Famers Mel Ott (1958) and Carl Hubbell (1988). He is interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York.

During his lifetime, Frisch used 1898 as his year of birth. Recent information available, however, suggests that he was born in 1897. New York City birth records (NYC did not include the Bronx until 1898) indicate an 1897 birth; social security death records give an 1897 birth, as do most census records.

In 1999, he ranked number 88 on the The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was a nominee for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.

Career statistics
Batting average .316
Hits 2,880
Home runs 105
Runs batted in 1,244
Teams

As player

New York Giants (1919–1926)
St. Louis Cardinals (1927–1937)

As manager

St. Louis Cardinals (1933–1938)
Pittsburgh Pirates (1940–1946)
Chicago Cubs (1949–1951)

Career highlights and awards

3× All-Star selection (1933, 1934, 1935)
4× World Series champion (1921, 1922, 1931, 1934)
1931 NL MVP

HOF,1947, BBWAA 84.47% Fifth Ballot

[Scoobean]

Jim Bottomley on that baseball card was sporting his cap gangster style to the side. He may have been the first ever old school playa. :)

[Old Sweater]

Second Team, Third Baseman, Andy High



http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/2530/200pxandyhighgoudeycard.jpg

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

Andrew Aird High (November 21, 1897 in Ava, Illinois - February 22, 1981 in Toledo, Ohio), is a former professional baseball player who played third base in the Major Leagues from 1922-1934. He would play for the Brooklyn Robins, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Braves, and Philadelphia Phillies.

Career statistics
Batting average .284
Home runs 44
Runs batted in 482
Teams

Brooklyn Robins (1922-1925)
Boston Braves (1925-1927)
St. Louis Cardinals (1928-1931)
Cincinnati Reds (1932-1933)
Philadelphia Phillies (1934)

Career highlights and awards

1931 World Series Championship
Participated in the 1928 World Series and 1930 World Series


Hmmm, not much write at Wiki for this guy. Sorta disappointing.

[Old Sweater]

Second Team, Shortstop, Travis Jackson



http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/7519/200pxtravisjacksongoude.jpg

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

Travis Calvin Jackson (November 2, 1903 in Waldo, Arkansas - July 27, 1987) was a Major League Baseball player during the 1920s and 1930s. His exceptional range at shortstop led to the nickname "Stonewall."

Jackson broke into the major leagues in 1922 with the New York Giants, the team he would play for his entire career. After a mediocre 1923 campaign, he established himself in 1924 by playing in 151 games and hitting .302 with 11 home runs.

Playing until 1936, Jackson was regarded as one of the premier defensive shortstops in the league. He was on four National League pennant-winning teams and one World Series champion (1933). He batted .300 or higher six times and, although not known for his production, hit 21 home runs in 1929 and drove in 101 runs in 1934. He finished his career with 135 home runs and a .291 batting average.

Jackson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.

Career statistics
Batting average .291
Home runs 135
Runs batted in 929
Teams

New York Giants (1922–1936)

Career highlights and awards

All-Star selection (1934)
2× World Series champion (1922, 1933)

HOF, 1982, Veterans Committee

[Old Sweater]

Second Team, Left Fielder, Kiki Cuyler



http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/6898/200pxkikicuylergoudeyca.jpg

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

Hazen Shirley "Kiki" Cuyler (pronounced /ˈkaɪlər/; August 30, 1898 – February 11, 1950) was a Major League Baseball right fielder from 1921 until 1938. He was born in Harrisville, Michigan.

Cuyler broke into the big leagues in 1921 with the Pittsburgh Pirates and became a fixture in the lineup in 1924. Playing for the Pirates, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds and Brooklyn Dodgers over the next decade and a half, Cuyler established a reputation as an outstanding hitter with great speed. He regularly batted .350 or higher and finished with a .321 lifetime batting average. In 1925 Cuyler combined this great hitting with 18 home runs and 102 RBI. Cuyler's Pirates won the World Series that year, the only time in his career he would be part of a championship team.

In 1927, Cuyler was benched for nearly half the season because of a dispute with first-year manager Donie Bush. The Pirates went again to the World Series, but Cuyler did not play. That November, Cuyler was traded to the Chicago Cubs for Sparky Adams and Pete Scott.

Cuyler led the league in stolen bases four times and finished his career with 328 steals.

After his illustrious career as a player, Cuyler managed in the minor leagues, winning the regular-season Southern Association pennant in 1939 under Joe Engel with the Chattanooga Lookouts, with one of the only fan-owned franchises in the nation. He was a coach for the Cubs and Boston Red Sox during the 1940s, and was still active in the role for Boston in February 1950 when he succumbed to a heart attack at the age of 51. He died and was buried in his hometown of Harrisville, Michigan.

Cuyler was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1968. In 1981, Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig included him in their book The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time.

Career statistics
Batting average .321
Hits 2,299
Home runs 128
Runs batted in 1,065
Teams

Pittsburgh Pirates (1921–1927)
Chicago Cubs (1928–1935)
Cincinnati Reds (1935–1937)
Brooklyn Dodgers (1938)

Career highlights and awards

All-Star selection (1934)
World Series champion (1925)

HOF, 1968, Veterans Committee

Hazen Shirley! Man, I'd sure go by my nickname.

[Old Sweater]

Second Team, Center Fielder, Max Carey



http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/9676/200pxmaxcarey.jpg

Max George Carey (January 11, 1890 – May 30, 1976) was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball who starred for the Pittsburgh Pirates and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1961. During his 20-year career, he led the league in stolen bases ten times and finished with 738 swipes, a National League record until 1974 and still the 9th-highest total in major league history.

Professional career

Max Carey was born as Maximillian George Carnarius in Terre Haute, Indiana.[1] He first adopted the name Max Carey when he played his first professional baseball game in order to retain his amateur status at Concordia College; the name would stick with him for his entire career.

Carey played for the Pirates from his arrival in the league in 1910 until 1926, winning a World Series championship in 1925. He was known as a skilled fielder and excellent base stealer. He regularly stole 40 or more bases and maintained a favorable steal percentage; in 1922 he stole 51 bases and was caught only twice. He also stole home 33 times in his career, second best only to Ty Cobb's 50 on the all-time list.

Carey played his final three and a half years with the Brooklyn Robins, but was aging and no longer the same player. He retired in 1929, but went on to manage the Dodgers from 1932 to 1933, as well as the Milwaukee Chicks and the Fort Wayne Daisies of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

He died at age 86 in Miami, Florida, and is buried in Woodlawn Park Cemetery and Mausoleum (now Caballero Rivero Woodlawn North Park Cemetery and Mausoleum).

http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/2959/220pxbillmckechnie2cjoh.jpg

^^^ Carey (right), and Boston's Bill McKechnie watch as John H. McCooey throws out the first ball of Brooklyn's 1932 season.

Career statistics
Batting average .285
Hits 2665
Stolen Bases 738
Teams

As Player

Pittsburgh Pirates (1910-1926)
Brooklyn Robins (1926-1929)

As Manager

Brooklyn Dodgers (1932-1933)

Career highlights and awards

World Series Champion: 1925
Managerial record: 146-161
9th-most stolen bases in Major League history (738)
10-time National League stolen base leader
2-time National League walk leader
6 seasons with a .300+ batting average
5 seasons with 100+ runs scored

HOF, 1961, Veterans Committee

[Mattrd26]

This is really interesting. Thanks for the information Old Sweater!

[Old Sweater]

Second Team, Right Fielder, Cy Williams



http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/9199/200pxcywilliamsbaseball.jpg

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

Frederick "Cy" Williams (December 21, 1887 - April 23, 1974) was a Major League Baseball player for the Chicago Cubs (1912–17) and Philadelphia Phillies (1918–30).

Born in Wadena, Indiana, Williams attended Notre Dame where he studied architecture and played football with the legendary Knute Rockne. His hitting prowess caught the attention of the Chicago Cubs who purchased his contract after he graduated from college. From 1915-1927 he was a consistent power hitting center fielder, leading the National League in home runs four times during his career. He was the first NL player to hit 200 career home runs; he finished his career with 251. He is also one of three players born before 1900 to hit 200 homers in his career (Babe Ruth and Rogers Hornsby are the other two)

He hit for the cycle on August 5, 1927.

After retirement he worked as an architect in Three Lakes, Wisconsin. He died there at age 86 in 1974.

All time Phillies leader in extra innings grand slams with 2.

Career statistics
Batting average .292
Home runs 251
RBI 1,005
Teams

Chicago Cubs (1912-1917)
Philadelphia Phillies (1918-1930)

Career highlights and awards

Led league in slugging percentage 1 time
Led league in home runs 4 times


---------- Post added at 07:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:44 PM ----------


This is really interesting. Thanks for the information Old Sweater!

You're very welcome. Fancy sig you got going there.

[Old Sweater]

Second Team, Pitcher, Dolph Luque



http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/5629/200pxdolphluque.jpg

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

Adolfo Domingo De Guzmán "Dolf" Luque (August 4, 1890 – July 3, 1957), was an early 20th century Cuban starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. Luque was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1967.

A native of Havana, Luque played winter baseball in the Cuban League from 1912 to 1945. He was also a long-time manager in the league. He was elected to the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 1957.

United States

Luque debuted with the Boston Braves in 1914. In 1918, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds, with whom he would play the next 12 seasons. In the notorious 1919 World Series, he appeared in two games as a relief pitcher. Luque also played for the Brooklyn Robins/Dodgers from 1930 to 1931 and with the New York Giants from 1932 to 1935. He was with the Giants in the 1933 World Series, and, pitching in relief, won the 5th and final game over the Washington Senators. He ended his career with a record of 194–179 and a 3.24 ERA.

Luque became a starting pitcher in 1920. Primarily pitching with a curveball, he led the National League in losses in 1922, then had his best year in 1923, leading the league with 27 wins and an ERA of 1.93. Luque also led the NL in ERA with a 2.63 in 1925. He was known as an adept mentor in the later years of his pitching career, and went on to become the pitching coach of the Giants from 1936–38 and 1942–45.

As a blue-eyed, fair-skinned, white Cuban, he was one of several white Cubans to make it in Major League Baseball at a time when non-whites were excluded. Between 1911 and 1929 alone, seventeen Cuban-born Caucasian players played in the Major Leagues. Many of them including Luque also played Negro League baseball with integrated teams from Cuba. Luque played for Cuban Stars in 1912 and the Long Branch Cubans in 1913 before signing with organized baseball (Riley, 498).

Luque was known to have a temper. While with the Brooklyn Dodgers, a heckler in the stands hollered "Lucky Luque! Lucky Luque!" repeatedly. Luque went over to the dugout and told manager Wilbert Robinson, "I tell you, Robbie, if this guy don't shut up, I'm gonna shut him up." "Aw, come on, Dolf," said the manager. "He paid his way in--let him boo." Just then the heckler spotted the rotund Robinson and yelled, "Hey, fat belly!" Robinson said, "OK, Dolf--go ahead and clobber the jerk." Luque obliged his manager's request.

Luque also served as a coach at the Major League level for seven seasons (1936–1937; 1941–1945) with the New York Giants, working under managers Bill Terry and Mel Ott. As a coach, Luque was a member of the Giants' 1936 and 1937 National League champion teams.

Cuba

Luque made his professional debut in Cuba for the Habana baseball club against a major league league opponent, the Philadelphia Phillies, in an exhibition series if the fall of 1911. He left the game after 8 innings with his team ahead 6 to 5, but his reliever failed to hold the lead and left Luque with a no decision. He then pitched against the New York Giants, going 1–2, getting the only win for Habana in six games. He debuted in the Cuban League in the winter of 1912, but went 0–4, 0–2, and 2–4 his first three seasons. In 1914/15 he moved to Almendares and had his first winning season, going 7–4. The following season he led the league in wins with a 12–5 record. The next winter, 1917, he tied for the league lead in wins and also led in hitting with a .355 average.[3]

In 1919/20 Luque became a playing manager for Almendares and led the team to a championship in his first season at the helm, the first of seven championships as a manager. He contributed on the pitching mound with a 10–4 record, leading the league in wins. In 1922/23 he moved to Habana (where Miguel Angel González was manager) and again led the league in wins with an 11–9 record. The next season, he took over the helm as Habana's manager and went 7–2 as a pitcher. Later in the decade, Luque's major league team, the Cincinnati Reds, did not allow him to play winter baseball in Cuba. Luque sometimes evaded the ban by playing under assumed names. [4]

By the 1930s, Luque had returned to Almendares as manager. He generally pitched only occasionally, though in 1934/35 he contributed as a pitcher to his second championship as a manger; he tied for the league lead in wins with a 6–2 record and led the league with a 1.27 ERA. As manager, he again led Almendares to championships in 1939/40, 1941/42, and 1942/43, led Cienfuegos to a championship in 1945/46, and returned to Almendares for his final championship in 1946/47. He continued to manage for various teams until 1955/56.[5]

Luque's career Cuban League pitching record was 106–71. Luque is the all-time Cuban League leader in years pitching with 22, ranks second (behind Martín Dihigo) in wins with 106, and ranks seventh in winning percentage with .599.[6]

Luque died in 1957 and is buried at Colon Cemetery, Havana.

Career statistics
Pitching Record 194–179
Earned run average 3.24
Strikeouts 1130
Teams

Boston Braves (1914–1915)
Cincinnati Reds (1918–1929)
Brooklyn Robins (1930–1931)
New York Giants (1932–1935)

Career highlights and awards

3x World Series champion (1914, 1919, 1933)
National League ERA champion: 1923, 1925
National League wins champion: 1923
3-time National League shutout leader

[Old Sweater]

Second Team, Pitcher, Dazzy Vance



http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/4271/200pxdazzyvance1933goud.jpg

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

Charles Arthur "Dazzy" Vance (March 4, 1891 – February 16, 1961) was a star Major League Baseball starting pitcher during the 1920s.

Born in Orient, Iowa, Vance played a decade in the minors before establishing himself as a big league player in 1922 with the Brooklyn Dodgers at the age of 31, when he went 18–12 with a 3.70 ERA and a league-leading 134 strikeouts. His best individual season came in 1924, when he led the National League in wins (28), strikeouts (262) and ERA (2.16) (see Triple crown) en route to winning the National League MVP award. He set the then-National League record for strikeouts in a nine-inning game when he fanned 15 Chicago Cubs in a game on August 23, 1924.[1] (He struck-out 17 batters in a 10-inning game in 1925.)

On September 24, 1924, Vance struck out three batters on nine pitches in the second inning of a 6–5 win over the Chicago Cubs. Vance became the fifth National League pitcher and the seventh pitcher in Major League history to accomplish the nine-strike/three-strikeout half-inning. He finished the season with 262 strikeouts, more than any two National League pitchers combined (Burleigh Grimes with 135 and Dolf Luque with 86 were second and third respectively). That season, Vance had one out of every 13 strikeouts in the entire National League.

Vance's play began to decline in the early 1930s, and after bouncing to the St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and back to the Dodgers, he retired after the 1935 season. Vance led the league in ERA three times, wins twice, and established a National League record by leading the league in strikeouts in seven consecutive years (1922–1928). He retired with a 197–140 record, 2045 strikeouts and a 3.24 ERA – remarkable numbers considering he only saw 33 innings of big league play during his twenties.

Vance was also involved in one of the most famous flubs in baseball history, the "three men on third" incident. With Vance on second and Chick Fewster on first, Babe Herman hit a long ball and began racing around the bases. As he rounded second, the third base coach yelled at him to go back, since Fewster had not yet passed third. Vance, having rounded third, misunderstood and reversed course, returning to third. Fewster arrived at third. Herman ignored the instruction and also arrived at third. The third baseman tagged out Herman and Fewster; Vance was declared safe by rule.[2]

Vance pitched a no-hitter in 1925.

He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955. In 1981, Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig included him in their book The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time. Vance is mentioned in the poem "Line-Up for Yesterday" by Ogden Nash:

Career statistics
Win–loss record 197–140
Earned run average 3.24
Strikeouts 2,045
Teams

Pittsburgh Pirates (1915)
New York Yankees (1915, 1918)
Brooklyn Robins/Dodgers (1922–1932)
St. Louis Cardinals (1933)
Cincinnati Reds (1934)
St. Louis Cardinals (1934)
Brooklyn Dodgers (1935)

Career highlights and awards

World Series champion (1934)
1924 NL MVP
1924 Triple Crown
Led NL in ERA in 1924, 1928, 1930
Led NL in wins in 1924, 1925
Led NL in strikeouts from 1922–1928

HOF, 1955, BBWAA 81.7% 12th Ballot

Comforting to know that the voters of old took 12 times to elect a player with the same damn stats. What is it with these guys?

[Old Sweater]

Second Team, Pitcher, Wilbur Cooper



http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/7110/200pxwilburcooper.jpg

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

Arley Wilbur Cooper (February 24, 1892–August 7, 1973) was an American left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played most of his career for the Pittsburgh Pirates. A four-time winner of 20 games in the early 1920s, he was the first National League left-hander to win 200 games. He established NL records for left-handers – second only to Eddie Plank among all southpaws – for career wins (216), innings pitched (3466⅓) and games started (405); all were broken within several years by Eppa Rixey. His career earned run average of 2.89 is also the lowest of any left-hander with at least 3000 innings in the NL. He still holds the Pirates franchise records for career victories (202) and complete games (263); he also set club records, since broken, for innings (3201), strikeouts (1191), and games pitched (469).

Cooper was born in Bearsville, West Virginia, and his family moved to Waterford, Ohio when he was a boy. He began his professional career in 1911 with a Marion, Ohio minor league team partially owned by future U.S. President Warren G. Harding; some reports suggested that Harding was the person who recommended Cooper to the Pirates, although he pitched for another minor league team before reaching the majors. In his first start with Pittsburgh in 1912, he pitched a shutout against the St. Louis Cardinals. In 1916 he set a team record, still unbroken, with a 1.87 earned run average. He won at least 17 games each year from 1917 through 1924, peaking with seasons of 24, 22 and 23 wins from 1920 to 1922, and led the league in starts and complete games twice each, and in wins, innings and shutouts once each. He worked quickly in his starts, often not getting the signal from his catcher until he had already begun his windup. Also known as an excellent fielder, in 1920 he became the only pitcher in major league history to begin two triple plays in a single season (on July 7 and August 21), and in 1924 he picked off a record seven runners at third base; that year the Pirates finished within three games of first place, the closest he would come to a championship.

In October 1924 Cooper was traded to the Chicago Cubs, along with Charlie Grimm and Rabbit Maranville, in a decidedly unpopular six-player deal; he was greatly disappointed to leave the Pirates, and never pitched as effectively again. In 1925, while Pittsburgh won the NL pennant for the first time since 1909, he surpassed Rube Marquard for the NL career innings record for left-handers; the following year, he broke Marquard's league record for career starts. In June 1926 he was picked up by the Detroit Tigers, and he ended his major league career after eight games with the team, though he played in the minor leagues through 1930. Over his career, he was 216-178 with a 2.89 ERA in 517 games, and struck out 1252 batters in 3480 innings. In addition to his NL career records for left-handers in wins, starts and innings, he also ranked second among league southpaws to Marquard in strikeouts (1250) and games pitched (509), second to Ted Breitenstein in complete games (279), and second to Nap Rucker in shutouts (35). His Pirates team records for innings and strikeouts were later surpassed by Bob Friend, and his record for games pitched was broken by teammate Babe Adams in 1926. Cooper, who batted right-handed, was also a fine hitter, and teammate Pie Traynor recalled that he would often bat in the #8 slot when he was starting; in 1924, he batted .346 in 104 at bats. He had a career .239 average with 6 home runs.

Cooper died of a heart attack at age 81 in Encino, California.

Career statistics
Win-loss record 216-178
Earned run average 2.89
Strikeouts 1252
Teams

Pittsburgh Pirates (1912–1924)
Chicago Cubs (1925–1926)
Detroit Tigers (1926)

Career highlights and awards

National League wins champion: 1921
2-time National League complete game leader


First Arley I have took note of since old man Mr.Huff up the street, when I was a kid. Good name, should be more of them.

[Old Sweater]

Third Team, Catcher, Bubbles Hargrave



http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/7979/200pxhargrave.jpg

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

Eugene Franklin "Bubbles" Hargrave (July 15, 1892 – February 23, 1969) was an American catcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, and New York Yankees. He won the National League batting title in 1926 while playing for Cincinnati. Bubbles' younger brother, Pinky Hargrave, was also a major league catcher.

Biography

Hargrave was born in New Haven, Indiana. He started his professional baseball career in 1911 in the Central League and made his major league debut in 1913 with the Chicago Cubs. He was their backup catcher until 1915. From 1916 to 1920, he played mostly in the American Association. In 1920, he had a big season with the St. Paul Saints, batting .335 with 22 home runs and finishing second in the league batting race. St. Paul won the pennant.[1]

Hargrave was then acquired by the Cincinnati Reds. He was their starting catcher for most of the 1920s and consistently put up good hitting numbers. In 1926, he won the National League batting title with a .353 average. The rules at the time required batting champions to play in at least 100 games, and Hargrave pinch hit several times to get to 105. He was the first catcher to lead the NL in batting average.[2] In 1927, he led the league's catchers in fielding percentage.

Hargrave went back to St. Paul for the 1929 season. He managed the club to a second place finish and also made the league All-Star team.[3] He batted .369 in 104 games.[4] The following year, Hargrave served as a backup catcher for the New York Yankees. He then went back to the minors for a few seasons before retiring in 1934.

After his baseball days, Hargrave worked for a valve company.[5] He died at age 76 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1962 and the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005.

Career statistics
Batting average .310
Home runs 29
Runs batted in 376
Teams

Chicago Cubs (1913-1915)
Cincinnati Reds (1921-1928)
New York Yankees (1930)

Career highlights and awards

National League batting champion: 1926

[Old Sweater]

Third Team, First Baseman, Jack Fournier



http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/18/200pxjackfournier.jpg

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

John Frank "Jack" Fournier (September 28, 1889 – September 5, 1973) was a first baseman in Major League Baseball. He played for the Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Brooklyn Robins, and Boston Braves.

Purchased by the White Sox from the Red Sox in 1912, Fournier presented Clarence "Pants" Rowland, and a half-dozen other managers, with the dilemma of what to do with this poor-fielding, pure hitter. Rowland solved that problem in 1916, a year after Fournier had led the AL in slugging, by replacing him at first base with the marginal Jack Ness. Before 1920, a first baseman was one of the key fielding positions because of the constant threat of the bunt; Fournier could not field the bunt with any degree of competence.

Fournier hit .350 for the Yankees in limited duty in 1918 before they passed him off to the Cardinals. After three productive years in St. Louis, Fournier was dealt to Brooklyn on February 15, 1923. Fournier said he would quit the game rather than leave St. Louis, but he eventually ended his holdout and reported to the Dodgers. Fournier had found his spot, among an offensive unit that included Zack Wheat, Milt Stock, and Zack Taylor. He turned in a six-for-six performance on June 29 of that year, hit .351, and made a league-high 21 errors. In 1924, Fournier led the NL with 27 home runs, and in 1925 was second to Rogers Hornsby with 130 RBI.

Fournier hit 136 career home runs in 14 seasons while rapping .313 with a .393 on-base percentage. He also racked up three straight seasons (1923–25) with 20+ home runs, 20+ doubles, a .400 or higher on-base percentage, a .330 plus batting average, and 90+ runs. Bill James ranked him as the 35th best first baseman of all-time.[1]

Following his playing career, Fournier was the head coach at UCLA from 1934 to 1936. He later scouted for the St. Louis Browns (1938–1942, 1944–1949), Chicago Cubs (1950–1957), Detroit Tigers (1960), and Cincinnati Reds (1961–1962).

Career statistics
Batting average .313
Home runs 136
RBI 859
Teams

Chicago White Sox (1912–1917)
New York Yankees (1918)
St. Louis Cardinals (1920-1922)
Brooklyn Robins (1923-1926)
Boston Braves (1927)

Career highlights and awards

League leader in home runs: 1924 (27)
League leader in walks: 1925 (86)

[Old Sweater]

Third Team, Second Baseman, George Grantham



http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/3643/200pxgeorgegranthamgoud.jpg

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

George Farley "Boots" Grantham (May 20, 1900 in Galena, Kansas - March 16, 1954 in Kingman, Arizona), was a former professional baseball player who played second base in the Major Leagues from 1922 through 1934. He played for the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, and New York Giants. He attended Northern Arizona University.
Hitting stats

1,444 Games
1,508 Hits
105 Home Runs
712 RBIs
.302 Batting Average

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/5875/georgegrantham.jpg

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/grantge01.shtml

Since there wasn't to much info about Grantham @ Wiki, I decided to add the link for his BR page.

[Old Sweater]

Third Team, Third Baseman, Jimmy Johnston



http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/8259/jimmyjohnston.jpg

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

James Harle Johnston (December 10, 1889, Cleveland, Tennessee—February 14, 1967, Chattanooga, Tennessee) was a major-league baseball player from 1911 through 1926. He played mostly with the Brooklyn Robins of the National League.

Jimmy Johnston, who batted and threw right-handed, made his major-league debut on May 3, 1911 with the Chicago White Sox. He played only one game that season, and did not return to the majors until 1914, when he played 50 games with the Chicago Cubs. From 1916 through 1925 he was with the Brooklyn Robins. He finished up his career the following year, playing for two teams that year. His final game was played on September 11, 1926.

Flexibility was the reason for Jimmy Johnston's long career. He played 13 seasons, 10 of them with the Brooklyn Robins. He played 448 games at third base, 354 in the outfield, 243 at second, 178 at shortstop, and 49 at first base.

He had a decent .294 lifetime batting average, hitting in the .270 to .280 range near the end of the dead-ball era and going over .300 once the live-ball era started. He stole 169 bases in his career, mostly from 1916 to 1923. He had little power, except in 1921 when he had 41 doubles and 14 triples.

He appeared in the 1916 and 1920 World Series. He was used selectively. In the 1916 World Series he started two of the games, batting in the lead-off position. In the 1920 World Series, he appeared in four of the games, batting second mostly but also batting sixth in one of the games.

Almost all of his managers were Hall of Famers. Hugh Duffy managed him in 1911, Wilbert Robinson in his Brooklyn days, Dave Bancroft in Boston, and John McGraw in New York. The only non-Hall-of-Famer was Hank O'Day in 1914.

After his playing career ended, Jimmy Johnston was a coach with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1931. James married Nora Belle JONES on Nov 1 1910. Nora was born July 31, 1888. She died May 14, 1974 in Chattanooga, Hamilton, TN and was buried in Forest Hills Cemetery, Hamilton Co, TN.

They had the following children:

James Hunter JOHNSTON was born January 10, 1913 and died September 2, 2001. Dorothy JOHNSTON was born 1915. She died 1928. Ruth JOHNSTON Harris Gregg JOHNSTON Caroline Virginia JOHNSTON was born October 23, 1922 and died February 4, 2006.

Career statistics
Batting average .294
Home runs 22
Runs batted in 410
Stolen bases 169
Teams

Chicago White Sox (1911)
Chicago Cubs (1914)
Brooklyn Robins (1916-1925)
Boston Braves (1926)
New York Giants (1926)



Ruth JOHNSTON Harris Gregg JOHNSTON Caroline Virginia JOHNSTON was born October 23, 1922 and died February 4, 2006.

Now I can see triplets being born the same date, but to die on the same date is odd and had to be a car wreck/plane crash, or something like that.

[Old Sweater]

Third Team, Shortstop, Rabbit Maranville



http://img688.imageshack.us/img688/5418/200pxrabbitmaranville19.jpg

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

Walter James Vincent Maranville (November 11, 1891 – January 5, 1954), better known as Rabbit Maranville due to his speed and small stature (5'5", 155 pounds), was a Major League Baseball shortstop. At the time of his retirement in 1935, he had played in a record 23 seasons in the National League, a mark which wasn't broken until 1986 by Pete Rose. He was known as one of "baseball's most famous clowns" due to his practical jokes and lack of inhibitions.[1]

When he was appointed manager of the Chicago Cubs in 1925—one of their worst seasons ever—he did not change his behavior. One night he went through a Pullman car dumping water on sleeping players' heads, saying, "No sleeping under Maranville management, especially at night." Not long after that, he was out on the street outside Ebbets Field in Brooklyn mimicking a newsboy hawking papers. He cried out, "Read all about it! Maranville fired!" And so he was—the very next day.[2]

Over his lengthy career, Maranville played for the Boston Braves (1912–1920, 1929–1933, 1935), Pittsburgh Pirates (1921–1924), Chicago Cubs (1925), Brooklyn Robins (1926) and St. Louis Cardinals (1927–1928). He retired having compiled a .258 batting average, 2,605 hits, 1,255 runs, 28 home runs, 884 RBI and 291 stolen bases. As a shortstop, he finished his career with a positional record 5,139 putouts.[3] He won his only World Series championship in 1914 as a member of the Braves, and won his only other National League championship in 1928 as a member of the Cardinals.

Maranville was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1954, after 13 failed attempts. He has the lowest batting average of any shortstop in the Hall of Fame.

Career statistics
Batting average .258
Home runs 28
Runs batted in 884
Hits 2605
Teams

Boston Braves (1912–1920; 1929–1933; 1935)
Pittsburgh Pirates (1921–1924)
Chicago Cubs (1925)
Brooklyn Robins (1926)
St. Louis Cardinals (1927–1928)

Career highlights and awards

World Series champion: 1914
National League pennant: 1928

HOF, BBWAA, 82.94% 14th Ballot

[Old Sweater]

Third Team, Left Fielder, Irish Meusel



http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/4848/200pxirishmeuselyvjppocpp.jpg

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

Emil Frederick "Irish" Meusel (June 9, 1893 - March 1, 1963) was an American baseball Left fielder.

He was first signed with the Washington Senators in 1914 and played one game. After a tour in the minor league, he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1918. He played four years for the Phillies, averaging over .300 in three of those years.

Midway through the 1921 season, he was traded to the New York Giants. His subsequent play helped the Giants erase a 7½-game deficit to edge out the Pittsburgh Pirates and claim the pennant. The Giants went on to win the 1921 World Series over the New York Yankees. His brother, Bob Meusel, played for the Yankees.

He appeared in four consecutive World Series for the Giants: 1921, 1922, 1923, and 1924. His final year was with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1927.

In 1923, playing for the Giants, he led the National League with 125 RBIs. His career average is .310 with 810 RBIs.

He died on March 1, 1963.

Career statistics
Batting average .310
Home runs 106
Runs batted in 819
Teams

Washington Senators (1914)
Philadelphia Phillies (1918-1921)
New York Giants (1921-1926)
Brooklyn Robins (1927)

Career highlights and awards

2x World Series champion: (1921, 1922)
National League pennant: 1923, 1924
National League RBI champion: 1923
6 seasons with a .300+ batting average
4 seasons with 100+ RBI
2 seasons with 100+ runs scored

[Old Sweater]

Third Team, Center Fielder, Hack Wilson



http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/4921/200pxhankwilsongoudeyca.jpg

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

Lewis Robert "Hack" Wilson (April 26, 1900 – November 23, 1948) was an American professional baseball player who played 12 seasons with the New York Giants, Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies.[1] He is best remembered for his 1930 season with the Cubs, one of the best individual single-season hitting performances in Major League Baseball history. His record of 191 runs batted in has withstood serious challenge for over 80 years. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979.[2]

Wilson was one of the most accomplished power hitters in the game during the late 1920s and early 1930s.[3] His batting talent and propensities for fighting and excessive alcohol consumption made him one of the most colorful sports personalities of his era.[4] His drinking and fighting undoubtedly contributed to a premature end to his athletic career and, ultimately, his premature demise.

[edit] Early life and minor leagues

Wilson grew up in the Pennsylvania steel mill town of Ellwood City.[3] Although only five feet six inches tall, he weighed 195 pounds, and had an 18-inch neck and size-6 shoes. One sportswriter observed that he was "built along the lines of a beer keg, and was not wholly unfamiliar with its contents."[citation needed] His odd physique — large head, tiny feet, short legs and broad, flat face, described in detail in a recent biography[7] — are now readily recognizable as hallmarks of the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, making his later accomplishments, in the face of a crippling congenital disability, all the more remarkable.[8][9]

Wilson dropped out of school in the sixth grade, then went to work swinging a sledge hammer at a locomotive factory for a salary of four dollars a week.[3] In 1921 he traveled to Martinsburg, West Virginia to play for the Martinsburg Mountaineers of the Blue Ridge League.[10] In his first professional appearance he broke a leg, and was forced to switch from catcher to outfielder.[11] In 1923 he played for the Portsmouth Truckers and led the Virginia League in hitting with a .388 batting average in 115 games.[10][12] New York Giants manager John McGraw purchased Wilson's contract from Portsmouth for $10,500 late in the season, and he made his major league debut with the Giants on September 29, 1923.

New York Giants

Wilson's stocky physical appearance earned him the nickname Hack, after a popular wrestler of the day named Georg Hackenschmidt.[3] He became the starting left fielder for the Giants in 1924 after Billy Southworth fell into a hitting slump.[13] By mid-July he was ranked second in the National League in hitting.[14] Wilson ended the season with a .295 average along with 10 home runs and 57 runs batted in as the Giants clinched the National League pennant.[1] In the 1924 World Series he posted a .233 average as the Giants were defeated by the Washington Senators in seven games.[15]

On April 19, 1925 Wilson hit the longest home run on record at Ebbets Field during a game against the Brooklyn Robins,[16] but he fell into a slump in May and was replaced in left field by Irish Meusel.[17] On July 2 Wilson tied a major league record set by Ken Williams in 1922 by hitting two home runs in one inning.[18] In August the Giants sent him to their minor league affiliate, the Toledo Mud Hens of the American Association. At season's end a front office oversight left him unprotected on the Toledo roster, and the last-place Chicago Cubs acquired him on waivers.

Glory years with the Cubs

Wilson regained his form as the Cubs' centerfielder in 1926 and soon became a favorite of Chicago fans.[20] On May 24 he hit the center field scoreboard with one of the longest home runs in Wrigley Field history as the Cubs came from behind to defeat the Boston Braves.[21] Later that evening he made news again when he was arrested during a police raid of a Prohibition-era speakeasy while trying to escape through the rear window.[22] Wilson ended the season with a league-leading 21 home runs along with 36 doubles, 109 runs batted in, a .321 batting average and a .406 on base percentage.[1] He ended the year ranked fifth in voting for the 1926 National League Most Valuable Player Award as the Cubs improved to fourth place.[23]

Wilson had another strong performance in 1927, once again leading the league in home runs to help drive the Cubs into first place heading into the final month of the season; but the team faltered, finishing once again in fourth place.[24] He ended the year posting a .318 average, 30 home runs and 129 runs batted in.[1] Wilson also led National League outfielders with 400 put-outs.[25] He led the National League in home runs for a third consecutive year in 1928 with 31, along with 120 RBIs and a .313 average.[1]

Wilson had a combative streak, and frequently initiated fights with opposing players as well as fans. On June 22, 1928, a near-riot broke out in the ninth inning of a game at Wrigley Field against the St. Louis Cardinals when Wilson jumped into the box seats to attack a heckling fan.[26] An estimated 5,000 spectators swarmed the field before police could separate the combatants and restore order.[26] The fan sued him for $20,000, but a jury ruled in Wilson's favor.[27] The following year, Wilson took offense at a remark made by Cincinnati Reds pitcher Ray Kolp. Upon reaching first base after hitting a single, Wilson charged into the Reds dugout and punched Kolp several times before they could be separated.[28] Later that evening at the train station, Wilson exchanged words with Cincinnati player Pete Donohue before lashing out with two blows, sending Donohue to the ground.[28] In late 1929 Wilson signed a contract to fight Art Shires of the Chicago White Sox in a boxing match;[29] but when Shires lost a fight to Chicago Bears player George Trafton in December, Wilson backed out, claiming no benefit to fighting a defeated boxer.[30]

In 1929 Wilson hit .345 with 39 home runs and set a National League single-season record with 159 RBIs.[1][3] He and new teammate Rogers Hornsby (who also contributed 39 home runs) led the Cubs to their first National League pennant in eleven years. Despite hitting .471 in the World Series against Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics, Wilson is largely remembered for the two errors he committed in Game 4 at Shibe Park. The Cubs were leading by a score of 8 to 0 when the Athletics mounted a 10-run rally in the seventh inning. Wilson lost two fly balls in the sun; the second, with two runners on base, led to an inside-the-park home run by Mule Haas.[31][32] The Athletics won the game 10 to 8. Cubs manager Joe McCarthy reportedly told a boy asking for a baseball after the game, "Come back tomorrow and stand behind Wilson, and you'll be able to pick up all the balls you want!"[33][34] The Athletics won again the next day to take the Series in five games.

[edit] 1930: The peak

Wilson's 1930 season, aided by a lively ball wound with special Australian wool, is considered one of the best single-season hitting performances in baseball history.[3][36] By the middle of July he had accumulated 82 RBIs. In August he hit 13 home runs and 53 RBIs, and by September 15 he had reached 176 RBIs, breaking Lou Gehrig's 1927 mark.[3] He ended the season with 190, along with a National League record 56 home runs, .356 batting average, .454 on-base percentage, and a league-leading .723 slugging percentage.[1] He was named the National League's unofficial most valuable player by the Baseball Writers Association of America.[37]

In 1999 the Commissioner of Baseball officially increased Wilson's 1930 RBI total to 191 after a box score analysis by baseball historian Jerome Holtzman revealed that Charlie Grimm had mistakenly been credited with an RBI actually driven home by Wilson.[38] 191 RBIs remains one of baseball's most enduring records; only Gehrig (184) and Hank Greenberg (183) ever came close, and there have been no serious threats in the last 70 years. (Closest was 165 by Manny Ramirez in 1999.)[39] Wilson's 56 home runs that same year stood as the National League record until 1998 when it was broken by Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire.[40]
[edit] Decline

Wilson's success in the 1930 season only served to fuel his drinking habits, and in 1931 he reported to spring training 20 pounds overweight.[3] In addition, the National League responded to the prodigious offensive statistics of the previous year (the only season ever in which the league as a whole batted over .300) by introducing a heavier ball with raised stitching to allow a better grip and sharper curveballs.[41] Wilson complained that the new Cubs manager, former teammate Rogers Hornsby, didn't allow him to "swing away" as much as Joe McCarthy had.[42] He went into a protracted hitting slump and was benched in late May.[43] By late August, Cubs owner William Wrigley, Jr. publicly expressed his desire to trade him.[44] On September 6 the Cubs suspended him without pay for the remainder of the season after a fight with reporters just after boarding a train in Cincinnati;[45] he was hitting only .261 with 13 home runs at the time.[1]

During the 1931-32 off-season the Cubs traded Wilson and Bud Teachout to the St. Louis Cardinals for Burleigh Grimes.[1] The Cardinals promptly traded him to the Brooklyn Dodgers for minor league player Bob Parham in early 1932.[1] Wilson produced 123 RBIs along with 23 home runs and a .297 batting average in 1932, but his offensive production dropped in 1933, and he was hitting just .245 when the Dodgers released him mid-season in 1934.[1][46] He was signed immediately by the Philadelphia Phillies but released again after less than a month due to his lack of hitting.[47] After a final season in the minor leagues with the Albany Senators, Wilson retired at the age of 35.[10]
[edit] Career statistics

In a 12-year major league career, Wilson played in 1,348 games and accumulated 1,461 hits in 4,760 at bats for a .307 career batting average and a .395 on-base percentage. He struck 244 homers and batted in 1,063 runs, leading the National League four times in home runs and surpassing 100 RBIs six times. Defensively, he finished his career with a .965 fielding percentage.[1]
[edit] Life after baseball

Wilson returned to Martinsburg where he opened a pool hall, but encountered financial problems due to a failed sporting goods business venture, and then a divorce.[3] By 1938 he was working as a bartender near Brooklyn's Ebbets Field, where he sang for drinks, but had to quit because customers became too abusive.[48] A night club venture in suburban Chicago was another financial failure.[49] In 1944 he took a job as a good-will ambassador for a professional basketball team in Washington D.C., where he lamented that fans remembered his two dropped fly balls in the 1929 World Series far more vividly than his 56 home runs and 191 RBIs in 1930.[50] Unable to find work in professional baseball, he moved to Baltimore where he worked as a tool checker in an airplane manufacturing plant, and later as a laborer for the City of Baltimore. When municipal authorities realized who he was, he was made the manager of a Baltimore public swimming pool.[51]

On October 4, 1948 Wilson was discovered unconscious after a fall in his home.[52] The accident didn't appear serious at first, but pneumonia and other complications developed, and he died of internal hemorrhaging on November 23, 1948 at the age of 48.[4] Wilson died penniless and his son refused to claim his remains. National League President Ford Frick finally sent money to cover his funeral expenses.[53][54] In marked contrast to Babe Ruth's funeral, which had been attended by thousands just three months earlier, only a few hundred people were present for Wilson's services.[55] He is buried in Rosedale Cemetery in Martinsburg, West Virginia.[55] A Martinsburg street is named Hack Wilson Way in his honor.

In 1979 Wilson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee.

Career statistics
Batting average .307
Home runs 244
Runs batted in 1063
Teams

New York Giants (1923-1925)
Chicago Cubs (1926-1931)
Brooklyn Dodgers (1932-1934)
Philadelphia Phillies (1934)

Career highlights and awards

National League pennant: 1924, 1929
Single-season RBI record holder (191)
National League home run champion: 1926-1928, 1930
National League RBI champion: 1929, 1930
2-time National League base on balls leader
4 seasons with 30+ home runs
6 seasons with 100+ RBIs

HOF, 1979, Veterans Committee

[Old Sweater]

Third Team, Right Fielder, Curt Walker



http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/9830/curtwalker.jpg

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

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/walkecu01.shtml

William Curtis Walker (July 3, 1896 in Beeville, Texas - December 9, 1955 in Beeville, Texas), is a former professional baseball player who played outfield in the Major Leagues from 1919-1930. He played for the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, and New York Giants.

Career statistics
Batting average .304
Home runs 64
RBI 688
Teams

New York Yankees (1919)
New York Giants (1920-1921)
Philadelphia Phillies (1921-1924)
Cincinnati Reds (1924-1930)

[Old Sweater]

Third Team, Pitcher, Jesse Haines



http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/8396/200pxjessiehainesgoudey.jpg

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

Jesse Joseph "Pop" Haines, (July 22, 1893 – August 5, 1978) was a right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher and knuckleballer. He played briefly in 1918, then from 1920 to 1937.

Haines was born in Clayton, Ohio. He saw brief Major League action in 1918 with the Cincinnati Reds,but became a fixture in the St. Louis Cardinals starting rotation in 1920. Despite a 13-20 record, he pitched 301 2/3 innings, the highest output of his career, and recorded a 2.98 ERA.

Haines's luck changed over subsequent seasons. Playing until 1937, at the age of 43, he won 20 games or more three times for the Cardinals and won three World Series championships (in 1926,1931 and 1934). He retired with a 210-158 record, 3.64 ERA and 3208 2/3 innings pitched.

Haines threw a no-hitter on July 17, 1924 against the Boston Braves.

Haines was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1970.

Career statistics
Win-Loss record 210-158
Earned run average 3.64
Strikeouts 981
Teams

Cincinnati Reds (1918)
St. Louis Cardinals (1920-1937)

Career highlights and awards

World Series champion: 1926, 1934
National League pennant: 1928, 1930
2-time National League shutout leader
3 20-win seasons

HOF, 1970, Veterans Committee

[Old Sweater]

Third Team, Pitcher, Bill Sherdel



http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/4984/200pxbillsherdel.jpg

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

William Henry Sherdel (August 15, 1896 - November 14, 1968) was a former professional baseball player. He was a left-handed pitcher over parts of fifteen seasons (1918–1932) with the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Braves. For his career, he compiled a 165-146 record in 514 appearances, with an 3.72 earned run average and 839 strikeouts. In Cardinals franchise history, Sherdel ranks 4th all-time in wins (153), 3rd in games pitched (465), 4th in innings pitched (2450.7), 5th in games started (242), 8th in complete games (144), 4th in losses (131), 5th in hit batsmen (51), and 8th in games finished (152). Sherdel's 153 wins are the most ever for a Cardinal left-hander.

Sherdel was a member of two National League pennant-winning Cardinals teams, in 1926 and 1928, winning the World Series in 1926. He faced the New York Yankees both times. In World Series play, he compiled an 0-4 record in 4 appearances, with a 3.26 earned run average and 6 strikeouts.

Sherdel was born and later died in McSherrystown, Pennsylvania at the age of 72.

Career statistics
Win-loss record 165-146
Earned run average 3.72
Strikeouts 839
Teams

St. Louis Cardinals (1918-1930, 1932)
Boston Braves (1930-1932)

Career highlights and awards

World Series champion: 1926
National League pennant: 1928

[Old Sweater]

Third Team, Pitcher, Lee Meadows



http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/6301/200pxleemeadows.jpg

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

Henry Lee "Specs" Meadows (July 12, 1894 - January 29, 1963) was a professional baseball player. He was a right-handed pitcher over parts of fifteen seasons (1915–1929) with the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates. He was the National League wins leader in 1926 with Pittsburgh. For his career, he compiled a 188-180 record in 490 appearances, with a 3.37 ERA and 1063 strikeouts. Meadows played on two National League pennant winners with the Pirates (1925 & 1927), winning the World Series in 1925. He finished 0-2 in 2 postseason appearances with a 6.28 ERA.

Meadows currently ranks 6th in Pirates history with a .629 winning percentage.

Meadows was one of the few players in the early 20th century that wore glasses in the field, earning him the nickname "Specs". He was born in Oxford, North Carolina and later died in Daytona Beach, Florida at the age of 68.

Career statistics
Win-loss record 188-180
Earned run average 3.37
Strikeouts 1063
Teams

St. Louis Cardinals (1915-1919)
Philadelphia Phillies (1919-1923)
Pittsburgh Pirates (1923-1929)

Career highlights and awards

World Series champion: 1925
National League pennant: 1927
National League wins champion: 1926