Bill James AL 1910-1919 All Decade Team

[Old Sweater]

Third Team, Third Baseman, Eddie Foster





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

Edward Cunningham "Eddie" Foster (February 13, 1887 in Chicago, Illinois - January 15, 1937 in Washington, D.C.), is a former professional baseball player who played third base in the Major Leagues from 1910-1923. He would play for the New York Yankees, Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox, and St. Louis Browns.

Foster was killed in a hit-and-run automobile accident in Washington, D.C. He is interred at Columbia Gardens Cemetery.

Career statistics
Batting average .264
Home runs 6
Runs batted in 451
Stolen bases 195
Teams

New York Highlanders (1910)
Washington Senators (1912-1919)
Boston Red Sox (1920-1922)
St. Louis Browns (1922-1923)

[Old Sweater]

Third Team, Shortstop, Buck Weaver





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

George Daniel "Buck" Weaver (August 18, 1890 - January 31, 1956) was an American shortstop and third baseman in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Chicago White Sox. He was one of the eight players banned from the Major Leagues for his connection to the 1919 Black Sox Scandal.

Weaver was born in Pottstown, Pennsylvania and began his major league career on April 11, 1912 as a shortstop for the White Sox. Weaver switched to third base in 1917 after Swede Risberg joined the team.

An excellent fielder, Weaver was known as the only third baseman in the league that Ty Cobb would not bunt against.[1] He led the majors in sacrifice hits in 1915 and 1916.

In the famous 1919 World Series, Weaver batted .324, tallying 11 hits. He also played errorless ball, lending credence to his lifelong claim that he had nothing to do with the fix.

After the Series was over, many suspicious reporters made allusions to a possible fix. However some sportwriters praised Weaver for his efforts all along the World Series. Ross Tenney of the Cincinnati Post wrote:

Though they are hopeless and heartless, the White Sox have a hero. He is George Weaver, who plays and fights at third base. Day after day Weaver has done his work and smiled. In spite of the certain fate that closed about the hopes of the Sox, Weaver smiled and scrapped. One by one his mates gave up. Weaver continued to grin and fought harder….Weaver's smile never faded. His spirit never waned….The Reds have beaten the spirit out of the Sox all but Weaver. Buck's spirit is untouched. He was ready to die fighting. Buck is Chicago's one big hero; long may he fight and smile.[2][3]

Despite this, Weaver was banned by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis for having knowledge of the fix and failing to tell team officials.

Weaver successfully sued Charles Comiskey for his 1921 salary. When Shoeless Joe Jackson did the same, the jury voted 11-1 in favor of Jackson. However, the judge set aside the jury verdict after Comiskey produced Jackson's grand jury testimony about the fix. Despite this success, however, Comiskey made no attempt to offer the confessions as evidence to obtain a similar ruling against Weaver.

Weaver applied six times for reinstatement to baseball before his death from a heart attack on January 31, 1956 at age 65. Weaver was the third of the eight suspended "Black Sox" (after Shoeless Joe Jackson in 1951 and Fred McMullin in 1952) to die.

Many parts of the story portrayed in the 1988 movie Eight Men Out are told from Buck Weaver's point of view, with Weaver being played by John Cusack.

With the 2005 World Series set to begin and the White Sox about to capture their first championship since 1917, Chicago Tribune columnist Mike Downey implored commissioner Bud Selig to rescind Weaver's ban. His column of October 20, 2005 cited catcher Ray Schalk's condemnation of "the seven" Sox in on the fix, not eight. Weaver's niece, Pat Anderson, told Downey: "You can't understand why someone else would be so obtuse. Some of these commissioners, it's like they put a brown paper bag over their heads."

Another niece, Marge Follett, came to the 2003 All-Star Game at the White Sox park to personally appeal to the commissioner for her uncle's reinstatement. The Tribune reported a quote from Weaver before his death: "There are murderers who serve a sentence and then get out. I got life."

Weaver is buried at Mt. Hope Cemetery near 115th Street on Chicago's South Side. His grave marker reads, simply: "HUSBAND George D. Weaver 1890-1956."

Career statistics
Batting average .272
Hits 1,308
Runs batted in 421
Stolen bases 172
Teams

Chicago White Sox (1912-1920)

Career highlights and awards

World Series champion (1917)

[Old Sweater]

Third Team, Left Fielder, Bobby Veach





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

Robert Hayes "Bobby" Veach (June 29, 1888 - August 7, 1945) was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball who played fourteen seasons for the Detroit Tigers (1912–23), Boston Red Sox (1924–25), New York Yankees (1925) and Washington Senators (1925).

Career Overview

Bobby Veach was the starting left fielder for the Detroit Tigers for eleven years from 1913-1923. Despite being one of the most productive hitters in baseball during his years in Detroit, Veach played in the shadows of three Detroit outfielders who won 16 batting titles and were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame: Ty Cobb in center field and Sam Crawford followed by Harry Heilmann in right field. Noted baseball historian Robert Creamer described Veach as "[s]urely one of the least remembered of the truly fine hitters.”[1]

Veach put up impressive numbers as a batter and was a fine fielder as well. He led the American League in RBIs three times (1915, 1917, and 1918) and was among the league leaders 10 times. Nobody in baseball had as many RBIs or extra base hits as Veach did during his prime from 1915–1922. In 1919, playing in the final year of the "Dead-ball era," he led the American League in hits (191), doubles (41), and triples (17), and also hit .355—No. 2 behind Ty Cobb. Veach also ranked among the American League leaders in batting average six times and hit .306 or better in nine seasons. He had a career batting average of .311.

In addition to hitting for power and average, Veach could also play "small ball," and ranks No. 24 on the All Time Major League list with 271 sacrifice hits. He was also a fine fielder, collecting 3,754 putouts and 207 assists in left field. Veach was also the only player to pinch hit for Babe Ruth (August 9, 1925) in the years after the Babe was converted from a pitcher to an outfielder.

Baseball historian, Bill James, ranks Veach as the 33rd best left fielder of all time. (Bill James, "The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract"

Early Days: 1912-1914

Born in St. Charles, Kentucky, Veach played for the Indianapolis Indians of the American Association[2] in 1912 and made his major league debut at age 24 on September 6, 1912. Veach played the remaining 23 games of the 1912 season with the Tigers, batting .342. He became the Tigers' fulltime left fielder the following season when Davy Jones left the team. In his two full seasons, Veach hit .269 and .275. He also had the distinction of being caught stealing 20 times in 40 attempts in 1914, though many of his unsuccessful steal attempts were likely the result of double steal attempts involving Sam Crawford and Ty Cobb, who hit ahead of Veach in the batting order.

Veach’s Prime Years With the Tigers: 1915-1923

In 1915, Veach had his break-through season. He led the American League with 40 doubles and 112 RBIs, and was second in the league with 53 extra base hits – 1 short of teammate Sam Crawford's league-leading total. Veach was also among the league leaders in 1915 in batting average (.313), on base percentage (.390), slugging percentage (.434), hits (178), total bases (247), bases on balls (68), and times on base (250).

The Tigers 1915 outfield, with Veach in left, Cobb in center, and Crawford in right has been ranked by baseball historian, Bill James, as the greatest outfield of all time. (Bill James, "The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract" (2001), pp. 673–674) Though league average batting average in 1915 was .248, Cobb hit .369 with 99 RBIs, and 144 runs, Crawford hit .313 and drove in 112 runs, and Veach hit .299 with 112 RBIs. The three Detroit outfielders ranked #1, #2, and #3 in total bases and RBIs. Though the 1915 Tigers won 100 games, they finished in second place behind the Red Sox who won 101 games.

Veach continued his solid hitting from 1915–1923, hitting over .306 in eight of those nine years. Veach regularly finished among the American League leaders in hits (8 times), batting average (6 times), doubles (8 times), triples (8 times), RBIs (10 times), extra base hits (7 times), and total bases (8 times).

On June 9, 1916, Veach scored a run to end Babe Ruth’s scoreless innings streak at 25. Ruth then evened the score with one of the longest home runs ever at Navin Field, deep into the right field bleachers.

Veach had his best year as a batter in 1919 when he led the American League in hits (191), doubles (41), and triples (17). Only Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb topped him in other offensive categories. His .355 batting average was No. 2 behind Cobb, and his 65 extra base hits, 101 RBIs and 279 total bases were No. 2 behind Ruth.

On September 17, 1920, he became the first Detroit Tiger to hit for the cycle with six hits in a 12 inning game.

In 1921, Veach was the subject of an unusual motivational tactic by new player-manager, Ty Cobb. Cobb believed that Veach, who came to bat with a smile and engaged in friendly conversation with umpires and opposing pitchers, was too easygoing. Detroit Tigers historian, Fred Lieb, described Veach as a "happy-go-lucky guy, not too brilliant above the ears," who "was as friendly as a Newfoundland pup with opponents as well as teammates." (Fred Lieb, "The Detroit Tigers") Hoping to light a fire in Veach, Cobb persuaded Harry Heilmann, who followed Veach in the batting order, to taunt Veach from the on-deck circle. “I want you to make him mad. Real mad. . . . [W]hile you’re waiting, call him a yellow belly, a quitter and a dog. … Take that smile off his face.” The tactic may have worked, as Veach had career-highs in RBIs (126) and home runs (16), and his batting average jumped from .308 to .338. Cobb had promised to tell Veach about the scheme when the season was over, but he never did. When Heilmann tried to explain, Veach reportedly snarled, “Don’t come sucking around me with that phony line.” Veach never forgave Heilmann. (Al Stump, Cobb: The Life and Times of the Meanest Man Who Ever Played Baseball (1994), pp. 327–328.)

During Veach’s prime years, nobody in Major League Baseball had more RBIs or extra base hits. In the eight years from 1915–1922, Veach hit 852 RBIs and 450 extra base hits, more than any other player. The top five RBI hitters during these 8 years were:



^^^ Veach, here with the Detroit Tigers.

During Veach’s prime years, nobody in Major League Baseball had more RBIs or extra base hits. In the eight years from 1915–1922, Veach hit 852 RBIs and 450 extra base hits, more than any other player. The top five RBI hitters during these 8 years were:

Bobby Veach – 852
Ty Cobb – 723
Babe Ruth – 635
George Sisler – 612
Tris Speaker – 585

And the top five in extra base hits were:

Bobby Veach – 450
Babe Ruth 445
Tris Speaker – 444
Ty Cobb – 418
George Sisler - 402

Veach as a Left Fielder

In addition to his batting skills, Veach’s speed and strong arm made him a fine left fielder. He led the American League in games played in left field 7 times (1914–1915, 1917–1918, and 1920–1922). [1] He led the American League in putouts by an outfielder in 1921 with 384. He also led the league in assists by an outfielder with 26 in 1920. [[3]

Veach’s 206 career assists and 2.28 range factor are among the Top 10 in Major League history for left fielders. Though left fielders generally receive fewer fielding chances than other outfielders, Veach regularly covered more ground and accepted more chances than the league average for all outfielders. His 1921 range factor of 2.72 is one of the highest season totals for a left fielder in Major League history. His 384 putouts in 1921 and 26 assists in 1920 are also among the highest by a left fielder since 1900.

Veach’s range as an outfielder is also shown by a side-by-side comparison with Ty Cobb, the center fielder he played beside for most of his career. In 1914, Veach had 282 putouts and 22 assists, compared to 177 and 8 for Cobb.[4] Though center fielders typically receive more chances, and Cobb had a reputation as a fine center fielder, Veach bested Cobb in chances in 7 of the 9 years they played side by side in the Detroit outfield: 1914 (304-185), 1916 (356-343), 1918 (291-237), 1919 (352-291), 1920 (383-254), 1921 (405-328), and 1922 (391-344).

Later years

In 1923, Veach continued to hit for average at .321, but his RBI production dropped to 39. In January 1924, the Tigers sold Veach to the Boston Red Sox. That year, Veach regained his power, hitting 99 RBIs and 49 extra base hits.

In May 1925, the Red Sox traded Veach to the New York Yankees. Veach played 56 games for the Yankees, batting .353 with a .474 slugging percentage. On August 9, 1925, in his final season, Veach became the only person to pinch hit for Babe Ruth in the years after Babe switched from a pitcher to an outfielder. The Chicago Tribune reported the next day: "The fans were treated to the unusual spectacle of His Royal Highness being yanked for a pinch-hitter."[5]

The Yankees released Veach less than two weeks later, and Veach was picked up by the Washington Senators. This proved to be good luck for Veach, as the Senators won the 1925 pennant. On September 19, 1925, Veach broke up Ted Lyons's bid for a no-hitter with a two-out ninth-inning single. The young Goose Goslin got the start for the Senators at left field, but Veach got one at bat in the World Series pinch-hitting for Muddy Ruel in Game 2. Fittingly, Veach collected an RBI on a sacrifice fly in his final Major League at bat.[6]

After ending his Major League career in 1925, Veach played four seasons with the Toledo Mud Hens of the American Association from 1926-1929. In 1927, a 39-year-old Veach led the Mud Hens (with manager Casey Stengel) to their first American Association crown with a 101-67 record. Veach had a .363 batting average and drove in a league-leading 145 RBIs. The next year, at age 40, Veach hit .382 to capture the 1928 American Association batting crown.[7]

In December 1943, Veach underwent an abdominal operation at Grace Hospital in Detroit. Veach died in 1945 at his home in Detroit, Michigan after a long illness at the age of 57. Veach was survived by his wife and three sons. Veach was buried at White Chapel Memorial Park Cemetery in Troy, Michigan, in the Mausoleum, First Floor, Section #1212.

Career statistics
Batting average .311
Home runs 64
RBI 1166
Teams

Detroit Tigers (1912-1923)
Boston Red Sox (1924-1925)
New York Yankees (1925)
Washington Senators (1925)

Career highlights and awards

Led American League in RBIs in 1915 (112), 1917 (103) and 1918 (78)
Led American League in Hits, Doubles, and Triples in 1919
Ranks No. 24 on the All Time Major League list with 271 sacrifice hits
His 3,754 putouts is among the all time leaders for a left fielder
First Detroit Tiger to hit for the cycle (September 17, 1920)
The only player to pinch hit for Babe Ruth on (August 9, 1925)

[Old Sweater]

Third Team, Center Fielder, Burt Shotton





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

Burton Edwin Shotton (October 18, 1884 — July 29, 1962) was an American player, manager, coach and scout in Major League Baseball. As manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers (1947, 1948–50), he won two National League pennants and served as Jackie Robinson's first permanent major league manager.

Playing career: Fleet-of-foot outfielder

Shotton was born in Brownhelm, a township in Lorain County, Ohio. In his playing days, he was a speedy outfielder — he was nicknamed "Barney" after race car driver Barney Oldfield — who batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He compiled a .270 batting average for the St. Louis Browns, Washington Senators and St. Louis Cardinals (1909; 1911–23). Although he stole over 40 bases in four consecutive seasons (1913–16), he was also caught stealing over 26 times in each of those seasons. In an American League dominated by speedsters such as Ty Cobb and Clyde Milan, Shotton was never among the top five base stealers in the league, and he had a high rate of being caught stealing, but he pilfered 294 bases during his MLB career. However, his real talent may have been in on-base percentage, finishing in the Top 10 in the league in that category four times in his career. He twice (in 1913 and 1916) led AL batters in walks[1] and finished in the top 10 in six years of his career.[2]

In the early 1920s, as a player and coach, he was the Cardinals' "Sunday manager," relieving skipper Branch Rickey, who always observed the Christian Sabbath. Rickey and Shotton had formed a longstanding friendship and professional relationship dating back to their years together (1913–15) with the Browns when Rickey was the manager. After Shotton’s playing career, he was a scout for a few years, until taking over the Cardinals’ top farm club, the Syracuse Stars.

Baptism of fire in Philadelphia

Shotton spent two years (1926–27) as skipper of the Cardinals' top farm club, the Syracuse Stars of the AA International League. His first formal major league managing opportunity came with the NL's traditional tailending team, the Philadelphia Phillies. He lasted six seasons (1928–33) with the Phils, who twice lost more than 100 games during his tenure; more notably, under Shotton the Phillies finished above .500 in 1932 (78-76, fourth in the National League). The 1932 campaign would be the only winning season the Phillies would record between 1917 and 1949.

After coaching with the Cincinnati Reds (in 1934, including a 1-1 record as manager) and Cleveland Indians (1942–45), and a long stint (1935–41) as a minor league manager for the Cardinals' Rochester Red Wings and Columbus Red Birds farm clubs, Shotton had settled into a scouting role for the Dodgers (where Rickey was president and general manager) when he received a telegram summoning him to Brooklyn on the eve of the 1947 season. "Be in Brooklyn in the morning. Call nobody, see no one", Rickey's wire admonished.

A stand-in for Durocher

Flying immediately to Flatbush, not knowing what to expect, Shotton was ushered into Rickey's presence. Leo Durocher, the Dodgers' iconic manager since 1939, had been suspended for the entire '47 campaign by Baseball Commissioner Happy Chandler. In his search for a temporary replacement, Rickey had been rebuffed by former New York Yankees manager Joe McCarthy and two of Durocher's coaches, Clyde Sukeforth (who managed the first two games of the season on an emergency basis) and Ray Blades.

Rickey pleaded with Shotton to take over the Dodgers for the season. Then 62, and convinced that his on-field career was over, Shotton reluctantly took the reins, still in street clothes. (Shotton was one of the last baseball managers to wear everyday apparel rather than the club uniform. Unlike Connie Mack, Shotton did usually add his team's cap and jacket.) He inherited what historian Jules Tygiel called Baseball's Great Experiment — the Dodgers' and Robinson's breaking of the infamous color line to end sixty years of racial segregation in baseball. The rookie was facing withering insults from opposing players, and a petition by Dodger players protesting Robinson's presence had only recently been quashed by Durocher.

Shotton's calm demeanor, however, provided the quiet leadership the Dodgers needed. They won the pennant by five games, and took the New York Yankees to seven games in the 1947 World Series before bowing. With Durocher's suspension over, Shotton retired again to a front office post. But the 1948 Dodgers did not respond to Durocher's return; they even (briefly) fell into the NL cellar. Durocher was also under siege by the Catholic Youth Organization because of his scandalous extramarital relationship with, and then quick marriage to, actress Laraine Day.

Return to Brooklyn's bench

With the New York Giants also floundering, owner Horace Stoneham decided to replace his manager, Mel Ott, with Shotton. He called Rickey to ask permission to speak with Shotton, and was stunned when Rickey offered him the opportunity to hire Durocher instead. On July 16, 1948, Durocher moved from Brooklyn to Harlem, and Shotton was back in the Dodger dugout — still in street clothes. He rallied the Dodgers to a third place finish in 1948, then won his second pennant in 1949, again bowing to the Yankees in the World Series, this time in only five games. Nevertheless, he continually faced criticism from Durocher loyalists on the Dodgers — who claimed that Shotton was a poor game strategist and lacked Durocher's competitive intensity — and from noted New York Daily News baseball writer Dick Young, who came to refer to him in print only by the acronym KOBS, short for "Kindly Old Burt Shotton."

In 1950, despite chronic pitching woes, Shotton guided the Dodgers to within a game of first place on the final day of the season. When Dick Sisler's home run off Don Newcombe won the pennant for the Phillies' "Whiz Kids", the Dodger season was over. So was Shotton's managerial career. Rickey was forced from the Brooklyn front office by new majority owner Walter O'Malley at the end of the 1950 season. Back home in Winter Haven, Florida, Shotton ignored O'Malley's repeated suggestions that he fly to Brooklyn to "discuss his future." "I don't intend to go all the way up there just to be fired," Shotton said. Indeed, O'Malley had already decided on Chuck Dressen as his new manager.

Shotton's last connection with baseball was as a consultant for Rickey's Continental League, the planned "third major league" that ultimately forced expansion of MLB in 1961-62. In 1960, Shotton was engaged by Rickey, the CL president, to assist and supervise the managers in the Western Carolinas League, a Class D minor league originally set up to groom talent for the CL.[5]

He died in Lake Wales, Florida, of a heart attack at age 77 during the second All-Star break in 1962; his career record as a big league manager was 697-764 (.477).

According to an informal look by researchers at the National Baseball Hall of Fame, it's believed that the last manager to wear street clothes was Burt Shotton of the Brooklyn Dodgers, who last managed a game on October 1, 1950.[6] (Although Mack, who famously wore a full suit during his 50 years as manager of the Philadelphia Athletics, also retired on October 1, 1950.)

Career statistics
Batting average .271
Home runs 9
Runs batted in 290
Managerial record 697-764
Teams

As player

St. Louis Browns (1909, 1911-1917)
Washington Senators (1918)
St. Louis Cardinals (1919-1923)

As manager

Philadelphia Phillies (1928-1933)
Cincinnati Reds (1934)
Brooklyn Dodgers (1947)
Brooklyn Dodgers (1948-1950)

Career highlights and awards

Won two National League Pennants as Manager of Brooklyn

[Old Sweater]

Third Team, Right Fielder, Amos Strunk





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

Amos Aaron Strunk (January 22, 1889 – July 22, 1979) was a center fielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1908 through 1924. A member of four World Series champion teams, Strunk batted and threw left-handed. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

A dependable and speedy player, both on the basepaths and in the field, Strunk was scouted and signed by Philadelphia Athletics' manager Connie Mack, who did not hesitate to call him "the most underrated outfielder in baseball".

Strunk reached the majors in 1908 with the Athletics, spending nine years with them before moving to the Boston Red Sox (1918–19), and played again for Philadelphia (1919–20) and in parts of four seasons with the Chicago White Sox (1920–23). Then, he returned with the Athletics in 1924, his last major league season. Five times he led American League outfielders in fielding percentage, and played in five World Series with the Athletics (1910–11, 1913–14) and Red Sox (1918).

In a 17-season career, Strunk was a .284 hitter (1418-for-4999) with 15 home runs and 530 RBI in 1512 games played, including 696 runs, 213 doubles, 96 triples and 185 stolen bases.

Following his baseball career, Strunk spent fifty years in the insurance business. He died in Llanerch, Pennsylvania, at the age of 90.
[edit] Highlights

From 1911–18, he averaged 20 stolen bases per season, with a career-high 29 in 1912.
In three seasons, he hit .300 or more, with a career-high .332 in 1921.
In 1923, he led the AL with 12 pinch-hits in 39 at-bats (.308).
He achieved a notable 1.73 walk-to-strikeout ratio (573-to-331).

Career statistics
Batting average .284
Home runs 15
Runs batted in 530
Stolen bases 185
Teams

Philadelphia Athletics (1908-1917, 1919-1920, 1924)
Boston Red Sox (1918-1919)
Chicago White Sox (1920-1924)

Career highlights and awards

World Series champion:1910, 1911, 1913, 1918

[Old Sweater]

Third Team, Pitcher, Dutch Leonard





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_L...ded_pitcher%29

Hubert Benjamin "Dutch" Leonard, (April 16, 1892 – July 11, 1952) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who had an 11-year career from 1913–1921, 1924-1925. He played for the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers, and holds the major league modern-era record for the lowest single-season ERA of all time — 0.96 in 1914. The all-time record holder is Tim Keefe with a 0.86 ERA in 1880. Another pitcher called Dutch Leonard pitched in the National League around a decade later.

Early years

Born in Birmingham, Ohio, Leonard played baseball for the Saint Mary's College of California "Gaels" in Moraga, California, from 1910-1911. In 1912, he played for the Denver Grizzlies of the Western League, where he compiled a 22-9 record with 326 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.50.
[edit] Boston Red Sox

Leonard broke in with the Boston Red Sox in 1913. In his second year in the major leagues, 1914, Leonard led the American League with a remarkable 0.96 ERA – the modern era MLB record for single-season ERA, not counting Tim Keefe's record of 0.86 in his first MLB season. Leonard also pitched well in Boston's 1915 and 1916 World Series victories. He won Game 3 of the 1915 World Series, outduelling the Phillies' Grover Cleveland Alexander 2-1. He also won Game 4 of the 1916 World Series against the Brooklyn Robins.

Leonard also pitched two no-hitters for the Red Sox, the first in 1916 against the St. Louis Browns and the second in 1918 against the Detroit Tigers.
[edit] Detroit Tigers

In January 1919, the Red Sox sold Leonard to the Detroit Tigers, where Leonard played from 1919–1921 and 1924-1925. Leonard became embroiled in a salary dispute with Tigers' owner Frank Navin in 1922, and Leonard opted to play for Fresno, in the San Joaquin Valley League in 1922 and 1923. Leonard was suspended by the American League for his actions, but he rejoined the Tigers in 1924 where he feuded with Tigers manager Ty Cobb. Leonard pitched his final major league game in July 1925.



Dutch Leonard and Ty Cobb

Even before their player-manager feud, Leonard and Cobb had a history. In 1914, Leonard hit Cobb in the ribs with a fastball. In the next at bat, Cobb dragged a bunt which the Red Sox first baseman was forced to field. Cobb later described the play as follows:

"Leonard ran to first to take the throw. When he saw I was going for him and not the bag, he kept running into the coaching box. Damned coward. I ignored the bag, drove right through after him ... he ran toward the dugout and missed cutting him by inches." (Al Stump, Cobb: The Life and Times of the Meanest Man Who Ever Played Baseball, p. 213)

A full feud broke when Cobb took over as the Tigers' manager in 1921. Cobb took pleasure in fining Leonard, who enjoyed late nights, for violating curfew. At one point in the 1921 season, Leonard was 11-13, despite a respectable ERA; Cobb left his office door open so that Leonard could hear him on the phone, faking a call: "I'm putting that damned Dutchman on waivers." (Al Stump, Cobb, p. 140) In 1922, Leonard and Cobb fought over how to pitch to George Sisler and Tris Speaker. Leonard cursed Cobb to his face during the dispute, and Leonard ended up quitting the team in 1921, calling Cobb a "horse's ass." (Al Stump, Cobb, p. 340)

When Leonard returned to the Tigers in 1924 after two seasons in the San Joaquin Valley League, the feud with Cobb resumed. By the middle of the 1925 season, Leonard was 11-3, but that did not stop Cobb from accusing Leonard of being a shirker. In front of the team, Cobb berated Leonard: "Don't you dare turn bolshevik on me. I'm the boss here." (Richard Bak, Peach, p. 147) Leonard accused Cobb of over-working him, and Cobb responded in July 1925 by leaving Leonard on the mound for an entire game despite Leonard's giving up 20 hits and taking a 12-4 beating. After that, Leonard refused to pitch for Cobb. As a result, the Tigers put Leonard on waivers, and when no team picked him up, his baseball career came to an end. (Al Stump, Cobb, p. 364)

Rumors began to spread that Leonard was claiming he "had something" on Cobb. Leonard was quoted as saying, "I am going to expose that bastard Cobb, I'll ruin him." (Al Stump, Cobb, p. 371) And in 1926 Leonard sought his revenge, contacting Kenesaw Mountain Landis and accusing Cobb of being involved in gambling and/or fixing games with Tris Speaker. Leonard claimed that Speaker and Cobb had conspired before a 1919 Tigers-Indians game to allow the Tigers to win, enabling the team to reach third place and qualify for World Series money. To corroborate his story, Leonard produced letters written at the time (one by Cobb and one by Smoky Joe Wood) that obliquely referred to gambling or game-fixing. When Landis made Leonard's letter public in December 1926, it started a scandal.

Cobb was called to testify at a hearing before Commissioner Landis, and denied Leonard's allegations. Cobb noted that Leonard "had the reputation in the past of being a bolshevik on the club." (Al Stump, Cobb, p. 382) Leonard declined to appear and testify at the hearing, saying he feared a physical attack from "that wild man." In the absence of Leonard's testimony, Landis found Cobb and Speaker not guilty.

Career outside baseball

Leonard did well for himself after baseball. He became a very successful California fruit farmer and wine maker. He was also an expert left-handed golfer. Leonard died in 1952 at age 60 from complications of a stroke. He is buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Fresno, California. His estate at the time of his death was reportedly worth $2.1 million ($17,375,849 in current dollar terms).



^^^ Hubert “Dutch” Leonard (left) and Bill Carrigan, 1916

Career statistics
Pitching Record 139-113
Earned run average 2.76
Strikeouts 1160
Teams

Boston Red Sox (1913-1918)
Detroit Tigers (1919-1921, 1924-1925)

Career highlights and awards

World Series champion: 1915, 1916, 1918
Lowest single-season ERA (0.96) in Major League Modern Era history; Adjusted ERA+ was 279.
American League ERA champion: 1914
Two no-hitters

[Old Sweater]

Third Team, Pitcher, Ed Walsh





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

Edward Augustine Walsh (May 14, 1881 – May 26, 1959) was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He holds the record for lowest career ERA, 1.82

Baseball career

Born in Plains Township, Pennsylvania, Walsh had a brief though remarkable major league career. He made his major league debut in 1904 with the Chicago White Sox and pitched his first full season in 1906, going 17–13 with a 1.88 ERA and 171 strikeouts.[2] From this season through 1912, Walsh averaged 24 victories, 220 strikeouts and posted an ERA below 2.00 five times. He also led the league in saves five times in this span. His finest individual season came in 1908 when he went 40–15 with 269 strikeouts, 6 saves and a 1.42 ERA.[3] In 1910, he posted the lowest ERA (1.27) for a pitcher with at least 20 starts and a losing record.

In 1910, the White Sox opened White Sox Park, which was soon nicknamed Comiskey Park by the press in honor of team owner Charles Comiskey. The name was officially changed to Comiskey Park in 1913. A story, perhaps apocryphal, states that Zachary Taylor Davis, the architect who later designed Wrigley Field across town, consulted Walsh in setting the park's field dimensions. Choosing a design that favored himself and other White Sox pitchers, rather than hitters, Walsh not only made Comiskey Park a "pitcher's park" for its entire 80-year history, but he can be said to be the man who "built" Comiskey Park.[citation needed]

Interviewed for Lawrence Ritter's book The Glory of Their Times, Hall-of-Famer Sam Crawford referred to Walsh's use of a pitch that was later outlawed: "Big Ed Walsh. Great big, strong, good-looking fellow. He threw a spitball. I think that ball disintegrated on the way to the plate, and the catcher put it back together again. I swear, when it went past the plate, it was just the spit went by".[4]

Walsh was a workhorse who pitched an average of 375 innings annually during the six-year period, 1907-1912. After the 1912 season, Walsh reportedly requested a full year off to rest his arm.[5] Nevertheless, he showed up for spring training the following season, contending, "The White Sox needed me—implored me to return—so I did".[5] As baseball historian William C. Kashatus observed, "It was a mistake".[5]

Walsh's playing time began dwindling in 1913.[5] It has been claimed that he came into spring training in poorer physical shape than other members of the White Sox pitching staff, and his pride led him to try to keep up with the other pitchers in terms of pitch speed before getting into adequate shape, thereby causing damage to his pitching arm.

"I could feel the muscles grind and wrench during the game, and it seemed to me my arm would leap out of my socket when I shot the ball across the plate", Walsh later recalled. "My arm would keep me awake till morning with a pain I had never known before".[5] He pitched only 16 games during the 1913 season, and a meager 13 games over the next three years.[5]

By 1916 his arm was dead. He wanted a year off, but Charles Comiskey released him instead.[6] He attempted a comeback with the Boston Braves in 1917, but was let go, ending his major league career.[6] He later did some pitching in the Eastern League and gave umpiring a try, after which he was a coach for the White Sox for a few years. He retired with 195 wins, 126 losses[5] and 1736 strikeouts. His career 1.82 is the lowest major league ERA ever posted,[5] but is unofficial since ERA was not an official statistic in the American League prior to 1913.

Walsh was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946.[6] In 1999, he ranked Number 82 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
Win–Loss record 195–126
Earned run average 1.82
Strikeouts 1736
Teams

As Player

Chicago White Sox (1904 – 1916)
Boston Braves (1917)

As Manager

Chicago White Sox (1924)

Career highlights and awards

World Series champion: 1906
Best career ERA (1.82) in Major League history
Second-best WHIP (1.00) in Major League history
American League ERA champion: 1907, 1910
American League wins champion: 1908
4-time American League innings pitched leader
4 20-win seasons
1 40-win season
6 sub-2.00 ERA seasons

HOF, 1946, Veterans Committee

[Old Sweater]

Third Team, Pitcher, Hooks Dauss





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

George August "Hooks" Dauss (September 22, 1889 – July 27, 1963) was a Major League pitcher who played his entire career with the Detroit Tigers. Nicknamed 'Hooks' or 'Hookey' because of his hard-to-hit curveball. During his playing career from 1912 to 1926, he won more games than any other pitcher in Detroit Tigers history.

Professional playing career

Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, he began his career with the Tigers in 1912. After having two starts that year, he was 13-12 in 1913, with a 2.48 ERA and 22 complete games (2 shutouts) in 29 starts. He had four appearances as a reliever that year as well.

He had a similar 1914 season, but in 1915, Hooks won 24 games and lost 13, while ending up with a 2.50 ERA in 309 and 2/3 innings. Along with teammate Harry Coveleski, Dauss helped make Detroit into a serious contender, winning 100 games and losing 54. However, they finished two and a half games behind the Boston Red Sox, who would go on to win the 1915 World Series.

The next year, Dauss won 19 games, but Detroit was not the same team, and they never contended for a World Series quite like that again. Dauss continued his outstanding, but quiet, success with the Tigers through the teens and into the early 1920s. Dauss won 20 games, twice more, winning 21 in 1919 and 1923. His success earned him a reputation of being one of the most consistently solid pitchers in baseball.

Hooks led the league in batters hit three times and is 30th on the lifetime list. In 1914, he led the major leagues with 18 hit batsmen, including 3 in one game. On August 24, 1914, he and four Washington Senators pitchers combined to set a record with seven hit batsmen in a game. Dauss hit 3, and Washington pitchers hit 4. The Tigers won 11-0. [1]

He finished his career with a record of 222-182 and a 3.30 ERA in 538 games (388 starts). His 222 wins rank him in the top 100 winning pitchers of all time, tied with Jerry Koosman at #70, and he has more wins than any Tigers pitcher in franchise history. He struck out 1201 batters in 3,390-2/3 innings pitched. As a batter, he batted .189.

Dauss was also an excellent fielding pitcher. His career range factor of 2.28 is 65 points higher than the average pitcher of his era. He had 1128 assists in his career, including 137 in 1915. His career fielding percentage of .968 was also 20 points higher than the average pitcher of his era. In the combined 1923 and 1924 seasons, Dauss was charged with only 1 error in 95 games.

Hooks Dauss died in 1963 at Firmin Desloge Hospital in St. Louis at age 73.

Career statistics
Win–loss record 222-182
Earned run average 3.30
Strikeouts 1201
Teams

Detroit Tigers (1912-1926)

Career highlights and awards

Led AL in Saves (4) in 1914
As of 2010:

222 Wins (Tied for 70th All-Time MLB)
3,390.2 Innings (82nd All-Time MLB)
245 Complete Games (85th All-Time MLB)
14,203 Batters Faced (82nd All-Time MLB)
Detroit Tigers All-Time Wins Leader (222)