Net 54 Vintage Baseball Card Forum: For those NOT thrilled with 2009 Baseball, but love 1909 Baseball, give or take a few year

Howdy mates,

I know that there is more than just I who is not thrilled with Opening Day and the onset of Baseball 2009. So, even though I am a post-war guy concentrating, seemingly hopelessly, on difficult-to-find Stahl-Meyer Franks research and information, I want to cheer you up with some tasty morsels of pre-war history that at least for some of you, might not be so apparent, and worth relishing.

JOE JACKSON hit 3 inside-the-park Grand Slam home runs:
on 5/7/1911 with Cleveland
5/11/1913 " "
7/16/1920 " Chicago
Only one player ever hit more, that's right, more.

HONUS WAGNER hit 5 inside-the-park Grand Slam home runs:
on 7/28/1898 with Louisville
9/20/1901 " Pittsburgh
6/ 3/1909 " Pittsburgh
5/ 4/1911 " Pittsburgh
7/29/1915 " Pittsburgh at age 41!

TY COBB stole home 54 times. Tyrus must have been giving opposing pitchers, catchers, and managers the "willies" in 1912 because he stole home EIGHT times in that year alone! Ty stole home at least once a year from 1907 through 1924. In 1924, Ty would have been 40-41 years old when he turned that trick. Ty and Honus Wagner are the only players from each league to steal second, third, and home in the same inning--FOUR TIMES!

Have you ever wondered, when the T-206 cards began to be issued in 1909, who the kids wanted most dearly to get? Think about that for a moment. Now, this era was a decidedly pitchers era, as they dominated as no other time in baseball history. Obviously, Honus and Ty were feverishly craved. But pitchers stood out so much. So, who would it have been. Big Ed Walsh of the Chicago White Sox. After his staggering 40 victories for the pale hose in 1908, and carrying the club on his back, so willingly coming off the bench to relieve, he would have been THE player to get in 1909. T-206 offers only one pose of Ed, an absolutely stunning portrait in his dark blue, or black, uniform, set against that very pretty mint green background. Oh, how I love that card. Ed also pitched and won two complete games on the SAME day, the last time during the pennant fight of 1908.

Ed Walsh was paid a measly $3,500 in 1908. Naturally, after such a powerful performance, he wanted a raise in 1909. The ultra greedy and miserly Charles Comiskey refused to give him a raise. Can you believe that? From what we now know about Commie, yes, we can believe that. It was enough to do something to get back at the jerk--like throwing a World Series. Big Ed never did anything like that, though others eventually did. So, Walsh held out that spring of 1909. Commie did not give in, nor trade him. Walsh finally signed, for the same amount--$3,500.

Ed Walsh threw what was probably the most devastating spitball in baseball history. Big Ed's spitter had fantastic movement, but he was still able to throw it with outstanding control. He estimated that he would throw the spitter 90% of the time.

Amazing as his 1908 season was, his 1910 season was incredible too, but in a different way. Walsh became the only pitcher ever to lose 20 games but still lead the league in earned run average, as he went 18-20, with a 1.27 ERA. I guess Big Ed was also the biggest victim of the "Hitless Wonder" White Sox.

Ed, had a son, Ed Jr., who pitched in the big leagues, though with disappointing results. Maybe he didn't shine like his father, but after his big league career, he was signed by the PCL Oakland Oaks, and it was Ed Jr. who stopped Joe DiMaggio's 61-game hitting streak!

Yes, if it was 100 years ago, I would have my heart set on getting a card of Big Ed Walsh. Of course, if I was from New York state; well, no one could break my love for Matty....

Then there was Walter Johnson. The Big Train is one of the few to get the side out on 3 pitches. He also performed this very rare feat 4 times. No one else did it more than twice. Walter also won the most edge-of-your-seat-nail-biting 1-0 victories. He won 38 of those gems, and lost 27 of those heart-breakers.

Among those 27 losses that Johnson suffered by that slim margin of 1-0, one of his opponents in these squeakers defeated him 3 times---Boston Red Sox hurler George Herman "Babe" Ruth.

There were very, very few pitchers that could get Ty Cobb out consistently. One of those few was Cleveland Indian great Addie Joss. I vividly recall reading that Ty Cobb "couldn't hit Joss with a paddle." I am rusty on The Peach's batting average against 'ol Adrian Considine, but I think it was about .242. Right now Joss's gorgeous T-206 portrait comes to mind. Wow, what a pitcher.

Most pitchers today rely on a nice assortment of pitches to get the batter out. Before he ran into severe arm trouble in 1934, and had to literally reinvent himself, there was one hurler who essentially had one pitch. As Earle Combs noted, you knew what he was going to throw, but it didn't matter anyway. He is my favorite pitcher of all time---Lefty Grove.

Quoting Jim Kaplan's superb book on Lefty, on page 17: "Scary enough to look at, Grove was even more frightening to hit against. After throwing his arms over his head--often two or three times--Grove would kick his right leg high, distracting the batter, reach back so far that the knuckles of his left hand nearly touched the mound, then throw with a huge stride, a vicious jerk of the wrist, and a sweeping follow-through. ...Rarely had they seen anyone go so low. Rarely had they seen anyone go so high even when he threw his customary three-quarters delivery. Rarely had they seen anyone throw so fast, or so effortlessly. Even when Grove was in his late thirties, his motion impressed Hank Greenberg with its 'ease,' and Ted Williams with its beauty."

(page 22) "Grove yielded only nine homers in ten seasons pitching to Babe Ruth. His toughest outs were the rare contact hitters like the Indians' and Yankees' Joe Sewell, who almost never struck out.

"Grove overmatched everyone else with his pure speed. Depending on who did the talking--Hall of Famers like Cochrane, Joe Cronin, Charlie Gehringer, and Casey Stengel were in his corner--he was either the fastest hurler since Walter Johnson or the fastest ever. 'He was my idol,' Wes Ferrell, another American League pitcher and for three seasons a teammate of Grove's, told auther Donald Honig, 'Lefty Grove, fastest pitcher I ever saw. He'd throw that ball in there, and you'd just wonder where it went to. It would zing! and disappear. You can believe he was that fast, because that was all he threw.'"

(page 23) "Grove threw uncompromisingly and in pain. He gripped the ball so hard with his index and middle fingers that he cracked the nails and drew blood blisters. When the blisters broke, pitches were said to be streaked with blood. Grove cut his nails, painted them with iodine, and never missed his turn to pitch."

(page 25) Connie "Mack was just the avuncular figure the hotheaded Grove needed. Mack knew when to tolerate Grove's excesses and when to ride him. Mack said he took more guff from Grove than from anyone else he managed."

I guess I better go now. This is a pretty big load of hay for ya. Take care.
Respectfully,
Brian Powell

For those NOT thrilled with 2009 Baseball, but love 1909 Baseball, give or take a few year

Re: For those NOT thrilled with 2009 Baseball, but love 1909 Baseball, give or take a few year

Re: For those NOT thrilled with 2009 Baseball, but love 1909 Baseball, give or take a few year

Re: For those NOT thrilled with 2009 Baseball, but love 1909 Baseball, give or take a few year

Re: For those NOT thrilled with 2009 Baseball, but love 1909 Baseball, give or take a few year

Re: For those NOT thrilled with 2009 Baseball, but love 1909 Baseball, give or take a few year

Brian

Awesome

Thanks

Re: For those NOT thrilled with 2009 Baseball, but love 1909 Baseball, give or take a few year