- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Kansas City
- Team: Blues (WA)
- League: Western Association
James H. Manning (1862-1929) became the first manager of the Washington Senators in their franchise-first season, 1901. Manning came out of retirement to take the helm of the fledgling D.C. enterprise after a twelve-year absence from the major leagues. As a player, Manning was an early utility man for the Boston Beaneaters, the Detroit Wolverines and the Kansas City Cowboys from 1885-1889. Manning compiled a career BA of .215 with his high year for Detroit in ’85 with .269.
- Manning was a switch hitter who played OF, 2B and Short
- He started in the OF for Boston’s second year in the NL, helping the team to a 2nd place finish in ’84 behind the Providence Grays
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Columbus
- Team: Solons
- League: American Association
Charles W. Marr (1862-1912) was a Cincinnati lad who started his pro ball career in Evansville, IN in 1884, moving to Nashville the following season and Syracuse, NY with the Stars in '86 before getting a call-up to his hometown at the end of that campaign with the Red Stockings of the American Association. Lefty played in only eight games for the Red Stockings, but hit .276. He then detoured back to the minors for the next two years with the Stars, now of the International Association. In 1889 Lefty got his chance to play regularly in the big leagues when he was signed by the AA's Columbus Solons. He played third and showed off a sparkling .306 average, second only to Dave Orr among the starters. He returned home to the National League's Reds in 1890 where he played primarily in the outfield and continued his fine hitting with a .298 average, helping the squad to a fourth place finish. Marr began the next year with the Reds but soon moved to the Players' League cross-town rivals - Kelly's Killers. That rather tumultuous season for baseball saw Marr end the campaign back with the NL club for a single game. In all, Lefty saw action in three leagues with four years of experience in the majors. His two years with the Solons and Reds bumped his lifetime batting average to .289. He had speed, evidenced by his league-leading 15 triples in '89 with Columbus which he followed with a dozen more for the Reds in '90.
- Marr's ML statistics include a .289 average with 417 hits, 35 triples, 92 stolen bases and 186 RBI
- Marr was far from through with baseball when he left Cincinnati. The next season saw him out west with Spokane and Butte. He traveled south to Macon for the '93 campaign and spent the next several years seeing the country: IA, TN, MN, VA, CT and PA
- Lefty retired from the game after the 1898 season with the Norfolk Jewels of the Atlantic League
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Philadelphia
- Team: Athletics (AA)
- League: American Association
Robert T. Mathews (1851-1898) won the 1st Nat’l Assoc game on May 4, 1871. Over 20 years, Mathews became the only man to win 50+ games in each of the 3 early major leagues: NAPBB, the NL, and the AA. His resume includes an NL and an AA title with the Providence Grays and Phil. Athletics respectively. Stands 25th among winningest pitchers in MLB history.
- Won 297 games, more than any other pitcher NOT inducted into the Hall of Fame
- One of the first to use the spitball and execute the curve
- Although the Old Judge series features three known poses of Bobby Mathews, I could not find one of suitable quality for this project. This image is taken from an Old Judge (Gypsy Queen) proof taken at the same time as Mathews' other OJ images and may represent an as-of-yet undiscovered pose.
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Pittsburgh
- Team: Alleghenys
- League: National League
Albert Joseph Maul (1865-1958) pitched in 15 seasons for ten teams from 1884-1901. His career highlight was winning the NL ERA title in 1895 with 2.95. In 13 years in the NL, he compiled an ERA of 4.56, winning 68 and losing 67. In 1898 with the Orioles, Smiling Al went 20-7 with a 2.10 ERA.
- The New York Times said of Maul’s come-back year in ’98: “The most remarkable case on record of a restored glass arm.”
- Ned Hanlon had made Maul his reclamation project in ’98 and took the veteran to Brooklyn the next year, but neither could re-ignite the old magic
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Philadelphia
- Team: Quakers
- League: National League
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
Thomas Francis Michael McCarthy (1863-1922) failed as a pitcher, but established himself as a fast and intelligent outfielder and base runner over 13 professional seasons. While with the Boston Beaneaters from 1892-1895, he and Hugh Duffy were called the “Heavenly Twins” as they comprised one of the best outfield tandems of the era.
- Had a .292 lifetime average
- Although records are incomplete, he probably stole 500+ bases
- Introduced the Hit & Run play
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 1946
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Chicago
- Team: Maroons
- League: Western Association
James Adelbert McCauley (1863-1930) was a catcher for four major league teams in a brief career that spanned three seasons from 1884-1886. This New Yorker came out of Union College in Schenectady to sign with the St Louis Browns in the AA, but appeared in only one game. Most of his time in a sporadic tenure was with the Buffalo Bisons in ’85 and the Trolley Dodgers in ’86 where he ended his ML stint.
- Career BA of .189 spoke to the brevity of his work in the majors
- In 30 games for Brooklyn, McCauley had an OBP of .439 showing a good eye with 11 walks
- Although the Old Judge series features five known poses of Jim McCauley, I could not find one of suitable quality for this project. This image is taken from a cabinet photo produced by the Gehrig Studio in Chicago. The Gehrig Studio cabinet also features a Goodwin copyright stamp for 1888 and it is clear that this photo was taken in the same studio at the same time as McCauley's five known OJ poses. It is therefore plausible that this pose may constitute a sixth as-of-yet undiscovered OJ pose for McCauley.
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Chicago
- Team: White Stockings
- League: National League
James McCormick (1856-1918) was the first Scotsman to make his adopted country’s major leagues. A pitcher, Jim debuted with the Indianapolis Blues in 1878, their only season in the National League. He had a losing record but an eye-catching 1.69 ERA. He moved to Cleveland’s Blues in ‘79 and stayed until he made the jump to the Union Association in ‘84. Twice with Cleveland McCormick led the NL in wins and once in ERA. A brief term with Providence in 1885 led him to the White Stockings for the balance of ‘85 and the ‘86 season. In Chicago, Jim bonded with King Kelly. Together they helped the club to pennants both years. The battery produced 51 victories with McCormick going 20-4 in ‘85 and 31-11 in ‘86. Perhaps coincidentally (but fittingly), Jim gained a lasting place in baseball card history with his partner Mike Kelly as Goodwin & Co. honored each with ten different poses following the ‘86 championship season. Typical of the era, a contract feud led to McCormick’s sale to Pittsburgh in ‘87 when owner Al Spalding overruled Cap Anson who very much wanted to keep the sturdy hurler.
- McCormick compiled one of the great lifetime records on the mound: 264-214 with a 2.43 ERA (33rd all-time)
- McCormick's uniform color on this card was changed in April, 2017 from black to blue to reflect recent reliable research by Craig Brown & friends at Threads of Our Game. Two cards had been previously released featuring a black uniform.
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Minneapolis
- Team: Millers
- League: Western Association
Thomas McCullum (aka McCallum) was an outfielder for several minor league teams, primarily in the Western Association, from 1884 through 1890. He appeared in an Old Judge card pose for 1888 as a Minneapolis Miller as a right-handed batter. Data is sketchy for this young man, confused by alternate renderings of his name. As McCullum, the Baseball Encyclopedia has him playing for New Castle in 1884, Youngstown in ‘85 and the Milwaukee Brewers in ‘86 and again in ‘89, then back east in the Tri-State League with Dayton and McKeesport in ‘89-90. As McCallum, the Encyclopedia has him with Eau Claire in ‘87, Minneapolis, Davenport and the Chicago Maroons - all in ‘88. It does appear these references identify the same player. Tom’s best year was with Eau Claire where he hit a superb .354 that moved him up to the Western Association.
- As with many Old Judge subjects, the cards reflect promise sometimes unfulfilled as McCullum did get 389 at-bats in 1888 but hit only .213
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Indianapolis
- Team: Hoosiers (NL)
- League: National League
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
An error or a practical joke? The Old Judge series is littered with errors, primarily in the form of misspelled names. There are also a number of cards that are intentionally humorous. The McGreachery card is likely a display of the sense of humor within Goodwin’s art department rather than a mistake.
During this card’s production run from 1887 to 1890, James Laurie White was the oldest player in the major leagues all four years, spanning his age 39 to age 42 campaigns. By that point, White was a baseball veteran of 20 seasons whose tenure predated the National league by five years and ended with the birth of the Player’s League in 1890. By all accounts, White was a serious, religious and principled man who earned the nickname Deacon. White didn’t drink, smoke or gamble and was as knowledgeable and articulate about farming as he was about baseball. Henry Chadwick wrote that White’s character was beyond reproach. Combine White’s character, values, baseball moxie, and his old world perspective - which purportedly included a belief that the Earth is flat - and you can see why the folks at Old Judge might poke fun.
- Excluding the Ars Longa 1880s Diamond Duos & Spotted Ties subsets, Deacon White will be the only player represented in the 1880s base set twice, although his name will still only appear on one card. I just couldn’t resist paying a little tribute to the humor in the Old Judge series by creating a card for the dear old crank McGreachery.
- Why the Old Judge folks assigned the fictitious McGreachery as a manager may be obvious. Why they assigned him to Indianapolis is a mystery and perhaps an inside joke that has long since lost its insiders.
- Watch Burnham is a man who appears in the Old Judge series who actually did manage the Indianapolis Hoosiers - for all of 28 games (losing 22 of them). Perhaps the absence of an enduring Indianapolis manager in the Old Judge series prompted McGreachery's assignment there.
- Only two examples of the original Old Judge card are known to exist
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Philadelphia
- Team: Quakers
- League: National League
James Thomas McGuire (1863-1936). A catcher, manager & coach, McGuire’s 26 major league seasons was a record until Nolan Ryan broke it in 1993. Deacon also played for 11 different teams; another record until broken by Matt Stairs in 2010. He is one of 29 players to play in 4 different decades.
- His 1,859 assists as a catcher is still a record
- Managed the Senators (1898), the Red Sox (1907-1908), & the Naps (1909-1911)
- Coach with the Tigers (1911-17)
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Brooklyn
- Team: Bridegrooms
- League: American Association
William Henry McGunnigle (1855-1899) was a most beloved field general, piloting his Brooklyn Bridegrooms to consecutive pennants in two leagues, the only man to accomplish that feat. The splendidly arrayed Irishman in his patent leather spikes and lavender trousers cut an unmistakeable figure on the diamond from his days in Buffalo in 1879 and ’80 to the rough-and-tumble National League of the 1890s. Always creative and sometimes diabolical, “Mac” pioneered signals from the dugout, sign-stealing, and may have invented the catcher’s glove along with his aforementioned removable-spike shiny shoes. Caught in the turmoil of the early 90s, Bill lost his post at the helm of the Bridegrooms as the Players’ League was reabsorbed into the NL and John Ward replaced him in Brooklyn. As a result, the manager with the highest winning percentage in franchise history never lasted long enough for Hall of Fame recognition.
- Nicknamed “Gunner” for his strong arm and, possibly, the hunting rifle he carried onto the field answering a call to replace an injured catcher for Brockton in 1873
- Died of injuries suffered when he was struck by a trolley back in Brockton
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Cleveland
- Team: Spiders
- League: National League
Edwin John McKean (1864-1919) was Cleveland’s shortstop throughout their major league existence in the 19th century. He began with the Blues (Forest Cities) in 1887 and remained with the club as it became the Spiders. The Robisons transferred their players to their St Louis team in 1899 where McKean finished his MLB tenure as a Perfecto. Baseball’s official guides list Ed’s year of birth as 1864 but biographer Rich Blevins makes the case that McKean may have been but a callow youth when he debuted with American Association Blues. Blevins presents evidence that McKean was born in 1869, making him a mere 17 as a big-league rookie. He had come up with the Youngstowns in 1884 and got his first professional hit off Cannon Ball Bill Stemmyer. He and “Stem” would be teammates with the Spiders in ‘88. McKean was a fine hitter, compiling a .302 BA over his 13 years in the majors. His career OBP was .364.
- Career offensive stats rank McKean with the greats of his era: he is one of only four 19th century players to have 2000 hits, 1000 runs, 1000 RBI, and 300 stolen bases
- Steady and durable, he always had 500+ at-bats
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Cincinnati
- Team: Red Stockings (AA)
- League: American Association
John A. McPhee (1859-1943). McPhee played 18 seasons – all for the Cincinnati Red Stockings/Reds – & was the last 2nd baseman to play without a glove, playing bare-handed for the 1st 14 years of his career. Known for his defense, McPhee matured in the box & compiled some good numbers: 2,258 Hs, 1,684 Rs, at least 568 SBs & a .355 OBP.
- Only HOFer to spend significant time in AA
- One of 3 HOFers to spend entire career with Cincinnati
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 2000
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Denver
- Team: Grizzlies
- League: Western Association
James McQuaid (1861-1928) played baseball under the name Mortimer Martin “Mart” McQuaid. He was a right-handed, grizzled veteran of the minor league circuits from age 27 in 1888 until 1906 with Alameda in the California League. According to the Baseball Encyclopedia, Mart played for 31 teams including brief stints in the majors with St Louis and Washington. He also managed the Dubuque squad in 1896-7. Over 14 seasons, McQuaid had a .310 BA but was miserable afield, botching over one in ten chances. According to SABR’s Vern Luse, McQuaid was the brother of famed ML umpire Jack McQuaid. His cups of coffee in the AA with the Browns (4 games) and the NL’s Senators (one game in which he took the collar) were accidental interruptions for a lifelong laborer in America’s summer meadows, the diamonds-in-the-rough of Main Street USA.
- McQuaid’s Old Judge pose was for the Denver Grizzlies during his second year, but typical of his career: he hit .303 but “was the worst right fielder in the league, by a large margin” per the Goodwin editors
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Pittsburgh
- Team: Alleghenys
- League: National League
George Frederick Miller (1864-1909) had an outstanding ten-year career in Pittsburgh before closing his ML tenure with his best offensive years. He played from age 18 with Harrisburg until 38 as player-manager for the Dayton Veterans of the Central League. As a big-league catcher, Miller proved a formidable batter, defender and runner. He could also bring a certain “tenth-man” quality to the field, attested by his nickname “Foghorn.” Miller harassed opponents (and umps) mercilessly from near the on-deck circle. And he was versatile, playing substantial innings at third and in the outfield. Doggie compiled an excellent .267 average lifetime, but had terrific years at the plate after leaving the Steel City for the Browns in 1894-95, hitting .339 and .291. He was sold to the Louisville Colonels the following year for $400.
- Per the NY Clipper, Nov 16, 1889: “Miller is one of the most promising and popular young players in the profession and he certainly has a very bright future before him.”
- Other than Doggie and Foghorn, Miller also enjoyed Calliope as a nickname
- Miller has five known Old Judge poses
- Miller’s uniform color on this card was changed in August, 2017 from black to red to reflect recent reliable research by Craig Brown & friends at Threads of Our Game. Six cards were previously released featuring a black uniform.
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: St. Louis
- Team: Browns (AA)
- League: American Association
John Milligan (1861-1923) was a catcher for 5 major league teams from 1884 to 1893, including two stints with the Athletics. A lifelong Philadelphian, Jocko played for nearby teams: the Senators, Orioles and Giants with a two-year hitch in St. Louis being his only sojourn away from the East Coast. Orphaned at age 8, Milligan was raised at Girard College, an orphanage that prized athletics and gave young Jocko the gift of baseball. He became one of 13 graduates to play the game professionally. During his ten-year career, Jocko hit a very respectable .286 with 49 home runs. Although he was primarily a back-up catcher, Milligan compiled lifetime stats that put him among the best of his era. Bill James has placed him at 103rd best all-around receivers.
- On May 2, 1886 Jocko hit four doubles in one game
- This gentle giant (6’1” and 190 lbs) and blacksmith entertained orphans with 360′ wallops long after his retirement
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Minneapolis
- Team: Millers
- League: Western Association
Daniel Joseph Minnehan (1865-1929) played a lot of pro ball in the 1880s and 1890s but only got into seven of the last eight games of the Louisville Colonels’ 1895 season for his only stint in the major leagues. Dan did make the most of his brief tenure, however, as he hit .382 giving him an enviable “career” average. His six runs scored and six RBI also gave him a production record that would get the attention of any scout. Sadly, it was back to the Syracuse Stars the following year followed by a dwindling number of plate appearances for several Pennsylvania and northeastern clubs until Minnehan finished his time in professional ball with the Schenectady Electricians in 1899.
- Minnehan was born in Troy NY months after the Civil War ended and died there months before the onset of the Great Depression–a life bookended by the darkest days of the nation and blessed to play ball in some of the Republic’s most golden era
- Perhaps Dan’s claim to fame is that he was hired by Louisville to replace Jimmy Collins who was moving on to a Hall of Fame career with the Boston Beaneaters
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Indianapolis
- Team: Hoosiers (NL)
- League: National League
Samuel R. Moffett (1857-1907) had one of the most dismal starts to his ML career as anyone ever has. He came up with the Cleveland Blues in 1884 and went 3-19 for the seventh place club. Only four rookies in all of baseball have had poorer seasons. Perhaps that led to Sam’s decision to try another venture. He literally struck gold with his brothers in Montana, taking over $200K out of the ground in ’85. He gave baseball another shot in 1887-88 with the Indianapolis Hoosiers, but his 1-5 record in ’87 coupled with a .122 BA sent him back west.
- The strapping Moffett (6’, 175 lbs) managed only a .169 career BA and went 6-29 on the mound
- Sam’s kid brother Joe was a fellow big-leaguer who played one year for the Toledo Blue Stockings of the American Association in 1884
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Boston
- Team: Beaneaters
- League: National League
John Francis Morrill (1855-1932) was a successful player/manager, primarily for the Beaneaters, in a career spanning 1876-90. His team’s third pennant came in ’83, the year after he took over as manager at Boston. “Honest John” hit .319, played six positions, and piloted the club to victory, winning 33 of its final 44 games.
- Batted .260 over his 15 year career
- Received a 5-minute ovation upon his return to Boston after a brief stint w/Washington
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Cincinnati
- Team: Red Stockings (AA)
- League: American Association
Anthony John Mullane (1859-1944) won 284 games over a 13 year career with 7 teams, primarily in the AA. In 2010 he was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds’ Hall of Fame. When the NL added 10.5 feet from mound to plate, Mullane was never the same pitcher. The next year (’94) he surrendered 16 first inning runs to the Beaneaters.
- Ambidextrous, Mullane held the ball in both hands, disguising his intended offering
- Lost a season (’85) to suspension amidst his string of five 30-win years
- Mullane was voted SABR's Overlooked 19th Century Legend for 2015
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Philadelphia
- Team: Quakers
- League: National League
Joseph H. Mulvey (1858-1928) was a durable third baseman, enjoying a twelve-year career with six clubs. He debuted with the Providence Grays in 1883, played primarily in Philadelphia for three teams (Quakers, Athletics and Phillies) before ending his ML tenure with the Brooklyn Grooms in 1895. Mulvey had 28 HRs in the Deadball Era.
- Compiled 1080 hits over his career with a .261 batting average
- In 4084 ABs, Mulvey struck out only 257 times
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: St. Paul
- Team: Apostles
- League: Western Association
Patrick Lawrence Murphy (1857-1911) played one year in the major leagues for the Washington Statesmen. The year was 1891, the first in the storied franchise that became the Senators. The American Association folded the next year giving Murphy the distinction of playing for the nation’s capital’s only entry in that league. Murphy batted left-handed and managed one HR and a .265 BA. Murphy came late to the big stage. He made his pro ball debut at age 31 with the St. Paul Apostles, moving over to the Minneapolis Millers in ’91 before joining the Statesmen. He ended his minor league tenure the following year, playing for four teams: the Chattanooga Chatts, the Indianapolis Hoosiers, the New Haven Nutmegs and the Buffalo Bisons.
- This Canadian late-comer to America’s game batted a modest .237 in his minor league play
- The Toronto native died in Indianapolis only 20 years after his brief time in MLB
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: New York
- Team: Giants
- League: National League
Patrick J. Murphy (1857-1927) was a right-handed catcher for the New York Giants from 1887-1990. This Massachusetts native had a career batting average of .220 and hit one home run in the “Dead Ball” era. He played in one “world series” in 1888, going one for 10 and scoring a run in three games against the St Louis Browns. The Giants prevailed six games to four. The contest was marked by the great future Hall of Famer Tim Keefe’s four victories over the Browns.
- Murphy was a grizzled 30 years of age when he broke in with the Giants
- Murphy’s sole hit in the ’88 series was good for an RBI
- In 1889 Murphy’s salary was $1800
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Washington, D.C.
- Team: Nationals
- League: National League
Jeremiah J. Murray (1865-1922) officiated more big league games than he played as a catcher. He began in organized ball in 1883 in the Interstate Association with the Reading Actives for whom he caught nine games before playing briefly with the league champion Brooklyn Greys. This was the year before Brooklyn would join the American Association as the Atlantics. Throughout his time in baseball, Murray would alternate short stints with major league clubs between longer periods in the minors. He made it to the Providence Grays of the National League in ‘84, the Louisville Colonels of the AA in ‘85, then back with the Washington Nationals in ‘88, returning to D.C. with the Statesmen during their sole year in the AA, 1891. Four years later Murray came up as a NL umpire, handling 112 games and recording seven ejections. He continued sporadically to fill in through the 1905 season.
- Murray was blessed to debut with Old Hoss Radbourn’s famed Providence team and, despite his very brief time as a September reserve, was included in the team honors bestowed by manager Frank Bancroft which included a fine gold badge emblazoned with Champions 1884 in blue
- In all, Miah played a mere 34 games over his decade around major league ball
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: New York
- Team: Giants
- League: National League
James J. Mutrie (1851-1938) was a giant among early baseball entrepreneurs. He may rightly be known as the father of New York baseball, is second only to Joe McCarthy in manager winning %, won pennants in two leagues, helped create (and won) the first true inter-league run-up to the “world series” and popularized the nickname for his Manhattan “Gothams” by referring to his burly lads as “my Giants!” Along the way, “Truthful James” (a wry sobriquet given by the immortal Father Henry Chadwick) stirred controversy at nearly every turn, risked all and in the end, lost. Yet he was beloved by his players and for decades was revered in the Big Apple as the man who truly brought the game to its biggest stage. He and partner John Day audaciously brought two new NY entries into the city: the AA’s Metropolitans and what would become the National League’s Polo Grounds-dwelling Giants who triumphed in the first two post-season tournaments. Done in by the Players’ League rebellion and ensuing financial pressures, Mutrie was forced from the game in 1892.
- Mutrie prospered by raiding AA players for his NY club and paid the price when his top talent defected a decade later to the PL
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