- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Detroit
- Team: Wolverines
- League: National League
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
“Big Sam” (1860-1922). An outfielder over 15 seasons for 3 different teams, Thompson was one of the great hitters of the 19th century. Sam was the 1st player with 20 steals & 20 HRs in a season. In 1894, he was one of 4 Philly OFs to hit over .400.
- His 61 RBI in 1 month is a record
- Only 19th c. player to amass 150 RBI in a season & he did it 2x
- .923 RBI/AB ranks 1st all-time
- Back problems shortened his career; but he returned after 10 years to play 8 games for Detroit in 1906
- Elected to hall of Fame: 1974
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Chicago
- Team: White Stockings
- League: National League
John K. Tener (1863-1946). Born in Ireland, Tener won 25 games for 3 teams over 4 seasons. In 1888, on Spalding’s world baseball tour, John was chosen to explain baseball to the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII. At home, Tener was elected Secretary of John Ward’s pioneering player’s union, the Brotherhood of Professional Players. John became the 25th Governor of Pennsylvania, serving from 1911-15 & also served as NL president from 1913-18.
- Organized 1st Congressional Baseball Game, now an annual tradition
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Chicago
- Team: White Stockings
- League: National League
Oliver Wendell Tebeau (1864-1918) played first and third-base for five ML teams from 1887-1900. He was player-manager for three of those clubs 11 of his 13 seasons, squaring off with his arch-rival John McGraw and his Orioles. Tebeau led Cleveland during the rough-and-tumble era closing the 19th century. His obituary said he belonged to “the blood and iron brigade of baseball.” It was said that when the Spiders and Orioles met, “wild war raged up and down the field.” The august founding father of the game, Henry Chadwick, wrote in 1896 that Tebeau “degraded the game more than any player of the previous quarter century.” But the Cleveland fans loved Patsy and the League’s attempts to silence him soon faded.
- After retiring from the diamond, Tebeau ran a successful saloon in St. Louis
- Patsy couldn’t endure his wife’s decision to leave him and take the kids back to Cleveland. After his death at his own hand the local paper headlined: “Patsy Tebeau Acts as His Own Umpire”
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Boston
- Team: Beaneaters
- League: National League
Edward Christopher Tate (1860-1932) made his ML debut with the Boston Beaneaters at the end of the 1885 season. He stayed as a catcher for three more seasons before moving to the Orioles where his big league career ended in 1890. Tate went on to play four more years in the minors. His career batting average was .218 and he had two HRs.
- Tate played nine games in the outfield for Boston and subbed at 1B for Baltimore
- In 1926 Tate’s home town fans re-named Island Park in Richmond, VA Tate Field to honor one of their first baseball heroes
- Series: Diamond Heads '15
- City: Chicago
- Team: Chi-Feds
- League: Federal League
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
Joseph Bert Tinker (1880-1948) sparkled at short, helping the Cubs to 4 pennants and 2 Series wins. He and fellow rookie Johnny Evers turned their first double-play to Frank Chance on Sep 13, 1902. A fight over a cab ride left Tinker and Evers estranged for years, but didn’t prevent them from playing 2nd “like one man, not two.” Tinker was widely held to be second only to Honus Wagner at SS, leading the league in many fielding categories. As skilled as he was afield, Tinker was also one of the great clutch hitters. Christy Mathewson deemed him the NL player he least wanted to see.
- On June 28, 1910 Tinker became one of a handful to steal home twice in a game
- Asked to leave the Cubs when Evers was made manager in 1913 but filled that role himself after a hiatus with the Federal League
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 1946
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