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Charlie Bennett

Catcher
  • Series: Pioneer Portraits II: 1875-1899
  • City: Detroit
  • Team: Wolverines
  • League: National League

Charles Wesley Bennett (1854-1927). A catcher for 4 teams over 15 seasons, Bennett was an above average hitter and one of the best defensive catchers of the 19th century. He lead the NL in FLDG % 7 times and is credited with inventing the chest protector. Bennett played all 7 seasons of the Detroit Wolverines existence and the Detroit Tigers’ 1st ballpark was named for him: Bennett Park.

  • Won 2 World Series: ’87 & ’92
  • Lost both legs when he slipped & fell under a train

Auction History

Ty Cobb

Outfield
  • Series: Pilgrims
  • City: Detroit
  • Team: Tigers
  • League: American League
  • Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame

Tyrus Raymond Cobb (1886-1961) swept over the baseball landscape like a tidal wave. He lived by a fierce code that drove him to greatness and others to distraction. At the end, his own words could be his epitaph: “But I beat the bastards and left them in the ditch.”

  • Cobb never won a World Series and performed with mediocrity in his only three tries
  • No one of his era came close to the impact, for good or ill, made by this snarling Tiger
  • Elected to Hall of Fame: 1936

Auction History

Cartophilia

T201 Mecca Canvas: Ty Cobb

Donie Bush

Shortstop
  • Series: Pilgrims
  • City: Detroit
  • Team: Tigers
  • League: American League

Owen Joseph Bush (1887-1972) played in the Deadball Era instead of the Moneyball Era, hence he isn’t held in the esteem his record would enjoy today. The diminutive SS wrote the book on small ball, a keen eye enabling him to lead the league in walks five times. He hit .250 but was so adept at getting on base he was at or near the top in runs scored. Legends grow around the sluggers who drive in the runs, but Donie was out there for Cobb, Crawford and Heilmann to pick up. Equally proficient at short, Bush had a lifetime .937 fielding % and still owns the record for 425 putouts in 1914. In addition, his speed produced over 400 stolen bases.

  • “Donie” was a misprint for his real nickname, Ownie, but it stuck
  • Clark Griffith recognized managerial talent and hired Bush for the ’23 season. Bush then had the “thrill” of taking the Pirates to the ’27 Series against the Yankee bombers and being swept
  • Bush continued in baseball, compiling a 65-year career and was beloved in his home Indianapolis

Auction History

Cartophilia

T201 Mecca Canvas: John McLean