- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Cincinnati
- Team: Red Stockings (AA)
- League: American Association
Warren William Carpenter (1855-1937) was a solid-hitting, left-handed third baseman in the days when teams and leagues were figuring out modern baseball. “Old Hickory” began with the Syracuse Stars of Al Spalding’s League Alliance, a 28-team consortium that pioneered minor-league affiliation in 1877. He stayed the next year as the club joined the International League and made his MLB debut in ‘79 when the franchise became part of the National League. Two more NL clubs followed before Hick came into his own with the American Association’s Cincinnati Red Stockings from ‘82-89. His first season at Cincy was a great one as Carpenter led the league in hits & RBI with a .342 AVG. Over a twelve-year career Hick batted .259, collecting 1,200+ hits.
- Carpenter & Jimmy Macullar traveled to Cuba after the 1879 season, becoming the first North Americans to play in the Cuban League
- The lads’ Cuban League Colón club was so dominant that other teams refused to keep playing them
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Brooklyn
- Team: Bridegrooms
- League: American Association
Albert John Bushong (1856-1908). A poor hitter, Doc’s 16 year career and presence on 5 pennant winning teams are evidence of his defensive prowess. Bushong was so highly regarded that he was one of the first baseball players to endorse a product and even had a town in Kansas named for him: Bushong, Kansas: pop. 34.
- 5x pennant winner
- Some sources credit him with the invention of the catcher’s mitt
- Earned the nickname Doc because he was a dentist
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Baltimore
- Team: Orioles
- League: American Association
Thomas P. Burns (1864-1928) was an excellent player with four ML teams over 15 seasons. He starred for the Brooklyn Bridegrooms, leading them to two pennants in two leagues (1889 in the AA & 1890 in the NL.) His nickname derived from his offseason job hawking shellfish. He brought his huckstering skills to the park, annoying fellow players as “the noisiest man that ever played on the Brooklyn team.” He had a temper to match his mouth, once stabbing & severing a tendon of sleeping teammate Tom Daly, who was dozing on field between games of a double-header.
- NL home-run and RBI champion in 1890
- Compiled a .300 lifetime batting average
- Burns' uniform color on this card was changed in January, 2017 from black to blue & red to reflect recent reliable research by Craig Brown & friends at Threads of Our Game. Nine cards had been previously released featuring a black uniform.
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Columbus
- Team: Solons
- League: American Association
Albert C. Buckenberger (1861-1917) never made the big leagues as a player, but managed 4 franchises over 9 seasons from 1889-1904. He was the field general for the Columbus Solons of the AA for 2 years before moving to the NL, first with the Pirates for 3 seasons, the Browns for one and then with the Beaneaters for his final 3 campaigns. While with Pittsburgh, Al served a stint as club president as well. His career record on the bench was 488-539. By the time owner Chris von der Ahe brought him to St. Louis for the 1895 season, Buckenberger’s predilection for coaches’ hand signs was well known. He was the brunt of a mocking anecdote following the Browns’ 11th place finish. The Washington Post reported von der Ahe’s caustic assessment of the manager’s emphasis on teaching signals at the expense of physical conditioning: “I guess they have learned to make signs to the waiter in order to get more than their share to eat.” During the ’94 season, Buckenberger and others were expelled from the NL for “plotting” the resurrection of the American Association but was reinstated the next year.
- Buckenberger enjoyed 2d-place finishes in 2 leagues: with the Solons (AA) in 1890 and the Pirates (NL) in ’93
- Led the Beaneaters to a 3rd place finish in 1902
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Louisville
- Team: Colonels
- League: American Association
Louis Rogers Browning (1861-1905) starred in the outfield for six teams over twelve seasons and was the best hitter in the ten-year history of the American Association. Pete’s nickname with the Eclipse was The Gladiator, but Browning is known to history as the Louisville Slugger: the first player to order bats from Hillerich & Bradsby after the owner’s son, Bud, invited the slumping slugger to the woodworking shop for a custom-made model that produced three hits the next day. Bud defied his dad’s unwillingness to bother with baseball equipment and sealed the company’s reputation when Honus Wagner became the first star to officially endorse a bat. Browning always ranked among the batting leaders and won the crown three times. Fighting the excruciating pain of mastoiditis with alcohol, Browning dominated at the plate even as his drinking increased. The chronic childhood affliction caused deafness and contributed to Pete’s erratic performance afield.
- Only four right-handed batters have eclipsed Browning’s .341 lifetime average
- A lifelong eccentric, driven by his demonic ailments, Pete lovingly named his bats and retired them when he deemed them to have used up their quota of hits
- Selected as SABR’s 2009 Overlooked 19th Century Legend still awaiting the Hall
- Pete's nephew, Tod Browning, was a film director best known for his films Dracula (1931) & the classic cult film Freaks (1932)
- Browning's uniform color in this card was changed from black to maroon in January, 2017 to reflect recent reliable research conducted by Craig Brown and friends at Threads of Our Game. Nine cards had been previously released featuring a black uniform.
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