- Series: Diamond Heads '15
- City: Pittsburgh
- Team: Pirates
- League: National League
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
Johannes Peter Wagner (1874-1955) was, simply, the greatest shortstop who ever played the game. The Pittsburgh icon was among the first five selections to Cooperstown in 1936 in recognition of overall prowess afield, at bat and on base unparalleled in baseball. Even his closest rival for “All-Time Best” honors, Ty Cobb, said Honus was “maybe the greatest star ever to take the diamond.” Badgered mercilessly by ‘Nuf Ced’ McGreevy’s Royal Rooters in the ’07 Series with Boston, Wagner was deeply wounded by his mediocre performance. He achieved some vindication 2 years later, leading the Pirates over Cobb’s Tigers.
- Space doesn’t allow a fair summary of Wagner’s hitting records. A marvel at the plate.
- A Pirates’ coach for 39 years, Hans mentored several future Hall of Famers
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 1936
- Series: Diamond Heads '15
- City: St. Louis
- Team: Browns (AL)
- League: American League
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
Rhoderick John Wallace (1873-1960) had a Hall of Fame career as one of the top shortstops for 24 years before going on to one of the longest tenures in MLB as coach, manager, scout and even a short stint as an umpire. Playing primarily in St. Louis for the Cardinals and Browns, Wallace set records, including a mournful one: longest career by a player to never make the World Series.
- Too good a fielder to stay on the mound, became the premier defensive SS of his era
- In 1911, Pirates’ owner declared Wallace the one player in the AL he desired above all others
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 1953
- Series: Diamond Heads '15
- City: Chicago
- Team: White Sox
- League: American League
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
Edward Augustine Walsh (1881-1959) still holds the ML record for ERA with 1.82 lifetime and hurled himself into the Hall of Fame as one of the most dominant and durable pitchers of the early 20th century. He needed a year off in 1913 but felt the White Sox needed him more. He ruined his arm and effectively ended his career demanding more of that right arm than it could give after 195 wins and 1,736 SOs.
- Reputed to have guided the owner’s architect into shaping the AL park to Walsh’s liking, making Comiskey Park a “pitcher’s park” for 80 years
- Earned “workhorse” status with an average of 395 innings per season 1907-1912
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 1946
- Series: Diamond Heads '15
- City: Chicago
- Team: White Sox
- League: American League
George Daniel Weaver (1890-1956) climbed to a lofty height during his baseball career and plummeted to an historic low that would test any man. Buck’s dad insisted he forego his mother’s funeral to begin his pro career in the White Sox system. He ended his career when Judge Landis banished him from the game along with 7 fellow Sox. In between, this gregarious, cheerful soul basked in the shadows of the Great Pyramid sporting a fez during the 1913 world tour and danced for joy after Comiskey’s club locked up the ’17 Series, a team he had led in batting and afield. Although pilloried with his teammates for throwing the 1919 Series, Weaver played errorless ball, hit .324, and was never accused of taking money. He would spend the rest of his life trying to clear his name. After Cicotte and Jackson confessed, the Sporting News headlined: “Chicago Fans Grieve Most for Weaver and Still Hope for Him.”
- Played exclusively for the White Sox (1912-1920), averaging .272, and was the only banned player to remain in Chicago
- Buck successfully sued his penurious owner for his 1921 salary
- Series: Diamond Heads '15
- City: Brooklyn
- Team: Robins
- League: National League
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
Zachariah Davis Wheat (1888-1972) starred in left field for the Brooklyn Superbas/Robins/Dodgers and still holds team bests in hits, doubles, triples, RBI and total bases. Wheat defied the Deadball trend of choking up on the bat, swinging away with a “smashing swipe” according to one reporter. Yet, his stylish fielding drew the most praise (“the finest craftsman of them all.”)
- 5 of his 9 HRs in 1914 were over the fence, rare in that era
- Again defying tradition, used a light (40oz) bat and a wrist-snap unheard of then
- Survived long enough to see the lively ball, hitting .357 at age 37
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 1959
- Series: Diamond Heads '15
- Team: All Nations
- League: Independent
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
James Leslie Wilkinson (1878-1964) loved to play baseball and he loved to see everyone play the game. He organized women’s teams, black and Cuban teams, and the multi-hued All-Nations team. He barnstormed with the House of David and brought night baseball to the heartland. His KC Monarchs sent more black players to the majors than any other Negro League club and eleven of his players are in Cooperstown. Being the sole white owner in the black circuits may have seemed an unlikely role for this modest Midwesterner, but “Wilkie’s” integrity and fairness earned the trust of Rube Foster when he organized the NNL in 1920. Few men of any background have left the legacy that Wilkinson established.
- Won 17 titles and two Colored World Series
- An inveterate entrepreneur and showman, Wilkie brought the joy of America’s game to all of America thru the Roaring Twenties, the depths of Depression, and the darkness of WWII
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 2006
- Series: Diamond Heads '15
- City: New York
- Team: Lincoln Giants
- League: Independent
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
Joseph Williams (1886-1951) may have been the best pitcher never to appear in the major leagues. He starred in the Negro Leagues and in Cuba and Mexico over a 27-year career. His best year was 1914 (an amazing 41-3). Playing against MLB players in barnstorming games, Williams compiled a 20-7 record over the “best” in the game.
- At age 44 in 1930, closed his career with a 1-0, 12-inning win striking out 27 KC Monarchs
- That same year, in his only confrontation with the rising star, beat Satchel Paige 1-0.
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 1999
- Series: Diamond Heads '15
- City: Boston
- Team: Red Sox
- League: American League
Howard Ellsworth “Smoky Joe” Wood (1889-1985) was honored at age 95 with a doctorate from Yale, the institution for whom he coached for 20 years following his ML career. In 1912 for the Red Sox, Wood joined an elite list of 30-game winners, going 34-5. In one of the most dramatic duels ever, Wood defeated Walter Johnson 1-0, himself fresh off a 16-game win streak, gaining his 14th straight and would go on to tie Johnson’s AL record string. Wood then climaxed his phenomenal year by leading the Sox over McGraw’s Giants in a Series for the ages at brand-new Fenway Park.
- A broken thumb in ’13 left Wood impaired, but he went on to a fine OF role for the Indians
- Said Walter Johnson: “No man alive can throw harder than Smoky Joe Wood.”
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