- Series: Pilgrims
- City: Ann Arbor
- Team: Wolverines (University of Michigan)
- League: Big Ten Conference
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
Wesley Branch Rickey (1881-1965) didn’t live to see his 1967 entrance into the Hall of Fame as one of the legends in baseball’s executive ranks, but he did see the legacy of his pioneering efforts to end decades of shameful discrimination in the sport he loved. In the year of his death, one in five MLB players was African American. In his half-century in the front office, Rickey invented the farm system and had one of the keenest eyes for talent.
- In WWI Rickey commanded a chemical warfare unit that included Ty Cobb and Christy Mathewson
- Hired Allan Roth as the first team statistician in 1947, thus becoming an early progenitor of sabermetrics
- Jackie Robinson eulogized Rickey as having done more for African Americans than anyone but Abraham Lincoln
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 1967
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T201 Mecca Canvas: Joe Ward
- Series: Pilgrims
- City: St. Louis
- Team: Cardinals
- League: National League
Harry F. Sallee (1885-1950) set pitching marks for St. Louis that still rank him among the best in franchise history. He debuted with the Cards in ’08 and stayed into the ’16 season. His 2.67 ERA places him 3rd all-time for a club that has seen its share of stars. HOF catcher Roger Bresnahan said Sallee had “the best control of any southpaw that ever curved a ball over the plate.” Unfortunately, Slim had much less control in his personal life, witnessed by a stream of rule violations, fines, suspensions & other turmoil. It could not have helped that this star labored for an exceptionally weak team most years, as the Cards were routinely worst or near-worst in fielding & hitting (in a doubleheader with the Reds in ’08, St. Louis committed 17 errors).
- In ’13, Sallee won 19 of the club’s 51 victories while getting little support.
- Sallee’s finest hour, helping Cincinnati to the world championship in ’19, would be tarnished by the Black Sox scandal
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T201 Mecca Canvas: Albert Bridwell
- Series: Pilgrims
- City: Oklahoma City
- Team: Monarchs
- League: Independent
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
Louis Santop (Loftin) (1890-1942) was a prodigious HR slugger & indomitable catcher in the Negro Leagues. He averaged .406 lifetime, caught two of the hardest throwing pitchers of all-time (Smokey Joe Williams & Dick Redding) and endured behind the plate for an astonishing 15 seasons despite the privations and rigor of black baseball in America in his day. A jovial giant, Top was a fan favorite & sure-fire draw with his ability to throw a ball over outfield fences before games & hit it even further during games.
- It is told the Newark park had an ad promising a suit to players who hit the 440’ centerfield fence. The sign was removed after Santop hit it three times in one game
- Played for great Negro League teams including the NY Lincoln Giants and the Hilldale Club
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 2006
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T201 Mecca Canvas: Bill Abstein
- Series: Pilgrims
- City: New York
- Team: Giants
- League: National League
Frederick Carlisle Snodgrass (1887-1974) broke into MLB with the Giants in ’08 and became a mainstay in the outfield by virtue of his speed & hitting. As proficient as he was at bat & on base, Snodgrass spent his career mired in controversy, especially on the big stage of the World Series: intentionally spiking Frank Baker, dropping a fly ball & later bringing down the house in Fenway after defiantly challenging the home folks. That incident prompted Boston’s mayor (“Vote often and early for James Michael Curley”) to stride on field and demand Snodgrass’ ouster. Fittingly, Fred was traded to the Bosox the next season.
- Haunted throughout his life by the 1912 Series gaff, Snodgrass was spared the indignity of reading the headline on his NY Times obituary: “Fred Snodgrass, 86, Dead; Ball Player Muffed 1912 Fly.”
- Harry Hooper, Boston’s fleet slugger, was robbed by Snodgrass on the next play. Hooper always defended Snodgrass, citing numerous other miscues that led to the Giants’ loss that day
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T201 Mecca Canvas: Arthur Hoffman
- Series: Pilgrims
- City: Boston
- Team: Red Sox
- League: American League
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
Tristram E. Speaker (1888-1958) enjoyed a long and storied career as perhaps the greatest all-around center fielder in the game. Led the Red Sox to two titles and, upon moving to Cleveland over a salary dispute, led the Indians to a championship in 1920. He still holds MLB records for doubles and outfield assists.
- Career batting average: .345
- Also still holds MLB record for unassisted double plays by an outfielder
- Speaker’s glove came to be known as “the place where triples go to die”
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 1937
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T201 Mecca Canvas: Tris Speaker
- Series: Pilgrims
- City: Cleveland
- Team: Naps
- League: American League
George Thomas Stovall (1877-1951) played 1B with the Cleveland Naps and St Louis Browns from 1904-1913 before going over to the new Federal League for two final years with the KC Packers. He managed at least part of a season with each team. In over 5K ABs his lifetime average was .265.
- Homered off his brother Jesse in his rookie season (an MLB first)
- “The Jesse James of the Federal League” recruited some top ML players to the ill-fated venture
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T201 Mecca Canvas: George Stovall
- Series: Pilgrims
- City: Washington, D.C.
- Team: Senators
- League: American League
Charles Evard Street (1882-1951) was a catcher, manager and broadcaster over a long and storied career. He made news for two stunts: catching a ball dropped from the Wash. Monument (on his 13th try) and putting himself in for one AB as mgr of the Cards in ’31, giving him the “record” of longest gap between ML appearances.
- Led St Louis to 2 pennants and one Series win in 1931
- Mentored Walter Johnson and, in the booth, a young Harry Caray
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T201 Mecca Canvas: Gabby Street
- Series: Pilgrims
- City: New York
- Team: Highlanders
- League: American League
Edward Francis Sweeney (1888-1947) was a catcher for the Highlanders/Yankees (1908-15) with a brief return with the Pirates in 1919 following a wartime enlistment with the Navy and stints in the minors. Fleet of foot for his position, Sweeney still holds the club record with 19 steals in 1914.
- Usually a reserve, his best year was 1913: .268 BA and 40 RBI in 117 games
- Served the city of Chicago as an electrical switchman until his death at 58
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T201 Mecca Canvas: Ed Sweeney
- Series: Pilgrims
- City: Philadelphia
- Team: Athletics (AL)
- League: American League
Ira Felix Thomas (1881-1958) was a catcher for 10 yrs in the AL, playing for the Highlanders, Tigers and Athletics. His best year was 1911 with Connie Mack’s dominant team. Thomas was the maestro’s captain as the Athletics won pennants in 4 of 5 years. Thomas’ career BA was a very respectable .242.
- In his only Series with the Tigers, Thomas became the 1st successful pinch hitter in a World Series
- Was 8th in MVP balloting for the 1911 season
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T201 Mecca Canvas: Ira Thomas
- Series: Pilgrims
- City: Chicago
- Team: Cubs
- League: National 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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T201 Mecca Canvas: Frederick Payne
- Series: Pilgrims
- City: Philadelphia
- Team: Phillies
- League: National League
John Franklin Titus (1876-1943) was an outfielder for the Phillies and Boston Braves, 1903-13. He averaged .282 at the plate with a .373 OBP. His one place in the NL record book was for being hit by 16 pitches in 1909. In his 2nd game, snapped the Pirates’ 56 inning scoreless string with an RBI.
- Titus’ trademarks were a taciturn manner and an ever-present toothpick
- Two broken legs and a beaning put this speedy player out of the game before his time
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T201 Mecca Canvas: John Titus
- Series: Pilgrims
- City: Cleveland
- Team: Naps
- League: American League
Terrance Lamont Turner (1881-1960) holds the record for games played for the Cleveland Indian franchise. He played short and 3rd for the Naps/Indians for 15 of his 17 yr career. He was an intrepid base-stealer, pioneering the head-first slide to protect painful ankles. His team record for SBs stood until 1996.
- Also holds Cleveland team record for most put-outs with 4,603
- Broke up 3 no-hitters and Chief Bender’s near perfect game with a 4th inning walk
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T201 Mecca Canvas: Terry Turner
- Series: Pilgrims
- City: New York
- Team: Highlanders
- League: American League
James Leslie Vaughn (1888-1966) threw to his catcher for an easy out in the tenth inning of a game against Cincinnati one cold afternoon in Chicago. The catcher stood with his hands at his side, the ball bounced off his chest protector and Hippo’s no-hit bid ended, along with the ballgame. The opposing pitcher, Fred Toney, recorded three more outs to get his own no-hitter. Vaughn’s response after such a curious debacle?: “…I wasn’t sore, I’s just lost another ballgame, that’s all.” Clearly Vaughn shed any disappointment as he went out the next season and led the Cubs and the league, winning the “triple crown” for pitchers. Hippo was one of the premier hurlers in baseball over a six year span but his loss to the Reds in the game’s only “double-no-hitter” will forever leave an indelible mark.
- Recorded five 20-win seasons en route to 178 career victories
- Pitched for NY 1908-12, Washington in 1912 and the Cubs from 1913-1921
- No one knows how this strong 6’4” 215 lb workhorse acquired the unflattering nickname
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T201 Mecca Canvas: Reuben Oldring
- Series: Pilgrims
- City: St. Louis
- Team: Browns (AL)
- League: American League
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
George E. Waddell (1876-1914) was one of the premier pitchers in MLB history and also a man-child who’d leave the dugout and chase a fire truck. His titanic struggles with Cy Young made for the greatest pitching duels of all time. Connie Mack described his curve as the “fastest and deepest I’ve ever seen.”
- Waddell’s perplexing personal and social problems led to a shortened career and life
- Driven to distraction, Mack sold Rube to the Browns for the ’08 season, his last hurrah
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 1946
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T201 Mecca Canvas: Lefty Leifield
- Series: Pilgrims
- 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.
- Was a Pirates’ coach for 39 years, mentoring several future Hall of Famers
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 1936
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T201 Mecca Canvas: Charles Starr
- Series: Pilgrims
- 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 a premier shortstop for 24 years before going on to one of the longest tenures in MLB as coach, manager, scout & even a short stint as an umpire. Playing primarily in St. Louis for the Cardinals & 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
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T201 Mecca Canvas: Bobby Wallace
- Series: Pilgrims
- 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
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T201 Mecca Canvas: Ed Walsh
- Series: Pilgrims
- City: Brooklyn
- Team: Superbas
- 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
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T201 Mecca Canvas: Zack Wheat
- Series: Pilgrims
- City: Chicago
- Team: White Sox
- League: American League
Guy Harris White (1879-1969) lived a long life and, at the end of it, had the grace to congratulate the Dodger pitcher who finally exceeded his shut-out record that had stood for 68 years. Doc White began his adult life as a dental surgeon and ended it as an itinerant evangelist. He was a gifted musician and songwriter, a minor league owner, a prize-winning horticulturalist, a college coach and mentor to young athletes. And to the end, he bemoaned the lack of discipline among major league pitchers who couldn’t go a few innings without issuing a walk. And he knew something about that: for 13 seasons Doc pitched for the Phillies and White Sox (the “No-Hit Wonders”) winning 189 games with a 2.39 ERA and better control than most pitchers in history. He threw 24 1-0 games, winning 13. He dueled Walter Johnson, besting him in 11 innings and, 5 days later, grinding to a 1-1 tie after 17 more.
- Helped the Sox to their first World Series championship in 1906 going 18-6
- The following year he won 27, and was always at or near the top in walks per game
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T201 Mecca Canvas: Ed Killian
- Series: Pilgrims
- City: Brooklyn
- Team: Royal Giants
- League: Independent
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
King Solomon White (1868-1955). An infielder, manager, executive, sportswriter, and historian, Sol was also influential in establishing the Negro Leagues. Well traveled, White played for 11 different teams over 24 seasons. In 1907, White published the first history of black baseball, Sol White’s History of Colored Baseball.
- Credited with a lifetime batting average of .356
- Batted .404 in 1895
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 2006
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T201 Mecca Canvas: Harry Hinchman
- Series: Pilgrims
- City: Chicago
- Team: Giants (IND)
- 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
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T201 Mecca Canvas: John Thoney
- Series: Pilgrims
- City: New York
- Team: Giants
- League: National League
George Leroy Wiltse (1879-1959) played for McGraw’s Giants for 11 years (1904-14.) His tandem with Mathewson produced 435 wins, one of the best left/right duos in history. His nickname may not have come from his wicked curve but from his tenacity with the glove. Set a rookie record winning his 1st 12 starts.
- Wiltse was McGraw’s only lefty until Rube Marquard joined the rotation in 1909
- To his lasting chagrin, Wiltse was the 1st base coach when Fred Merkle missed 2nd base
- On May 15, 1906 struck out 7 batters in two innings after Bresnahan dropped strike 3
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T201 Mecca Canvas: Wiltse Hooks
- Series: Pilgrims
- 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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T201 Mecca Canvas: Tommy Clarke
- Series: Pilgrims
- City: Cleveland
- Team: Naps
- League: American League
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
Denton True Young (1867-1955) embodied excellence among ML pitchers. Baseball waited one year after his death to establish the award for annual greatness in his honor. Young’s 511 wins are still the hallmark. In 19 of his 21 seasons, he was in the top 10 in innings pitched. With Nap Lajoie, Young gave the upstart AL credibility when he jumped to the new circuit in 1901.
- In his 30s & 40s, led Boston’s Red Sox to 192 victories
- Pitched the 1st perfect game from 60’6”, beating Rube Waddell on May 5, 1904
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 1937
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T201 Mecca Canvas: Orville Woodruff
- Series: Pilgrims
- City: Chicago
- Team: Cubs
- League: National League
Henry Zimmerman (1887-1969) found it tough to break into the Tinker/Evers/Chance infield in Chicago, but once Johnny Evers went out with an injury in 1910, Zimmerman’s bat proved too valuable to deny. Another loss at third in 1912 opened further opportunities for the talented New Yorker. Recent research supports the restoration of Heinie’s career-year Triple Crown, long withheld due to the era’s dodgy stats for RBI, coupled with an even dodgier reputation for a player eventually banned from the game on testimony of John McGraw. Always a lightning rod, The Great Zimbasked in celebrity and lived large. Parlaying the “strongest pair of hands and arms…ever seen on a human being” he swung with blithe disregard for the strike zone. Leaving the Cubs for his hometown Giants in 1916 proved fateful. Branded the goat of the ‘17 Series, Zim never overcame suspicions of shady dealings, resulting in a 1921 banishment by Judge Landis.
- Career .295 average, with 58 HRs and 796 RBI
- Played for the last Cub championship in 1908 and three other pennant-winners
- For decades Honus Wagner’s 102 RBI had been deemed to exceed Heinie’s 99 until SABR’s exhaustive study validated 104
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T201 Mecca Canvas: Nap Rucker
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