Share an interesting fact about a t206 player

[David R]

As a t206 collector, I always like learning interesting tidbits about the various players in the set. It often makes me appreciate the cards of certain players about whom I previously had very little interest. Please share an interesting bit of information about a t206 player. Here's mine about Bill Bergen.

Bill Bergen played 11 seasons (3 with the Cinncinnati Reds and 8 with the Dodgers). He was a great defensive catcher. But given the length of his career, among non-pitchers he is probably the worst hitter in major league baseball history. Bergen had 3,028 at-bats with a lifetime batting average of .170, the lowest all-time average for players with more than 2,500 at-bats. With a career on-base percentage of .194, he is the only player with at least 500 at-bats with an OBP under .200.

David R

[Northviewcats]

Here is a short story about Wid Conroy that I have always enjoyed. Apparently, Conroy was very witty. The Washington Post, Feb 12, 1911, tells the story of a game where Conroy was coaching at third base. A local habadasher had pledged a new suit of clothes for the player that hit the first home run of the year at the ballpark. A team mate of Conroy really wanted the suit and hit a mighty drive to the gap in right field that seemed destined to win the prize. When the player reached third Conroy enthusiastically waved him home. Unfortunately, a great throw from the right-fielder nailed the player at home plate. As the player was dusting himself off Conroy yelled in from the coaching box that he got the player “the coat and vest, but forgot about the trowsers.”

[iggyman]

As my small tribute to Canada, how about "Turkey" Mike Donlin...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuhoD5EjUVM

By the way, this thread would look so much better with some pics.



Lovely Day...

[AndyG09]

I have always found John "Larry" McLean to be an interesting player. He was one of the tallest players of his generation at 6'5". He caught in the bigs for 13 seasons with 5 teams, most notably the Reds from 06-12. He was the first New Brunswick born Canadian to appear in the World Series. He had a lifetime avg. of .262 with 6 Home Runs. Somebody believed he resembled Lajoie, so he was nicknamed Larry. McLean battled the bottle throughout his career and ended up getting shot and killed by a Boston bartender during a barroom brawl. He was 39.

[David R]

Great story about McLean. He's another player I didn't know anything about.

[slidekellyslide]

Roy Ellam, one of the Southern Leaguers in the T206 set died when a 150 LB weight fell off a fire escape onto his head.

[Idiottax]

In 1918, Orval Overall had an unsuccessful run for Congress and afterward became a banker.

I've always been fascinated with the careers players of the era undertook during the offseason and in retirement.

[David R]

Another very under-appreciated player is George Mullen (of horizontal card fame):

Mullen pitched more innings in a career and a season than any other Detroit Tigers pitcher. He also pitched the Tigers first no hitter and had five 20-win seasons. He helped the Tigers to three straight American League pennants, twice hit over .310 as a batter and had a career 228-196 record.

[ethicsprof]

2 amazing stories about fans dying in the stands in response to Zach's
awesome hitting.
if i'm wrong on the details forgive me and feel free to add to the stories.
In 1915 a fan, an owner of a florist, i believe, got overly excited when
Zach tied the game in the bottom of the 9th with a homer. He got even more excited in the 11th when Zach won the game with another homer---the fan died.
In 1925 Zach won the game in the bottom of the ninth with another homer;
this time the fan seated next to Zach's wife died in excitement.
Remarkable, true stories.

Moral: Be thankful that you don't have to go to Zach Wheat games. :)

best,
barry

[iggyman]

What about the colorful Heinie "The Great Zim" Zimmerman (the last card in the set if sorting alphabetically). He was the goat of the 1917 world series, which for awhile rival the Merkle and Snodgrass boners. He was also subsequently banned by Judge Landis for his association with gamblers and prior history of crookedness. On a side note, he ended-up finishing his baseball career with an independent team called the Bronx Giants.

Lovely Day...

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[Rob D.]

After he retired, Nap Lajoie had a pet dachshund. I know this only because:

1. I'm a fan of Lajoie;

2. I'm a bigger fan of dachshunds.

There actually is a really cool photo of Lajoie after his playing days ended taking his dog for a walk. I found it online, saved it to my computer, then lost it during a crash. If anyone by chance knows the photo in question, please drop me a line.

[barrysloate]

Back in the 1950's there was a popular show on television called "This is Your Life", and it was hosted by Ralph Edwards. The premise was they would surprise a celebrity and then have a host of people from that person's past come out and share memories. One of the show's subjects was Casey Stengel, and two of the surprise guests they brought in to reminisce were Irish Meusel and Zach Wheat. Zach was in his seventies by then but he looked very athletic and had huge hands. He spoke for a few moments about Casey's early career. Can anyone recall any other T206er who appeared and spoke on television?

[slidekellyslide]

Back in the 1950's there was a popular show on television called "This is Your Life", and it was hosted by Ralph Edwards. The premise was they would surprise a celebrity and then have a host of people from that person's past come out and share memories. One of the show's subjects was Casey Stengel, and two of the surprise guests they brought in to reminisce were Irish Meusel and Zach Wheat. Zach was in his seventies by then but he looked very athletic and had huge hands. He spoke for a few moments about Casey's early career. Can anyone recall any other T206er who appeared and spoke on television?

Did anyone die when Zach Wheat spoke?

[barrysloate]

Did anyone die when Zach Wheat spoke?

I'm missing the joke Dan...but there is a joke in there.:confused:

[tedzan]

<img src="http://i529.photobucket.com/albums/dd339/tz1234zaz/abt206nichollsbat.jpg" alt="[linked image]">


Simon Nicholls was a very devoted family man, who so loved his Maryland farm, that when Connie Mack scouted him from the Maryland
Agricultural College (now Univ of Maryland), Simon would commute to Philadelphia. Nicholls' life story is the "stuff" that used to inspire
some great true life Hollywood BB movies.
Connie Mack acquired Nicholls at the end of the 1906 season. Simon was an average hitter, but an excellent shortstop. One of Nicholls'
best days at bat was on Opening Day of Shibe Park on April 12, 1909. He got a Double, 2 Singles, and a Walk. He scored 4 Runs to win
the 1st game at the A's new Stadium....in front of an unprecedented 35,000 fans.

In December 1909 Connie Mack traded Nicholls to Cleveland. This trade really upset Nicholls since it took away from his family and farm.
So, after 3 games with Cleveland, Nicholls retired. That season he connected with Jack Dunn, Manager of Baltimore (Eastern League),
who was impressed with Nicholls' play and made him field captain in 1911. Unfortunately, Nicholls contracted typhoid fever and died at
the young age of 28 on Mar 12, 1911.

Nicholls 350 Series card (batting) was actually designed as a 350/460 Series Subject. This we know since it has an American Beauty 350
back (without a Frame). However, it is an anamoly in the T206 set since his Batting pose was never printed with any 460 series backs.
Perhaps, this was due to his Major League career ending in early 1910.


TED Z

[T206Collector]

<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/iVnw95YshRKaNIq75mOrtYRT3dysq2WPtX5u9gk-z0Y?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Ys7fw31kTDs/SuOjGjWAmZI/AAAAAAAAHXM/rWEOl4GfdoI/s800/Sno%20Letter.jpg" height="800" width="551" /></a>

[oldjudge]

1--Threw a no hitter in his first ML start
2--Threw a second no hitter 0n 4/22/98 (so did Jay Hughes of Baltimore). This was the first time in ML history that two no hitters had been thrown on the same day.

[Anthony S.]

Spike Shannon shot Archduke Ferdinand in June of 1914. He batted .236 the previous year for the Virginia Ore Diggers of the Northern League.

[barrysloate]

Spike Shannon started World War I- I did not know that.

[Anthony S.]

Spike Shannon started World War I- I did not know that.


It wasn't something he liked to brag about.

[oldjudge]

Barry-Well known on the non-sports side

[B O'Brien]

I just shot some coffee out my nose on the reply!
Good stuff,
Bob

[BleedinBlue]

I went to Junior High School on the property which used to be Fred Snodgrass' Lemon Orchards. He died before I moved to Ventura but very cool to find a connection like that. Frenchy Bordagary used to tend the fields at the local city park where we played little league baseball when I was a kid but he scared the hell out of all of us so none of us would ever ask him about his time in The Bigs.

[slidekellyslide]

I'm missing the joke Dan...but there is a joke in there.:confused:

You must have missed Barry Arnold's post up above?

[barrysloate]

Yes Dan, I did. My apologies Barry.:(

[iggyman]

How about T206 Charles "Red" Dooin, who was the inventor of the paper-mache shin guards. His story about being offered a bribe during the exciting 1908 National league pennant race has always intrigued me. For the record, the Giants played the Phillies eight times at the tail-end of the season (infamous Merkle boner season). Interesting enough, the Giants won five of those games, but the only loses came against a late-season rookie call-up............Polish sensation Harry Covaleski (perhaps, too green to be corrupted(?)). As a footnote, during one of the games, Dooin was badly spiked by Roger Bresnahan in a five-inning collision at home plate and had to leave the game. Here is Dooin's version of the alleged bribe and kidnapping(?)...

Lovely Day...

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[ethicsprof]

no problem,buddy.
58 years old can be tough!! :)
dan must be much,much younger with that great bear trap memory.

best,
barry

[barrysloate]

delete

[slidekellyslide]

HAHA Barry. I have Moderator Status! I can still read what you wrote.

I wish I was still a whippersnapper. :)

[CMIZ5290]

One of my favorites is iron man joe mcginnity. Played professionally forever, all the way until he was 55 years old! His t206 representation was when he was in his twilight years as a minor leaguer.

[barrysloate]

Dan- I didn't know you guys could sneak in like that. It was one of those lines that sounded funny when I wrote it...then I reread it and it wasn't as funny.

[mybuddyinc]

Shag Shaughnessy:

"Shaughnessy" Playoffs: 4 vs. 1; 3 vs. 2.

Sell a few more tickets and hot dogs at end of season, great idea ..... :)

[ethicsprof]

thanks for letting me know what Barry wrote;
i was afraid that he might be angry with me.

by the way, i've just written something and now erased it.
can you see that too, Dan---even if i never pushed 'submit reply'. :)
if so , you really do have the power.

best,
barry

[barrysloate]

Barry- Dan and Leon are running this site like a police state...they are spying on us all!:mad:

[ethicsprof]

or perhaps it's just big government protecting us---otherwise, we'd
be left to spend our tragic lives eating and copulating, as Thomas Hobbes
would suggest. :)

all the best,
barry

[judsonhamlin]

Jack Quinn is the only person to appear as a full-time player in both T206 and the 1933 Goudey set, and is the only non-HOFer to appear in those two sets as well.

[iggyman]

How about "Sleepy" Bill Burns, who was a key player in the 1919 Black Sox drama. He met with the players and served as the go-between with the gamblers. Was also the star witness for the prosecution.

Lovely Day...

[Theoldprofessor]

Was Thomes Hobbes really Roy Hobbes' elder brother? They spelled their names differently, but there was still an uncanny family resemblance. Roy was a loner, broke, intemperate on occcasion, and stood only 5' 9"

And Tom built a career on being solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.

And he shot Spike Shannon attempting to steal home late, after mixing his labor once too often

[Bridwell]

Speedy Hans Lobert was an interesting personality. He stole 47 bases in 1908. One time in 1913, somebody staged an exhibition game and the grand finale was Lobert racing a race horse around the bases. He nearly won, with the horse passing him between 3rd and home.

John 'Dots' Miller got his nickname when somebody asked Honus Wagner who the rookie was. Honus said 'that's Miller' but with his thick accent, the reporters thought he said 'Dots'.

[slidekellyslide]

Barry- Dan and Leon are running this site like a police state...they are spying on us all!:mad:

Perhaps I've said too much? :D

I actually rarely look at deleted or edited posts. Only when it's a flame war or it's aimed at me. :p

[slidekellyslide]

thanks for letting me know what Barry wrote;
i was afraid that he might be angry with me.

by the way, i've just written something and now erased it.
can you see that too, Dan---even if i never pushed 'submit reply'. :)
if so , you really do have the power.

best,
barry

I can see all!...actually when I saw that "Delete" on Barry's post I was hoping for major misspellings and grammatical errors. :D

[ethicsprof]

ain't gonna happen, buddy!!!

best,
barry

[teetwoohsix]

I hope this is readable.......

[Kawika]

Had a fistfight with Ty Cobb.

http://photos.imageevent.com/kawika_o_ka_pakipika/bbbofsfirstclass/t206newyorkgiants/large/T206_Herzog.jpg

Herzog Fights Cobb

Ty Weighed Almost 50 Pounds More, But Buck HAD to Fight
Buck was foolish, but he was also courageous. His face was cut and he lost two teeth, but it was something that he had to do, regardless of the cost.
In an exhibition game between the Giants and Tigers during the spring of 1917, a tremendous brawl, set off by Ty Cobb, occurred. With two outs in the second inning, Cobb singled, bringing up Bobby Veach. Ty took off for second but the throw beat him by a wide margin. Buck Herzog was waiting to tag out Cobb when the greatest player of his time or, according to many, of all time, slid into Herzog with his spikes high. The Giants’ second baseman was cut on his leg and immediately went after Cobb. In an instant, the field was filled with players attempting to maim each other. The police were needed to restore order.

Most Players Hated Their Opponents
The Giants and Tigers didn’t like each other, but in those days, most players didn’t like most of their opponents. The fact that this was an exhibition game didn’t matter. The objective was to win, whether the game counted in the standing or not, because each team knew that the game counted for them. When Cobb went out to right field after the melee, Giants’ manager John McGraw demanded that Cobb be thrown out of the game, and he was. There were altercations and bench jockeying throughout the game.

Herzog Told Cobb He'd Meet Him in His Room
The Giants and Tigers stayed at the Oriental Hotel in Dallas. That evening, Herzog went over to Cobb in the dining room and told him that he would be going to his room later to settle their differences. Immediately after dinner, Ty and Tigers’ trainer Harry Tuthill went to Cobb’s room to wait for Buck, who soon appeared with Heinie Zimmerman. Cobb outweighed Buck by about 50 pounds easily disposed of him. Buck was foolish, but he was also courageous. His face was cut and he lost two teeth, but it was something that he had to do, regardless of the cost. Finally, Tuthill and Zimmerman stopped the fight.

[ethicsprof]

just saw your post, ole Davidson buddy.
you may be on to something with your correlation except Roy embodied the natural in his personhood and talent while Thomas opposed the natural
with fervor via a 'liking' for government policing.

all the best,
barry

[Brian Van Horn]

Honus Wagner became Sheriff of Allegheny County in 1942 and ran a sporting goods store which still bears his name.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10277/1091233-491.stm

Turkey Mike Donlin left baseball for a brief time to perform on the Vaudeville circuit with his wife.

Fred Merkle worked as a scout after his career and discovered Jim "Mudcat" Grant.

[Chris Counts]

I just picked up a T206 of Otis "Doc" Crandall, and after doing a little research, I discovered that not only was he baseball's first official "closer," but he was also the greatest hitting pitcher of all-time, minus Babe Ruth, of course. I realize the last statement might seem a bit over-the-top, but you can look it up. Wes Ferrell is credited as often as anyone with being the best hitting pitcher, but he batted .280 playing in the Live Ball era, while Crandall hit .285 playing exclusively in the Dead Ball Era. In 1910, we won 17 games and batted .342 in a limited number of at-bats, while Sherry Magee took home the batting crown with a .331 mark. Also, if you throw in his minor league record, Crandall won over 300 games ...