Addie Joss' Ghost?
 

So, I have this odd obsession I like to do whenever I go out of town. Wherever I'm travelling to, I like to check the cemeteries in the area and see if there are any old ballplayers buried there. If there are, I will check and see if I have a baseball card of that player, bring it with me, and take a photo of the gravesite with the baseball card on or by the stone. My wife tells me it's morbid, but for me it connects the player with the card. Well, on Friday February 15th I went to Toledo and I knew Addie Joss was buried there so I brought his card with me and took my photos. He is buried in Historic Woodlawn Cemetery and it was really nice. I have attached some photos. Here is the really wild part: it was cold out Friday so after I took my photos, I got back in my warm car and decided to check my email before I drove away. Well I received an email from the Baseball Heritage Museum, a website that is all about League Park and it's history in Cleveland, OH. I receive very few emails from them but I happen to get one today-and when I open it, there is a picture of Addie Joss staring right at me! I was thinking how crazy that was and what a coincidence it was-if it really was a coincidence. But that's baseball, right? It seems like we've read a lot of articles about crazy things happening surrounding baseball. Of course, what happened here is not really comparable to some of those stories, but it's the first time anything "spooky" like that happened to me. Sorry for the long winded story but I wanted to share it with the forum as this seems like the perfect place for it. Anything like this, or crazier, ever happen to any of you? I would like to hear about it-please share.

Joe

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I agree with your wife on this one....

From the cradle of slightly odd ideas to the grave
 

Perhaps Large Ass Herzog should tag along with you so he can visit with some of his fellow ballplayers.

Brian (lurking at a grave site near you with my vintage collection ready)

There is absolutely nothing wrong with what you're doing, especially if, as you stated, you feel that it brings a connection between the player and his card.
I can't report experiencing any odd card-related occurrences myself though.

Enjoy your day collecting!

Thanks for the story. I'm from Toledo and never knew that Joss was buried here. I will have to check it out. I believe Roger Bresnahan is another HOFer buried in Toledo.

I don't have any strange stories to tell, but I understand that there are several good ghost stories about Swayne Field where the old Toledo Mudhens used to play. My father who played minor league ball in the 1940s used to claim that the area was haunted.

Best regards,

Joe

surprised no one has lifted that head stone and consigned it. i can think of at least 3 auction houses that would take it, no questions asked.

joss
 

I'm struck by the simplicity of the monument, which was the sort of modest statement people would have made 100 years ago (let's face it, Joss was a big deal in Cleveland when he died).

It's kind of cool that you did this. At a time when we didn't know much about the lives (and deaths) of the early ballplayers, the historian Lee Allen used to haunt graveyards and clerks offices seeking out death information and surviving relatives of obscure ball players. Nobody did that then.

As for the email, I'm reminded of a letter to the editor that appeared in Rolling Stone around 1968....The writer said something like, "I was just sitting in my bathtub singing "Hillbilly Heaven" when the guy on the radio said, 'Tex Ritter has died,' I'm wondering what does this mean?"

The people at Rolling Stone replied, "It means it's your fault he is dead, man."

Sometimes it's all just chance. Addie Joss (like Bix) lives.
lumberjack

Addie
 

Addie spent some of his college years at St. Mary's College, which was in Prairie du Chien, Wi., which is only 30 miles from where I live. I was the Postmaster in Prairie du Chien for 5 years. I didn't know about Addies history at that time. I may have been able to dig up some info about him.

I received an email from Addie, last Saturday at the card show in LaCrosse, WI. He told me to buy this card, so I did. :rolleyes:

(Not true about the email, but true about buying this card. It was the only pre-WWII card at the show, except for a few that I was selling.)

I never realized that the poor guy died so young. He was 31.

According to Wiki, he died of TB.

Great story. Makes you wonder.

Cool coincidence and that is one plain looking headstone. Addy deserves more!!

Coincidence?
 

Joe,
What is even more weird is that this guy popped up on the TV as I was reading YOUR post. ;)

Now that really is cool!!

Nothing wrong with a little graveside remembrance of a great player; whatever works to keep a name alive and vital for fans. Heck, here in L.A. they throw a party every year at Johnny Ramone's grave with a band covering Ramones tunes. Last year Steve Jones (The Sex Pistols) and Billy Joe Armstrong (Green Day) sat in. I plan to go this year.

It was actually meningitis. He was quite an erudite journalist himself. What I find very odd is that there are very few, if any, autographs of his out there. True he died very young, but he was very well-known and amiable to fans.

I believe there is more than coincidence to the email.