Most interesting life? (common player T206)

[Chuck9788]

Please post some common players from the T206 card era that led a very interesting life.



I'm most intrigued with the story of Larry McLean (1881-1921).

McLean was the tallest catcher in major league history. Known for his heavy drinking and violent behavior, McLean's career ended after a 1915 brawl with New York Giants manager John McGraw and coach Dick Kinsella. He was fatally shot by a bartender six years after his last major league appearance.

McLean was killed on March 14, 1921 in Boston, where he was shot by the manager of a saloon. He had become unruly the night before his death and chased a bartender out of the saloon. When McLean returned on the night of March 14, he became offended when the manager refused to give him a cigarette. The manager said that McLean was attempting to crawl over the bar, aided by his friend Jack McCarthy, when the manager fired a gunshot.

McLean was dead when he arrived at the hospital, while McCarthy was hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the stomach. The saloon manager, was arrested on suspicion of murder and later released.

[MVSNYC]

I looked it up...he's tied with Joe Mauer for tallest catcher in history (6'-5").

Interesting post, thanks for sharing.

[Bpm0014]

Very interesting! Keep 'em coming....

[Chuck9788]

Mike "Doc" Powers (April 22, 1870 – April 26, 1909) was an American Major League Baseball player who caught for four different teams from 1898 to 1909. His nickname was derived from the fact that he was a licensed physician as well as a ballplayer. During a brief stint with the New York Highlanders in 1905, Powers caught while Jim "Doc" Newton pitched, creating the only known example of a two-physician battery in Major League history.

On April 12, 1909, Powers was injured during the first game played in Philadelphia's Shibe Park, crashing into a wall while chasing a foul pop-up. He sustained internal injuries from the collision and died two weeks later from complications from three intestinal surgeries, becoming possibly the first Major Leaguer to suffer an on-field injury that eventually led to his death. The immediate cause of death was peritonitis arising from post-surgery infections.

Powers' injury may have served as the inspiration for that suffered by "Bump" Bailey, a minor character in Bernard Malamud's novel The Natural, as well as its subsequent film adaptation.

[scotgreb]

If I recall correctly from "The Glory of Their Times", Hans Lobert seemed like a pretty interesting dude, as did Chief Meyers.

I also highly recommend perusing SABR's biography project. Many, if not most, of these guys will have well-researched and well-written biographies. All free public access.

Scott

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[CMIZ5290]

Dale Murphy for the Atlanta Braves was 6'-5" when he caught for the Braves....

[clydepepper]

Originally Posted by CMIZ5290

Dale Murphy for the Atlanta Braves was 6'-5" when he caught for the Braves....

Kevin - I thought so too, but BBR has him listed at 6-4...of course, he could easily have been (oops! I meant could easily be) 6-5...as it is common to see differences in listed heights and weights...and they aren't even wrestlers.

[CMIZ5290]

I have met Murph in person, he is now probably 61-62 yrs old and he is as tall as me 6-5. I would imagine that when he was 24-25 yrs old that would be the same, or taller. But no matter, this is just discussion...

[Chris Counts]

When I saw the title of this thread, and the cards of Larry McLean and Doc Powers, I thought of two other catchers from the same era who lived very interesting lives, Boss Schmidt and Johnny Kling. Both were highly respected for their skills and played key roles on championship teams, although Kling was the better hitter.

While he was at the top of his game, Kling decided take a sabbatical to pursue billiards. After the Cubs won the 1908 World Series, he won the world billiards championship and opened a billiards hall. He later returned to baseball, but was fined for taking the time away.

After retiring, Kling became quite successful in the real estate business, taught and coached U.S. Army soldiers during WW1 as a volunteer, and many years later, bought the minor league Kansas City Blues, and eliminated segregated seating in their stadium (where the Monarchs played as well) long before other owners.

Also, Kling might have been one of baseball’s first Jewish stars, but apparently, he didn’t talk about it. These lines conclude his SABR biography by Gil Bogen and David W. Anderson: “He was a man with ideas who met challenges head on. He was a man with lofty ideals, a man before his time.”

Schmidt, meanwhile, famously fought his Tigers teammate, the cantankerous Ty Cobb, on at least two occasions, reportedly getting the best of an opponent who, in each case, truly deserved a licking. He also wrestled bears, performed feats of strength, may have sparred with champion boxer Jack Johnson, and broke his hand 30 times.

Sadly, Schmidt’s later years were nothing like Kling’s. He died in poverty in Altus, Arkansas, and was buried in an unmarked grave. But many years later, the town’s residents brought this to the attention of the Tigers. He was soon moved to a proper grave, and those who attended a memorial ceremony included Arkansas native and former Tigers great George Kell.