Prior to Wagner....Connie Mack & Eddie Plank were the anti-Tobacco BB guys

[tedzan]

Opening Day of Shibe Park on April 12, 1909 was a grand occasion. This brand new stadium (later re-named Connie Mack Stadium) boasted the
largest seating capacity of that time.
A capacity crowd of 30,000 fans packed Shibe that day....and, cheered their A's as Eddie Plank coasted to an 8-1 victory. Doc Powers caught
the game, as he had caught 205 of 282 games that Plank pitched since 1901. Eddie Plank preferred Doc as his battery mate.
In the 7th inning, Doc felt a sharp pain in his gut, but continued playing. Upon entering the clubhouse at the end of the game, he collapsed. At
the hospital, Doc's ailment was diagnosed as a severe intestinal blockage. Two weeks later he passed away. Like most of Connie Mack's players,
Powers was a College graduate (Holy Cross). He also attended Notre Dame Univ. He lived in Louisville, KY (hometown of his wife, Florence, and
their three daughters).





TED Z