Tris Speaker

Called the "Grey Eagle" because his hair turned grey prematurely.

Career stats:
.345/.428/.500/.928__1882 R__3514 H__792 2B__222 3B__117 HR__1529 RBI__158 OPS+
1 MVP award (1912)


Tristram E. Speaker was born on April 4, 1888 in Hubbard, Texas. As a boy, he was involved in a horse-riding accident in which he broke his right arm. As a result, he tried throwing with his left hand and became so comfortable with it that he began throwing left-handed, even when his arm healed. Later during his college career, he broke his left arm while playing football. The doctors suggested that his arm be amputated because of the severity of the injury. Speaker, however in a House-like move, refused.

His early career was unsuccessful, but in 1909, he won the Boston Red Sox starting center fielder job and never looked back. Along with Harry Hooper and Duffy Lewis, the threesome would be known as the "Million Dollar Trio" because they were one of the best outfields in the majors. His best season would be 1912 when he led the league in doubles (53), home runs (10), and had three hitting streaks of 20+ (30, 23, 22), which is still a major-league record for one season.

After the 1915 season, Speaker and the Boston owner had a falling out. The owner wanted Speaker to take a pay cut because his batting average fell to .322. Speaker, of course, declined, and he was traded to the Cleveland Indians. Angry with Boston, Speaker demanded and ultimately received $10,000 of the $50,000 sent to Boston, and the trade is still considered one of the most lop-sided in history. In 1917 while trying to steal home, the batter lined the ball of his face. The opposing team allowed Speaker to sit out the next inning while having his face sewn up, and he went back out the inning after.

Like several players in the day, Speaker became a player-manager, but unlike many, he actually led the team to a World Series victory in 1920. However, Speaker was forced to retire from managing after a betting scandal between Speaker and Cobb, but most believe it was Dutch Leonard's anger over being kicked out of organized baseball that started all of it. Ultimately, it failed to kick either player out of baseball.

One of the best center fielders of history, Speaker was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1937 with 165 of the 201 votes.

Nap Lajoie

Yikes.

Career stats:
.338/.380/.467/.847__1504 R__3242 H__657 2B__83 HR__1599 RBI__150 OPS+
1 Triple Crown (1901)


Of French-Canadian descent, Napoleon Lajoie was born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island on September 5, 1874.

He started his career in 1896 as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, but in 1901, he crossed the city to be a member of the Philadelphia Athletics. That season, he had one of the greatest seasons ever as he hit .426/.463/.643, especially for a second baseman. The same year, Najoie was intentionally walked with the bases loaded, the second in history and only one of six players ever (Almer Dalrymple, Del Bissonette, Bill Nicholson, Barry Bonds, and Josh Hamilton). One year later, the Phillies filed an injunction against Najoie, saying he could only play for the Phillies, but instead, he was traded to the Cleveland Indians, who renamed themselves the Naps in his honor. Until 1905, Najoie was the best player in the majors.

Ty Cobb arrived in the majors in 1905, and the two quickly began an intense rivalry. That rivalry boiled over in 1910. The two were locked in a close battle for the hitting title, and both wanted the prize, a Chalmers automobile. Instead of trying to add to his average, Cobb took the last two games off, sure his average was high enough. Najoie, however, was well-liked, definitely more than the obnoxious and sometimes violent Cobb. The St. Louis Browns allowed Najoie to go 8-for-8 in the final series, six of them on bunts when the third baseman played unusually far back on such a speedy hitter, to officially win the title (Cobb may not have won anyway as one of his games happened coincidentally to be counted twice). Choosing not to take sides, the Chalmers Auto Company gave both players a car.

The slick-fielding second baseman returned to the Athletics for two final seasons. In perspective as a second baseman, Lajoie's numbers are staggering (side note: I had never heard of him before this -- a key reason I'm doing this as there will be many more I don't know). He was elected into the Hall of Fame as the leading vote-getter in 1937 with 168 of the 201 votes.

Walter Johnson

Last but not least in the first class.

Career stats:
417-279__531 CG__110 SHO__3509 K__2.17 ERA__147 ERA+__1.061 WHIP
3 Triple Crowns (1913, 1918, 1924)
2 MVP awards (1913, 1924)


The last of the "Five Immortals" elected into the inaugural Hall of Fame class, Walter Johnson was born on November 6, 1887 in Humboldt, Kansas. A drought forced his family to leave Kansas and head to California. Not having played baseball in Kansas, Johnson learned the game in California but received no real formal training, and as a result he maintained his trademark sidearm delivery. After being initially told he was suited for the outfield and not for pitching, Johnson caught on with a California Winter League team and threw 77 consecutive scoreless innings. Combining that with a strikeout rate around 14 per 9 and a walk rate of 1 per 9, Johnson received several offers, and he accepted the offer from the Washington Senators.

The Senators were woefully bad, and his early records did not reflect his talent. He would continue to pitch in the California Winter League even after being signed by the Senators but would stop after the 1909 season. One notable early moment in his career, Johnson pitched three consecutive complete-game shutouts over Labor Day weekend in 1907.

After some rough early years marred by an ear infection, a severe cold, and lack of results, Johnson dominated the next decade from 1910-1919. It began well as he pitched a complete-game shutout and won the first Opening Day that a President of the United States (William Taft) had attended. His newfound domination could be attributed to new manager Jimmy McAleer, who restrained himself from pitching Johnson more than every four days and told Johnson to almost exclusively stick to his fastball. After his 1919 season, Johnson's career began to decline but was still amazing. His ERA jumped a run and a half, but the league's ERA jumped a half-run as well (doctored balls were not allowed after 1919, but it probably was not the only reason for the jump).

By the end of the 1927 season, Johnson had decided to retire from playing, but he would still manage the Senators (1929-1932) and the Cleveland Indians (1933-1935). In the inaugural Hall of Fame class of 1936, Johnson received 189 votes, enough to get him in as the fifth player. Interesting note: Cy Young, Rogers Hornsby, Tris Speaker, Lou Gehrig, and Lefty Grove were all not voted in during this class, and even the ones who were weren't inducted in until 1939, when the Museum opened.

After writing about the first class, I have a few thoughts. One, I find it interesting that Cy Young, who has the most wins in history, didn't even receive 50% of the votes (111 out of a possible 226). Two, I find it interesting that Christy Mathewson received 16 more votes than Johnson when Johnson was probably the better pitcher.

Christy Mathewson

Big Six

Career stats:
373-188__434 CG__79 SHO__2502 K__2.13 ERA__135 ERA+__1.059 WHIP
2 Triple Crowns (1905, 1909)
2 No-hitters


Christopher Mathewson was born August 12, 1880 in Factoryville, Pennsylvania. He would go on to Bucknell University and play on both the football and baseball teams. Mathewson left college and signed with a team from the New England League before the New York (Baseball) Giants purchased his contract. Initially, he failed to live up to expectations, so the Reds selected him in the next Rule V draft (which was a better selection -- Mathewson or Johan Santana?) and then traded him back to the Giants.

Mathewson employed a good fastball and a new pitch -- the screwball -- during his 17-year career. One of the best stories about Mathewson is the 1905 World Series against the Philadelphia Athletics. He pitched a 4-hit shutout in Game 1 for the win. Then, he came back three days later to throw another 4-hit shutout. To top it all off, he came back two days later and twirled a 6-hit shutout to clinch the series.

Mathewson had a great career in New York, but he didn't do it on Sunday. He had a religious conviction against pitching on the Sabbath and may have been a reason he was called the "Christian Gentleman". When he did pitch, he was great, and he even had a brother that pitched alongside him. Henry and Christy won the most games by brothers on a single team with 373. Christy won 373 of them, and Henry won all of 0.

The Reds would take him back for his last game in the majors on September 4, 1916. That game pitted him against his old foe Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown. Mathewson threw a complete game but gave up eight runs in his final victory. He would manage the Reds for the next two seasons until he enlisted in the Army for WWI along with Ty Cobb.

Along with Cobb, Babe Ruth, and Honus Wagner, Mathewson was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1936 with 205 votes.

Honus Wagner

I don't care how good he was. Why would you pay $3M for his baseball card?

Career stats:
.327/.391/.466/.857__1736 R__3415 H__640 2B__252 3B__101 HR__1732 RBI__722 SB__150 OPS+


Johannes Peter Wagner was born February 24, 1874 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During his childhood, his mother called him "Hans", and that would later evolve into his more popular nickname "Honus". Even though he was the most famous of his brothers by the end, it was actually his brother Albert who got him his first tryout.

Wagner began his successful career as one of the greatest shortstops of all time with the Louisville Colonels (Louisville!), but after his second season, the league contracted and the Colonels were gone. The Colonels owner, however, bought half of the Pittsburgh Pirates and brought many of his players, including Honus, with him after the 1899 season.

Pittsburgh proved to be a beneficial place for Wagner. He won a batting title in his first season and won a World Series in 1909. That World Series almost did not happen, however. After the 1907 season, Wagner retired, but the owner offered $10,000 to Wagner. Wagner accepted and was the highest paid player for many seasons, and due to this, some wonder if his retirement was just a ploy for a raise (these were the days before a union). Wagner would later become the second player in history with 3,000 hits (Cap Anson being the first). Like other players of the time, he became the manager of his team, but after 5 games, he told the owner that the position wasn't right for him. After the 1917 season, Wagner retired.

One of the greatest shortstops and even players of baseball history, Wagner was an easy choice for the inaugural Hall of Fame class of 1936, and he tied Babe Ruth's 215 votes. Bill James rates him as the second greatest player of all-time behind Ruth, and he makes many people's all-time lists as the top shortstop.

The "Flying Dutchman" was known for his speed and defense. What he may be best known for now is his T206 baseball card. He, supposedly, didn't want his picture and image used as a baseball card in a cigarette box, and the American Tobacco Company had to stop making them, which in turn made the card extremely rare. In 2007, the card sold for $2.8M and became the most valuable card ever.

Babe Ruth

I still think of Sandlot when I think of him.

Career stats:
.342/.474/.690/1.164__2174 R__2873 H__506 2B__136 3B__714 HR__2217 RBI__207 OPS+
94-46__107 CG__17 SHO__2.28 ERA__122 ERA+
2 All-Star games (1933, 1934)
1 MVP award (1923)


Born February 6, 1895, George Herman Ruth was born in Baltimore, Maryland, but he spent most of his early life in St. Mary's orphanage because his parents worked too much to take care of him. At St. Mary's, a brother taught Ruth how to play baseball, and it was there that Ruth was discovered.

With needing to say so, Ruth's playing career was astounding, both on the mound and crushing pitches from it. He began his career with the Boston Red Sox as a pitcher, but his anger and self-discipline issues would become a factor in him being dealt to the New York Yankees. By 1918, Ruth's hitting prowess enticed the Red Sox into putting him in the lineup on a more regular basis. Ruth himself wanted to hit more, and he gradually stopped pitching. In his last season as a Red Sox (1919), he set a regular-season home run record with 29. It would also be his last season as a Red Sox.

After the 1919 season, Ruth demanded a raise to $20,000 (double his previous salary), and after negotiations failed, owner Harry Frazee looked to trade Ruth. The White Sox offered Shoeless Joe Jackson and $60,000, but the Yankees offered $100,000. Ruth signed a contract, on which the trade was contingent, and became a Yankee. As a Yankee, Ruth shifted to the outfield on a permanent basis and became the symbol of a changing style of baseball, in which power had a place. When the team moved from the Polo Grounds to Yankee Stadium, Ruth fittingly hit the first home run in the "House that Ruth Built". He would go on to break and re-break his home run record, and reportedly after hitting his 60th in 1927, Ruth shouted, "Sixty, count 'em, sixty! Let's see some son-of-a-bitch match that!" By 1934, however, even Ruth began to decline, and due to his quarrells with manager Joe McCarthy, the Yankees sold Ruth to the Boston Braves, who hoped Ruth could bring in much-needed attendance. However, besides an initial spike in attendance, Ruth did little else for the Braves and retired May 30, 1935.

A remarkable career led to Ruth being inducted into the inaugural Hall of Fame class of 1936 with 215 of 226 votes (second to Ty Cobb). Ruth prowess led to several phrases and adjectives. "Ruthian" describes something done with great power, reminding baseball fans of his 500-foot blasts. "The Babe Ruth of ____" describes that ____ is the best player or person doing whatever he/she does, implying Ruth was the best baseball player that ever lived. Indeed, he may have been.

Off the field, he was well-known for his exploits, with alcohol and women. On the field, he had several outbursts and was known to throw dirt on umpires as well as take a swing at them and fans.

A common mistake is to believe that the candy bar "Baby Ruth" is named after Babe Ruth. However, it is named after Grover Cleveland's daughter, the first and only born in the White House, Ruth.

Ty Cobb

The Georgia Peach wasn't so peachy.

I've decided, after doing the post on Jim Rice and Dale Murphy, to go back and look at baseball history and, more specifically for the moment, the Hall of Fame. They won't be long, and they're mainly aimed to inform. If you know anything more (interesting stories, opinions, etc.) about a player, leave something in the comments. I feel that people don't know enough about baseball history (myself included), so this is my attempt to educate myself and others at the same time (as a history major and hopeful future historian). Today, I'll start with Ty Cobb.

Career stats:
.366/.433/.512/.945__167 OPS+__4189 H__724 2B__295 3B__117 HR__1937 RBI__2246 R__892 SB
Triple Crown in 1909
1 MVP Award (1911)


Tyrus "Ty" Raymond Cobb was born on December 18, 1886, and he played from 1905 to 1928. When Cobb went out to try for a semi-pro team, his father told him, "Don't come home a failure." In August of 1905, he was sold to the Detroit Tigers, but in the same month, his mother killed his father. Supposedly, his father suspected his mother of infidelity and snuck past his own window to try to catch her, but his mother thought he was an intruder and shot him. Cobb would later attribute his play to the memory of his father saying, "I did it for my father. He never got to see me play ... but I knew he was watching me, and I never let him down."

Cobb's playing career was obviously remarkable. At age 20, he became the youngest to win a batting championship until Al Kaline did it in 1955 while a day younger. He apparently cherished winning batting titles so much that he sat out to preserve his average and played mind games with Shoeless Joe Jackson. Cobb also set the single-season stolen base record by stealing 96 bases, which stood until Maury Wills broke it. This style of play caused Cobb to resent the up-and-coming Babe Ruth who hit home runs and refused to be the hit-and-run player Cobb was (Cobb also hated Ruth's lifestyle), and in order to prove himself, Cobb decided to swing for the fences for a series. In one series, he hit 12 of 19 with five home runs and 29 total bases. Ruth responded by saying, "I could have had a lifetime .600 average, but I would have had to hit them singles. The people were paying to see me hit home runs." In 1921, Cobb would become a player/manager, but he was never really liked and was never really successful. Later that season, he became the youngest and fastest (in at-bats) to 3,000 hits, both records are still intact.

He retired after the 1928 season having hit at least .300 for 23 consecutive seasons, an amazing record not likely to be broken. A dead-ball era legend, the "Georgia Peach" is arguably the best player in baseball history. He received the most votes (222 of 226) in the inaugural Hall of Fame class in 1936.

Off the field, Cobb had a violent temper and was an unabashed racist (albeit, he lived in a much different time with much different values). He stabbed a black man for being "uppity" and choked a black woman when she tried to defend her husband. Cobb also fought with an umpire underneath a grandstand after a game, and the fight was only broken up after Cobb knocked the man down and began to choke him. At the end of his life, Cobb, however, seemed to see some of the error of his ways and supposedly told Joe E. Brown, a comedian, that he regretted having no friends at the end of his life. Cobb died on July 17, 1961.