DMB World Series Hall of Famer-Christy Mathewson

Elected to Hall of Fame in 1936                 Image provided by Dick Perez

CHRISTY MATHEWSON

NEW YORK, N.L., 1900-1916,

CINCINNATI, N.L., 1916

BORN FACTORYVILLE, PA., AUGUST 12, 1880

GREATEST OF ALL THE GREAT PITCHERS

IN THE 20TH CENTURY’S FIRST QUARTER

PITCHED 3 SHUTOUTS IN 1905 WORLD SERIES.

FIRST PITCHER OF THE CENTURY EVER TO

WIN 30 GAMES IN 3 SUCCESSIVE YEARS.

WON 37 GAMES IN 1908

“MATTY WAS MASTER OF THEM ALL”

Christy Mathewson appeared in 4 World Series, but won just one. His 3 shutouts in the 1905 World Series will never be matched. He pitched in 15 seasons in which he started 20+ games, he won 20+ games in 13 of them. He was a 30 game winner 4 times.

"Christy Mathewson was the greatest pitcher who ever lived. He had knowledge, judgment, perfect control and form. It was wonderful to watch him pitch when he wasn’t pitching against you." – Connie Mack

Is it just me, or does the likeness on Christy Mathewson’s HOF plaque look like my drunken uncle?  What a terrible image. Matty deserves better.

The DMB World Series Pseudoscience Experiment

Thanks to a comment by Verdun(If that’s your real name???) I put together a little experiment to determine if the DMB software, or software programmer has it in for Christy Mathewson. As I’ve stated before Mathewson always seems to struggle in the Diamond Mind universe. Not only doesn’t he approach his real life stats, he generally sucks. So, in order to confuse the DMB software, I decided to change Christy Mathewson’s name utilizing a very deceptive method developed by 5th grade children world wide.

Now pitching for the NY Giants-Istychray Athewsonmay….the DMB software will never penetrate this ruse.

WE HAVE EXCORSICED THE DEMONS

Istychray Athewsonmay

Things didn’t start too well for Athewsonmay. In the 1st after Bris Lord doubled, Art Devlin booted a 2 out grounder that put runners on the corners. A ground ball off the bat of Socks Seybold was booted by Billy Gilbert at 2nd and the A’s had an unearned run and a 1-0 lead. The Giants loaded the bases in the bottom of the 1st but failed to push across a run.

The Giants tied the score in the 2nd on 2 infield singles and a wild pitch.

In the Giants’ 3rd all hell broke loose, as the power of Christy compelled them……sorry……….7 runs crossed the plate, as the Giants unleashed on Eddie Plank for 3 home runs. Dan McGann opened with a single and scored on a mammoth home run off the bat of Sam Mertes.  With 2 outs Plank walked 3 batters to load the bases for George Browne, who promptly deposited the ball deep into the right field stands for a grand slam. On the very next pitch Mike Donlin sent a ball deep into the left field seats for back to back jack. That was all for Eddie Plank, and that was all Athewsonmay needed.

Athewsonmay finished with a 4 hitter and 10 strikeouts. A dominant performance.

What have we proven here? Can a computer program have a bias? Did the Giants players underperform for Christy Mathewson on purpose, for some unknown nefarious reason? Were they taken in by my ruse? Will Megan’s sister forgive her for sleeping with her husband?  I just don’t know……..and Megan really is a tramp!!!!!

4/15/2010, PhA05-NYN05, Polo Grounds
                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP
1905 Athletics         1  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0     2  4  2     5  0
1905 Giants            0  1  7  0  4  5  0  0  x    17 17  3    10  0

Athletics            AB  R  H BI   AVG    Giants               AB  R  H BI   AVG
Hartsel           lf  4  0  1  0  .250    Bresnahan         c   4  3  2  1  .500
Lord              cf  4  1  2  0  .500    Browne            rf  5  3  4  6  .800
Davis,H           1b  4  0  0  0  .000    Donlin            cf  6  1  2  1  .333
Cross,L           3b  4  0  0  0  .000    McGann            1b  6  2  2  1  .333
Seybold           rf  3  0  0  0  .000    Mertes            lf  5  2  3  5  .600
Murphy,D          2b  4  1  1  1  .250    Dahlen            ss  4  1  0  0  .000
Cross,M           ss  4  0  0  0  .000    Devlin            3b  4  2  3  3  .750
Schreckengost     c   3  0  0  0  .000    Gilbert           2b  5  0  0  0  .000
Bender            p   1  0  0  0  .000    Athewsonmay       p   2  3  1  0  .500
Coakley          p   1  0  0  0  .000                         41 17 17 17
Henley           p   1  0  0  0  .000
                     33  2  4  1
Athletics                        INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Bender           L               2.2  8  8  8  4  4  86  50 27.00
Coakley                          2.1  7  7  4  3  3  71  41 15.43
Henley                           3.0  2  2  2  2  4  55  35  6.00
                                 8.0 17 17 14  9 11 212 126
Giants                           INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Athewsonmay      W               9.0  4  2  1  1 10 118  82  1.00
                                 9.0  4  2  1  1 10 118  82

E-Davis,H, Murphy,D, Donlin, Devlin, Gilbert. 2B-Lord, Mertes 2, Devlin.
HR-Murphy,D(1), Browne(1), Donlin(1), Mertes(1). K-Hartsel, Lord, Cross,L,
Murphy,D, Cross,M, Schreckengost 2, Bender, Coakley, Henley, Bresnahan,
Donlin 3, McGann 2, Dahlen, Devlin, Gilbert 3. BB-Seybold, Bresnahan 2,
Browne, Mertes, Dahlen 2, Devlin, Athewsonmay 2. SH-Athewsonmay. WP-Bender,
Coakley.
GWRBI: Mertes
Temperature: 55, Sky: clear, Wind: out to left at 13 MPH.

1905 DMB World Series Game #4

Note: The NY Giants defeated the Philadelphia A’s 4 games to 1 in the actual 1905 World Series.

 

MOONLIGHT GRAHAM FINALLY GETS HIS AT BAT IN ANOTHER GIANTS DEFEAT

 The Polo Grounds

The NY Giants went down without a fight, as they get swept by the A’s. Despite getting base runner after base runner off Eddie Plank the Giants scored just 2 runs, both on solo home runs off the bat of Dan McGann. The A’s turned 5 double plays to snuff out every Giant rally.

The A’s scored 3 runs in the 2nd when they unloaded on McGinnity with 2 doubles and a triple. They put the game away in the 5th scoring 4 runs off McGinnity. Eddie Plank was hit by a pitch to start the inning, Bris Lord and Harry Davis singled, Socks Seybold doubled off the wall for 2 runs and Danny Murphy singled to send McGinnity to the showers.

After a 105 year wait Archibald “Moonlight” Graham finally got his at bat. A sentimental at bat for this replayer, Graham was activated for just  this game and pinch hit for Wiltse in the 9th. Moonlight hit a groundball to 3rd baseman Lave Cross who bobbled the ball allowing him to reach base.

10/13/1905, PhA05-NYN05, Polo Grounds
                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP
1905 Athletics         0  3  0  0  4  1  0  0  0     8  9  3     5  5
1905 Giants            0  0  0  1  0  0  0  1  0     2  6  1     9  0

Athletics            AB  R  H BI   AVG    Giants               AB  R  H BI   AVG
Hartsel           lf  4  2  0  0  .077    Bresnahan         c   3  0  0  0  .143
Lord              cf  4  1  1  0  .188    Browne            rf  5  0  0  0  .063
Davis,H           1b  5  0  2  1  .389    Donlin            cf  4  0  0  0  .308
Cross,L           3b  5  2  1  1  .278    McGann            1b  2  2  2  2  .308
Seybold           rf  4  2  2  3  .385    Mertes            lf  4  0  0  0  .154
Murphy,D          2b  4  1  2  2  .267    Dahlen            ss  3  0  1  0  .083
Cross,M           ss  3  0  0  0  .214    Devlin            3b  2  0  1  0  .364
Powers            c   4  0  0  0  .000    Gilbert           2b  4  0  2  0  .200
Plank             p   3  0  1  1  .333    McGinnity         p   2  0  0  0  .000
                     36  8  9  8           Wiltse           p   1  0  0  0  .000
                                           Graham           ph  1  0  0  0  .000
                                                               31  2  6  2
Athletics                        INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Plank            W 2-0           9.0  6  2  2  7  5 152  87  1.00
                                 9.0  6  2  2  7  5 152  87
Giants                           INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
McGinnity        L 0-2           4.2  8  7  7  0  0  72  48  9.26
Wiltse                           4.1  1  1  1  2  1  68  39  2.08
                                 9.0  9  8  8  2  1 140  87
NYN: Graham batted for Wiltse in the 9th

E-Davis,H, Cross,L 2, Gilbert. 2B-Cross,L, Seybold, Murphy,D. 3B-Seybold.
HR-McGann 2(2). SB-McGann(1). K-Cross,M, Donlin 2, Dahlen, Gilbert,
McGinnity. BB-Hartsel, Lord, Bresnahan 2, McGann 2, Dahlen, Devlin 2.
SH-Cross,M. HBP-Plank. HB-McGinnity.
GWRBI: Seybold
Temperature: 58, Sky: partly cloudy, Wind: left to right at 12 MPH.

SUMMARY: A complete and total turnaround from the actual 1905 World Series. Both Mathewson and McGinnity failed to show up, along with the Giants offense. A 6.62 ERA and a .189 batting average says it all. The A’s turned 8 DPs in the series to just 2 for the Giants.

Eddie Plank went 2-0 with 2 complete games, one a shutout. But the MVP goes to Harry Davis. He hit .389 with 7 hits, 5 runs and 7 rbis, leading all batters.

This was the 30th World Series played in this blog so far, and it is by far my biggest disappointment. Although I’m not a Giants fan, or a John McGraw fan, I really wanted to see Christy Mathewson shine.

MVP: Harry Davis- .389-0-7, 5 runs

DMB team batting — 1905 New York Giants                             
                              League championship — as of 10/13/1905                              

S Name               P    AVG   OBP   SPC    G   AB    H  2B  3B  HR    R  RBI   BB    K HBP  IW  SB  CS
  Devlin             3b  .364  .563  .455    4   11    4   1   0   0    2    1    4    1   1   0   0   0
  Strang#            2b  .333  .333  .333    2    3    1   0   0   0    0    0    0    0   0   0   0   0
  McGann#            1b  .308  .471  .846    4   13    4   1   0   2    2    2    3    1   1   0   1   0
  Donlin*            cf  .308  .471  .385    4   13    4   1   0   0    2    0    4    2   0   0   0   0
  Mathewson          sp  .250  .250  .500    2    4    1   1   0   0    0    1    0    1   0   0   0   0
  Gilbert            2b  .200  .200  .200    4   15    3   0   0   0    1    0    0    2   0   0   0   0
  Mertes             lf  .154  .250  .154    4   13    2   0   0   0    0    1    2    0   0   0   0   0
  Bresnahan          c   .143  .368  .143    4   14    2   0   0   0    0    1    4    3   1   0   1   0
  Dahlen             ss  .083  .313  .083    4   12    1   0   0   0    0    0    4    2   0   0   0   0
  Browne*            rf  .063  .059  .250    4   16    1   0   0   1    1    2    0    0   0   0   0   0
  Ames#              sp  .000  .000  .000    1    0    0   0   0   0    0    0    0    0   0   0   0   0
  Bowerman           c   .000  .000  .000    1    1    0   0   0   0    0    0    0    0   0   0   0   0
  Graham*            rf  .000  .000  .000    1    1    0   0   0   0    0    0    0    0   0   0   0   0
  McGinnity          sp  .000  .000  .000    2    4    0   0   0   0    0    0    0    1   0   0   0   0
  Taylor,D           sp  .000  .000  .000    1    1    0   0   0   0    0    0    0    0   0   0   0   0
  Wiltse             sp  .000  .000  .000    1    1    0   0   0   0    0    0    0    0   0   0   0   0
  Total                  .189  .318  .295    4  122   23   4   0   3    8    8   21   13   3   0   2   0

                          DMB team batting — 1905 Philadelphia Athletics                          
                              League championship — as of 10/13/1905                              

S Name               P    AVG   OBP   SPC    G   AB    H  2B  3B  HR    R  RBI   BB    K HBP  IW  SB  CS
  Bender             sp  .500  .500  .750    1    4    2   1   0   0    2    0    0    0   0   0   0   0
  Davis,H            1b  .389  .389  .611    4   18    7   1   0   1    5    7    0    3   0   0   1   0
  Seybold            rf  .385  .500  .615    4   13    5   1   1   0    3    4    3    3   0   0   1   0
  Plank*             sp  .333  .429  .333    2    6    2   0   0   0    1    1    0    2   1   0   0   0
  Cross,L            3b  .278  .278  .333    4   18    5   1   0   0    4    3    0    1   0   0   0   0
  Murphy,D           2b  .267  .267  .333    4   15    4   1   0   0    1    4    0    3   0   0   0   0
  Cross,M            ss  .214  .214  .286    4   14    3   1   0   0    1    1    0    3   0   0   0   0
  Lord               cf  .188  .316  .188    4   16    3   0   0   0    3    2    2    1   1   0   0   0
  Schreckengost      c   .182  .182  .273    3   11    2   1   0   0    1    1    0    1   0   0   0   0
  Hartsel*           lf  .077  .368  .231    4   13    1   0   1   0    5    1    6    1   0   1   0   0
  Coakley*           sp  .000  .333  .000    1    2    0   0   0   0    0    1    1    0   0   0   0   0
  Powers             c   .000  .000  .000    1    4    0   0   0   0    0    0    0    0   0   0   0   0
  Total                  .254  .324  .358    4  134   34   7   2   1   26   25   12   18   2   1   2   0

DMB team pitching — 1905 New York Giants                             
                              League championship — as of 10/13/1905                              

S Name               P     ERA   W   L   S   G  GS  CG SHO     INN    H    R   ER   BB    K  HR GDP    BF
  Ames               sp   0.00   0   0   0   1   0   0   0     2.0    0    0    0    0    2   0   0     6
  Taylor,D           sp   0.00   0   0   0   1   0   0   0     2.1    0    0    0    0    0   0   0     7
  Wiltse*            sp   2.08   0   0   0   1   0   0   0     4.1    1    1    1    2    1   0   0    16
  Mathewson          sp   7.90   0   2   0   2   2   1   0    13.2   17   13   12    7   11   0   1    65
  McGinnity          sp   9.26   0   2   0   2   2   0   0    11.2   16   12   12    3    4   1   1    56
  Total                   6.62   0   4   0   4   4   1   0    34.0   34   26   25   12   18   1   2   150

                          DMB team pitching — 1905 Philadelphia Athletics                         
                              League championship — as of 10/13/1905                              

S Name               P     ERA   W   L   S   G  GS  CG SHO     INN    H    R   ER   BB    K  HR GDP    BF
  Plank*             sp   1.00   2   0   0   2   2   2   1    18.0    9    2    2   11    7   2   5    74
  Bender             sp   2.00   1   0   0   1   1   1   0     9.0    7    2    2    4    2   1   0    37
  Coakley            sp   3.00   1   0   0   1   1   1   0     9.0    7    4    3    6    4   0   0    40
  Total                   1.75   4   0   0   4   4   4   1    36.0   23    8    7   21   13   3   5   151

1905 DMB World Series-Game #3

NOTE: The NY Giants beat the A’s 4 games to 1 in the 1905 World Series.

Christy Mathewson vs Andy Coakley 10/12/1905, @ Baker Bowl

 

MATHEWSON STRUGGLES AGAIN AS GIANTS FACE ELIMINATION

Andy Coakley coached at Columbia University from 1915-1951, where he coached a pretty decent ballplayer by the name of Lou Gehrig.

Christy Mathewson took a 1-0 lead and a no-hitter into the 4th inning, and looked primed to overcome his DMB misfortunes, when the wheels fell off the Matty express.

Harry Davis lined the 1st pitch he saw into centerfield for a single, Lave Cross, Socks Seybold, and Monte Cross followed with singles of their own.  Osee Schreckengost doubled off the wall, and the A’s had a 4-1 lead. After 4 singles and 2 walks in the 6th, the A’s had built a 9-3 lead on Big Six, and he was mercifully removed from the game in favor of Dummy Taylor.

Andy Coakley pitched a complete game, despite allowing 7 hits and 6 walks.

The A’s lead this series 3 games to 0.

10/12/1905, NYN05-PhA05, Baker Bowl
                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP
1905 Giants            0  0  1  0  2  0  0  1  0     4  7  1     9  0
1905 Athletics         0  0  0  4  1  4  0  0  x     9 10  1     7  1

Giants               AB  R  H BI   AVG    Athletics            AB  R  H BI   AVG
Bresnahan         c   4  0  1  1  .182    Hartsel           lf  3  0  0  0  .111
Browne            rf  4  0  0  1  .091    Lord              cf  5  1  1  1  .167
Donlin            cf  4  1  2  0  .444    Davis,H           1b  5  3  1  0  .385
McGann            1b  4  0  0  0  .182    Cross,L           3b  5  2  2  1  .308
Mertes            lf  3  0  0  0  .222    Seybold           rf  2  1  1  1  .333
Dahlen            ss  3  0  0  0  .000    Murphy,D          2b  4  0  1  2  .182
Devlin            3b  3  2  2  1  .333    Cross,M           ss  4  1  2  1  .273
Gilbert           2b  3  1  0  0  .091    Schreckengost     c   4  1  2  1  .182
Taylor,D         p   1  0  0  0  .000    Coakley           p   2  0  0  1  .000
Mathewson         p   1  0  1  1  .250                         34  9 10  8
Strang           2b  2  0  1  0  .333
                     32  4  7  4
Giants                           INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Mathewson        L 0-2           5.2 10  9  8  5  3 114  73  7.90
Taylor,D                         2.1  0  0  0  0  0  29  19  0.00
                                 8.0 10  9  8  5  3 143  92
Athletics                        INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Coakley          W 1-0           9.0  7  4  3  6  4 150  84  3.00
                                 9.0  7  4  3  6  4 150  84
NYN: Strang inserted at 2b in the 6th

E-Bresnahan, Davis,H. 2B-Donlin, Devlin, Mathewson, Cross,M, Schreckengost.
SB-Bresnahan(1), Davis,H(1). K-Bresnahan 2, McGann, Dahlen, Lord, Davis,H,
Murphy,D. BB-Bresnahan, Donlin, McGann, Mertes, Dahlen, Devlin, Hartsel 2,
Seybold 2, Coakley. SH-Mathewson, Coakley. SF-Browne. PB-Bresnahan.
GWRBI: Cross,M
Temperature: 67, Sky: partly cloudy, Wind: right to left at 20 MPH.

1905 DMB World Series-Game #2

NOTE: The Giants won the 1905 World Series 4 games to 1 against the A’s.

Chief Bender vs Joe McGinnity 10/10/1905, @ Polo Grounds

 

HARRY DAVIS’ 3-RUN HR SINKS THE GIANTS.

Harry Davis lead the AL in home runs for 4 straight seasons, 1904-1907. He hit just 75 home runs in his career.

Giant right fielder George Browne crushed the 1st pitch he saw from Chief Bender into the left field stands to give the Giants a 1-0 lead in the 1st inning. Bender then proceeded to walk Mike Donlin and hit Dan McGann with a pitch. Sam Mertes lined a single to center, but Bris Lord gunned down Donlin at the plate to end the Giant threat. Donlin would also be thrown out at the plate by Lord in the 3rd on another base hit off the bat of Sam Mertes.

In the 7th, Harry Davis banged a drive off the left field foul pole for a 3-run home run off Joe McGinnity, putting this game away for the A’s. Davis would finish with 4 rbis.

The A’s now lead this series 2 games to 0, with Christy Mathewson taking the hill in Game 3, looking to break his DMB jinx.

10/10/1905, PhA05-NYN05, Polo Grounds
                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP
1905 Athletics         0  0  2  0  0  0  3  0  0     5  8  0     6  0
1905 Giants            1  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0     2  7  0     8  1

Athletics            AB  R  H BI   AVG    Giants               AB  R  H BI   AVG
Hartsel           lf  3  2  1  1  .167    Bresnahan         c   5  0  0  0  .143
Lord              cf  3  0  0  0  .143    Browne            rf  4  1  1  1  .143
Davis,H           1b  4  1  2  4  .500    Donlin            cf  2  1  2  0  .400
Cross,L           3b  4  0  0  0  .250    McGann            1b  3  0  1  0  .286
Seybold           rf  4  0  2  0  .286    Mertes            lf  3  0  2  1  .333
Murphy,D          2b  4  0  0  0  .143    Dahlen            ss  3  0  0  0  .000
Cross,M           ss  4  0  1  0  .143    Devlin            3b  3  0  0  0  .167
Schreckengost     c   4  0  0  0  .000    Gilbert           2b  4  0  1  0  .125
Bender            p   4  2  2  0  .500    McGinnity         p   2  0  0  0  .000
                     34  5  8  5           Strang           ph  1  0  0  0  .000
                                           Ames             p   0  0  0  0  .000
                                           Bowerman         ph  1  0  0  0  .000
                                                               31  2  7  2
Athletics                        INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Bender           W 1-0           9.0  7  2  2  4  2 124  67  2.00
                                 9.0  7  2  2  4  2 124  67
Giants                           INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
McGinnity        L 0-1           7.0  8  5  5  3  4 137  77  6.43
Ames                             2.0  0  0  0  0  2  20  13  0.00
                                 9.0  8  5  5  3  6 157  90
NYN: Strang batted for McGinnity in the 7th
     Bowerman batted for Ames in the 9th

2B-Bender. 3B-Hartsel. HR-Davis,H(1), Browne(1). SB-Seybold(1). K-Hartsel,
Davis,H, Murphy,D 2, Cross,M, Schreckengost, Bresnahan, Gilbert.
BB-Hartsel 2, Lord, Donlin 2, Dahlen, Devlin. SF-Mertes. HBP-Lord, McGann.
PB-Bresnahan. HB-Bender, McGinnity. WP-Bender.
GWRBI: Davis,H
Temperature: 61, Field: wet, Sky: threatening, Wind: left to right at 9 MPH.

1905 DMB World Series-Game #1

Note: The NY Giants beat the Philadelphia A’s 4 games to 1 in the actual 1905 World Series.

Christy Mathewson vs Eddie Plank  10/9/1905, @ Baker Bowl

ANOTHER SHUTOUT IN THE 1905 WORLD SERIES

Eddie Plank is the 1st left-hander to win 300 games.

Eddie Plank walked 4, hit 2 batters, and his defense committed 3 errors behind him,  and he still managed to toss a 3 hit shutout to beat Christy Mathewson by a score of 4-0. The Diamond Mind software continues to inexplicably punish Big Six.  He’s struggled in every league I’ve ever seen him in, and the Giants will not win this Series without him.

With 2 outs and nobody on base in the bottom of the 5th the Diamond Mind hex reared it’s ugly head and bit Christy Mathewson on the ass. Eddie Plank dribbled a base hit into right field just out of reach of 2nd baseman Billy Gilbert. Topsy Hartsell walked, Bris Lord blooped an 0-2 pitch into center just out of reach of Mike Donlin, scoring Plank with the 1st run of the game. Harry Davis doubled in 2 runs, and Lave Cross finished the scoring with a clean single to left.

The Giants loaded the bases in the 6th and 7th innings, but double plays ended both innings.

 

10/9/1905, NYN05-PhA05, Baker Bowl
                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP
1905 Giants            0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0     0  3  0     9  1
1905 Athletics         0  0  0  0  4  0  0  0  x     4  7  3     4  2

Giants               AB  R  H BI   AVG    Athletics            AB  R  H BI   AVG
Bresnahan         c   2  0  1  0  .500    Hartsel           lf  3  1  0  0  .000
Browne            rf  3  0  0  0  .000    Lord              cf  4  1  1  1  .250
Donlin            cf  3  0  0  0  .000    Davis,H           1b  4  1  2  2  .500
McGann            1b  4  0  1  0  .250    Cross,L           3b  4  0  2  1  .500
Mertes            lf  3  0  0  0  .000    Seybold           rf  3  0  0  0  .000
Dahlen            ss  3  0  0  0  .000    Murphy,D          2b  3  0  1  0  .333
Devlin            3b  3  0  1  0  .333    Cross,M           ss  3  0  0  0  .000
Gilbert           2b  4  0  0  0  .000    Schreckengost     c   3  0  0  0  .000
Mathewson         p   3  0  0  0  .000    Plank             p   3  1  1  0  .333
                     28  0  3  0                               30  4  7  4
Giants                           INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Mathewson        L 0-1           8.0  7  4  4  2  8 117  75  4.50
                                 8.0  7  4  4  2  8 117  75
Athletics                        INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Plank            W 1-0           9.0  3  0  0  4  2 121  69  0.00
                                 9.0  3  0  0  4  2 121  69

E-Lord, Davis,H, Murphy,D. 2B-McGann, Davis,H. K-Devlin, Mathewson, Davis,H,
Cross,L, Seybold 3, Cross,M, Plank 2. BB-Bresnahan, Donlin, Mertes, Dahlen,
Hartsel, Seybold. SH-Browne, Mathewson. HBP-Bresnahan, Devlin. PB-Bresnahan,
Schreckengost. HB-Plank 2.
GWRBI: Lord
Temperature: 74, Sky: partly cloudy, Wind: right to left at 1 MPH.

DMB World Series Book Review- The T206 Collection

 

I have always been a fan of the T206 baseball card set. I purchased a reprint set about 20 years ago, and I have several cards prominently displayed in my computer room. So when I saw this book on Amazon I immediately pre-ordered it.

This 206 page book(coincidence?) was put together by Tom and Ellen Zappala, along with Joe Orlando and Lou Blasi and displays every one of the 524 cards contained in the set. Each player has a brief biography that features their place of birth, as well as their death, any relevant statistics, teams they played with, whether major of minor, and a short recap of their playing career. All contained in a colorful well put together book.

It’s broken up into 7 chapters that highlights the Hall of Famers, the players Overlooked by Cooperstown, The Uncommons(players with interesting stories), the Bad Boys of Baseball, the Minor Leaguers, and the Commons. A final chapter is a brief summary on Understanding the Value Within the T206 Set.

                   

The Hall of Famers features Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Cy Young, and Willie Keeler among the 38 Hall of Famers contained in the set. Each mini biography describes his career and tries to give one nugget of information that you might not be aware of. Vic Willis’ middle name is Gazaway, and Sam Crawford was helped into the Hall of Fame by Ty Cobb’s endorsement despite years of acrimony between the 2 teammates. A lot of “I didn’t know that” moments occurred while reading this chapter.

               

The Overlooked features Bill Dahlen, Gavvy Cravath, Ginger Beaumont and a host of other really good ball players that are just on the edge of Hall of Fame worthiness. They also feature a couple cards that I would personally like to own such as Deacon Phillippe and Cy Seymour.

           

The Uncommons features the likes of Art Devlin, Harry Davis, and Patsy Dougherty. It also features Monte Cross. The book jacket asks the question: Who hit the 1st home run in the 20th Century? Every source on the internet that I could find states that Monte Cross hit the 1st home run of the 20th Century while playing for the Philadelphia Phillies on April 19, 1900. The problem is that the 20th Century didn’t start until January 1, 1901. As Yogi said, “You could look it up.” I’m not sure who hit the 1st home run in the 20th Century, but it wasn’t Monte Cross.

       

The Bad Boys of Baseball features Hal Chase, Eddie Cicotte and “Sleepy” Bill Burns among the 16 cards. For me this was the most interesting chapter.

The Minor Leaguers chapter was for me, a let down. It featured the players that never reached the major league level. 30 players are included in this section and I was disappointed that there wasn’t more information provided for each player. Virtually every player’s birthday as well as the day they died was unknown. Despite some cards clearly showing the player throwing with their right hand, virtually every card listed their throwing or batting as NA. Each mini-bio was just a rehash of the teams they played for, as well as a lifetime batting average. Except for learning the players 1st name, there was not a lot of interest in this chapter.

           

The Commons chapter was more of the same. Any player that played at least 1 game in the majors was included in this chapter. Scoops Carey, Bunk Congalton, Buck Hooker and all the other cards in this chapter get a cookie cutter rehash of their careers, and for most of the players you don’t learn anything else. This is me nit-picking, but I wanted to know why Steamer Flanagan was called Steamer. I wanted to know why Peaches Graham was called Peaches. I wanted more than just a summary of Vive Lindaman’s career. How did he die?  Did he ever storm into the stands after an irate fan? Did he invent the paperclip? I know that this would have required tons and tons of research on the authors part, but these are things I want to know. In the Hub Perdue bio, it stated that Grantland Rice dubbed him the “Gallatin Squash” That is something that I needed to know!! That is what I would have liked to see for every card. Impossible, I know, but it would have made this a near perfect book.

       

My petty concerns aside, if you have always been intrigued by the T206 card set, this book is for you. Every card, every player, is represented in one easy to use reference. Despite my misgivings about the lack of personal knowledge of each and every player in this set, despite not knowing whether Ike Rockenfield was ever a volunteer fireman, or an avid stamp collector, I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the Deadball Era and card collecting in general.

And because I now know that Hub Perdue was known as the Gallitan Squash, I am impelled to try to purchase this card.

Baseball Bloggers Alliance 2010 AL All Star Ballot

As a member of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance one of the things that we do is to cast votes for the upcoming All Star Game. These votes will be totaled and released as a combined BBA selection.

Since I’m a life long Yankee fan, my selections will be for just the American League, and will have a slight Yankee bias.

1st Base: No Mark Teixeira here, he has looked lost at the plate all season. Miguel Cabrera is the obvious choice.

2nd Base: Robinson Cano will have the best season a Yankee 2nd baseman has had since…….who knows? He should have historical numbers for a 2nd baseman when this season is over.

Shortstop: Not a great year for shortstops in the American League as no one really stands out. So the Yankee bias goes with Derek Jeter, and besides he deserves it.

3rd Base: It’s a dead heat with Evan Longoria, Adrian Beltre, and Michael Young. Since I can’t go Red Sox, I’ll go with Evan Longoria.

Catcher: Joe Mauer just edges out Jorge Posada.

Outfield: Josh Hamilton is having a rebound season, as is Vernon Wells so I’ll vote for them. Everyone else, for me at least don’t give me a warm fuzzy feeling of All Star. Ichiro might be hitting over .340 but it’s an unproductive .340, if that’s possible. So the Yankee bias is utilized with the selection of Brett Gardner. He really is having a very nice season.

Designated Hitter:  Vlad Guerrero is a no-brainer.

Starting Pitcher: David Price is another no-brainer. Although Andy Pettite is having one of his best seasons.

Relief Pitcher- Not sure if this is needed, but Mariano Rivera belongs on every All Star team.

DMB World Series Biography- Danny Murphy

 

Daniel Francis Murphy

Born: 8/11/1876, Philadelphia, PA

Died: 11/22/1955, Jersey City, NJ

Danny Murphy will be manning 2nd base for Connie Mack as they go up against the NY Giants in the 1905 DMB World Series. He’ll have a tough time facing the likes of Christy Mathewson and Joe McGinnitty.

While playing for the Norwich Witches of the Connecticut League in 1900 he was acquired by the NY Giants and made his major league debut on 9/17/1900 at the age of 24. In 22 games at 2nd base he hit a respectable .270 with just 1 extra base hit. After just 5 games in the 1901 season he was sent back to Norwich. He would hit .336 with a league leading 32 doubles, 16 triples and 12 home runs.

Halfway through the 1902 season Murphy was purchased by Connie Mack to play 2nd base for his Philadelphia A’s. In his 1st start with A’s Murphy went 6-6, which included a 3-run inside the park home run off Cy Young. The 5-9 175lb Murphy put together a .313 season and was on his way to becoming one of the better power hitters in the 1st decade of the 20th Century.

Not a very vocal player he was a favorite of the Philadelphia fans as well as a favorite of Connie Mack. Over the next 9 seasons he would be among the league leaders in doubles, triples, and home runs while playing a fine 2nd base, earning the moniker of “The Hit Interrupter” Not quite as poetic as “Yankee Clipper”, or “The Wild Hoss of the Osage” but those were simpler times.

Murphy would play in 3 World Series with the A’s(1905, 1910,1911) winning 2 of them. The A’s would play in the 1913 World Series but Murphy would not play.

In 1908 Connie Mack moved Murphy to the outfield to make room for eventual Hall of Famer Eddie Collins. His teammates and fans were not too pleased with the move, but Murphy accepted the change without complaint and actually thrived in the outfield. In 1910 at 33 years old, Murphy hit .300 while leading the team with 28 doubles, 18 triples and 4 home runs. He also hit for the cycle that season, and hit .400 with 9 rbis in the World Series win against the Cubs.  In 1911 he set career highs with a .329 average and 104 runs scored. He also led the league in outfield assists with 34.

In 1912 he was named Captain of the A’s, but  on June 12th he broke his knee cap while attempting a steal and would be out the rest of the season.

After playing in just 40 games in 1913, Murphy would sign with the Brooklyn Tip Tops of the Federal League in 1914. He would become an active recruiter for the league, causing a rift between him and Connie Mack, who felt that his recruiting efforts caused factions to form on his A’s causing the A’s to lose the 1914 World Series. Mack would have a fire sale at seasons end rather than lose his players to the Federal League without receiving any compensation. Mack would not win another AL pennant until 1929.

After playing just 5 games he was released in 1915 from the Tip Tops.

From 1916-1918 Murphy managed New Haven in the Eastern League as well as Hartford in 1919 with very little success. After getting back in the good graces of Connie Mack he was brought on as a coach for the A’s where he would stay for 5 seasons. After working as a scout, as well as coaching one season with the Phillies, Murphy retired from baseball in 1927.

After retiring he ran a a hardware store in Newark and also worked in the Count Hospital in Jersey City. He suffered a broken hip in 1952 and never seemed to recover He died November 22, 1955 in Jersey City at the age of 79.

1905 World Series

 

The NY Giants beat the Philadelphia A’s 4 games to 1.

This was Christy Mathewson’s World Series, as he pitched 3 complete games, all shutouts, allowing just 14 hits and 1 walk while striking out 18.

All 5 games of this series were shutouts, with Chief Bender shutting out the Giants for the A’s lone win. Giant pitching(Mathewson and McGinnity) gave up just 3 unearned runs while compiling an ERA of 0.00. A feat that will never be matched.  The only other time a team managed 3 shutouts in a World Series were the 65 Dodgers and the 66 Orioles. 

Mathewson and McGinnity pitched 44 of the 45 innings for the Giants.

Neither team hit a home run or a triple in this pitching dominated series. Topsy Hartsell hit .294 for the A’s, the only A’s player to hit better than .225. The A’s hit just .161 for the series.

The Giants fared only a little better, hitting .203 for the series, with Roger Bresnahan topping all batters with a.313 average.

The winners share was $1142, while the losers earned $832 this included and additional $500 thrown in bt A’s ownership.

GAME #1

Giants  3

A’s        0

Mathewson tosses a 4 hit shutout, beating Eddie Plank. Bresnahan and Mike Donlin drive in runs.

GAME #2

A’s        3

Giants  0

Chief Bender tosses a 4 hit shutout, beat McGinnity who allows just 3 unearned runs.

GAME #3

Giants  9

A’s        0

Ho Hum another 4 hit shutout for Mathewson, beating Andy Coakley. The A’s commit 5 errors allowing 7 unearned runs. Dan McGann drives in 4 runs with 3 hits. Bill Dahlen steals home in the 5th inning, the 1st steal of home in a World Series.

GAME #4

Giants  1

A’s        0

Joe McGinnity tosses a 5 hit shutout beating Eddie Plank. An unearned run in the 4th is the only run scored.

GAME #5

Giants  2

A’s       0

Christy Mathewson wraps up the World Series with a 6 hit shutout, beating Chief Bender.