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Ghosts of Baseball's Past
Ghosts of Baseball's Past
Ghosts of Baseball's Past
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Ghosts of Baseball's Past

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Baseball has existed since the mid 1800's and has been the occupation for thousands of men through history. Defining the best amongst such a wide array of players always sparks a debate, as the Hall-of-Fame in Cooperstown is seen as the debate settler, a place where only legends reside. However, the Hall-of-Fame has overlooked many of the game's star players, failing to immortalize them with their peers. Ghosts of Baseball's Past details the careers of ball diamond legends who have been past over by Hall-of-Fame voters. So take a look inside and decide for yourself whether players like Bert Blyleven, Ted Kluszewski, Riggs Stephenson and more deserve to dwell in Cooperstown. Read about Herb Score, Turkey Mike Donlin and Buddy Lewis, and help keep the names of these legends alive.
LanguageEnglish
PublisheriUniverse
Release dateNov 21, 2006
ISBN9780595861699
Ghosts of Baseball's Past
Author

Brett Kiser

I am a life long fan of baseball with an obsession for history. I believe that Tris Speaker is the greatest player ever and that pinstripes are unsightly. My favorite clubs are the Houston Astros and my hometown team, the forever rebuilding; Kansas City Royals.

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    Book preview

    Ghosts of Baseball's Past - Brett Kiser

    Ghosts of Baseball’s Past

    Brett Kiser

    iUniverse, Inc.

    New York Lincoln Shanghai

    Ghosts of Baseball’s Past

    Copyright © 2006 by brett kiser

    All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording,

    taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

    iUniverse books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

    iUniverse

    2021 Pine Lake Road, Suite 100

    Lincoln, NE 68512

    www.iuniverse.com

    1-800-Authors (1-800-288-4677)

    The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility

    for them.

    ISBN-13: 978-0-595-41827-5 (pbk)

    ISBN-13: 978-0-595-86169-9 (ebk)

    ISBN-10: 0-595-41827-9 (pbk)

    ISBN-10: 0-595-86169-5 (ebk)

    Contents

    Introduction

    NEWT ALLEN

    RED AMES

    HAROLD BAINES

    GINGER BEAUMONT

    VIDA BLUE

    BERT BLYLEVEN

    KEN BOYER

    HARRY BRECHEEN

    PETE BROWNING

    BILL BUCKNER

    CHARLIE BUFFINTON

    LEW BURDETTE

    BRETT BUTLER

    JOE CARTER

    BOB CARUTHERS

    GEORGE CASE

    NORM CASH

    DEAN CHANCE

    SPUD CHANDLER

    HAL CHASE

    CUPID CHILDS

    WILL CLARK

    MORT COOPER

    WILBUR COOPER

    DOC CRAMER

    LAVE CROSS

    MIKE CUELLAR

    BILL DAHLEN

    JAKE DAUBERT

    WILLIE DAVIS

    ANDRE DAWSON

    BINGO DE MOSS

    JOE DOBSON

    MIKE DONLIN

    PATSY DONOVAN

    WILD BILL DONOVAN

    DOUG DRABEK

    RYNE DUREN

    DEL ENNIS

    MIKE GARCIA

    STEVE GARVEY

    JACK GLASSCOCK

    GOOSE GOSSAGE

    BOBBY GEICH

    RON GUIDRY

    STAN HACK

    HARVEY HADDIX

    NOODLES HAHN

    TOM HENKE

    BABE HERMAN

    KEITH HERNANDEZ

    OREL HERSHISER

    PIANO LEGS HICKMAN

    PINKY HIGGINS

    GIL HODGES

    KEN HOLTZMAN

    CHARLIE HOUGH

    FRANK HOWARD

    DUMMY HOY

    TOMMY JOHN

    BOB JOHNSON

    JOE JUDGE

    JIM KAAT

    HENRY KIMBRO

    TED KLUSZEWSKI

    JERRY KOOSMAN

    SAM LEEVER

    DUTCH LEONARD

    BUDDY LEWIS

    ED LOPAT

    DENNY LYONS

    SHERRY MAGEE

    FIRPO MARBERRY

    OLIVER MARCELLE

    ROGER MARIS

    DENNIS MARTINEZ

    CARL MAYS

    JIM McCORMICK

    STUFFY McINNIS

    DAVE McNALLY

    ANDY MESSERSMITH

    BING MILLER

    MINNIE MINOSO

    EARL MOORE

    CANNONBALL MORRIS

    JACKMORRIS

    TONY MULLANE

    GEORGE MULLIN

    DALE MURPHY

    BUDDY MYER

    DON NEWCOMBE

    LEFTY O’DOUL

    AL OLIVER

    BUCK O’NEIL

    DAVE ORR

    ORVIE OVERALL

    MILT PAPPAS

    DAVE PARKER

    GARYPETERS

    DEACON PHILLIPPE

    BILLY PIERCE

    VADA PINSON

    DICK RADATZ

    ED REULBACH

    JIM RICE

    STEVE ROGERS

    SCHOOLBOY ROWE

    NAP RUCKER

    RON SANTO

    HERB SCORE

    DEATH VALLEY JIM SCOTT

    MIKE SCOTT

    SONNY SIEBERT

    TED SIMMONS

    FRANK SMITH

    LEE SMITH

    JAKE STENZEL

    RIGGS STEPHENSON

    HARRY STOVEY

    JESSE TANNEHILL

    JEFF TESREAU

    MIKE TIERNAN

    JOE TORRE

    ALAN TRAMMELL

    VIRGIL TRUCKS

    GEORGE VAN HALTREN

    JOHNNY VANDER MEER

    HIPPO VAUGHN

    BOBBY VEACH

    DIXIE WALKER

    ALTA WEISS

    BOB WELCH

    DOC WHITE

    FRANK WHITE

    WILL WHITE

    MAURY WILLS

    HOOKS WILTSE

    SMOKEY JOE WOOD

    Bibliography

    INTRODUCTION

    Welcome Baseball fans to Ghosts of Baseball’s Past, a book profiling the lost legends of the game. Within these pages can be found many great ballplayers, all of whom have yet to be enshrined in Cooperstown, but are deserving of immortalization in their own right.

    My sole purpose for writing this book was to keep the names of players, overlooked by Hall-of-Fame voters, alive through detailed accounts of their careers. I had no intentions of campaigning for any player, trying to get them enshrined in Cooperstown, because the Hall is crowded as is (I could write a book about the players I feel have no business being enshrined). Although I am a supporter of the Bert Blyleven and Buck O’Neil For the Hall battle cries, this book isn’t a campaign for those two amazing Baseball personalities. A person could make a valid campaign for literally hundreds of former players; given the assemblage of old players with Bronze Busts. When my personal favorite catcher Brad Ausmus retires, I could make a case for his enshrinement, given the Ray Schalk residence in the Hall. Or a David Eckstein fanatic (which I am borderline) could make a convincing argument because of Pee-Wee Reese and Phil Rizzuto’s Cooperstown stature. But this book isn’t a campaign; it is merely an account of a select group of superior Ball Diamond performers, whose names shouldn’t fade with the passing of years.

    So sit back and read about Will The Thrill Clark and Piano Legs Hickman; relive Virgil Trucks’ double no-hit season of 1952 and find out which Hall-of-Famer thought Smokey Joe Wood threw harder than anyone. It’s all inside, Baseball fans. So enjoy the trip through Baseball’s Past!

    NEWT ALLEN

    Date of Birth: ????

    Position Played: SECOND BASEMAN

    Due to poor records kept by the Negro Leagues, the ability to judge talent of the old African American players is next to impossible. The Negro League players are remembered by the few surviving teammates who played with and against them. That being said, Newt Allen is remembered as one of the slickest fielding second basemen the Negro Leagues had ever known. He is remembered fondly as a master of small-ball, the art of slap hitting and taking the extra base. Some sources label Newt as a .278 lifetime hitter, but the legendary Cool Papa Bell once said one day I got five hits and stole five bases, but none of that was written down because they didn’t bring the scorebook to the game that day.

    Arguably the best fielding middle infielder in Negro League history, switch hitting Newt Allen knew few peers.

    LIFETIME STATS

    •   Insufficient data

    •   Possible .278 lifetime hitter

    RED AMES

    Date of Birth: August 02, 1882

    Position Played: PITCHER

    Leon Kessling Red Ames began his career with John McGraw’s New York Giants in 1903, as a 20 year old right handed pitcher. Red was used sparingly his first few seasons, thanks to the presence of Hall-of-Famers Christy Mathewson and Joe McGinnity, but by 1905 he supplanted Hooks Wiltse as number three on McGraw’s Depth Chart. In the midst of a career year in 1908, Red missed time due to an illness, but still managed to finish second to Christy in team winning percentage and ERA with a 1.82 mark. Throughout his prime years, Red was overshadowed on Pennant winning Giant teams by Mathewson, McGinnity, Wiltse and another Hall-of-Famer in Rube Marquard. By 1912, Red had run out of favor with McGraw, despite never posting an ERA above 3.00. He left the Giants early in the 1913 season, and teamed with Hall-of-Famer Three Finger Brown to give Cincinnati a solid front two, but the lack of offense hindered the club, and they barely edged out St. Louis for the division basement.

    For the basement dwelling Cincinnati club, Red led the league in losses in 1914 with 23, but in his defense, he had a 2.64 ERA and allowed fewer hits that innings pitched, as he did throughout most of his career. Dealt to another bottom feeding club in St. Louis, Red paced the league in saves with 8 in 1916 while also completing 10 of his 25 starts, proving to be a valuable and versatile member of the Cardinals’ staff. Proving that he wasn’t washed up as a 35 year old, Red paced the club in games started, complete games and ERA in 1918, his last successful season.

    Red Ames was more than just a quality third starter for a championship caliber team, who had to deal with poor run support on losing clubs after leaving the dynasty that John McGraw built in New York. Had he spent his prime years out of the shadows cast by a solid group of Hall-of-Fame hurlers, Red Ames would likely have carried a staff himself.

    LIFETIME STATS

    HAROLD BAINES

    Date of Birth: March 15, 1959

    Position Played: OUTFIELD

    Harold Douglas Baines was a left handed hitting power threat for the majority of his career, beginning with and ending with the Chicago White Sox, with many stops in between. Harold enjoyed his first taste of success in his third season in Chicago, pacing the club in homeruns and RBI, and playing in all but one game for Tony LaRussa’s club. In 1983, Baines’ hitting prowess, coupled with career years by Ron Kittle and Greg Luzinski, propelled the White Sox to the top of the division, but they lost out to the Orioles in the ALCS.

    Baines continued his tear, becoming a force in Chicago’s lineup, earning the title of the most feared slugger on the club. By 1987, Harold’s work with the glove had become a liability, and new skipper Jim Fregosi made Baines his everyday Designated Hitter. Enjoying his best season in 1989, Harold was hitting the ball at a .321 clip, when he was dealt by the last place White Sox to the contending Texas Rangers. This began the nomadic era of Harold’s career, as he didn’t spend a full season down south before getting shipped to Oakland. The move worked brilliantly for the Athletics, as Harold’s second trip to the postseason was much better than his first. He helped Oakland to the World Series by hitting .357 and leading them with 3 ALCS RBI, but watched as Cincinnati swept his club in the Series. Proving to handle October well, he paced the Oakland club with a .440 batting average in the ALCS of 1992, but couldn’t carry the club past the Toronto Blue Jays.

    Although Harold Baines never led the league in any offensive category, he was a devastating presence in the heart of the lineup, amassing over 350 homers, over 450 doubles, over 1,500 RBI and came within distance of the hallowed 3,000 hits plateau. Every player with more hits than Harold Baines is enshrined in Coo-perstown, except for the few ineligible players.

    LIFETIME STATS

    GINGER BEAUMONT

    Date of Birth: July 23, 1876

    Position Played: OUTFIELD

    Clarence Howeth Ginger Beaumont stood at 5’8" and weighed in at 190 pounds. A short and squat player, Ginger made for a remarkable center fielder on the Pittsburgh Pirate dynasty of the early 1900’s. Teaming with player/manager Fred Clarke and superstar shortstop Honus Wagner, the trio made for a dynamic and fleet offense, as all three stole more than 20 bases in their 1901 Championship season.

    A strong case can be made for who the key player was on the Pirate dynasty of the early 1900’s, as both Wagner and Clarke are enshrined in Cooperstown. But Ginger Beaumont gets overlooked despite some lofty credentials. In 1902, as both Clarke and Wagner were enjoying solid seasons, Ginger eclipsed all his teammates, and the entire league, at wielding a bat. He paced the National League in hits with 194 and batting average, as he hit at a .357 clip, helping Pittsburgh to another crown. But Beaumont outdid himself the following year, leading the National League in at bats (613), runs (137) and hits (209) while finishing behind teammates Wagner and Clarke in batting with a .341 average. Despite the solid season by Pittsburgh’s big three, all failed to deliver in the World Series as they were beat by Boston; none of the three hit better than .270 in the Fall Classic.

    The Pirates began to fade as John McGraw built his Giants dynasty in New York, but Ginger still paced the league in hits (185) in 1904 despite a fourth place finish by his club, which would prove to be his last good year in Pittsburgh. Banished to the lowly Boston Braves in 1907, Ginger rebounded and paced the National League in hits once again with 187 on a second to last place Boston club. But 1907 would be his final good year, as his batting average dipped to .267 in 1908.

    Despite Wagner and Clarke still performing well in Pittsburgh through the time Beaumont was shipped off to Boston, the Pirate dynasty flamed out with his departure, proving that he was the key piece of the franchise.

    LIFETIME STATS

    VIDA BLUE

    Date of Birth: July 28, 1949

    Position Played: PITCHER

    Left-handed Vida Rochelle Blue, born in Mansfield, LA., made is debut as a 19 year old for the 1969 Oakland Athletics. Two years later, he had eclipsed Hall-of-Famer Catfish Hunter as Staff Ace, leading the league with a 1.82 ERA as a 21 year old, but proved he was human getting beat in Game 1 of the ALCS by Baltimore, and watched as the Orioles took the remaining games, sweeping his club. Vida held-out for part of the 1972 season, and when he returned, he found himself back behind Catfish, Blue Moon Odom and Ken Holtzman on the Depth Chart, as he was used sparingly in their Championship Season of that year.

    Putting a lackluster 1972 campaign behind him, Vida returned to the rotation in 1973 and became the ace again in 1975 when Catfish Hunter jumped ship and signed with the Yankees. Vida carried the Oakland staff through the 70’s, as they finished first until Kansas City became the division powerhouse, as he regularly paced the club in wins and innings pitched. But by 1977, Oakland plummeted to dead last in the West Division, and Vida paced the American League with 19 losses. Saved from the lowly Athletics, Vida found himself in San Francisco, and was asked to be the Staff Ace, as he paced the Giants with 18 wins in his first NL season.

    Although he never built off his outstanding 1971 campaign like he was suppose to, Vida Blue still carved out a very good career, always eating innings and keeping his ERA total near 3.00.

    LIFETIME STATS

    BERT BLYLEVEN

    Date of Birth: April 6, 1951

    Position Played: PITCHER

    Number 5 all time in career strikeouts, number 8 all time in career games started, number 9 all time in career shutouts, number 13 all time in career innings pitched and number 24 all time in career wins. Every

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