Tuesday, January 26, 2016

More 1974 TCMA. Wow what a team!


These are different from the Brooklyn cards. These are more like postcards, in fact the back even says they are postcards.




After I researched these guys I have a new appreciation for them. They really were one heck of a ball club!



Amos Strunk played from 1908-1924.  A's 1908-1917, BoSox 1918-19, A's 1920, ChiSox 1920-23.
17 year career. he was a speedster averaging 20 steals per season from 1911-18, high of 29 in 1912.
Connie Mack stated that he was the most under-rated outfielder in baseball. After baseball Strunk was in the Insurance business for 50 years!





Danny Murphy played from 1900-915. 1900-01 Giants, 1902-13 A's, 1914-15 Tip Tops.




Eddie was elected to the HOF in 1939.  Nicknamed "Cocky". Played from 1906-1930. A's & ChiSox.
Managed BoSox 1932-47. Had to retire due to poor health, dying in 1951. Noted as being the only person to date to play at least 12 years each with 2 teams. Shares MLB record of stealing 6 bases in one game, and he did it twice in eleven days (Sept. 1912). The A's had the highest paid infield of their day ($100,000) and Eddie was the highest. To this day holds MLB records, and near the top of many more. Won the Chalmer's Awrd in 1914 (MVP). Had the first 5 year contract offered to a ballplayer to keep him from leaving the A's to play in the Federal League in 1915. Collins declined the offer and the next year sold to the ChiSox for a (then) record of $50,000. He was paid $15,000 for the 2015 season third highest salary back then, behind only Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker.

Was named as the 24th of the 100 greatest players in 1999. had 1300 RBIs. When he retired he was #2 in games (2826), walks (1499), stolen bases (744). Ranked 3rd in runs scored (1821), 4th in hits (3315), and at bats (9,949), and 4th American League in triples (187). He was the first to steal 80 bases in a season.   Career batting average of .333. One of only 29 players to appear in games for 4 decades. Currently still holds the MLB record for most sacrifice bunts (512), next closest is over a hundred away.

One last note about Eddie, he was on the 1919 Black Sox team, but had no accusations. However, he had a very low batting average for the series.






Charles Albert Bender: aka Chas; aka Chief Bender. Pitcher career record: 212-127  with a 2.46 era. Tied with Christy Mathewson with 3 complete World Series games in a season (1911). HOF in 1953, but died before the induction ceremony. Played 19 years debuting in the Majors in 1903, spent 2 years in the Federal league, came back to A's. Wound up coaching the ChiSox 1925-26. World Series complete game (9  not bad as he only pitched in 10 games), second only to Christy Mathewson. The Chief did have brother who played baseball too, his name was John and he wound up being suspended in the minors for stabbing the coach.






John Wesly Coombs (Colby Jack). Played A's 1906-14, Fed. league 1915-18, Tigers 1920. Holds current majorleague records. 1 of 13 to win 30 games in a season since 1900. In 1906 completed a 24 inning game and he got the win. 1910 was said to be one of the greatest pitching seasons ever 31-9 with 13 shutouts. held the scoreless innings record (53) until Walter Johnson topped it 3 years later, then Don Drysdale, and finally Orel Hershiser. Coached the Duke University Ball club from 1929-1952. The field is named after him. Wrote a baseball book in 1945.






Jack Lapp played 1908-1916. He was a 2nd and 3rd string catcher for the first half of his career, until game 3 of the 1911 World Series where he caught 5 stealing and had 14 putouts. He also caught game 5 but "only" caught one stealing with 4 putouts. The 1912 season found Jack still being one of three catchers, but he got the majority of the work (83 games).






Ira Thomas 10 years starting out with the Highlanders in 1906-07, Tigers 1908, A's 1909-15. He is noted as being the very first pinch hit (single) in World Series play. He was in contention for the 1911 American league MVP, finishing 8th in voting. After retiring as a player he scouted for the As even after moving to KC until his death in 1958.






First off..... How cool is that pic!? Eddie Plank played with the A's until 1914, Fed.1915, St. loius browns 1916-17. First lefty to win 200 & 300 games. 3rd All-Time lefty, and 11th All-Time in wins with 326. Ranked 1st among lefties all-time shutouts (66).  Awesome World Series era of 1.32, but only had a 2-5 WS record. His T206 card is considered the 2nd most expensive card, second only to the Honus Wagner. They both are on display at the HOF. The Plank card is owned by D-Backs owner Kendrick. Eddie Collins said that "Plank was the greatest pitcher ever... not the fastest, not the trickiest........ just the greatest"








John Phalen (Stuffy) McInnis.  Played 19 years .307 batting average, 1062 RBIs, 2, 128 games, and 2, 405 hits. Part of the 100K infield.  Played with the A's BoSox, Indians, Braves, and Pirates. Managed the Phillies in 1927.  Hard to strike out, only K'd 189 in 7,822 at bats. Ranked 3rd in MLB sacrifice hits (384). Set and held a BoSox team record for 1st baseman with 119 consecutive error-less games in 1921. 2007 Kevin Youkilis surpassed that at 205 games. Also those same two swapped another record for consecutive error-less chances/attempts. McInnis had it at 1700, Kevin went on to push it to 2002 attempts. Stuffy coached at Harvard from 1949-54.







Frank Homerun Baker. Considered to be the original Homerun King. Part of the 100K infield. Played from 1908-1922, even spent some time with the Yankees. Elected to the HOF by the Veterans in 1955.






Jack Barry part of the 100K infield. Played A's 1908-15, BoSox 1915-19.  Managed the BoSox 1917.After retiring coached at Holy Cross (head coach 1921) for 40 years until he died. Jack was one of the 2007 Inaugural inductees to the College HOF, along with Gehrig, Mathewson and Joe Sewell






Rune Oldring played 1905-1918.  A's and Yankees. Tried to continue in the minors. Rube is considered as 1 of the 4 Super Stars (Chief Bender, Jack Coombs, and Cy Morgan) of the World Championship team of the A's. All four were in a 1911 movie called "The Baseball Bug"



These are interesting and several HOFers for me to keep in the PCs, but the 12 cards are available for trade. LMK.



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