The Great 19th Century Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball

"The authoritative compendium of facts, statistics, photographs, and analysis that defines baseball in its formative first decades. This comprehensive reference work covers the early years of major league baseball from the first game—May 4, 1871, a 2-0 victory for the Fort Wayne Kekiongas over the visiting Cleveland Forest City team—through the 1900 season. Baseball historian David Nemec presents complete team rosters and detailed player, manager, and umpire information, with a wealth of statistics to warm a fan’s heart. Sidebars cover a variety of topics, from oddities—the team that had the best record but finished second—to analyses of why Cleveland didn’t win any pennants in the 1890s. Additional benefits include dozens of rare illustrations and narrative accounts of each year’s pennant race. Nemec also carefully charts the rule changes from year to year as the game developed by fits and starts to formulate the modern rules. The result is an essential work of reference and at the same time a treasury of baseball history."
Project MUSE

W - 19th-century National League teams

amazon: The Great 19th Century Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball

1907 World Series

1907 World Series

"The 1907 World Series featured the Chicago Cubs and the Detroit Tigers, with the Cubs winning the Series four games to none (with one tie) for their first championship. The Cubs came back strong from their shocking loss in the 1906 World Series. The Tigers' young star Ty Cobb came into the Series with the first of his many league batting championships. With pitching dominance over the Tigers and Cobb, the Cubs allowed only three runs in the four games they won, while stealing 18 bases off the rattled Tigers. Tigers pitcher 'Wild Bill' Donovan struck out twelve Cubs in Game 1. Although that matched Ed Walsh's total in Game 3 against the Cubs in 1906, it was across twelve innings. Donovan struck out just ten Cubs in the first nine innings of the game."
Wikipedia

Chicago Cubs third baseman Harry Steinfeldt

Ty Cobb of the Detroit Tigers in the 1907 World Series
"The 1907 World Series was an exciting match up, with the powerhouse Chicago Cubs facing a new challenge -- the young phenom Ty Cobb of the Detroit Tigers. The following is a condensed excerpt from The Best Team Ever, a Novel of America, Chicago and the 1907 Cubs. Ty Cobb of the Detroit Tigers, a fierce competitor with an antagonistic combative attitude, spent every moment of his waking life trying to find an edge. Sometimes, in a game already lost or won, Ty Cobb attempted to take an extra base on a single where he knew he had no chance, or to advance from first to home on a routine single, simply to set the stage for the future, to plant, as he put it, 'the threat.'"
1907 Cubs

squab squad

"A team to rookies and substitutes. 1ST USE. 1911. 'While on the road with the squab squad he slept for two nights in a Pullman berth with his right arm in the hammock, which he had been told was put there for the particular benefit of the baseball players' (Charles E. Van Loan, The Big League, p. 199; David Shulman)."
Paul Dickson, The Dickson Baseball Dictionary

Baseball: The Early Years

"Now available in paperback, Harold Seymour and Dorothy Seymour Mills' Baseball: The Early Years recounts the true story of how baseball came into being and how it developed into a highly organized business and social institution. The Early Years, traces the growth of baseball from the time of the first recorded ball game at Valley Forge during the revolution until the formation of the two present-day major leagues in 1903. By investigating previously unknown sources, the book uncovers the real story of how baseball evolved from a gentleman's amateur sport of 'well-bred play followed by well-laden banquet tables' into a professional sport where big leagues operate under their own laws. Offering countless anecdotes and a wealth of new information, the authors explode many cherished myths, including the one which claims that Abner Doubleday 'invented' baseball in 1839. They describe the influence of baseball on American business, manners, morals, social institutions, and even show business, as well as depicting the types of men who became the first professional ball players, club owners, and managers, including Spalding, McGraw, Comiskey, and Connie Mack."
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Early Catchers Paid a Heavy Price
"... Pioneer catchers were daredevils who stood directly behind the batter with a simple rubber mouthpiece as their only protection. The mask arrived in 1877 and was soon joined by the chest protector and the mitt, but these safeguards offered minimal cushioning because full range of motion was valued far more than safety. The position was made still more hazardous by ignorance of the cumulative danger posed by the inevitable blows to the head, which has now been made clear by looking at boxers in the late 20th century and football players today. Catchers earned high praise if, after being knocked unconscious, they insisted on completing the game. A typical 1883 account described the mask of George Myers of the Port Hurons in Michigan being ripped off his face by a foul ball. He gamely borrowed a replacement, only to be clobbered on the next pitch by another 'terrible blow' that 'threatened to disable him,' The Cleveland Herald reported."
NY Times

Legends of the Dead Ball Era (1900–1919) in the Collection of Jefferson R. Burdick

"The term 'dead ball era' refers to the era of American baseball when the combination of cavernous ballparks, spongy baseballs, and pitcher-friendly rules resulted in games with few home runs. Strategy was important to the sport at this time, with great value placed on individual runs, stolen bases, sacrifice bunts, and other maneuvers. Beginning July 8, the exhibition Legends of the Dead Ball Era (1900–1919) in the Collection of Jefferson R. Burdick, on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, will feature nearly 600 historical trade cards of baseball greats from the time. A highlight of the installation, which is drawn entirely from the Metropolitan’s renowned and extensive holdings of such historical trade cards, will be a rare card from the T206 White Border series of Honus Wagner, who was a shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1900 to 1917. Other well-known players from the dead ball era whose cards will be shown include such luminaries as Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Eddie Collins, and Napoléon Lajoie, who are still among the all-time hit leaders; and the pitchers Walter ohnson and Christy Mathewson, who trail only the indomitable Cy Young in career wins."
Metropolitan Museum of Art

Rascals and Heroes, Before the Babe
"The annual All-Star Game is scheduled to take place on Tuesday at that crime scene in Queens known as Citi Field, where the New York Mets routinely commit misdemeanor assaults on the heart. A night of celebrity baseball, neatly wrapped in red, white and blue bunting, might be just the thing to clean the slate and help the Mets see the light, and maybe a fastball or two. But if the All-Star break for many fans is a welcome timeout in a long season, all I can think of is some century-old baseball doggerel about an ancient Chicago Cubs infield: Tinker to Evers to Chance. Tinker to Evers to Chance. Tinker to Evers to Chance. I don’t care that much about the All-Star Game, but Tinker to Evers to Chance."
NY Times

NY Times: ‘Legends of the Deadball Era’

Mike Donlin

Mike Donlin

"Michael Joseph Donlin (May 30, 1878 – September 24, 1933) was an American outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for the St. Louis Perfectos/Cardinals (1899–1900), Baltimore Orioles (1901), Cincinnati Reds (1902–1904), New York Giants (1904–1908, 1911, 1914), Boston Rustlers (1911), and Pittsburgh Pirates (1912). He was one of the finest hitters of the dead-ball era. Later he turned to acting. ... 'Turkey Mike', nicknamed because of his gait while walking, hit .340 with Baltimore, which was good for second in the league. But in March of 1902, he was sentenced to six months in prison for his actions during a drinking binge and was promptly released by the Orioles. After serving his time, Donlin was picked up by the Cincinnati Reds and hit .287 for them in the last month of the season. ... On October 26, 1908, Donlin made his stage debut in Stealing Home, a one-act play written by Donlin and Hite. Although the reviews for Donlin were mixed, critics raved over his wife's performance and the show became a smash hit. Claiming he made more money from his play, Donlin left baseball and vowed never to return to baseball but after 3 successful years, the play's popularity diminished and with Hite not able to land any successful roles, Donlin did return to baseball."
Wikipedia

"A flamboyant playboy and partygoer who dressed impeccably and always had a quip and a handshake for everyone he met, Mike Donlin was 'one of the most picturesque, most written-about, most likeable athletes that ever cut his mark on the big circuit.' Donlin also could hit as well as anyone in baseball during the Deadball Era. Though he rarely walked, the powerfully built 5' 9" left-hander was a masterful curveball hitter with power to all fields. His career slugging percentage of .468 compares favorably to better-known contemporary power hitters like Honus Wagner (.466) and Sam Crawford (.452), and his .333 lifetime batting average might have earned him a spot in the Hall of Fame had he sustained it over a full career. But Donlin was 'not serious about the game,' and his love of the bottle and frequent stints in Vaudeville limited him to the equivalent of only seven full seasons."
SABR

Turkey Mike Donlin, A Reluctant Ballplayer (Part 1)
"... Donlin, often in poor health as a child, found odd jobs befitting his age and even worked as a machinist as a teenager. About 1893, he was hired as a candy hawker aboard a western-bound train. He landed in California and settled there. Donlin had little money and seemingly few prospects after departing from the train. His was however extremely fast. He hired a manager and began running races for cash. Eventually, they found their way to Santa Cruz, a resort town. At a track in Pacific Grove, outside Santa Cruz, his racing career ended due to a freak accident. Winning the race, Donlin turned to catch sight of his opponent, Tommy Simms, just as Donlin was about to cross the finish line. Unfortunately, one of the tape holders didn’t let go as the runner passed the finish. Donlin was sliced about the face and strangled (which might be a problem for someone finishing a foot race) as he tumbled."
Baseball History - Part 1, Baseball History - Part 2

"Most ballplayers’ careers are like a roller-coaster ride, a whirlwind succession of high points and declines that ends all too abruptly. But that of Mike Donlin was wilder than most. For the charismatic star whose strut earned him the nickname 'Turkey Mike,' life was full of turmoil, triumph, and tragedy. Hitting a baseball was the easy part. ... Like many players of the time, Donlin craved the nightlife, and his booming voice drew attention in bars across the country. He was convivial up to a point but didn’t hold his liquor well and could turn nasty and even violent. In fact, he was sleeping off a bender in a jail in Santa Cruz, California, when the first summons to the Major Leagues arrived. That wasn’t the last time he experienced simultaneous highs and lows."
The National Pastime Museum

YouTube: Turkey Mike Donlin - Another T206 Moment

Random Game Callback, July 16, 1909

Ed_Summers

"In the longest game of its kind in the history of the American League both then and now, the last place Washington Senators and first Detroit Tigers met at Bennett Park in Detroit and played an 18-inning 0-0 tie halted because of darkness. The two-time defending AL champion Tigers, managed by Hughie Jennings, were a star-filled squad led by Ty Cobb. Ed Summers got the start on the mound for Detroit. Washington, managed by Joe Cantillon, was a terrible squad that had never finished higher than sixth in its history. The only real star on Washington was 21-year old flamethrower Walter Johnson. And he didn't pitch in this game. The starting pitcher was lefty Dolly Gray. Gray was pitching the game of his life, holding the Tigers to just one hit, a leadoff single in the first by leftfielder Matty McIntyre, before leaving the game in the ninth with a strain in his side. (Probably what we would call an oblique strain in this day.) Bob Groom came in to relieve and finished up."
The Griddle

1909 Washington

"July 16, 1909: Bennett Park, Detroit. At 3:30, Oron Edgar 'Kickapoo Ed' Summers took the mound for the Tigers against Washington's rookie hurler Dolly Gray. 18 innings. At 6:45 pm, home plate umpire John Kerin called the game because of darkness, much to the displeasure of both players and spectators. For 3 hours and 15 minutes, neither team crossed the plate in the first 18-inning scoreless game of the 20th century. Summers went the distance, pitching the equivalent of two games. He surrendered only 7 hits with 2 walks (one of which was intentional) and 10 K. Gray pitched 8 innings, yielding only one hit while walking one. He didn't strike out a batter. He was taken out in the ninth when he apparently tore a muscle in his side while pitching to the leadoff batter. Dolly's replacement, Bob Groom, gave up 5 hits, walked 6, and struck out 8 in 10 innings."
Golden Rankings

Mint Condition: How Baseball Cards Became an American Obsession

"When Dave Jamieson's parents sold his childhood home a few years ago, forcing him to clear out his old room, he happily rediscovered a prized boyhood possession: his baseball card collection. Now was the time to cash in on his 'investments,' but all the card shops had closed, and eBay was no help, either. Cards were selling there for next to nothing. What had happened? In Mint Condition, Jamieson's fascinating history of baseball cards, he finds the answer, and much more."
Dave Jamieson

The Great Baseball Card Bubble
"... Around the mid-1970s, a small cabal of serious baseball card collectors grew wise to the fact that their cards had become valuable. Cards had almost always had prices attached to them, even when prolific collector and cataloger Jefferson Burdick began sending out his Card Collectors Bulletin in the 1930s. But cards that had been worth a few cents were now worth a few bucks, and some of the rarer specimens, such as the T206 Honus Wagner, were commanding hundreds and occasionally thousands of dollars apiece. The number of trade shows sprouting up in the East and the Midwest testified to a growing market."
Slate

Napoleon LaJoie

"... But onto the book itself. Jamieson dug deeply into the rich history of baseball cards, and I learned a lot from this book. The first time baseball cards created a sensation among young boys was in the 1880's, when cigarette companies inserted cards into their packs of cigarettes. This had the dual effect of both promoting brand loyalty to collect more cards, and also of making these young boys eager smokers. Win-win for the cigarette manufacturers. According to Jamieson, the popularity of the baseball trading cards helped establish cigarettes as a tobacco product at a time when they were seen as hopelessly lower-class. (People with status smoked cigars or pipes.)"
Mark My Words

"It's a form of megalomania, of course, one famous card collector once said of his hobby—and, as Jamieson explains, there are plenty of people willing to cash in on collectors' obsessions; the secondary market for baseball cards may be as much as a half-billion dollars annually. It used to be even stronger: Jamieson got interested in the history of baseball cards when he rediscovered his own adolescent stash only to find that its value had plummeted in the mid-1990s. His loss is our gain as he tracks the evolution of the card from its first appearance in cigarette packs in the late 19th century through the introduction of bubble gum and up to the present. The historical narrative is livened by several interviews, including conversations with the two men who launched Topps (for decades the first name in cards) and a collector who's dealt in million-dollar cards. ... - Publishers Weekly"
amazon: Mint Condition