Frank Chance T205 Tobacco Reprint Baseball Card with Gold BordersFrank Chance was Called "Husk" by the Chicago Cubs fans and in the late 1890s and early 1900s, when a Chicago Cubs pitcher got himself into trouble,he undoubtedly hoped for a sharp ground ball on the infield. When the ball headed off the bat and toward the ground, the pitcher could be assured that his best friend, the double play, would about to be turned with perfection. The double-play became so routine for the Chicago Cubs infield that it was not uncommon for spectators to see the combination "Tinker to Evers to Chance" at least a few times per ball game. For fifteen years, Chance anchored himself at first base awaiting the baseball as his teammate Johnny Evers pivoted at second and reared himself to make the throw. Known mainly for his role in the immortal double play combination, Chance surprisingly held his own with the lumber.He compiled a respectable .296 batting average, led the National League with 103 runs scored in 1906, won two stolen base titles, and hit .310 in four World Series appearances.His batting has been uniformly good, five times over the .300 mark, and at first base he has had few equals. In 1910 on 814 chances he made only 3 errors, the percentage, .996 being a World's Record.
Chance also served as a very effective manager. As a player/manager, he led the Cubs to four pennants in five years and their last World Series championship in 1908. He alsowent on to manage the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. In 1946, Frank Chance, along with his double play partners Johnny Evers and Joe Tinker, was elected to baseballs Hallof Fame.
"Chance was a born fighter, a determined, able, and magnetic leader of men, who could always inspire his men with extraordinary enthusiasm, get the best work out of them, and always hold their good will. As a field leader it is doubtful if his superior ever lived he combined all the qualities of an ideal baseball general." NY Times, July 2, 1911 
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