Joe Tinker T205 Tobacco Reprint Baseball Card with Gold BordersJoe Tinker, the brilliant Chicago shortstop, has a consistantly good record in the field and at bat. In 1908, he played twenty-two consecutive games in June without an error, and at theend of the season led the shortstops with a precentage of .958 on 923 chances. During 1908, 1909, 1910, he hit safely 414 times for 594 total bases, including 73 two-baggers, 34 three-baggers, and 13 home runs.One of the first major league stars to jump to the Federal League signing with the Chicago Whales in December, 1913 to become it's new player-manager. Part of the immortal Tinker-to-Evers-to Chance doubleplay combination. Despite being part of the keystone combo for the great Cubs teams, Evers and Tinker did not get along. The story was that they did not speak to each other off the field and on the field the most they would communicate would be who was covering second base on a play. Tinker was traded to the Reds at the end of the 1912 season. He was then sold after the 1913 season to the Brooklyn Robins (Dodgers) for $15,000. Tinker demanded a share of $2,000 ofthe purchase price and when he was refused, jumped to the Federal League. Elected into the Hall of Fame in 1946 along with Cubs teammates Frank Chance and Johnny Evers.
Joe Tinker, in my book, was the greatest shortstop who ever lived, and he and Johnny Evers formed the greatest double-play combination the game has ever known. Ed Walsh 
|
