Wahoo Sam

While I was in Cooperstown last weekend I was wearing one of my favorite T-shirts, purchased at the Hall of Fame about five years ago. It has, printed on the back, all of the Hall of Famers who ever played for the Tigers. Since they've been around since the beginning of the American League, it's a pretty big list. While in the gift shop the clerk told me they hadn't had that shirt in quite a while. I replied that there wasn't much Tigers stuff at all. There was plenty of Yankees, Cubs, Red Sox, Mets and Phillies paraphernalia, and due to Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven's induction, lots of Blue Jay and Twins stuff, but not much for the Tigers.

Standing on Main Street, waiting for the parade to begin, some Twins fan noticed my shirt and said, almost with a sneer, "I didn't realize there were that many." Harrumph. Like he has something to brag about: with Blyleven there are now a big four players wearing Twins hat on their plaques. The Tigers happen to have a long and rich history of great players, some of whom have been pretty much relegated to the ashes of time.

Consider Sam Crawford, who has one of the most enduring records of all times. He is the career leader in triples, with 309 over his career. He broke Jake Beckley's record in 1913, and it has stood for 98 years. The closest active player is Carl (no relation!) Crawford, who is a full 200 triples behind. Carl Crawford is tied for 125th all time! Of course, this is due to the changing nature of the game--triples were far more common during the dead ball era, and there is absolutely no way the record will be broken without some significant rule changes. A lot of triples are also a good indication of greatness. Of the top 20 career leaders in triples, only one (the heretofore unknown to me Ed Konetchy) is in the Hall of Fame.

Crawford played for the Tigers during their early days, from 1903 to 1917. He was part of the their three A.L. pennants in a row, 1907 to 1909, but of course he played alongside and in the shadow of Ty Cobb. Nicknamed "Wahoo Sam" because he hailed from Wahoo, Nebraska, Crawford was in the top ten in slugging percentage every year from 1901 to 1915. He is believed to hold the record for inside-the-park home runs in a season (12 in 1901). He led the A.L. in RBIs three times and triples five times.

Crawford and Cobb had a complicated relationship. Crawford (probably reasonably so) bristled at Cobb's style of player, finding it too individualistic. The two reconciled at Harry Heilman's funeral in 1951, and some believe it was Cobb's campaigning that got Crawford elected to the Hall by the Veterans' committee in 1957.

Sam Crawford would go on to live a reclusive life, without even a telephone. He was interviewed by Lawrence Ritter for his classic book on early baseball stars, "The Glory of Their Times." Crawford died in 1968 at the age of 88.