The Cubs gave their pitchers a lot of defensive support. They had some
terrific infielders who had a reputation for being able to turn the double
play. Joe Tinker was the shortstop, Johnny Evers the second baseman; they didn't
like each other, but they worked well together on the field. Frank Chance was the
first baseman; he was tall, and was adept at catching errant throws. All three were
immortalized in a poem written by Giants' fan Franklin P. Adams.
These are the saddest of possible words,
Tinker to Evers to Chance.
Trio of bearcubs fleeter than birds,
Tinker to Evers to Chance.
Thoughtlessly pricking our gonfalon bubble,
Making a Giant hit into a double,
Words that are weighty with nothing but trouble,
Tinker to Evers to Chance.
Actually, Tinker and Evers were not usually
considered the best double play combination by contemporary observers. But
the Cubs won, and no one wrote a poem called Fletcher To Doyle To Merkle.
Dave Brain was a decent player who put it all
together on offense and defense for one year. Next season, he played
just 27 games, hitting .125 with no extra base hits. He never played in the
majors again after that. But he does have the smartest name of any ballplayer.
Sherry Magee had his first great year, and helped
the Phillies have a fine year. Magee was a terrific hitter, a
typical dead-ball era clean-up man. He hit lots of doubles and
triples, stole over 400 bases, and managed to hit 83 homers in his
career. He led the NL in RBI four times. Had he been born today,
Magee would have been Dwight Evans.
