Cap Anson: Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 1939

Cap Anson Timeline:

Born: April 17, 1852

1866-67: Sent to boarding school at Notre Dame

1868: Spent one semester at the University of Iowa. He was expelled for bad behavior.

1871: Began playing pro ball

Debut: May 6, 1871

1875: Managed Athletics for 8 games (4-2-2)

1879: Named Captain/Manager of the Cubs leading to his nickname “Cap”

1880s: He pioneered new managerial techniques including using a third base coach, signals, and a pitching rotation (2 starters). He was also pioneered Spring Training.

1880-82: Won NL Pennant three consecutive years (no World Series)

1883: He refused to play an exhibition game against the Toledo Blue Stockings because their catcher, Moses Fleetwood Walker, was black. He backed down when told his team would not be paid if they forfeited.

1885-86: Won back-to-back NL Pennants

1887: Baseball officially segregated. Anson is partially to blame, but does not deserve to be singled out for the action.

1888: Began an on-again-off-again acting career

1890s: He claimed to have invented the hit-and-run

July 18, 1897: Collects 3000^th hit

1897: Fired as Cubs’ manager. At the time, they were called the Colts. After his firing, they were called the “Orphans” since they lost their “pop.”

1897: Record with the Cubs: 1282-932 (.579) and 5 Pennants

1898: Managed the Giants briefly (9-13 record).

1899: Opened a pool hall in Chicago. It was successful, but he was forced to sell in 1909 because his other ventures failed.

1900: Tried to form a rival major league, but it failed.

1900: Published his memoirs

1905: Chicago City Clerk

1907: Ran for Sheriff, but lost in the primary.

1907: Purchased a semi-pro team, which lost money.

1908: Formed a semi-pro football team, they won a title, but lost money.

1909: Filed bankruptcy

1921: Retired from Vaudeville

1922: Became GM of a golf club

Died: April 14, 1922.

1939: Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his second ballot by the Veteran’s Committee

Late 20^th and early 21^st century: Debate rages as to Anson’s role in the segregation of the Major Leagues in 1887.

Accomplishments:
.334 career average

3435 career hits

First member of 3000 hit club

2075 RBI

Played record 27 seasons

.394 career OBP

2x Batting Champ

Led league in games played in 1890 (139)

Scored 100 runs in a season: 6x

Led league in hits in 1881 (137)

582 doubles

Led league in doubles: 3x

Led league in RBI: 8x

100 RBI season: 6x

Led league in walks in 1890 (113)

4x OBP Leader

OBP of .400 or higher: 8x

Slugging of .500 or higher: 7x

2x OPS leader

OPS of .900 or better: 7x

4592 total bases

1881 Total base leader (175)

As a Manager:
1295-947 record (.578)

Won 5 NL Pennants

Greatest Games of the 1980s: #1-10

1. Tigers: 8 Padres: 4 (October 14, 1984): There’re Greeaat! World Series Game 5. The Tigers flexed their muscles and dispatched the Padres. Kirk Gibson hit 2 homers. After the second blast off Goose Gossage, he paraded around the bases in celebratory fashion---he roared as the crowd chanted “Goosebusters.”

2. Michigan: 23 Huskies: 6 (January 1, 1981): Bo’s first bowl win. Bo finally wins a bowl game. No heart attacks, no phantom touchdowns, and no bizarre incidents.

3. Detroit: 105 Lakers: 97 (June 13, 1989): How sweep it is! NBA Finals Game 4. The Pistons polished off a sweep of the two-time defending champs. The game was close, but Bill Laimbeer finished off LA with a jumper with 28 seconds remaining. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar finished his career with a basket. The crowd and the Pistons gave him a standing ovation as he left the game.

4. Lakers: 103 Pistons: 102 (June 19, 1988): Championship denied. NBA Finals Game 6. Isiah Thomas twisted his ankle and still managed to score 25 in the 3rd quarter. Detroit led the series 3-2 going into Game 6. They led 102-99 with a minute left. Byron Scott cut the lead to one with 52 seconds to go. The Pistons failed to score on their next possession. Piston defense stifled LA and forced a desperation shot by Kareen Abdul-Jabbar. Then, the NBA took over. Bill Laimbeer got whistled for a foul. It was clear he did not come near Kareem and instant replay proved it. Kareen hit the foul shots and forced Game 7. The Pistons really won 3 titles in a row despite what the history books state.

5. Detroit Tigers: 1 Toronto Blue Jays: 0 (October 4, 1987): Comeback complete. The Tigers finished off an amazing comeback behind Frank Tanana’s 6 hit shutout. Larry Herndon homered for the game’s only run. The Tigers went 5-2 down the stretch while Toronto did not win in the final week.

6. Tigers: 4 White Sox: 0 (April 7, 1984): He has his no-hitter! Jack Morris throws a no-hitter on national TV. It was part of Detroit’s 35-5 start and Chet Lemon homered.

7. Hawkeyes: 12 Wolverines: 10 (October 19, 1985): #1 vs. #2. #1 Iowa took on #2 Michigan and escaped. Through five games, Michigan’s defense surrendered 21 points while Iowa was averaging 44 points a game behind Chuck Long. Neither offense did well and Michigan held a 10-9 lead early in the 4th quarter. Long drove down the field with 5:27 to go and Iowa kicked a field goal with seconds remaining. This was one of the best college games of the decade.

8. Wolverines: 26 Buckeyes: 24 (November 22, 1986): The guarantee. Jim Harbaugh guaranteed a victory. Ohio State blew a 14-3 lead as Jamie Morris racked up 210 yards. OSU missed a game winning field goal with 1:06 remaining. Chris Spielman had 29 tackles in the loss.


9. Red Wings: 3 Maple Leafs: 0 (May 3, 1987): Bro-phy! Bro-phy! The Wings fell behind 3-1 in the playoffs to Toronto. They won the next two games, 3-0 and 4-2. In Game 7, they shut out the Leafs 3-0. During the series, Leafs coach John Brophy accused the Wings of choking. In the third period, the JLA crowd shouted “Bro-phy! Bro-phy!” taunting the Leaf coach.

10. Michigan: 80 Seton Hall: 79 (OT) (April 3, 1989): Goodbye Bill, Hello Steve. Michigan wins the NCAA Tournament. Michigan coach Bill Frieder decided to move on to Arizona State, so athletic director, Bo Schembechler, fired him and elevated assistant coach Steve Fisher to head coach. Fisher started his career 6-0 as he swept through the tournament. Glen Rice was the tournament’s outstanding player as he averaged 29 points a game.