Baseball Legends: John Henry “Pop” Lloyd (Cuban X-Giants 1906, Philadelphia Giants 1907-09, Leland Giants 1910, New York Lincoln Giants 1911-15, 1926-30, Chicago American Giants 1914, 1916-17, New York Lincoln Stars 1915, Brooklyn Royal Giants 1918-1920, New York Bacharach Giants 1919, Columbus Buckeyes 1921, Atlantic City Bacharach Giants 1922, 1924-25, 1931-32, Hilldale Daisies 1923, Harlem Stars 1931)

“I do not consider that I was born at the wrong time. I felt it was the right time, for I had a chance to prove the ability of our race in this sport, and because many of us did our very best to uphold the traditions of the game…we have given the Negro a greater opportunity now to be accepted into the major leagues with other Americans.” – Pop Lloyd

Pop Lloyd is yet another reason why it is such a shame that baseball was segregated. He is considered one of the best players to ever play the game, but did not get a chance to shine. Because he did not play in the Major Leagues he is not very well known right now, but during his playing days he was considered the best shortstop in the Negro Leagues, and maybe all of baseball. His fielding earned him the nickname “the shovel.”

Baseball Legends: Honus Wagner (Colonels 1897-1899, Pirates 1900-1917)

Honus Wagner is most famous for his 1909 T-206 baseball card, one of the most sought-after and valuable sports collectibles ever produced. Wagner’s status as a Baseball Legend, however, has much more to do with his playing ability than his picture on a piece of cardboard.

He started his career in 1897 with the Louisville Colonels of the National League, and by 1898 he was proving himself with the bat. Wagner slugged 10 home runs that year, good for a second-place tie during the deadball era. It was also his first of nine 100+ RBI seasons. The only downside to 1898 really was his .299 batting average, but that was the last season he would finish under .300 until 1914.

Baseball Legends: Stanley Coveleski (A’s 1912, Indians 1916-1924, Senators 1925-1927, Yankees 1928)

I chose Stanley Coveleski for a couple of reasons. The first is the fact that he is Polish. As a Polish-American I can relate to him. I even know what it is like to have your name misspelled. On the card to the left you can see the misspelling. One reason for the misspelling is the fact that he changed his name. He was born Stanislaus Kowalewski.

The second reason that I chose to write about him is that our local minor league team the South Bend Silverhawks named their stadium after him. He moved to the area after his playing days were over, and made such an impact that they name Coveleski Stadium in his honor.

Baseball Legends: Ty Cobb (Tigers 1905-1926, A’s 1927-1928)

“I often tried plays that looked recklessly daring, maybe even silly. But I never tried anything foolish when a game was at stake, only when we were far ahead or far behind. I did it to study how the other team reacted, filing away in my mind any observations for future use.”

These are the immortal words of Ty Cobb. He is regarded as the best player of the dead-ball era. His accomplishments on the field are often disputed, mostly because records were poorly kept at the turn of the 20^th century. As a result, his career hits total anywhere between 4,189 to 4,192. He also has 11 or 12 batting titles, depending on the source. Even with these discrepancies, the numbers are still impressive.